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The wash and go is my staple style and a popular style among naturals. It is loved and hated because the term suggests one simply washes and goes, but that is not entirely true for all women. There may be some women who simply just wash their hair and go, but the majority of us need to wash, add conditioner, plop hair, and add styler. Guess what? That is just one variation of the wash and go and there are several others along with a number of products women swear by for the best results.
The idea behind the wash and go is to wear your curls, coils, and waves in their natural state. To me, it is the simplest style to rock, because there is no wrong way to rock your own curls. This style can cause damage if you do not moisturize properly, but I have perfected my moisturizing regimen, so that my strands are hardly ever dry.
Water is a master moisturizer
I know that water is the #1 moisturizer and I often feel I am making up for lost time when I thought water was the enemy. If we go back to when I was relaxed, I was under the impression that water was bad for my hair, as many women with relaxed hair have been led to believe. I starved my hair as a result, but I have learned the error of my ways and these days cannot get enough water into my strands. I refresh my hair almost daily with water bottles, like Curl Keeper H2O Water Bottle, and every few days refresh with some water and conditioner in the shower. I seal in the moisture with my condish mix below.
Conditioner + Elixir Cocktail
I learned this trick from my natural-haired sister and she got it from a stylist a few years ago. After I saturate my hair with water in the shower (I have high porosity hair so that is quick for me”>, I section my hair into four parts and add my botanical conditioner in my hand with a few pumps from SheaMoisture Reconstructive Finishing Elixir before applying to a section of hair. I do that for all sections and leave the shower. This is my tweaked version of the Curly Girl Method (CGM”>. I leave conditioner in my hair, and while the CGM keeps my hair well moisturized, I have high porosity hair and the added elixir helps to keep the moisture sealed in. It is made of Shea butter, argan oil, vegetable squalene, carrot oil, and macadamia nut oil as the first five ingredients and I love how well it works in a cocktail.
Deep condition like a fiend
I may live in dry Denver, but you would never know it by my hair. My hair is hardly ever dry unless I neglect it for a few days. While I can say I love water and wet my hair a lot, the real hero for my hair being moisturized is my determination to deep condition every time I wash my hair. I also use excellent deep conditioners. My favorites are SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Masque or Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment. Both of these amazing products up my moisture game while also fending off the damage regular shampooing does to my strands.
Deep conditioning is a necessary step especially if you use color, heat styling tools, or manipulate your hair often. I slather it on after I wash and rinse my hair and when I say slather, I mean slather it on! I jump out of the shower and cover my hair with a plastic cap and my heated Hot Head Deep Conditioning Microwavable Heat Cap, leaving it on for 30 minutes. I jump back into the shower, rinse it out, and style as usual. Think that’s too much? Well, my hair is soft and moisturized 90% of the time. I say it is well worth the extra effort.
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