Wash Day October 16, 2014

As of late my wash days have been going off without a hitch and I am loving not only the ease of the process but the results as well. I owe much of my wash day success not only to the use of quality products that actually work for my hair type and texture, but also to the implementation of sectioning throughout the entire washing and styling process. Today's wash day was no exception and my hair came out beautifully, here is what I did:

1. Starting with my hair parted in three sections (according to texture) I applied a quarter-sized amount of GVP Joico K-Pak Reconstructor conditioner to each section and detangled using a wide-toothed shower comb. I secured each section into a bun, covered my hair with a plastic shower cap and sat beneath a hooded dryer for 15 minutes. After sitting under the dryer I decided to pre-poo over night and secured the plastic cap with my satin bonnet before heading to bed.
2. In the morning I released one section at a time and rinsed each section thoroughly before shampooing with Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo, focusing on the scalp then letting the shampoo run down the length of my strands. I really liked this shampoo and if I weren't on this "sulfate-free kick" I may actually purchase it for myself. It rinsed clean, smelled great, didn't cling to my hair or scalp and it really got my hair smooth and frizz-free. It does have lower sulfates that most sulfate shampoos and I found it comparable to my beloved Kera Minerals Smoothing Shampoo, so it may be a future purchase.
3. After each section was thoroughly rinsed and the excess water was squeezed from my hair I applied a quarter-sized amount of my GVP Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm and finger-combed the product through my strands. I did not sit beneath a heat source this time, but instead allowed the conditioner to sit for 30 minutes beneath a plastic processing cap. After 30 minutes I rinsed each section first with warm water then cool water to seal the cuticle.
4. I patted each section gently with a t-shirt after wringing the excess water from my strands, then sprayed a generous amount of Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-In Conditioner followed by a pea-sized amount of ORS Moisturizing Hair Lotion and  Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum to seal the moisture into my strands.
5. I have grown a little tired of flex rod sets and decided to set my hair on curlformers before adding my clip-ins for a new and different look. I applied the curlformers to 1/2 inch sections placing the pink curlers on the right and the orange curlers on the left. Before placing a section of hair on the curlfomer I made sure to thoroughly smooth the hair using my boar-bristled round brush. After sitting beneath a hooded dryer for about 45 minutes and air drying for another 30 minutes, I removed the culrformers and added a bit of the Organix Argan Oil of Morocco Penetrating Oil Treatment for added shine. I plan to secure the curls in a ponytail to stretch them over night before applying my clip-in extensions tomorrow morning and wand curling them to blend with my natural hair.

Results: I was a little worried that pre-pooing over night with a protein conditioner would adversely affect my hair but I am happy to report that I saw hardly any shedding during the shampooing process, and very few strands fell while I detagled before applying the curlformers. I had so little hair-fall that I almost took a picture of the bathroom sink! There may be more to this protein pre-poo process than I thought. My hair came out wonderfully: soft, smooth, moisturized and feeling quite strong. It has a nice shine and my new growth is stretched and smoothed. I actually forgot how much I enjoy the flexibility of curlformers, I can either wear the curls (if I apply a holding product) or I can allow the curls to fall and have a straightened or wavy look.

 

How was your most recent wash day?