You know that excuse ‘I can’t come out, I’m washing my hair’ really rings true when it comes to washing afro hair right? After putting it off for as long as I possibly could without having to regret the consequences of the plaits being in too long, we unravelled the tiny plaits my mum so kindly put in Princess’ hair over the weekend and gave it a well-needed wash.
Plaits are a brilliant protective style which stops afro hair from getting tangled, lets it grow with the minimal amount of interference from brushes and fingers, and possibly most important for a six-year-old who isn’t keen on mornings, it saves time in the morning with not having to style her hair before school every day. Depending on how small her hair has been braided, I can go anything from two to three weeks without having to undo and wash her hair, which is brilliant as it really can take all day to detangle, wash, air dry and restyle. Wash day is no joke, it’s a long process but her hair really benefits from it.
taking a breather after undoing the plaits
As it turned out, we left it too late in the day to put her hair into new plaits so she’ll probably get to wear it out in a big fro or at the very least, in a few afro puffs for the next few days at school.
We did manage a brilliant deep conditioner which consisted of using Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner and then a hot oil treatment with argan oil. Princess was super patient and thanks to the lashings of conditioner and some serious finger detangling from me, her hair was a breeze to brush through and section into large ‘doo-doo plaits’ to sleep on.
Its’s aways a learning curve, finding out what works best for curly hair. For my daughter I’ve found the following hair rules apply:
- Use conditioner to detangle with fingers BEFORE washing hair
- Only brush hair whilst wet
- Use a silk scarf or silk pillowcase at night
- Use as much conditioner as you can!
- LOC – liquid, oil then cream after washing/ before styling
Hair wash day is a lovely bonding experience albeit a long one. Using the ‘hair rules’ tends to keep the knot snagging and subsequent tears to a minimum. Do you have any rules to add?
LOVE this post! As a fellow curly girl, although not afro hair, I agree with all your ‘rules’ and would add that I’m teaching my Curly Girl that brushes are a big no no for us, wide toothed combs only, and only when wet! x
YES! Totally applicable to all curly girls! The only brush allowed near my hair is a Denman brush, their brush tips are so bendy and never tangle, but like you, I’d only use it in wet hair too!
You know I love to talk hair LOL. Great post more please.
I don’t have any rules at moment. I wash my 2.5 year daughter hair when necessary and feeling sufficiently brave to deal with her screams. I can’t work out what she hates about the process. Water in her face any other time is fun, her hair detangles easily. I walk her through it but she still doesn’t like wash days, even with bath toys.
I opt quick for easily styles all of which are protective. Nothing too funky or it will be hell to pay when its comes to taking out the style :0)
Luckily we’re past the screaming years but I remember having to wait for the Mini Me to fall asleep before I could style her hair!
I’ll post more hair related posts just for you Maria! xxx