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| hair today… like, literally 10 minutes ago |
My natural pattern consists of super skinny, piecey ‘s-waves’ with a sprinkling of coils here and there. While I totally heart my stringy ass defined waves & curls, I sometimes try to smooth a few of them together to achieve a chunkier look. But no matter how heavy or tacky the styling cream or gel, the manufactured clumps always break up… my waves do what they do… they don’t give a sh*t and while I’m usually cool with that, on some real levels, I’d appreciate a few clumps sometimes!
Now generally for me, clumpier wash & gos mean a reduction in volume, but for some reason today, the stars aligned and I got a little bit of the best of both worlds.
What I did:
Like with my successful chunky twist-outs of month’s past, I applied my products to damp hair rather than in the shower on soaking wet hair. I t-shirt plopped clean, naked hair for 5 minutes and then air-dried for 10 minutes. My hair was probably 70% dry when I smoothed on SheaMoisture’s Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie and then MopTop Light Hold Gel.
Fail. Fail. Fail. Coagulation. It’s been so long, I forgot the cardinal rule… test the product combo on the back of your hand BEFORE applying it to your hair to make sure they play well together. Rookie mistake. White boogers everywhere.
Kneeling over the tub, I rinsed that ish out, plopped, air dried a bit and started over. I tested The Living Proof Full Thickening Cream + SheaMoisture’s Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie on the back of my hand… smooth as butter! So I applied the Living Proof first (about a quarter size amount to each half) and then smoothed the SM into 4 sections. I didn’t rake this time, I simply smoothed it on with the palms of both hands in a downward motion from root to tip. Finally, I finger curled and smoothed some of the top pieces and was excited at how easily my usually piecey curls held together (thanks to the tackiness of the SheaMoisture Smoothie on my damp hair). I’ve got quite a bit of shrinkage, but it’s the good kind. Momma said, ‘I LOVE the results, it looks thicker’. I’ll definitely be experimenting with this product combo and technique a bit more… I’ll report back soon!
Later Gators,
Nik
p.s. My PJ is turned ALL.THE.WAY.UP. I acquired the SheaMoisture today after a trip to Tarjay to buy two things- a new suitcase to replace the one Delta busted the hell up and some fingernail polish. I was shocked to see CURLS and SheaMoisture… I know Target, Walgreens and Walmart carry many of ‘our’ lines, but I never imagined, in a million years, that Happy Valley would carry any of it. Just saying. So yeah, I threw the Smoothie and the Milk in the cart and charged it to the game. Official reviews to come!
Reporting back curlies my wash n go was an epic fail!!! White balls all over my hair I rinsed my hair and just did a tnc. Wash n go's probably never going to be my bff no time soon 🙁
That's what I'm dying for – clumps of hair. I have these spirals that look like they're single strands. I usually apply my leave-in on soaking wet hair, then wrap a t-shirt around my hair, dampen it and apply product after. I get an afro every time. Today I jokingly called it my "wash & fro" routine! (It is what it is.)
I am learning to apply the KISS principle(Keep It Simple,Silly) to my hair care. I have all but killed my inner PJ and I keep it down to :
* one shampoo (Twisted Sista) for when my hair has buildup or I've used something that doesn't really agree with it, otherwise I do the ACV and baking soda cleanse every other week
* two alternate conditioners (TS or Aussie Cleanse and Mend) for my co wash days and
* Grapeseed oil to seal. At bedtime I will dampen my braids /twists and apply either
* Pink Oil or
* Queen Helene Cholesterol conditioner to the lower ends of each braid/twist and a little of the grapeseed oil. I just finished the jar of Queen Helene a few days ago and I will not replace it until I am done with the bottle of Pink Oil
I have a jar of the Shea Moisture Curl Smoothie but it somehow doesn't quite please my hair. I committed to use up the few products I still have lurking in the closet from my PJ season and I'm down to the ones above plus some Suave coconut conditioner and some of the new Let's Jam curling custard which while it does define my coils,leaves my hair so sticky that I am forced to cleanse with TS shampoo within days. Additionally I was recently gifted with the new Optimum 6-in-1 Miracle Oil and moisturizing lotion,and I use them about once a week in exchange for the Pink Oil and grapeseed oil,just to see how my hair takes to them.
