Soaking wet Wash and Go fail…but I like it (and I know what to do to make it better next time)

I’d say for the past 10/11 months I’ve been enjoying a life of wash and gos on my natural type 4 textured hair. Initially I started doing them because with my fresh fade haircut it was the easiest and most refreshing thing to do with my hair and I had the freedom of doing it everyday as my hair was so short. As it continued to grow I continued to wash and go as I enjoyed the ease of not setting my hair in twists after washing and deep conditioning my hair only to unravel them the next day to reveal a defined twist out. I figured that since it’s definition I want, then I can achieve it with a good old wash and go.

Now if you’re not familiar with what a wash and go is, it’s pretty much in the name, it’s when you wash and condition your hair and leave it as is. However for many naturals (myself included) it’s not quite that simple. A wash and go is more of a wash, condition/deep condition, moisturise and define and go. With my type 4 coils if I don’t moisturise and define my hair, i will be left with an Afro puff that will likely get tangled and dry within a day or two, forcing me to go through the whole process having to do more work detangling my hair.

I’ve found that what works best for me and my hair is to define my coils with a good leave in conditioner and gel after washing and deep conditioning my hair. Usually I define my hair while it’s damp and I’m very happy with the results I get as they are consistent, defined yet fluffy and well moisturised for days at a time. However, today I decided to do a soaking wet wash and go as it’s usually described on my Kinky Curly Curling Custard. Which basically states to apply the gel from root to tip in small sections while hair is soaking wet. So rather than styling my hair in front of the mirror while it’s damp from rinsing conditioner out of my hair, I styled it in the shower so that it could stay soaking wet while I applied the leave in conditioner and the gel. For it to make more sense, here’s the step by step break down.

1.) I started off by clarifying my hair with the As I am clarifying shampoo. I did this to make sure I was starting on a fresh clean slate and get rid of all the product from my last wash and go. I wanted to get the best idea of how moisturising this method would be for my hair as that would be the deciding factor of whether or not I would do it again. This was my first time using this particular shampoo as I was given a sample sachet of it and it really left my hair feeling squeaky clean.

2.) I followed up with the As I Am Cleansing Pudding as a way of adding moisture back to my hair. This was also my first time using this product. I recently purchased it to compare it with the As I Am Coconut Cowash which I absolutely love to use for my midweek wash and go refresh. I’ll have to use it again on it’s own to see if it’s something I could replace the cowash with. However, on first impression I will say that it is creamy and moisturising and left my hair feeling soft. It also felt creamy enough to be able to detangle my hair while using it.

3.) I then used the As I Am Hydration Elation Deep Conditioner for 30 mins with a plastic cap covered by my hot head conditioning cap to heat it up for a deeper condition. This deep conditioner was also a new purchase for me but it did exactly what it said it would do on the container. I was able to detangle my hair while applying it and divided my hair into four sections. My hair felt really soft once I rinsed it out, creating a great start to my wash and go styling.

4.) I usually use my old faithful As I Am leave in conditioner and Curling Jelly to style but this time I decided to use my Kinky Curly Leave in Conditioner and Kinky Curly Curling Custard instead since I had run out of the Curling Jelly.

I literally rinsed and styled my hair section by section starting from the front two sections. I rinsed the deep conditioner out then smoothed and racked the leave in conditioner through my hair and made sure each section was fully saturated with product and well detangled. Then I smoothed the gel through each section and kept each section clipped separate from each other to make sure that my hair was fully saturated with the products. And that’s it.

Now, the big mistake I made was that I kept the sections clipped up. What I should have done is unclipped each section once I was done putting the products in my hair and shake my hair together to get my hair to lay in the way that I wanted to wear it. In my attempt to keep my dripping wet hair under control and stop my clothes from getting wet as my hair air dried, I sabotaged my wash and go and forgot the fundamental rule of setting wet hair, “where it lays is where it will stay”. So for hours after I unclipped my hair, it was stuck in a four section part. Another hair setting rule is “don’t fluff your hair while it’s wet because it will get frizzy”. There I was walking around with hair that’s not completely dried yet but trying to fluff my hair to get rid of the parts and get it into the shape that I usually love.

Anywho, by the end of the day my hair finally dried and I got my hair into my desired shape, and I must say that for what it’s worth I like this method for wash and go styling. I know the next time I will apply the appropriate knowledge to get the best results and I’ll be sure to document it and take more pictures very step of the way to share how the style evolves into my signature style. All in all, my hair feels super soft and most of my coils are clumped together and defined.