How To Wash-And-Go On 4c Hair

Curls, Curls...more curls
Wash-and-Go is one of the cool ways to get extra curl definition on your natural hair. This is my second attempt at a wash-and-go, the first attempt was over 2 years ago(Epic failure). It came out right this time. I’m wondering if I should call this a wash-and-go though, maybe a define-and-go has a better ring to it, as my curls didn’t get defined immediately after my wash process. My hair was already a week old after washday.
Wash-and-Gos are mostly achieved during wash days, immediately hair has been cleansed and is free from build up. Mine, however, was achieved a week after washday.

What you’ll need:

  1. Water in a spray bottle
  2. Leave in conditioner
  3. Detangling comb/brush
  4. Gel

Steps

  1. Section a small part of your hair and thoroughly dampen the section with water.
  2. Apply leave-in conditioner, smooth it through and detangle your hair.
  3. Apply gel and smoothen through in a raking motion.
  4. Shingling: Take each individual curl in the section and smoothening it down to separate it from the rest of the section. i.e separating the curls strand by strand.
  5. Do this for your whole hair, then gently shake your head for a while(like you’re saying ‘no’). This helps to separate the coils and to remove excess water.
  6. Style your hair in the direction that you want it to go and let it dry. 
  7. You can add some oil after it dries.

It took about 2.30 hours to get this done because of the shingling, the good thing here is that it wasn’t my arm doing all the work. A friend of mine actually got this done on my hair. 😆


Tips

  1. This style is best achieved on hair that is cleansed, without any build up. It will last longer this way.
  2. Get ready to keep your hair wet throughout the entire process. This allows you to capture the curls you have in your wet state. Water and conditioner bring out your curl pattern, and the gel captures your curl pattern.
  3. Don’t add too much gel, I did this and my hair didn’t completely get dried until the next day. I also had a few white flakes on my hair. Don’t be like me.

Maintenance

Mornings:

  • For the first 5 days: Added oil, lightly rake my hands through my hair, shake and go.
  • On the 6th day, I finally spritz with water, applied oil then little gel and let it dry 

Night:

  • Pineapple up.
  • If I want a stretched hair, I twist more than half of each section, then secure with rubber bands



I’ve been loving the wash-and-go. Apart from being time-consuming, getting matted after a few days,  and as usual the shrinkage, it falls under my fave hairstyles.

Looking forward to trying it again!
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Frospiration! | Esther


Let’s get to know you.

Hello peeps! My name is Esther Konama Yeboah. I’m Ghanaian and half English. I’ve lived in Ghana for past 14 years!

How long have you been a natural?

My whole life. Two years ago I went to sisterlocks and half a year ago, I moved to twist locks. I do these myself and don't need to go to a stylist for these.

Do you have an idea what your hair type and porosity is?

Uhmmmm…..no I don’t. Thinking of reading this post on porosity though, so I’ll figure it out, but my hair is difficult and hard work.


What’s your regimen like?

I wash my hair 2 or 3 times every 6 weeks with some form of moisturizing shampoo, whatever I have with me at the time. Every time I wash it, I oil my scalp and roots with coconut oil and Shea butter. Then I re-twist each lock (not sure how many I have) with Cantu moisturizing twist and lock gel and Olive oil Eco styler gel. A couple of times during the month I re-oil my hair a bit and re-twist some in the front rows.

Any hair products you can’t do without?

Cantu twist and lock gel, Coconut oil and Shea butter.

What’s your go-to hairstyle? Any fave hairstyle?

I normally leave my hair loose (I’ve been told it makes me look like a lion with a mane) or tie it high up in a bun.

Challenges you face as a natural.

I did when it wasn’t in locks. I had a fluffy afro before now, and although it was cool, no one took someone with a fluff ball on their head seriously. I couldn’t really do much with it because it was a lot to deal with, all tangly and I was too self-conscious to leave it out, so it remained tied up most of the time. It needed a lot of care to keep it looking normal and healthy but it was always tangled up because people kept touching it as if I were a cat. 😒

Do you have any hair/styling secret? 😉

Secrets? Hmmmm….I switch hair partings throughout the day to stop my hair from hanging too floppy, staying fluffed and wind swept-looking.

What’s the best thing about being natural?

The best thing about being natural is: when you look good, especially when everyone acknowledges it. Then you feel the effort you put in wasn’t in vain! The best thing about locks is: you put almost zero effort into looking good!

Any advice for your natural sisters out there?

Be proud of the hair you’ve been given; it’s a gift. But don’t be mistaken in thinking that you need to have long hair or perfect natural hair and so you labor hard and long on it to no avail. If your hair is hard work, there are other ways to embrace it. There’s no one way to be natural.

How do we keep in touch with you? 

Instagram: @essy_ter
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Jumbo Faux Locs

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Washday | Secret Of Less Tangling



 My definition of washday these days:


washday
/ˈwɒʃdeɪ/
noun
noun: wash-day
   - a day when one misses their big chop or teeny weeny afro 
I really do miss the times when washdays were easier. These days it comes with lots of manipulation, that leaves my hair in a tangled mess, especially as my hair grows longer and thicker.
For a while now, I’ve been making washdays less of a chore, making it easier by washing my hair in braids/twists. There are more benefits to this:

  1.  I spend less time during the washing process.
  2. This also helps minimize tangles caused by manipulation, giving me a better chance of retaining length.
  3.  It ensures my hair is getting cleaned thoroughly as no part is being ignored. 
Depending on the length and thickness of your hair, You can braid/twist up 4 or more sections. Usually, I do 6 or more sections for my hair.

When shampooing, focus on the scalp as this is where dirt and buildup are present. After shampooing, let the water run down the length of your braids/twists to clean the length of your hair.  Squeeze each braid/twist as the shampoo is being rinsed out of your hair.

You don’t have to unravel the braids/twists after the shampoo rinse out, You can also go through your deep conditioning process while the hair is still braided/twisted up.

Tip: To prevent my hair from unraveling during the wash process, I make sure braids/twists are firm but not excessively tight.

How do you combat tangles on washdays? Let me know in the comment section below.
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