Naturals & transitioners, how does your hair feel after you wash it...

[melissa-bee]

But before you condition it?
The reason i ask because i'm aprox 10 months post and i have to manipulate my hair in order for me to put conditioner in, which once it's in i will put in about 10 plaits but i'm not sure if it's normal that it's tangly and breaks when preparing it for conditioning, or maybe i need to change shampoos. I can't co wash because i normally flat iron after so i need my hair to be clean.
Ideally i want my hair to be kind of glide-y, but it's only like that after i condition; I'm 4b/a by the way.

 

[ceebee3]

I'm also 10 months post and how my hair feels after washing depends on the type of shampoo I use.

Usually it's soft because I do hot oil treatments or protein treatments before I shampoo.

Once I felt tangly hair, I switched shampoos and haven't had any problems.

 

[cch24]

Is it possible to put your hair in the 10 plaits before you shampoo, instead of after? That way you can clean your scalp and not have to manipulate your hair until after it's been conditioned.

 

[lana]

I'm a 4a/b Texlaxer and I was natural for about 4 years. I would suggest spraying a detangling leave in conditioner on soaking wet hair and then apply the conditioner. I'm not really sure if you're plaiting your natural hair in order to flat iron it?

I use black pony tail (no-breakage) holders to pony tail my hair and gently put it up into about 8 small sections or more. I take each one down as I flat iron. It works! Hope this helps.

Too much breakage and not enough retention of growth was one of the main reasons I decided to start texlaxing since I wear my hair straight 95% of the year. I texlax 2-3 times per year - leave the relaxer on for about 5 minutes and I get the best of both worlds.

 

[lana]

I'm going to do a hot oil treatment before I shampoo today. Thanks for the tip. I need to add this to my normal routine.

 

[malibu4590]

Is it possible to put your hair in the 10 plaits before you shampoo, instead of after? That way you can clean your scalp and not have to manipulate your hair until after it's been conditioned.

This is exactly what I've been doing and it makes wash day so much easier. I either braid or twist the hair for my wash and dc and loosen them one by one to detangle.

 

[melissa-bee]

I've tried washing in braids before but i didn't really like it, i felt like i wasn't washing my hair properly and then the relaxed ends would unravel.
I put my hair in braids so i can cover all sections of my hair, if i just slap it in i'd never get enough of the new growth conditioned
Maybe i'll do the spritz thing, maybe a mix of oil and water?

 

[Bublin]

Deep conditioning on dry hair is a must for me. After i rinse out i only apply sulphate free shampoo to the roots and then rinse. Less tangling and my hair is not dry. I then apply a condish to detangle with. I cannot wash in braids so i tip my head to the side and then do the other side.

 

[Vashti]

Maybe your shampoo is too harsh? Or maybe you could try using a conditioner on your dry hair first (like the night before shampooing) or for a few minutes before you shampoo to cut down on breakage when you get ready to shampoo and DC?

 

[SummerSolstice]

I like my hair to be clean when I wash it so I just shampoo and then dont even try to manipulate before I condition.
Just so you guys know, everyone's hair feels icky before conditioner. Has anyone ever touched a white woman's hair prior to conditioning? Its not a pretty thing LOL. I really don't think anyone's hair feels like fine corn silk after being cleaned properly.

 

[Ladybug33]

I'm 10mths post also and I don't braid my hair before washing. I like usings Suave's smooth line shampoo if I am going to straighten after washing. It really does leave the cuticles smooth - it makes detangling a cinch- no matter hair or anything. Definitely try it

 

[Ese88]

after i wash my newgrowth is soft but the relaxed hair is a bit tangled

 

[PerplexingComplex]

My hair doesn't tangle after I rinse my shampoo out. It just feels clean. I think it's because I usually have some type of oil in my hair before hand though. I don't necessary pre poo or pre conditon (or whatever it's called) I just make sure I keep my hair moisturized, so any tangles usually disappear from the pressure of the shower (along with a little finger combing).

 

[Nonie]

My hair feels smooth after I shampoo.

You either have hard water (and need a filter) or are using a shampoo that has a high pH (ie one that is very alkaline) which is raising your hair strands' cuticles and making your hair strands rough and likely to catch on each other or one that is meant for oily hair so it's very stripping instead of a moisturizing one meant for dry hair.

You need to find a more acidic shampoo (low in pH) so that it can smooth your hair strands by closing cuticles and make them not hook on each other. If you don't know much about pH or what it means, you can read about it here.

The following links mention some low pH (acidic) shampoos that you might find don't leave your hair feeling rough:
http://www.hairstylecity.com/HairCare/TopRatedMoisturizingShampoos.aspx
http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/08/18/do-salon-shampoos-have-better-ph
http://www.salonweb.com/pro/dry.htm

As far as washing hair in braids, when I do it in big braids, I apply the shampoo to my hair in braids and squeeze for it to penetrate and make the strands slippery (I also make sure hair is very wet). Then I undo one braid, and comb through as I squeeze to clean. The slip of the shampoo makes this easy. I keep strands hanging down and use fingers to feel through hair to my scalp to do a good massage and then comb one more time to make sure hair is detangled. I then plait that braid back and move on to the next.

When all are cleaned, I rinse. First I do it with braids intact. Then while head is under the shower head, I undo one braid at a time and comb through under the stream of the water to remove all soap. The water helps with combing by stretching the hair so I take advantage of that by making sure the braid section being combed has water flowing through it. I then braid back the clearly detangled hair before moving to the next braid.

I follow that same procedure with conditioner...so that by the time I rinse that off and then finish my ACV rinse, my hair is still in braids, because I rebraided each section as I finished dealing with it. I then let my hair airdry in that detangled "locked-in-braids" state. I never have to spend hours detangled or dealing with knots.

 

[melissa-bee]

Thanks nonie, that makes so much sense. You always come and save the day. Thanks for everyone elses input as well.

 

[Lola Laughs]

Have you considered an oil rinse (EVOO, CO) after shampoo, but before conditioning? This makes detangling a breeze.

 

[knt1229]

I have type 4 hair and my hair is soft all the time. I keep the moisture level up. I DC for an hour at least once a week and I use a rinse out conditioner at least once a week. Try pre-pooing your hair with oil before washing that helped me soften my NG in the beginning of my transition.