While wash days can be relaxing, it can also be a real drag at times. The second time I went natural, back in 2013, I remember being super intentional about it that time around and so….. ya girl was trying everything in the book! Well ummm…

It’s almost 7 years later and I ain’t got that timeee again OKAY! LOL! Over the years, I unintentionally excluded some pretty popular practices from my hair regimen. In ditching them, I realised my regimen became a lot more manageable without hampering the health of my hair.

So here are 3 things I realised I did not really need to do for my hair and for which you may find you don’t either….

1. this PRE-POO thiIIIIng

Pre-poo advocates, pleaaaseee don’t kill a sis! I’m not knocking it…I repeat! I am NOT KNOCKING THIS ONE! I am just saying it isn’t always needed but incase you’re like “Pre-poo who?” Let me fill you in ….

WHAT IS A PRE-POO?

A pre-poo is the process of applying a moisturising treatment or agent, to the hair and allowing it to sit and soak into the hair before proceeding to shampoo. Most times, oil is the preferred choice as it provides that protective layer/ barrier on the hair strands, reducing stripping of the hair’s moisture during cleansing. I’ve also used aloe vera and regular conditioner too – it works okay but not the same as the oil. The aim of this process is to achieve or maintain the hair’s moisture which can often be stripped during cleansing.

I won’t lie, this definately helped when my hair became dryer than usual. I would recommend this for someone who suffers with dehydrated tresses. If you don’t have this issue however, it may not be THAATT necessary. I’ve learnt that the extent of stripping during cleansing is heavily dependent on the shampoo you use.

My simple solution?

1. A good quality, sulfate free, moisturising Shampoo. Here are a few of my faves:

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• 2. Weekly deep condition (with heat) – yes, WEEKLY!. MY faves below:

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2. condition and then deep condition

In my personal experience, even with naturally dry hair, this hasn’t made much of a difference. I’ve found that once I have a really good deep conditioner/ hair masque and some sort of heat cap, IM GOOOD! The heat is the major key here! Weekly deep conditioning, with heat, has helped my hair thrive so much. For years now, the cleansing portion of my hair routine only consists of one round of shampoo-ing – sometimes two rounds, depending on the level of product build up – and deep conditioning, with heat, for 15 – 30minutes. It’s effective without all the unnecessary add ons okurrr!

3. CAN’T FORGET COWASHING!

I’m sorry to the co-washing queens, but amma have to forget this one LOL! AGAIN! DO NOT COME FOR MEEE! I’ve tried cowashing a good few times, in the early stages of my hair journey but the germaphobe in me finds this a bit icky. If you’re not aware….

WHAT IS A CO-WASH?

Co- wash, also known as, Conditioner-only washing, is simply put, a process where only conditioner is used to wash the hair.

In the past, I would actually do this between wash days when I needed to go out. It was the quickest and easiest way to get a wash-and-go look or to refresh my curls post wash day. What grosses me out though, is the remnants of product build up that would be left behind on my scalp, as the conditioner doesn’t have the agents to break down the product fully. Sorry, but I’m just feeling itchy scalp and it has my spirit unsettled HA!

If you’re asking, the answer is yes, I experienced slight itchy scalp ,at times, when I used this method. This is why I mostly used it as a quick fix rather than part of my regimen and then well…eventually ditched it all together. Just a personal preference but I need to cleanse my hair and scalp specifically…it’s either I’m cleansing it or I’m not LOL.

And that’s a wrap! I’m not saying I’ll never do these things but it is unlikely that it’ll become a weekly habit….unless my hair changes again and needs a little extra help. For now though, less, more effective steps, get the job done!

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Do you use any of these methods within your hair routine? What doesn’t work for me may very well work for you, so COMMENT BELOW and let me know how it has helped your hair!

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As always, to God’s blessings, peace, happiness and love!