Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Forsake Thy Steps On Wash Day

5 Simple Tips To Follow For the Sake Of An Effective Wash Day Routine

        I cannot stress enough how important it is to have an effective hair regimen. 

NCG: You!

Follower: Who me?

NCG: Yes you.

Follower: Wah ah do?

NCG: Yuh know exactly wah yuh did do.

Follower: Wais dat?

NCG: Stop forsaking yuh damn hair regimen, please. Ah beggin yuh. 

And no, asking Siri to wash your hair will not work. Stop procrastinating and get to work! You have to be committed to getting the job done for yourself. 

   

A hair regimen is a routine made specifically by you for your hair. It provides basic functions; structure, repetition and consistency to the overall health and wellness of your hair. Think of it as a survival toolkit. We should always have it at our dispense to achieve remarkable results for our hair's longevity.

The same way we have timetables and syllabus' for school which we must adhere to, our hair should be treated with the same respect and discipline. Being able to train your hair for different styles, products and even hair tools, we must first find out what our hair likes and what it dislikes. 

For us to understand our hair needs and wants, we should go through a trial and error phase. Some people take weeks, others months and then some again years to find what really works for their hair. Whether it is the right products to use, tools or even techniques. 

I am going to list (5) things we should always consider for our wash day routine. These steps are the most basic steps that any hair type can follow or at least try. 

1.Hydration

It is very important to saturate your hair with water before applying any products, especially during wash day. Water is the only effective liquid supply that can actually penetrate layers deep. Water is super essential for all areas of our lives and we consume (or we should consume) it every day. The amount of water we drink daily can also contribute or hinder our hair's growth and strength. Therefore, water, water, water and you can add some more water. You can never have enough water. This is the first step to any wash day routine. 

2. Cleansing the Hair With A Clarifying Shampoo

Growing up, all I knew was shampooing and conditioning. My hair did not have a structured routine and it could have been washed any day, preferably on weekends. However, as I grew older and began reading more and doing my own research, I realised the importance of using a clarifying shampoo. A clarifying shampoo is one that gets the hair clean after a week or so of buildup caused by the products used in our hair, exercise and other activities. 

Many may say that washing the hair too often with shampoo is only stripping the hair of its natural oils (sebum). However, it is definitely healthier to wash your hair with shampoo regularly than keep adding products on top of products which can only delay growth and health. 

The more we apply products to our hair and neglect shampooing or an effective routine, the more we are clogging our pores and preventing the hair from breathing.  A clarifying shampoo can remove excess oil from our hair. In some cases, these excess oils are caused by the products we use on a daily or weekly basis in our hair. 

Pause right here! 

Now go take a look at the ingredients labelled in each of your hair products. When you have completed this task, return and continue reading.

P                              A                                 U                             S                                    E

Yes, if you saw that majority of your hair products consists of oils then you will understand where I am coming from. As I previously stated, our hair produces natural oils and by using products with oils in them without clarifying our hair we are sabotaging our own hair. Yes, you did that. 

Additionally,  plants need soil to grow but our hair does not. The only way our hair will grow is by implementing a sound routine and adhering to it. And by making sure our scalp is always clean after each wash. 

3. Conditioning

Another important step in our wash day routine should be conditioning. As stated briefly in my previous blog post, conditioning our hair is an important way of putting back in the moisture that may have been slightly taken away after shampooing.  Shampooing opens our hair cuticle to clean up or solve residue buildup. Conditioners, on the other hand, acts as a smoothing agent that closes our hair cuticle after shampooing, ensuring that the moisture is sealed in. Conditioning can also be successful in reducing frizz, breakage and split ends. 

It is important to note that there are several types of conditioners. These include deep conditioners, co-wash and leave-in conditioners. 

Deep Conditioners

Deep conditioners are a lot more effective than a regular conditioner. This does not mean that I will completely throw regular conditioners out the window or front door. Allow me to explain further. While conditioners are coated from ends working its way up to our hair shaft to the roots or the reverse of that method, a deep conditioner is used to restore damaged areas in our hair. In other words, the parts in our hair that has experienced the most damage and is automatically the weakest will need the deep conditioning agent. It will penetrate layers deep to ensure that our hair is restored and healthier. 

Neglecting our hair of a deep conditioner can result in breakage, split ends or even unruly flyaways. If we do not deal with split ends and breakage then it can continue to work its way up our hair shaft resulting in more damage. Results may include bald spots and other negative effects that will be an unpleasant sight. 

