Basic Hair Care Techniques: Washing Tight Coils

I’ve been getting  mails from new natural Nigerians and the most popular question is how to get clean hair without matting. .If “washing your hair is so difficult” or “your hair knots up bad when you wash it” and you want to know “how I wash my hair without crying” here’s how I get my tight West African coils clean with very little wahala:)

Now, the first lesson I learnt when I newly went natural is that I cannot wash my hair like they do T.V! And the second lesson was that I cant  comb my hair all at once like I did back in the day.

Why? You might ask…well  tightly coiled hair shrinks when you pour water on it and this makes the hair strand coil up on itself. In this state your hair knots up easily and detangling can be a pain if not done properly. So you want to use the right tools and technique. Below are my tools and techniques

Tools:

Wide tooth comb for detangling

Thick Conditioner (I use VO5, Enliven, Petals or Hair Fruits)

The right shampoo (I use Dudu or Natur Vital Henna Shampoo)

Oil (optional)

Technique:

Before washing your hair  make sure that the hair is in the right condition: no tangles. This is because  the hair is weaker when wet  and putting too much stress on the hair at this point might cause breakage(see this post). I detangle my hair using olive oil and my fingers before washing. I  section my hair into four or three sections (using  fingers), apply Olive Oil to each section, gently detangle, and braid.

Braid immedately after wash prevents matting

-To wash I work with each individual section: Rinse out the oil, apply my thick conditioner and gently massage  scalp. The conditioner-when rinsing it off- takes the oil and dirt with it. Before rinsing off the conditioner, after the last wash, I detangle my hair using a wide tooth comb. In my opinion thick conditioners with slip like those listed above  are the best for tightly coiled hair.

-I wash my hair twice or thrice (enough for it be clean).

-Rinse off the conditioner and move to the next section of hair till all hair is done
 (I start washing from the back and work to the crown).

-If you are to wash your hair using shampoo;  rinse off the oil, wash the hair with your shampoo, and then follow up with a conditioner. I use shampoo once and follow up with a Co-wash because shampoos make my hair feel dry. The exception to the general rule so far is Natur Vital Henna Shampoo.

Some time back, a Lady shared some hair care tips  with us and one of them was that she mixed her shampoo with conditioner (link). You could also try this.

NOTE: Doing an oil rinse is optional. I only do it when my hair is very dry. When I get lazy I ignore that part; braid the hair into four sections and wash. If your hair is very dry and tangled try to detangle as stated above.

I also wash my twists in sections

Immediately after washing or co-washing I apply a deep conditioner (still working with my hair in sections).After 30 mins, rinse off the deep conditioner, apply a leave in conditioner, Oil, and then braid.
The basic thing to note here is that washing tightly coiled hair in sections is much easier .Detangling is not a problem and hair breakage is minimal.

Remember that I’m not an expert and this is the technique that works for me. You could try it or you could develop yours if this doesn't work. I’m also calling out on “old” naturals to share their wash-day tips in the comment box below. I’m sure that those of us still learning about our coils will be happy to learn from others apart from yours truly. Thanks and Blessings!

Out of popular demand the next post will be on styling.