**This post contains affiliate links that I may make a small commission from if you choose to purchase from them. As always, I appreciate your support!
Hey mom friend. Good for you for embracing your natural hair. I feel like it’s a journey we all have to make our own way through, and it is SO totally worth it. But it’s a huge learning curve, going from straightening or relaxing to just getting out of the shower and…going?? I’ve spent the last six years researching and testing so I’d like to save you the time and hassle. Here is a simple, step by step wash and go for natural hair routine.
I’m also adding in the exact products I use and how to apply them to make it even easier for you to follow.
Why do we complicate our hair routines so much??
If you’re new on your natural hair journey and having trouble ‘taming your mane’, it’s easy to fall into a product layering trap. When your hair doesn’t turn out perfectly you add product on top of product hoping that all the cream and oil will give you silky smooth locks. It’s actually the exact opposite.
Less is more, guys. Let’s go through it together.
This post covers a simple, step by step wash and go routine for natural hair.
In the shower:
Olaplex No.3
The first step is to feed, repair, and strengthen your hair. I like to use the home version of a salon Olaplex treatment. It make’s a huge difference in the shine and overall health of your hair. I apply Olaplex No.3 from mid shaft to ends to my damp hair in the shower. (This is something you would do once or twice a month).
You want it to sit for at least ten minutes, so go ahead and do all the annoying shower chores here.
After you’ve buffed and bathed and scrubbed and shaved, go ahead and rinse this out. The rest of your shower time will be dedicated to your spoiled head of hair.
Shampoo
Using a vegan all-natural shampoo, (I use Hydrating Cream Hairbath by Innersense Organic Beauty), apply shampoo to your scalp. Like actually part your hair and apply the shampoo directly to your scalp.
This shampoo is very concentrated and activated by WATER. Water is, trust me, the most important step you’ve been missing in your hair routine so far. Dip your head under the water for a second and lather that shampoo up.
You want to cleanse where the majority of oil and buildup lives. As you create suds the rest of your hair will be taken care of. If you don’t get a good lather from your first shampoo, go for another round.
Think of shampoo being for the top half of your hair strand, and conditioner being for the bottom half.
Think of shampoo being for the top half of your hair strand, and conditioner being for the bottom half.
Condition
I use Innersense Organic’s Hydrating Cream Conditioner. Firstly, soak your hair. Then, apply conditioner from mid shaft to the ends of your hair. If you feel like you need more conditioner, add more water first. I promise you probably just need more water.
Do not rinse it out yet!
Detangle
With your hair full of slippery conditioner and water. (If you scrunch your hand in your hair it should sound like stepping in soaked sneakers). Detangle.
Be gentle. This should be easy because your hair is so slippery right now. I love the Tangle Teezer line of brushes. They have multiple kinds, I did a full review on the one for thick and curly hair that you can find here.
While you detangle, the conditioner will work its way up your hair and it should be fully saturated.
Rinse…or not
Now this will be generalized advice because I don’t know your hair type. But. I have medium/normal porosity hair so I leave about half of the conditioner in. I rinse my roots only. I’ll hold the majority of my hair out of the water and just make sure my roots are clean.
If you’re hair has trouble absorbing product or can’t handle heavy products then definitely completely rinse out your hair. But if you benefit from products like leave-in conditioners then just leave in…the conditioner. Why buy another product?
Ya know?
Out of the shower:
Olaplex
The first product I apply to my hair is the Olaplex No.6 bond smoother. It stays in the hair for 72 hours and it tames frizz and strengthens each hair strand. I just rake a quarter sized amount through the ends of my hair while it’s still damp.
Apply styling product
I like to apply my products standing in front of a mirror. So throw on an old t-shirt or put a towel around your shoulders and grab these tools: a misting spray bottle, your detangling brush, and some clips to keep your sections organized.
So the type of styling products you’ll need to use will depend heavily on your hair type. How thick it is, the result you want, and it’s porosity.
I have medium porosity hair and I like really defined curls. I use two different gels in my hair to style. One thinner, one thicker.
When applying your product, you want small sections. It’s annoying and it will make everything take longer but it’ll make all the difference in your curl definition.
So on a small, soaking wet section of hair, I apply the I Create Volume gel from root to end. There are a couple different ways to technically apply your product. I’ll offer up three:
- Either run your hands down the section like you were pulling a rope.
- Smash the hair in between your hands in a praying form and slide them from root to tip.
- Rake your fingers through the section like a wide toothed comb.
Then I repeat the same process with the thicker gel, I Create Hold. You can either go over your entire head with one product, then over again with the other. But I prefer to apply both products to each section as I go.
Dry
I use the beloved Dyson hair dryer with the diffuser attachment to dry my hair. Dang hair dryer has changed the game for drying my curls. It’s so fast and doesn’t damage my hair at all.
But the biggest hack to cut your drying time in half. Not exaggerating. Half.
Is to use hairspray before you start drying. I use the Innersense Organic Beauty I Create Finish. (I don’t know why this works but it just does, ok?).
So give your hair a good spray down, and turn on your dryer.
I go with medium heat and high power. The more damaged your hair the lower heat should use. **Also you could sit under a hooded dryer if you have access to one. Cheers to hands free and the ability to multi-task!
The important thing about diffusing is not to touch your hair while doing it, and the position you’re holding the dryer.
If you want your hair to retain it’s length then let your hair just hang and hover the dryer around your head all the way down to your hair’s end without making contact. If you want big bouncy volume then you’ll use the bowl of the diffuser to collect your curls and let them sit while they dry.
You can see an example of what I mean in the video below from my Instagram.
Dry your hair until it’s at least 85% dry. The more you touch your hair before it’s dry, the more frizz you’ll end up with.
SOTC
The nifty way to say ‘scrunch out the crunch’. If you’ve styled with a gel or a foam or a mousse, then your hair will dry with a ‘cast’. It’s like a crunchy layer that’s encapsulating your curl clumps.
IF you aren’t going anywhere and want a lot of longevity out of your wash and go then you can skip this step…going to bed and sleeping on a pillow will take care of it anyway.
If you’re ready to take on the world and need your hair to be in tip top shape then let’s go ahead.
Flip your head over so your hair is hanging towards the flood and you’re looking at your knees. Scrunch handfuls of hair up toward your scalp, then pulsate the hair in your hands a few times. Let go gently, and repeat over all of your hair.
If you want some extra volume use your finger tips to scratch around your scalp and loosen your curls up even more.
View this post on Instagram
This post contained a step by step tutorial for a wash and go for natural hair.
A complete list of my must have curly hair products can be found here.
Here are all the products used in this wash and go tutorial:
- Olaplex No.3
- Hydrating Cream Hairbath Shampoo
- Hydrating Cream Conditioner
- Olaplex No.6
- I Create Volume Gel
- I Create Hold Gel
- I Create Finish Hairspray
- Dyson Hair Dryer
- Tangle Teezer detangling brush
xoxo, Nadia.