I am not crazy about wash and go on my current length. I am an adherent to the wash-in-braids method as it keeps my hair tangle free and nicely un-shrunken in comparison to washing in twists. The braid outs are actually quite fetching and I am apparently retaining length since ceasing to do wash and go. I guess I am likely to be more successful when I do the least possible to trouble my hair.
I use Tresemme Naturals Conditioner all the time under Eco Styler and I
don't get flakes. I use a small amount (dime sized) since I have a TWA,
then put the gel on. My hair is a tiny bit white but that goes away as it dries.
I love to wear my wash N go! I apply my product on soaking wet hair. My combo product is eco styler gel with argon oil with One N Only curl creamer with argon oil. My curls really pop!
So I tried this after reading your post. PERFECTION!!! I can NOT believe it. I do not have to have wet hair all day anymore. This was becoming a nuisance as it grows longer… drips down my back… running down my cheeks at 10am from trapped water… THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!
I still haven't found a combo that I like personally – nothing is ever quite right, but I have to say that I prefer that myhair not be soaking wet – but not just damp either. Sort of a happy medium and I keep my curls rather chunky any a lot less shrinkage and flyaways. I am happy with the lift, the volumn and the silky texture – just my ends. Nothing keeps them from going back to their tiny curls so the hair can get a little poofy. I will try your combo and see how it flies.
tHERE IS A BOGO SELL ON SHEA MOISTURE TIL THE 8TH AT CVS
I have yet to do a full out wash and go but when i did do my twist I made sure my hair was soaking wet
On my damp hair I've been using a curl cocktail cream; Eco gel, oil blend and a argon oil curl cream. That mixture gives me a creamy gel and leaves my hair shiney, soft and defined. I finish with pure shine hair gloss. I love the result!
Right now I have TWA that is about an inch long when I stretch it but my hair is super curly…I love SM line but I just recently decided to give KCKT and KCCC a try after watching a The Natural Her tutorial on youtube and my hair LOVES this stuff….it did give me a bit of a crunch feeling but I sprayed my Garnier Fructice Triple Nutrition spray that has (Avocado, Shea, and Olive oils) in it and my hair is shiny and GREAT!!! I also apply oil to my scalp and massage it in before I apply the KCKT leave in and the KCCC. This is my new go to regimen for more curls for my TWA. Before I was using SM Surl Enhancing SMoothie and Eco Styler gel w/Argan Oil. I still use it from time to time. I cowash daily with Suave or Herbal Essence Hello Hydration too.
I just tried a wash n go method on my transition hair and got great curl definition using tresemme luxurious moisture… i finger detangled with tresemme and used it as a leave-in, put my hair in twists and flexi rod the ends/ before i went to bed, then the next day took out the twists and put in braids that same day i got the best braid-out ever.. My hair was stretched to the max
Tressemme naturals conditioner does not mix well with Ecostyler Gel. You have to rinse out the Tressemme first as it says on the package and then try using another leave-in like Paul Mitchell "The Conditioner" and then use the Eco-styler gel. I did this regime two nights ago and I used the Brown Ecostyler gel and i have no flakes or white stuff…just shiny hair and defined curls. The only thing is I might have to refresh it with moisture on my third day as I am noticing some frizz and dryness happening on one side of my hair…it just so happens it's the side that i didn't use that much Ecostyler gel as a test. So next time I now know to use extra. You will get a crunch feel to your hair when it dries but that will go away the next day after you scrunch your hair a little…right now my curls don't have the crunch any more and it's my second day!! I think i might also add to my regime additional of coconut oil to seal my hair.
Thank you.
Ok ya'll I tried it and it works!! I am going to do it again to be absolutely sure..but I got clump action..major shrinkage but clumps none the less. Thanks for sharing Nikki!
