Earlier this year I wrote a post about how scalp psoriasis led to a major hair setback last fall. I ended up losing a lot of hair due to all of the daily shampooing and detangling it took to keep my scalp under control. After a few months I was left with see through ends and breakage. It was disheartening because my hair was actually in really good shape before my scalp went out of control. As a result, I decided to give myself a trim and move forward with an updated healthy hair routine.
My natural hair journey started because I wanted longer hair. I honestly thought my hair wouldn’t grow long because I was black. That sounds pretty crazy right? Well, information on how to maintain hair growth was not as abundant as it is today. This was long before the term, “natural hair,” even existed. So I did what most people did at the time; I sought help from a hair stylist.
A co-worker suggested I see her “Master stylist” who apparently knew a lot about different hair types. I booked an appointment and drove to the mall where her salon was located. When I arrived, the stylist met me at the podium just outside the entrance. I told her I wanted a haircut and also that my hair wouldn’t grow for some reason. She condescendingly asked, “Why isn’t your hair growing?” I just looked at her; speechless. Let’s be honest. If I really knew why my hair wasn’t growing then why would I drive all that way to see a, “Master” stylist?
This was around the first time my psoriasis flared up so my scalp was covered in flakes. I can’t even begin to describe how embarrassing it was to have someone checking my hair and scalp right there in the mall with all those people walking by. It was the absolute worst! Turns out, she only had me down for a consultation and insisted that I schedule another appointment for her to actually style my hair. Really?
For Memorial Day I decided to wear a wash n’ go because it’s seemed to be the easy thing to do with my hair. I had a few errands to run but still managed to fix myself up before heading out. One of the things I tried was stretching my roots with the blowdryer for the look of more length. My hair was still damp when I was done so it shrunk up a little. Still, I was pretty happy with the end result.
Later that evening, I wanted to co-wash my hair and re-style the wash n’ go which meant re-applying all of the products and waiting for it to dry. Instead, I decided to just kick back and watch Youtube while braiding my hair up for a braid out. I was surprised this morning to see the amount of definition I had. I was also happy with the look of length I got without having to use any heat this time.
There was already plenty of product in my hair from the wash n’ go so I just spritzed each section with a little water before braiding it into plaits. I then spritzed a little more water on the ends and twisted with my fingers to get a slight curl. The product in my hair helped with this step. I didn’t even have to use a comb or denman brush. I just stretched my hair with my fingers and detangled a little here and there. It was almost too easy!
ever stopped.
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| Wash n’ Go on Memorial Day |
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| Braid out the next day |