Wash day this weekend took two days instead of one. It’s been ages since I did an Aphogee 2 step and my last henna gloss just over 9 weeks ago. They both work as well as each other but again henna won out over Aphogee as my strengthener of choice.
Last weekend I noticed a bit more breakage than is normal for me so I had already resolved to fix it this week. I know that I should not be waiting for a problem to occur before fixing it, I should anticipate things beforehand (naughty Alma).
Since I should be doing a strengthening treatment every 7-8 weeks, I’ve put a reminder in my Google calendar now so that I don’t forget again. Yes organization is my middle name.
I have one really annoying gray hair that grows right where my part is and somehow it didn’t get blended in during my last henna so this weekend I went with full strength henna just to be sure that it went away. Of course I added a few embellishments to ensure that my hair would not be dry afterwards.
Here’s my recipe
- 1 packet of henna (about 100 grams)
- 2 tablespoons of caramel treatment reloaded (any plain oil would work just as well)
- 1 tablespoon of conditioner
- Enough water to make a very thick paste.
My henna paste is always pretty thick (somewhere between a cake batter and a full on dough). This makes it easier to apply without dripping bits all over my bathroom floor and it also means that I don’t get drippies all over my neck for hours which is very messy. I braided my hair into 8 large braids and washed thoroughly with a clarifying shampoo. I then applied the henna to my hair without taking the braids down, massaging it into the braids to make sure that it was in contact will all the strands.
I meant to leave in in overnight and rinse in the morning but life got in the way and before I knew it 22 hours had gone by! No harm done, the oil in the henna mix ensured that my hair remained supple yet strong. I rinsed, then took down each braid one at a time shampooing with my sulfate free poo make sure that all the henna was gone. I then co-washed with Tresemme naturals conditioner and rinsed (Yaay the gray way gone!).
Again styling this week was a blow dry and flat iron. I had very little breakage during the styling, what you can see in the picture was shedding which is about average for me. I am currently addicted to how smooth my hair feels when straight. The moisture retention is brilliant (compared to curly days).
Which brings me to the major change that I am making to my regimen.
Washing every 2-3 weeks instead of weekly
Now as you pick up your jaw off the floor I would just like to acknowledge that I am well aware that I have been the ‘once a week’ queen since the beginning of my hair journey. In the last 4.5 years I have skipped my Saturday/Sunday wash day just a handful of times and have usually made up for it with an extra long DCing session when I finally got round to washing.
I still vehemently believe that in the beginning of your journey when you know next to nothing about hair care, or your own hair for that matter, washing more often is the way to go. I am not about to advise a noob who’s been washing her hair once a month for years to continue doing so. You need to get to know your hair and the only way that you can do that is by handling it on a weekly basis.
But I know my hair very well by now and I keep an eye on its progress every day so I would be able to tell if something was out of whack. I have also seen many other ladies (youtube) who have had success with washing their hair less often. I am also well aware of the fact that washing is not where your hair length is determined, it’s the degree of manipulation.
Why the change now? I hear you ask. Well, constant wet braid outs do a serious number on my ends with ssks and thinning so I am staying away from them for the time being. I would honestly wash my hair daily if it could be done without manipulation (when wearing a weave it can!). But my hair requires way more manipulation than I would like in order to get it straight and yes, I plan to wear it straight for a few months.
The moisture retention is really good when my hair is straight so I really want to be able to take the style to it’s limit and use it essentially as a protective style. There are of course a few rules that I have made for myself while this change of reggie is in effect.
1. No combs for any reason at all between washes. This is standard anyway, I only every comb my hair on wash day
2. Wear my hair down just one day a week. This makes perfect sense since I will not be combing my hair. I will stick with ponies, a single braid or buns.
3. Moisturize and seal every day. When my hair is straight, daily moisturizing is not strictly necessary even though I do it anyway!
Problems I am anticipating
The main one for me is an itchy scalp. I used to suffer from dry itchy scalp in the past when I washed my hair less often. My pores absolutely hate to clogged either with oil or my own natural sebum. For this reason I plan to do scalp massages every evening as I moisturizing. Basically to try and dislodge sebum and move it where it’s needed, my hair. I don’t know if this will work but that’s the plan anyway.
The other main issue that I am anticipating is dandruff. Dandruff is dead skin cells and everyone’s skin sheds daily. When you don’t wash your hair regularly, the dandruff has no place to go so it remains as white flakes stuck in your hair. Gross I know.
I don’t really have a battle plan for the dandruff because I know only water will fix the problem. With any luck, I may not get any but, I suppose this remains to be seen. All in all even though this is a risky tactic to reduce manipulation, I think it worth a wager and I will try to stick with it for 6 months then assess my progress then.
Having said that, I am a woman and as always it’s my prerogative to change my mind!