Wow, your hair looks so shiny and healthy in this picture–lovely! Since I still have a twa I frequently WNG, applying Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie to freshly washed hair, followed by coconut oil to seal. (After washing I just wrap the towel on my hair and blot so as not to disturb the forming curls because my hair likes the least amount of manipulation). Clearing throat…recently I came up with a different routine for slightly moist hair (spritzed or just misted from the shower). (My main problem after washing and then applying product is super shrinkage, so I need something to keep it from going all the way back to the motherland!) After blotting my hair, I apply a small amount of Right On moisturizer, followed by Taliah Waajid curl stuff (sorry can't remember the full name). If I don't have time to go the whole shampoo/condition route, the semi wet routine works pretty well. (My preference is the Shea Moisture/coconut oil combo on clean, wet hair, though!)
OMG your hair is GORG!!!!
I love the Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus line. It has seriously cured the beginning stages of my Product Junkie syndrome when I first BC'd. I do agree that it can be a little gummy (especially the Cur Souffle), BUT because my hair can become drier than the Sahara Desert, it gives me all day moisture. I'm not a fan of EcoStyler because it causes my hair to become crunchy. Nor do I like KCCC, I can't stand the crunchy hair feeling.
What a sale I'm there!!! I'm about 6 months into my transition. I do mostly braid outs to blend the textures any suggestions as to which shea products I should get. I've been meaning to try for awhile. Ladies help a girl out!!!
I still haven't mastered what works best for my transitioning hair. If I had to guess I'd say my hair looks better after applying product to damp hair and not soaking wet hair. Nikki, your hair is gorgeous!!
I love MyNaturalSistas on youtube. They have a video about detangling hair and placing it in sections all throughout the hair care process to make it easier to detangle, moisturize, and style. I put my hair into 8 to 10 twists while I detangle, wash, condition, and style. When you're applying products for a wash n go you can apply to each section or combine sections and apply. Their method helped me to apply my leave-in and gel to my whole head evenly which gave me hair hold, shine, and manageability.
Well, I used to use Hollywood Olive Oil Moisturizer and ECO Olive Oil gel, but those two made my hair flake. I am on day 3 of my wash n go with garnier fructis leave-in conditioner and ECO styler olive oil gel and I'm loving it! It's so soft and shiny. To refresh I just spray with water and style. I just might by stock in garnier fructis
OMG THANKS FOR THIS! I so have to go to CVS lol
Haven't yet figured out my perfect wash n' go technique, it's a work in progress…but I get better (not the best) results using Redken Smoothdown Butter Treat & Karen's Body Beautiful Sweet Ambrosia Leave-in paired with either 1) Lush Dirty 2)Ouidad Hydrafusion Intense Curl Cream or 3) Miss Jessie's Quick Curls – my troublesome area is the roots, major dryness and single strand knots. My hair coils up from the middle of my strands to the tips, but my roots just stay frizzy.
Allllll day Nikki, but my hair looks terrific, defined and no frizz. Before, I could only define my hair as straight frizz. That is why I am so upset about smooth downs discontinuation!!!
I have learned how to do wng's only. I always fail at all other styles. My drying time depends heavily on the dew points outside. If its a high dewpoint day (over 65F) it's taking 4ever…. Anyway, these are my combos that work nice together: SM Smoothie + ECO Styler, Long Aid Curl Activator Gel + ECO Styler or Long Aid with a light gel like Anything by Curl Junkie…. The Long Aid gives me elongation and softness to the touch. It also gives me a week long wng. I just reapply a little of both gels on the third evening and each evening I do about 5 braids and each day it gets longer and bigger. 5th day hair is the best! Long aid is found anywhere like Walmart, Walgreen's or Target.
They are! I sent all my natural friends a text message about it, too!
I really like the Shea moisture line. I pretty much have everything in the coconut and hibiscus line. I usually only apply to damp hair in the shower. My best results have come from separating my hairs in atleast 4 sections. Apply a great slip condition and detangle with a wide tooth comb and rinse out. Do to all sections. Then apply the smoothie to each section separately and then apply a little oil. The definition is "sick". The moisture is more evenly applied when I divide my hair in sections. And with detangling in the shower then applying the product it creates great definition. Sometimes I will keep the sections separated with ponytails folded over after applying the smoothie and oil and let it air dry a little before removing the pontails. Doing this will help stretch the the curls some because my hair is really coily and curly.
I like to apply one damp hair, post- plop. It keeps her hair from getting too big for me to handle. I use SheaMoisture Curling milk and Garnier Curl Scrunching gel on top. Gives me just enough definition.
