My Summertime Wash n' Go Routine

The results from
My current wash n' go routine
with my new bangs

Now, we all know that a wash n' go is really just what we say when we wear a style that shows off our natural curls right?  Okay then, with that said, this is what I've been doing for the past few weeks for MY wash n' go (insert smiley face here).  To be honest, the hot, summer-like weather did not hit us Coloradans until mid July.  For that reason, I've only just recently gotten into a routine for my curly hair.

Last month I picked up The Conditioner by Paul Mitchell, which is actually a leave-in.  This stuff leaves my hair so soft and moisturized.  I decided to start using it under my hair gel in place of the Aussie Moist that I was using throughout the winter.  I found out that using too much of the Aussie product led to heavy buildup and dryness.  The Paul Mitchell product is lighter and doesn't have the type of silicones in it that will cause those problems.


Another star in my product lineup is the Curl Love Moisture Milk by Camille Rose Naturals.  It's a creamy moisturizer that always gives me more hang time when I use it on my curls.  I know we should embrace the shrinkage and all but, we are still not friends to this day.  So I appreciate the extra length I get whenever I use this product.

Something else I've started doing to keep some of my length is blowdrying my hair instead of air drying.  Yes, I know it can be bad for the hair but I use grapeseed oil to seal in my moisture.  This is considered a heat protectant.  I can vouch for that seeing as how it saved my curls from heat damage several times in the past.  Also, I usually don't pull out the blowdryer until my hair has had a chance to dry a little.  When I feel the gel in my hair go crisp, that's when I know it is safe to start drying it without causing too much frizz.

My all-star lineup of products
Camille Rose's Curl Love Moisture Milk,
The Conditioner by Paul Mitchell,
Eco Gel and Grapeseed oil

My whole process is pretty simple.  I cleanse and condition my hair and scalp in the shower.  I detangle while I still have loads of conditioner in my hair because it gives me enough slip to detangle with my denman brush.  After that I towel dry my hair.  I know that is another no-no step but I like for my products to soak in to my hair so, the dryer the better.  I apply my leave-in conditioner first and follow up with the Moisture Milk.  I seal both of these in with grapeseed oil.  Finally, I section my hair and spritz it with water before applying my gel.  If I'm going to use my blowdryer, I wait about an hour before blowing out the roots and any damp areas.  Otherwise, I just leave it to air dry.

There you have it!  That is my current wash n' go routine for the summer.  When I think about it, it's really not that different from before but still has a few tweaks here and there.  Be sure to check out my video on how I did my wash and go previous to this.  That's all for now until next time!

Letting Go of Heat Damage

Naturally curly hair can take some getting used to.  When I first went natural I did all that I could to learn more about how to grow my hair longer and stronger.  Since I hadn't worn my natural hair  since I was a pre-teen, I was very new to the idea.  Because of this my hair journey began with a lot of trial and error.  Heat damage ended up being on of my biggest mistakes early on.  I created a regimen for myself that included straightening my hair once a month.  Of course, I knew about deep conditioning and heat protectant but still didn't know how MY hair reacted to heat.

At the time I was of the mind that hair of my type required at least 400 degrees or more for straightening.  I later found out that using the right technique also plays a huge role in how smooth my hair turns out.  Also, I was of the mind that having natural, unprocessed hair meant that my hair would withstand heat and manipulation differently.  This mindset eventually led to my misuse of heat on one occasion that left a section of my hair heat damaged.

READ MY POST ON HOW I USE PROTEIN TO 

PROTECT MY HAIR AGAINST HEAT DAMAGE

Heat Damage in front kept me from having
a uniform look when wearing my curls

Fast forward a few years later and here I sit, on the rebound once again.  Earlier this summer I found myself dealing with heat damage.  Mind you, this was from an incident that occurred last summer.  I allowed the hair in my bangs section to regrow for a full nine months before I finally decided to chop off the damaged ends.  It was a hard decision to make but it really was a lot easier to wear curly styles afterwards.

My bangs after chopping off the heat damaged ends

The lesson I learned is this; listen to your hair.  When the hair is responding to a new technique or product in a negative way, don't ignore it.  I knew that the section had been compromised by the heat use but did not take the necessary steps to correct it.  Now, when I see a slight change in my curl pattern, I pay attention.  Heat damage is one of the ways naturally curly hair cries out
for help.

I have several posts here on the blog about heat damage and what I have done to combat it.  Although it can be irreversible in some cases, it still proves to be a way to learn more about what the hair can and cannot take.