When it comes to natural hair styles, the wash and go is probably one of the main styles that many struggle with perfecting. Truth be told, the whole natural/curly hair journey WILL consist of a bunch of trial and error so trying to get a style just right will take some time. But here are a few tips that may help you get a close-to-perfect wash and go!
Product
One thing that can make or break the success of your wash and go is whether or not you’re using the right products. Knowing your hair well will play a major part in what you can use for the best look and feel of your wash and go: is your hair thick, fine, dense, thin? Is it highly porous or do you have low porosity hair? If you use the wrong products for your hair type (all characteristics included) you may be looking at a wash and go that flakes, is not defined enough, weighed down, etc.
If you have fine and thin hair, heavier products can weigh the hair down. But if you have thicker strands with major density, you may benefit from layering a thick leave-in with your styler/gel for definition and hold. YouTube can be a great resource if you find others with hair that is similar to yours to see what they’re using. Again, your results may still vary and trial is needed but at least you’ll be on track to figuring out what you need.
Tools
Making your wash and go looking great has a lot to do with the tools you use. A good brush that’ll work through your strands with ease to separate and clump the curls makes for beautiful wash and go. Our Q-Redew Detangling Brush not only make removing knots and tangles a breeze but it’ll have your curls popping.
Technique
Once you’ve got your products and tools down, technique can be the difference between a wash and go that gives you the desired look or one that’s a total fail. For the best results, instead of attempting to brush through large sections of hair, break your hair up into smaller sections. The idea is to make sure you can actually brush through each section completely to (1) help distribute the product well and (2) help the curls to clump and lay just the way you want them to. If you’re not getting what you’re looking for, try even smaller sections.
Watch how Shahntay aka BrownSugarGlam demonstrates this using our Detangling Brush!
Maintenance
When it comes to keeping your wash and go look for longer than a day, there are various things you can do to maintain it. Because shrinkage happens, many like to pineapple their hair, that is, gather their hair to the top of their head, securing loosely with a scrunchie or scarf. This helps keep your definition at the center of your head so that when it’s taken down, that middle section is intact.
To “wake up” your wash and go, we recommend steaming with our Q-Redew Handheld Hair Steamer. Why do this instead of just wetting and applying more product? Because steam adds just enough moisture to re-moisturize and revive your curls without having to re-wet it. No more wetting your hair only to wait forever for it to dry before leaving the house or walking around with wet hair! The Q-Redew will also reactivate any product you already have in the hair. So you end up using less product!
Check out this throwback demo from Angeliah to see what we mean…
If you’ve been struggling with your wash and gos, we hope this helps you get the results you want. Remember, practice makes perfect… or close enough! ;-)
Share YOUR tips for the perfect wash and go with us!