I am in love with your hair Nikki! It does look thicker. Your trying my two favorite SM products let us know how they are doing. I tried product on damp hair and loved it definition smoother curls. I have yet to do on soaking wet hair. I am going to try a wash n go today crossing my fingers hopes it goes right I am kind of scared. I will report back this week curlies.
I just tie the shrinky parts back with a ponytail holder while still damp and take it out when its (almost) dry. Helps alot. Making multiple sections speeds up the drying. Oh and as I said earlier SM curl milk and Pantene ProV gel for Med to thick hair with maximum hold (dont worry it doesnt make your hair crunchy) helps as well.
You could try the Milk…I get better results with it. And I use with Pantene ProV gel for Medium to Thick hair. I apply to both to soaking wet hair THEN squeeze out excess water/product with a t-shirt. Best WnG to date.
Your hair looks good!! I noticed you mentioned Shea Moisture and they are buy one get one free at CVS until the 8th i believe!
So far I've only done one wash and go. It was cute, but I didn't know what to do with it at night (too short for a pineapple), so I asked a friend and she suggested chunky twists. My hair was soooo tangled and knotty the next day, and the cute wash and go was destroyed.
How do you ladies smooth on product and get it on the inner sections of hair? Is creating multiple sections a must?
I haven't achieved clumps with a wash n go yet. I've been pondering for some time now to try ecostyler gel. After reading through the comments, I'm thinking that I will. The best I've come to getting hair that I think is decent with a wash n go is blotting my hair so it's still wet, but not dripping and adding Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie and that's it. Very little manipulation at all.
You have done it once again! I am definitely a fan of the 'good frizz'. I have always done soaking wet WnGs mainly because they came courtesy of Kinky Curly products which require soaking wet. I have tried damp hair routines with Eco Styler Gel over Paul Mitchell, The Conditioner. Pretty good results but this was a few years ago and I have strayed away from them. After reading some of the comments maybe I should try SH with Eco? Hmm….
same here i dont know how people can just use their eco styler all willy nilly. On my hair it will form white clumps with most of my leave ins and all my conditioners. I saw mahogany curls mix tresemme and eco so i tried and epic fail. then i tried tresemme on its own like her and again flake central. Like i could literally scrunch my hair and have flakes everywhere. I don't know how peeps can use condishes as leave ins.
I also style damp. When I style wet the gel gets too liquidy and I have to pack it on to really hold the curl. When I style damp the gel can really do its job and my hair gets its clump on cuz like yours my hair likes to separate. If given the chance it would separate into individual strands and I'm not having that.
i agree but like Nik said love the frizz it gives me the effortless natural look like i just woke up and had a good hair day. Besides if i start off with some frizz i wont be so paranoid about it later
This is what I do, I apply the Tresemme to clean, damp hair (in sections). I put EcoStyler on top. I make sure to use just enough to coat my hair, no more, no less. HTH
You're welcome!! My hair takes about 2 hours or so to dry especially if I use the diffuser for a few minutes before heading out to work. Some days I'll apply more gel to my hair after I get out of the shower and that tends to my hair hair more defined not chunky defined though. When my hair is dry I'll scrunch it and it gets bigger. My hair is "chunkier" if my hair is not soaking wet when I apply the products. Plus it also depends how much I manipulate my hair after I get out of the shower. Some days you have to work a lil harder to get your hair to look "right".
Thanks Jas! Awesome routine… how long does it take for the smoothie + eco to dry? Do you get chunky definition on soaking wet hair with that routine? Thanks again!
How long does it take you to dry? I've done a wash & go with Smooth Down and it looked great!
Please tell me what I did wrong. I left the Tresemme Naturals in w/Eco on top and had snowflake-sized flakes all over. #epicfail
Your hair looks great Nikki.
I do my wash n gos in the shower. I apply my products to soaking wet hair. I apply the Shea Moisture Curling Enhancing Smoothie then the clear Eco Styler gel on top. This past Friday I purchase the Shea Moisture Yucca and Aloe Thickening Hair Milk. So I applied it to wet hair in the shower and layered the clear Eco Styler Gel on top. This new combo leaves my hair very moisturized. The other combo is good too but the latest combo makes my hair real shiny and a little more softer.
