Image: @laurenlewiss_
It’s wash day. You already know the drill: You better set aside extra time to wash, condition, detangle and dry your curls. Most curly girls are so used to the rundown on wash day that it becomes a staple on our calendars. Despite the inconvenience, wash day should be seen as a time to pamper yourself, get your hair looking and feeling amazing, and give yourself the care you deserve. Still, duty calls – we have houses to clean, places to go, and work to do. How can you speed up the process on wash day without sacrificing that cleansed scalp and fresh curls? We’ve got you…
1. Get A Co-Wash That Can Do Both
One of the best tips to speed up wash day is to turn your two-product step in the shower into a one-product step instead. With co-washing, you get rid of the traditional route of using shampoo and then conditioner as two steps by using a cleansing conditioner to do both steps in one. A co-wash product gives you the cleansing power you need while also conditioning your scalp and strands all in one product. See our favorite co-wash products here.
2. Pre-Poo the Night Before
Of course, for those looking to save time, adding a pre-poo treatment the night before wash day can be a big help. A pre-shampoo treatment is usually a deep conditioning step you can take so you can jump right into shampooing in the morning and then right into styling without adding a conditioning step on wash day. This is an easy way to speed up wash day and best of all, the pre-poo can do its work while you sleep! That’s what we call multitasking. Try this pre-wash treatment from Mielle Organics.
3. Organize Your Products
If you are a product junkie (guilty as charged!”> your growing collection of hair products may be slowing down your wash day. Make sure you regularly clean out your shower shelving of products you no longer use so you have just the staples at the ready. When speeding up wash day, every little bit certainly helps. Also, you should know that hair products do have a shelf-life and they do expire. Make sure you also don’t let long-aged products linger, either!
4. Detangle in the Shower
When you detangle in the shower with some conditioner or co-wash in your curls, you can save some time. If you have tangles, knots or matted curls, this light-weight pre-cleanse detangler is just what you need to own wash day. Whether you finger detangle while hair has some slip or you use a detangler comb in the shower, it makes sense to work those tangles out when your hair is most receptive to help save time overall.
5. Dry Smarter
If you are wasting time with your blow dryer and the need to get your hair dry is slowing you down, consider air drying. Air drying can certainly save valuable time on wash day. If air drying isn’t your thing, you can also invest in a quality diffuser which will help with achieving a more even distribution of heat from your dryer, so you can dry curls faster, more evenly, and with less impact from the heat. This Dry Like a Deva kit from DevaCurl will have you drying like a pro in half the time.
For more #washday magic, check out these helpful articles:
The Wash Day Routine for Lazy Naturals
Podcasts to Listen to on Wash Day
How to Prepare Your Child for Wash Day
The Wash Day Musts for Wavy Hair
When You Know You’re Due for a Wash Day
