Wash Day

Notes: This is my last wash day of this stretch! *Throws confetti* I plan to relax on Wednesday night when I'll be exactly 15 weeks post. This has been a great stretch for me but lord knows that I'm excited to be done with it; I can't wait to welcome my straight tresses back (if only for a week). To prep for my relaxer, I treated my tresses to a hard protein treatment and deep condition. 

Pre-Wash Detangle Shed Hair

(0) Detangled with my Magic Star Jumbo Rake in vertical sections. 
(1) Shampooed first with KeraCare 1st Lather Shampoo to clarify and then with Matrix Biolage Hydratherapie Hydrating Shampoo
(2) Protein Treatment- I saturated my hair in Nexxus Emergencee then did some chores. It air dried for about 3 hours.

Freshly Shampooed Hair (Texture Shot)

(3) Extreme Deep Condition: Next, I stood under the spray of my shower for about 5 minutes to rinse the Emergencee completely. Deep conditioning with heat after a protein treatment isn't suggested---it's mandatory! That is if you want to keep the hair on your head. I deep conditioned for 2 hours under my heating cap with Matrix Biolage Hydratherapie Conditioning Balm and then coated my strands in extra virgin coconut oil. 

(4) Green Tea Rinse with 2 green tea bags and 2 cups of water.  Then applied the green tea rinse with a narrow tip applicator bottle and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
(5) Smoothing Treatment- Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment to the rescue. The protein treatment and tea rinse combo left my hair feeling very brittle and the smoothing treatment completely reversed that. After massaging it into my strands for 5 minutes (and doing a little detangling in the process) I rinsed to find my hair soft and very strong again! It wasn't nearly as soft or fluffy as when I do my mini washes but I'm still calling this a win. I felt 5-6 knots in my hair as I was rinsing. I didn't have the time or patience to deal with them in the shower, so I just let them be. I realized that I do far more harm than good if I'm rushing with my hair and it's knotty. (Get it! naughty! Ha-ha. C'mon y'all--need I remind you? #judgementfreezone)
(6) Air dry- I let my hair air dry 100% then applied my leave ins.

Shed hair from the shower trips

(7) Leave-ins- Detangled with the aid of my Hercules Sagemann Contour Comb courtesy of  the"Loving My Hair" Giveaway giveaway. Herbal Essences Touchably Smooth Split End Protector and argan oil. I only found 5-6 SSKs but it detangling them was a breeze once I had the time. I'm not going to lie---I'm not in love with this comb. Its tiny teeth scare the mess out of me. However, I didn't notice an increase in breakage with it and I plan on noting if my hair stays smoother or less tangled through out the week. Needless to say--a through review is in the works. Thanks again Age!

Post wash air dry fluffy bun

Results: I've been spoiling myself with mini washes. I was totally over this wash after the second time that I jumped into the shower! I had a little more shedding this wash day when compared to my last 4 mini wash days. I'm more than sure that it has something to do with me adding shampoo back in the mix and changing up my usual order of operations. Next time that I do a protein treatment (and thus use shampoo) I'm going to do my green tea rinse and smoothing treatment before my deep condition in hopes of keeping the soft fluffy hair that I'm madly in love with. 

One of the best things about keeping a hair journal (online and offline) is that it's excellent for documenting what works for you and what doesn't; Especially if you are like me and you can't remember what you had for breakfast! Looking back at my wash day here made me realize that maybe my hair either A. doesn't need two lathers or B. I'm shampooing all wrong! I think that the next time that I need to shampoo, I'm going to dilute and apply it to my scalp with an applicator bottle, just like I apply tea rinses, to prevent tangles.  

How was your wash day? Anyone else ending a stretch?
 
Un mil besitos!

KLP