March 18, 2014

The Wash


One of the most ignorant (and annoying) questions that I get is "Do you wash your hair".

 I also get the less annoying version which I don't really mind: "How often do you wash your hair?" To be clear I only don't mind when it comes from genuinely curious individuals whom the information would actually benefit in their hair journey and whose voices aren't tinged with the condescendingly insinuating tone indicative of the previous question. Ok, ok, lol, let me step off my soap box and get into this week's post….



I wash my whole head about once every two weeks to a month. I wash the front, unlocked part of my hair a lot more frequently (about once or twice a week to two weeks on average) because I style and apply product to it more often than the locs so the refresher is more necessary. This timeline is relative to what my week is like of course and there have been times where I wash every day or once every other day. It really just depends on what's going on at the moment in my life.

I've talked this subject with lots of different people and the majority of my Caucasian friends tell me that they wash their hair EVERYDAY! I couldn't imagine…my wash days usually take HOURS of my time because of all of the "after maintenance" required. I guess the upside though is after all that is over I don't have to redo it for another week or so thus making it all worth it.

It usually only takes about 20-40min to actually wash my hair/shower. I'm not really big on products so I use whatever shampoo/conditioner is convenient and cost effective. I think I have Suave Naturals (Refreshing Waterfall Mist scent for both the shampoo and the conditioner) right now. I squeeze it onto my hands and lather it into the front of my hair but squeeze it directly onto my locs and work it in. I usually don't feel like waiting around after putting in the conditioner (just realizing I forgot conditioner in my last wash…) so I rinse it until all the soap is gone and wring out the excess water whereupon I secure it up into a bun. I cover it all over with a towel until I've gotten all the materials out I'll need for styling and then commence the "do". I prefer it a little damp when styling so I don't even own a hair dryer.

Of course after the wash comes the hours of re-twisting, lubricating, and styling. 

I've gotten this question/request a lot so here are a couple photos of what it looks like post-wash/pre-styling: 




What's your wash routine?

How long does it usually take?


Do you sometimes want to just say, "forget it!" and shave it all off!?





- "Mo hair"

 

Rahkua Ishakarah

1 comment:

  1. My wash days vary. This year I have been more committed to working out and as a result my hair gets a bit dirty. I usually wash once, but if necessary, twice a week. The washing part is easy (if my hair is detangled), but the styling is where the time and work comes in. I'm loving Tresemme Naturals conditioner. I've recently started using Beautiful Textures Shampoo and their detangling leave-in conditioner.

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