At the end of a long week of classes, studying, and other responsibilities, there’s nothing that I enjoy more than spending what little free time that I do have doing my hair – SAID NO ONE EVER!
My love/hate relationship with my natural hair stemmed from the hours I spent washing, conditioning, and styling it on a weekly basis. It took a couple of years until my hair was no longer a source of frustration, but something I looked forward to in my self-care routine.
We all live busy lives, so finding a routine that works for your lifestyle is important for the health of your hair and your feelings towards it. Here are a few things that changed the game for my natural hair routine.
1. Spend more time detangling
I know, this whole post is about spending less time doing your hair, so why the heck should you spend MORE time detangling? I found that with being gentle and taking my time to eliminate most knots in the early stages of my wash day routine actually saved time in the long run. When you rush to detangle, you are not only more likely to experience breakage (because you’re yanking through it), but you are also more likely to miss knots that will just get worse as wash day progresses.
I wet my hair thoroughly once I get into the shower, starting with my fingers and then my favorite detangling brush. I’m not really big on pre-pooing, but sometimes I do add a conditioner for extra slip when needed.
2. Stick to the basics
To put things simply, all hair thrives when it is properly cleaned, moisturized, and with minimal manipulation. Shampoo routinely (I wash my hair bi-weekly using the two-poo method), find a BOMB deep conditioner, and always apply a leave-in to prolong moisture. If needed, re-moisturize during the week as well. Making your routine less complicated will relieve a lot of stress. Some of my favorite products are from Girl+Hair, NeoCurly, and KinkyCurly.
3. Styles built to last
If you live in a humid area (like FL), you have no business doing twist outs with no gel and expecting it to last you throughout the week!
Think about how often you would like to do your hair and choose styles that will last for this time frame. My go-to is wearing a wash and go for one week and then putting it up into a puff for the following week. Another great protective styling option is wearing twists for 1-1.5 weeks and then taking them out for another style.
—
I hope that these tips helps make wash days a little less daunting. What methods have you used to cut down your hair routine?
*this post contains affiliate links