Saturday, January 10, 2015

Wash Day Tips for the Busy (or Lazy)

 Our lives are constantly changing requiring greater flexibility within our schedules and at times it may be challenging to find the time to thoroughly cleanse our tresses, let alone take the time to pamper our hair with special treatments. This is the situation I have found myself in over the past few weeks and between long hours at work and looking for a new home I have not had the time or the energy to dedicate to a full-fledged wash day, and have even skipped my mid-week sessions.

Despite my neglect my hair seems to be pretty healthy - split ends are virtually non-existent along with zero breakage and minimal shedding - but I plan to rectify my neglect this weekend by giving my hair some serious TLC. Hopefully I can resume my normal regimen as the year progresses and life settles, but the past few weeks have reminded me of the importance having quality products that provide my hair with what it needs without requiring me to spend hours (or 15 minutes) beneath hair dryers, steamers, or shower caps.

The following product types are suggestions for those of you with busy schedules (or who simply find yourselves lazy sometimes). I avoided listing specific products in favor of product types because what works for one may not work for another.

Moisturizing Sulfate-Free Shampoo
This should be a staple in every shower and bathroom cabinet for ladies on a healthy hair journey. When you are pressed for time you cannot go wrong with a gentle shampoo guaranteed to provide your hair with the moisture you may miss when skipping your DC session.

Protein-Moisture Balanced Conditioner
If you're like me you prefer to use both a protein and moisturizing conditioner each wash day, but for those days when you just don't feel like doing two separate conditioning sessions a moisture-protein balanced conditioner is the way to go. It may be difficult to find a balanced conditioner, and in that case I typically reach for a light protein conditioner because I know I'll get the mix of strength and moisture my hair needs without the 15-30 minute processing time or the shower cap.

Creamy Leave-Ins
Creamy leave-in conditioners work best for busy weekends due to their consistency. I have found that using a thick leave-in versus a light leave-in spray on days when I've skipped my DC provides longer lasting moisture and leaves my hair feeling supple and soft. I save the light-weight leave-in spray for adding moisture daily as the week progresses.

Olive Oil
 I typically use African Royal as a pre-poo and sealant but nothing beats the shine, moisture, and softness that pure olive oil adds to my hair - which is why it is my go-to when I am in a time crunch.

One thing I will mention is no matter how lazy  or busy I am I NEVER skip the pre-poo! The pre-poo process has done wonders for my hair and it will forever be a part of my regimen. 

 Although I would not suggest skipping deep conditioning on a regular or rushing through wash days I understand that sometimes we just can't do it all. The great thing about a hair journey is learning flexibility and how to care for your hair as your circumstances change.

How do you maintain your hair when life gets hectic?

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