I've applied hair products to damp hair in the past and my hair was bigger.
Nikki your frizz always looks good to me. My frizz is just *no*, as in, cats were sucking on my hair. I can deal with frizz on stretched hair a little better for some reason versus shrunken. Honey, I'll take your kind of frizz (shiny and still smooth) any day.
Thank you.
I do soaking wet hair. I put smooth down butter treat, Vatika oil, then mixed chicks in the shower in my four sections of hair, then get out of the shower and apply Eco styler gel, the brown one, for lots of defined curl. Then i air dry. Im still transitioning so it looks terrific on top, stringy on the bottom, but the curly part is almost to my shoulders, so I will cut off the strings soon lol.
No, it turned out fine. I didn't even like wash-n-go's (on my hair) before.
I'm on day 2 and I'm loving the weight of my hair. The SheaMoisture added some heaviness and density I think… I don't like the tacky feel of it, but it looks great. I'll play with the amount I use next time.
And you don't get clumps?! I've tried using Tresemme as a leave-in under a couple of gels with as CurvyCurly said, 'catastrophic' results. I may finally need to look into this EcoStyler…
Thanks Nicole!
OMG! What?! Beautiful.
i get better results when my hair is soaking wet. I use KCKT and KCCC for my wash n go
Thanks for sharing! At this time, I am not using any styling products …. I think I have tried them all. lol! I leave some conditioner in and then just squeeze the towel around my head to get out the water. No rubbing. I section the hair into 4 and then curl/ style the ends with my finger like it is a roller. I wet my hair everyday and conditioner with Davines Momo conditioner. I am new to your blog, which I love, so I attached a photo of the results. Here I have more conditioner left in than I would usually use.
I apply my products to damp hair, it was taking way too long to dry before. Sometimes I switch up products, but lately I've been using Tresemme Naturals with EcoStyler gel on top.
lol @ catastrophic mess!!! Thanks for sharing your tips chica!
I haven't, but will! Thanks for the heads up!
Let me know what you think if you decide to damp style!
Thanks Miss Anne!!!!
uh, yeah! You slipping, but it's cool 😉 xx
Thanks Chicago Chica!
Thanks Jackie! I may be adding KCCC to my list of things to try!
+1 for soaking wet….Now I luv doing my twistouts on damp hair….chunky city!
I do wash-n-go's on soaking wet hair and apply products while in the shower. If I D.A.R.E to apply products on only damp hair….frizz city….a catastrophic mess! My current products for wash-n-go's is Suave Naturals Shea Butter & Almond Conditioner as a leave-in with Kiss My Face Upper Management gel for light hold. I love this combo; I have nice definition and achieve two to three day hair.
Nikki have you tried the Shea Moisture with the Joie My Gel? I'm two weeks in and LOVE the clump it has given my hair. I found though (after the first try) when doing twists it's best to take a small amount for each twist, rub the gel between your fingers and then apply on top of the Shea Moisture curl smoothie. And on damp hair, not soaked. My latest twist out lasted 9 (yes 9) days. I was beside myself. Just rewashed yesterday and after a couple of nights of retwists (about two or three) my clumps are bigger and better.
DevaCurl One Condition and CJ's Pattern Pusha. Team wet…for now. I will try damp next time, but I'm fearing the frizzies.
nikki, your hair looks like sooooo fly!!! love it! been wanting to try the Shea moisture line… and the mile is on offer. I'm giving in now! Lol!
I should have told you that Target had SheaMoisture…
I apply conditioner to soaking wet hair, plop for a while, add a little gel (or not), and then air dry. I've tried it on damp hair, and I was left with too much frizz. I love the shrinkage! Yeah, I'm weird. LOL
I apply the Kimmaytube leave-in (with my own variation on the oils) to soaking wet hair from root to tip, and allow it to air dry for my WNG.
If I'm twisting my hair, I like to apply products to damp hair to combat shrinkage and long drying times. For wash and gos I have to apply my KCCC to soaking wet hair.
This combo foamed on me on damp hair but it soaked in as it dried… I hate the foam!
