On the Fence: To love or to Hate Wash Day

Some Naturals love wash day and some naturals hate wash day. I'm no different. I did, too, when my hair was becoming more of a hassle to handle. Extreme shrinkage, wet pruny hands, product laced towels, hair everywhere. Doesn’t sound like fun. But now, I look forward to each wash day.

Not just because it’s a chance to style my hair again (and play in it). It’s because wash day is the biggest learning tool when it comes to learning about what you hair likes, dislikes, and anything in between. Let’s break it down:

Start with a basic 4 point regimen that includes detangling, washing, conditioning, and deep conditioning (or detangling, washing, conditioning/deep conditioning, and styling). Each part of the process will tell you key things about your hair from the previous week.

Let’s say you tried a new pre-poo/detangler. When it comes to detangling your hair on the following wash day, how’s the process? Is it harder? Easier? The same? Tried a new styler or moisturizer? Is you hair still moisturized? Is it drier? What about that shampoo or cleanser? Do you feel like your hair and scalp is not completely clean?

By paying attention to these key elements in the wash day process, I was able to find out what my hair likes or dislikes. Let’s break it down again with an example:

Example 1.Two weeks ago, I decided to change my styling product when doing my wash an go. Two days later, I was not happy with my hair so I decided to redefine. Two more days later, I hated my style again and decided to co-wash and redefine. Then on that Thursday, I styled my hair in a new style by adding more product and twisting.

By the time wash day rolled around again on that Saturday, my hair was screaming at me that I had manipulated it way too much. How I was able to tell? The amount of shed hair I got from detangling. It was more than usual.

The following week, I went back to my partly staple products and left my wng alone the entire week. My shedding when back to normal the following wash day.

Example 2. I wanted to skip out on following my regular wash day regimen and not use heat with my DC. Up until then for about a month, I had consistently used heat from my hooded dryer but this day I wanted to be lazy and just throw a scarf on my head. Well, I opted for being lazy. End results, my hair did not feel the same as it did the previous week when I used the hooded dryer (even though I was using the exact same products).

I spent years trying to figure out my hair and did not know that all I needed to do was look to wash day for the answers. It wasn’t easy at first. There was still a lot of trial and error. But as you become more consistent, any change that you make after that, you hair will let you know on wash day. Now whether its a good sign or bad sign, that’s up to your hair to decide.