Perfecting My Wash and Go | The #WashDayExperience

I'm still in a little shock that my wash and go from last week actually lasted for 5 days. I didn't have to add any additional product and using banding to maintain my hair was so simple. Because I'm just not customized to only washing my hair once a week. I was really expecting my hair to be dry and my scalp to be itchy. Surprisingly it wasn't.

RELATED: How I Maintained My Wash and Go for 5 Days

I probably could have stretched my wash day one more day---but I decided not to push it. The one thing that I knew for sure was that I'd have to shampoo to remove all of the gel/castor oil/dirt/sweat that was bound to be on my hair and scalp. 

Here's what I used:

Pre-shampoo/Strengthening Treatment- DIY Moisturizing Mist (tutorial here) + Aubrey Organics GPB Conditioner (review here)
Shampoo- Jessicurl Cleansing Cream (review here)
Deep Condition- Jessicurl Deep Treatment Conditioner (review here) + Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (shop it!)
Clay Rinse- Here's the dets on my recipe
Leave-Ins- Castor Oil (shop it!)+ Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner (why I love this stuff here)
Styler- Eco Styler Krystal Gel (shop it!)


And here's how I did it:


I usually start my wash day with a pre-shampoo. My pre-shampoo sessions allow me to detangle/remove shed hair before I get into the shower and it gives my hair an extra boost of either moisture or protein. Because I already had a ton of build up on my hair, I wasn't sure that my pre-shampoo session would even be effective. But habits are hard to break. So I started by spraying my hair with my DIY moisturizing mist. This concoction is not just moisturizing---it's also fantastic at detangling my hair. After I sprayed each section, I slathered on a little warmed Aubrey Organics GPB Conditioner. After a week of wearing my hair out, I wanted to add a little protein to my hair for strength and to combat breakage. I covered with a plastic cap and sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes.

With my hair secured in about 7 sections (4 in the back and 3 in the front), I rinsed the conditioner then shampooed with Jessicurl Cleansing Cream (review here). I expected tangles and a week's worth of shed hair, but surprisingly the process was quick and tangle-free.

I t-shirt dried for a few minutes then applied my FAVEEEE deep conditioner Jessicurl Deep Treatment (review here). Next, I layered on a little Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (shop it!) to seal in the conditioner. I covered with a plastic cap and left it in overnight.


RELATED: Why I Deep Condition Overnight 

Wet hair after deep conditioning + castor oil

The next morning, I rinsed the conditioner then did my Clay Rinse treatment. Clay rinsing defines my curls giving them extra poppage. Made up word but whatevs... After applying the clay rinse in sections, I rinsed then applied some regular old castor oil (I used this one) to my soaking wet hair.
I rinsed my hair again to get my curls to clump up again. Out of the shower, I applied my moisturizing leave in, Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner (why I love this stuff here) then sectioned off my hair to prep for applying the gel.


RELATED: How I Get My Curls To POP!

My Wash and Go Technique #2

I used the same exact technique from last week. Starting with the back, I spritzed it with water until it was soaking wet then finger detangled until my hair clumped into curls. Then I smoothed a little gel on the roots--but not on my scalp. Next, I raked a little more gel through all the way until the ends and gently shook out the curls. (aka the rake and shake technique)

The application process took me about 35-40 minutes to do. I let my hair air dry for a couple of hours. (about 3-4 hours) But that wasn't nearly enough time for it to dry, so I sat under my hooded dryer---set on cool--- for about 30 minutes.

My hair was a little damp at the roots, so I banded my hair using some extra wide hair ties. (these are my faves) Then let my hair dry overnight.

The next morning, all I had to do was remove the bands---which is super easy and doesn't cause breakage---shake my hair out a little then fluff.

Surprisingly, my hair actually felt more moisturized after this wash and go than it was after last week's wash and go. I attribute the extra moisture to applying regular old castor oil to my hair while it was soaking wet. I think that this technique helped seal my hair. Regular castor oil has a less pungent scent than JBCO so I'm glad that I switched plus it's soo much cheaper and the packaging makes it easier to use in the shower. Next week, I plan to switch to ribbon ties instead of the regular hair ties that I've been using. The regular hair ties leave dents in my hair--which I don't really mind, but I do worry if ribbon ties will work better. I also plan to apply just a little more gel to my roots. I noticed a little more frizz at the roots on day one than I had last time.

I wonder if I can get another 5 days out of this wash and go too!

Fingers crossed!

How was your #washdayexperience? Is your hair ready for the summer?

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