#TeamDamp
See I like when my hair looks chunky. I didn't before because I liked how applying the products to wet hair looked. Then the other day after a bantu knot fail (I have a TWA…not really teeny though) and had to wet my hair. It didn't wet all the way, just damp, and then I applied products and loved the look. I'm sold on applying to damp hair and it's so funny that I just saw this post!
I'm still tryna figure out what works best for me. Since I have low porosity hair if I apply on soaking wet hair everything foams and just turns white on top of the strands.
Thanks for chiming in Gwenn! I suppose while I'm at it, I should revisit KCKT 🙂
My hair takes forever to dry too!!! It's so annoying. The last time I went to bed with my hair wet (wash & go) I woke up to the 'terrible awful'. It was not a good look, but that was also years ago. Maybe it's time to revisit! Thanks for sharing your routine!
ARGH! No CVS here! And yes, I credit the chunkiness to the SM, the thickness may be a combination… the Living Proof cream has been doing good things, but paired with a gel… it just doesn't compare to today's combo! Hope I can replicate it…
I could tell that the SM wanted my hair to be a little wetter, but I rolled with it. I know what you mean though.
I love to apply my products on damp hair. I just figured that out a few weeks ago. Right now i'm using KCKT as a moisturizer and sealing with coconut oil. My hair feels sooo soft and moisturized. I am tempted not to use anything else because it has been a long time coming for me to figure out that applying to damp or almost dry hair is key for my 4b/c kinks. I still have yet to master some wash n gos. Right now still seems obsolete! LOL
I do wash and gos on damp hair. My hair takes FOREVER to dry, so I wash it at night put in my leave-in and/or styling cream pull it up into a ponytail or twist and put on my satin bonnet. In the morning it's about 80% dry, I lightly mist it and then apply my gel. It works better for me, more clumpy and less shrinkage than doing it on soaking wet hair
CVS has a nationwide BOGO sale on all Shea Moisture products thru 9/8/12. Got milk? Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk that is! Picked mine up today. Great looking curls Nikki. You credit the look more to SM than the Living Proof? Deets please…
for me, it all depends on the product and stuff…sometimes my hair wants to be soaking wet….then if i don't apply some products to only damp hair….my hair likes to fight me lol….turns into a hot rough mess lol…so it all depends on the products…
i still haven't figured out the wash n go……my hair just turns into a 1 inch fro……then i can't even comb it AT ALL…..
Thanks Gaye! Let me know what happens!
girl, don't hold your breath. Although, despite the 'gunk', the Miss Jessie's Stretch Silkening Cream did effectively prevent the shrinkage, but I couldn't take the feel of my hair. Yuck.
I agree with that. I'm dealing with a bit more frizz, but again, it's the good kind! I want a mix of defined, frizz and volume, lol!
My wash n goes tend to fail because there's too much shrinkage. Lemme know when you find a combo that prevents that!
See I apply to soaking wet hair. I am DEFINITELY going to try this to reduce my BILLION spirals! LOL it looks fab Nik!
I do it to soaking wet hair. Damp hair gives me more fly-aways and frizzy finish, the soaking wet hair gives me more defined curls.
Thanks Shelli! I'm loving this combo and it's super shiny! Good luck on your cassia treatment! It's been a while since my last one and I can't wait to hear about your results! Keep me posted!
way too often lately, lol, as I'm experimenting with tons of new products. I can get 4 days out of them, so probably beginning next week, I'll resume once a week washings.
I use my finger like a hair roller, and roll the section on my finger end to root or root to end for a second and release. If I'm using the right products, the curl will hold.
I know this is probably a dumb question but how do you finger curl your hair
How often do you wear wash and go's?
Ooooh Nik!!! Your curls looks DELISH!!!! And your hair looks so black and shiny!! I'm sitting with four twists in my hair after doing a rake & shake with this new leave-in I got gifted (Shielo) and Jessicurl Confident Coils (previously gifted from … hey, the CN.com presents Kim Cole's GOC;). I did the twists for the same reason you do the one big twists, to try to get my curls to clump more. I applied the product to very wet hair … oh, and I did my first ever cassia treatment today too. We'll see how it looks once it's fully dry.
Shelli