When it comes to keeping your afro-textured hair looking and feeling its best, establishing a good hair routine is key. Wash day doesn’t have to be a chore. But, if you don’t know your conditioners from your leave-ins and tangled curls are driving you wild, it’s time to go back to the basics. We’ve got you covered!

The basic wash day steps include:

• Shampooing to clarify your scalp
• Deep conditioning for damage repair and hydration
• Moisturizing your curls to prevent breakage
• Refreshing your hair to maintain definition 

Here’s how you can adapt this routine to suit your type 3 or type 4 curls.

Detangle your curls

Taking the time to detangle your curls will save you time on your wash day and make things go much smoother.  you will need a wide tooth comb for detangling brush to prevent knotting. If your hair is more-so on the damaged end, you can also use your fingers to detangle to prevent excess manipulation. Use water and a conditionner of your choice to help loosen. Split your hair into however many sections you’d like. Start from your ends before gradually moving up the hair shaft to avoid ripping your hair as you use your preferred detangling tool. 

Clarify your scalp

Cleansing your scalp is an essential part of your wash day regimen and will help you maintain healthy, defined curls. It helps the products you apply on your hair perform properly and aids in length retention. Use a clarifying shampoo at least once a month that will remove product build-up but won’t leave your hair feeling dried out or strip its natural oils. On most of your wash days, go for a moisturizing shampoo that will gently cleanse your hair and scalp. You can shampoo twice within the same wash day if you feel that it is needed. 

Deep condition your scalp and ends

Our curls and kinks can become limp and lose their definition. Deep conditioning is essentially the holy grail of wash day! To avoid dry and brittle hair, use a deep conditioner, hair mask, or protein treatment right after you shampoo to give your hair a boost. For additional benefits, cover with a shower cap to have your treatment penetrate into your strands.You can leave it on anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. This step will rejuvenate from the inside out as the natural ingredients work their magic.

Moisturizing your hair 

Both types 3 and 4 hair patterns can easily dry out due to the hair’s nature and environmental factors. Once you’ve rinsed out your deep conditioner, apply a leave-in conditioner of your choice if needed, and seal everything in with an oil or butter. Do make sure that your ends are properly moisturized as they are the most exposed to things like cotton or polyester (which dries your hair out). Note: WATER is the ultimate moisturizer! Always apply a product to your hair after you’ve used some good old H20. 

Styling 

Now that your hair is moisturized, you may proceed to manipulating your crown into your style of choice. Whether it is a bun, cornrows, a twistout, or a braid out, it is completely up to you! Do styles on your hair that you will enjoy wearing without having to use too much tension. For kinkier hair types, maintaining a stretched style will help in preventing your ends from wrapping around each other and forming knots/split-ends. 

Refresh to revive your curls

In between wash days, it is important to keep your hair moisturized to prevent breakage as much as possible. The simplest way to do this is by spraying your hair with a bit of water every 1-2 days, and sealing the hydration in with our Hair Growth Pomade.