Sunday Wash Day Routine

I'll be the first to admit that I miss washing my relaxed hair. It was just so... to the point. I love my hair but the maintenance this thirsty little monster requires makes me think that it hates me. I sometimes think it ties itself into millions of fairy knots just to spite me. Perhaps it hates me because I've honestly neglected it. My first semester at UMass Amherst (online) has been extremely hectic and I'm only at week seven. That and the fact that I've been working is the reason why I haven't been caring for my hair as much as I was supposed to. These tasks take me only a few minutes to complete but I just didn't have it in me. 

However, I am determined to change that starting today (well, yesterday). Wash Day yesterday went by pretty smoothly considering I had to take pictures for this post. Technically, my wash day is a two-day event because I deemed it necessary to maintaining my sanity. I decided to split the routine into two days to save myself lots of time. My hair was left in four-week-old braids that I'd kept tucked under a nice head wrap.

This time I started two days before wash day and started taking out my braids, detangling and banding them on Friday night. All I did after taking out the braid was spray water on each section before detangling and banding it to keep it stretched. Banding is my favorite way to stretch my hair without using heat. 

I've tried African threading but let's just say my scissors eventually became involved... I only detangled half of my head because it was so late and I had work on Saturday. So I simply wore my head wrap to work and finished detangling once I got home. I started the official wash day by taking out the bands only to obsess over the cute waves it left behind! 

Once my hair gets longer I'll definitely try banding my hair to wear as a style. Band-outs, I guess. *shrugs*

I was excited to use the nice products I bought the other day and yesterday was the perfect opportunity to break them in. For my pre-poo or pre-shampoo treatment, I combined some Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Rosehip Seed oil, a little Peppermint oil and last but not least, Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  

I like to use bottles that have a nozzle for easy application. To heat up the oil I just took a container with water, nuked it in the microwave and placed the bottle of oil into it. It's not a good idea to heat up oil directly in the microwave, so this is the best way to heat it up. 

I applied the warm mixture to each section of my hair, especially the ends, covered it with a plastic cap and put on my Tyche Pro Conditioning Heat Cap. It's just a heat cap that one of my aunts used so I have no idea how old it is. 

After leaving the pre-poo on for about an hour, I co-washed my hair using the Creme of Nature Coconut Milk Detangling and Conditioning Conditioner. It was only my second time using it but it made my hair feel incredibly soft! It smells great as well. 

When I'm washing my hair I like to use my vibrating shampoo brush that I purchased from Vanity Planet almost a year ago. This brush is amazing but if you're not willing to spend $40 on a shampoo brush, look out for their frequent sales or wait until the next Black Friday when they're marked down to $17! 

I also bought a facial brush from them but I'll give you details about that on my Skincare Routine post coming soon. I purchased my shampoo brush half-off but I have no regrets whatsoever. Not only do I use this brush to wash my hair, but also when I do my scalp massages before going to bed. Best splurge ever! 👐

After co-washing, I applied a protein treatment to my hair because I have not done it in far too long. What I used to use was a 2-minute protein treatment from Aphogee, and when I went looking at the hair store for the Aphogee two-step protein treatment, the store was out of stock. However, I'm so glad they were out because when I went to Kmart I discovered sample packs of the Palmer's Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Protein Pack. 

Guys, all I can say is... WOW! First of all, it smelled as if I went into my front yard, picked a coconut from the tree and cracked it open. It literally smelled like a fresh coconut! Natural products, ftw. Even though  I couldn't find a full bottle of the product, you better believe I'm going to find it on Amazon. I applied the treatment to my hair and left it for about half and hour. You can also use this particular protein treatment overnight but I do not like sleeping on wet hair. This treatment made my hair feel like butter! I definitely recommend trying this protein treatment. You will not regret it. 

After that, I followed up with an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse and fully rinsed my hair with cold water. I've been rinsing with cold water for a few years to close up the cuticles of my hair. It doesn't feel particularly great but it's pretty effective. Because I didn't want my hair completely dry, I t-shirt dried my hair for only a minute and immediately applied my Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer. Keeping my hair mostly wet was the liquid in the L.C.O method. I used the ORS Monoi Oil Leave-In Conditioner for my cream and ORS Monoi Oil for my oil. 

I prefer doing the L.C.O. method instead of the L.O.C method because using the oil last is what seals in the moisture. 

What can next was the part I dreaded the most: twisting my hair. I consider it a necessary evil because although I don't enjoy spending a few hours twisting my hair, I have to do it if I want to keep my hair stretched and moisturized. I detangled each section using this Diane Denman brush.

It does the job but I would honestly love to invest in an actual Denman brush one of these days. After twisting my hair I banded a few twists together to keep them stretched as they air dry. 

This protective style will promptly be going under the new head wraps that I bought the other day, for when I go to work tomorrow. I'll be sure to show them off in another post. Thank you so much for reading and may your ends stay moisturized and your edges unsnatchable.