Co-Washing                        

Another part of conditioning is called co-washing. Co-washing is also known as conditioner washing. The name already gives away its purpose in our hair. Co-washing is used by many and then disregarded by others. Many do not consider co-washing necessary because they believe that adding a conditioner without shampooing only causes additional buildup. Many use co-washing and add their own twist. I use a co-wash but I either shampoo before or after I apply the co-wash. This way my hair is always clarified and still retains its moisture. Then I apply my deep conditioner. 

While reading I stumbled upon a post where someone dispised co-washing and they posed the question, "Will you wash your clothes only with fabric softener?" To be honest, this made me chuckle. We cannot and should not compare our hair to the detergents and softeners used for washing our clothes. It is two completely different things that should not be used interchangeably. 

I do, however, to a degree, understand what the person was trying to entail. We need laundry detergent to remove the heavy dirt on our clothes and the fabric softener helps to protect it from things like colour fading, stiffness and helps to maintain a soft feel. These characteristics are also similar to those of shampoos and conditioners. One major difference though, we can, in fact, wash our hair with only a conditioner (co-washing). This cannot be the case for washing clothes. The analogy, therefore, is pointless when compared to products and strategies used for our hair.  

So, if someone tries to rebut by stating that co-washing is ineffective with the aforementioned question, hit them with the facts. Fabric softeners are used for softening fabrics. Co-washing is used for softening and smoothing the hair, making it more manageable. 

                
Leave-in Conditioners      
                

 Leave-in Conditioners are one of the most sacred products for our hair. Think of leave-in conditioners as water. We all need water to survive. Leave-in conditioners add an extra layer of protection to our hair as a preventative measure from damage caused by tangles, frizz, and heat. 

Therefore, it detangles, tames frizz, retain lust in colour treated hair, acts as a heat protectant and it also protects the hair from dryness. Unlike a regular conditioner, a leave-in treatment stays in our hair until the next wash day. 

Apply a reasonable amount of leave-in conditioner evenly throughout the hair before you moisturise and style it. You will begin to see the results of using a leave-in conditioner. It is also great for all hair types and densities. Whether we shampoo or co-wash we should always reach for that leave-in conditioner. With that being said, all of us can benefit from leave-ins. 

4. Tools To Use On Wash Day                 

When we use tools for our hair during wash day it can make the process less stressful and time-consuming. Two tools that I highly recommend during wash day are detangling brushes and scalp massagers. While one aids our fingers in removing knots and smoothing out our strands, the other helps us de-stress and allows circulation of blood flow to our hair cells and follicles. 

Many people have told me that they prefer to finger detangle instead of using hair tools. At a point in my life, I stopped using hair tools as well. I never owned a detangling brush until recently and the results of using it while finger detangling is glorifying. 

We can never get to all the tangles in our hair just by finger detangling. Even if our fingers are tiny whiny it still is not small enough. The bristles on our detangling brush can reach and get rid of every tangled or knotted strand. 

5. Techniques

 Two of the most effective techniques that are beneficial on any hair type are:

• Only detangle your hair when it is saturated with water 

• Section the hair

Detangling the hair when it is fully drenched in water is the only way products can glide through our hair smoothly with less force. If we try to detangle our hair when it is dry we can contribute to our hair breaking off easily. At a very young age, way before I became interested in reading, researching and writing about "all things hair," I knew that it was dangerous to detangle hair when it is dry. I can surely say that having that idea and knowledge at a young age helped me to become aware of the small and simple things that we take for granted.  Today I beg you to stop trying to detangle your hair when it is dry. Stop torturing your hair. Moreso, stop torturing yourself.

Sectioning the hair is the best way to evenly distribute products without putting too little or totally going overboard. If we do not section our hair when we wash it we are defeating the purpose of wash day. When our hair is sectioned (I use 4 sections) it is easier to manage. Trust and believe that sectioning your hair can help the products to penetrate and or moisturise more sufficiently. 

On a side note, if your hair is really thin or straight there may not be a need for you to section it. Reason being, the hair is thin and the products may be applied evenly without parting it. However, I and many others have thicker hair and the products will not just dive and sit on our hair with little to no effort. Therefore, we need to section our hair and make sure that it is saturated with water thoroughly before using any products.

We tend to worry more about the preparation for wash day than gaining healthy, nourishing and restorative results. For the sake of thy soul, try to never neglect wash day again.  

So, the next time you feel discouraged, reread this blog post and gain the knowledge, confidence and discipline when your next wash day creeps up on you. I am always here to help and support you along the way. We are always in this together, now until the end of time. 

Stop thinking so hard and start yesterday. Your hair may begin to look weaker, duller and damaged the longer you wait for Siri to wash it. 




                        Yes, You Can!