Call us lazy and we'd answer right back, but the effort that's required to care for natural hair can be so taxing at times. There's nothing like proudly wearing your own curls and kinks, especially when you're documenting how healthy they are. But man, twist-outs, braid-outs, and coil-outs can be a huge pain. That's why many people with 3- and 4-type textured hair do easy wash-and-go's, especially in the summer.
Of course, it makes sense: "There's more moisture during the warmer months," Anthony Dickey of Hair Rules salon explains. So how can you harness the ease of a wash-and-go when walking into the cold with wet hair is far from advisable? We spent the afternoon with the stylist to find out.
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Dickey, whose clients include Issa Rae, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Sarah Jessica Parker, says that it doesn't matter when you wash — as long as it's getting done. "You can dry at night," he says. "Get on your computer, watch Empire, and then fluff out your hair in the morning." If you're hesitant about using heat to hurry things along, just add more moisture. Hydration, which you're fusing into your hair with conditioner and your styling products, acts as an automatic barrier against breakage.
So what's the secret? One of the first mistakes that people make when they do a wash-and-go style is that they don't use enough conditioner, he says. Ignore those directives of using a quarter-sized dollop — really squeeze (or scoop) the formula out so that it completely covers your hands and your hair. Dickey recommends cream-based products instead of your gels and sprays, as they're less drying. "Glycerin and humectants will pull moisture away," he notes. And watch out for products that lather, too, which is an indicator of a formula with sulfates, which also dry natural hair too much.
"If you want to change your hair texture from dry to soft, you've got to think of your kinky and coily strands as your favorite cashmere sweater," Dickey says. "You would never wash your cashmere in the washing machine. You would hand wash it and know exactly how to care for the delicate fibers. Same goes with hair, everything that you do to it has to be complimentary to the texture — keeping it detangled, keeping it soft, keeping it hydrated so it stays more elongated and pliable."
For more tips to perfect your winter wash-and-go routine, as well as other helpful natural hair tips, watch the video above.
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