The Wash & Go. Sounds deliciously simple right? However as with all things hair, the process seems to have been complicated beyond reason. Many tutorials for Wash & Go’s require so many steps and products that it seems barely worth the effort.
For those of us who prefer the simple life but still want to showcase our curls and kinks, I’ve got a pared down routine that works. You will need nothing but a little time, a couple of squirts of Bloom and a smidge of Flourish
Wash your hair
Before you step into the shower, you want to make sure your hair has been thoroughly detangled and you’ve applied Flourish as a pre-poo treatment. Wash in 4 to 6 manageable sections, take extra care with your curls and avoid disturbing their natural clumping. Be liberal with your conditioner and if time allows do a deep conditioning treatment. Once cleansed and conditioned, place each section in loose twists. Leave about an inch free at the ends.
Apply some Bloom
With the twists still intact, wrap a cotton tee around your head and squeeze out any excess water. Your hair should still be wet but not dripping. Working one twist at a time, massage a few drops of Bloom into your hair. Don’t be too heavy handed as too much product can leave your hair looking limp. Once you are fully bloomed, cover your face with a towel and shake out your curls. This allows them to spring into shape.
Treat your ends and scalp to Flourish
Smooth a small amount of Flourish over your ends to keep them soft and keep breakage at bay. I also like to work some into my scalp and along my edges. While your hair is still damp, tease into shape and put in your parting. I have no problem with a shrunken fro but if you want to stretch your curls, place back into large loose twists but leave the ends untwisted.
Air Dry and Fluff
Leave plenty of time for your hair to air dry. My hair is thick so it takes a while to get it bone dry. If I’m going for a shrunken fro, I start the process first thing in the morning and let it do its thing while I get on with my day. Once it is dry, I might do a bit more teasing to adjust the shape and that is me done.
For a stretched Wash & Go, I wash my hair the night before and let it dry under a satin bonnet while I sleep. Pro tip: Pin your twists to the top of your head while you sleep so you don’t crush your ends. In the morning, I untwist and fluff into shape.