Has Anyone Changed Their Mind About Wash and Go's?

[Janet']

Hi Ladies,

I love hair period, whether natural or relaxed...but as a natural (5 years and growing) I have JUST truly started experimenting with my texture. I have been one of those naturals that has worn her hair straight the majority of the time...Well, now that I am on a HHJ, I have come to the realization that although heat is NOT the devil for me, lower manipulation and protective styling is what has and will help me retain my length.

Question: When I first began my natural journey (circa 2005), I wore wash and go's. SSK's were the devil for my hair and I ended up losing more hair than retaining Yesterday (April 2010), with the help of a natural friend, I tried a wash and go again after many years and the results seemed to be great! Has anyone else initially swore off the wash and go and then come to realize that with the right regimen, they aren't so bad after all?

Regimen:

Pre-tangle with aloe vera gel/Paul Mitchell's "The Detangler" (Sally's generic)
Divide my hair into six sections: twist

No poo wash with Wen cleansing conditioner (fig) IN SECTIONS...the same sections as the pre-tangle...this makes life so much easier for me and my hair

Towel dry hair and apply CFC Gold as a moisturizer in sections (the same 6 sections, in fact)

Apply Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner (a generous amount, as the directions say)

***This is quite possibly the most important part for my hair***:

Using a paddle brush, in sections, brush through the hair (this alleviates any tangles AND defines the curls more)

Apply gel of choice on edges to avoid frizz...

Viola!

I had MINIMAL hair left in the brush, I didn't touch my hair for the rest of the day...and this morning, when I hopped in the shower, the moisture perked the curls up again, so I didn't have to manipulate much...There might be something to these wash and go's...

Attached is a pic of my hair yesterday...

 

[Vshanell]

I've never swore off of them but I'd rather do them in moderation because doing them for an extended period of time is hard on my ends. I can't stand all of the pixie knots. I eventually have to cut them off because they feel gross and cause tangling on the ends so I end up loosing some hair. I love the ease and convenience of wng's but I have to give my hair a break in between them.

Yours is so pretty!!!

 

[-PYT]

LOVELY thick, luscious hair! I really ONLY do wng's because I have a twa but I find SSK's all the time...

your technique seems to be working beautifully!

 

[ms.blue]

I would do a wash n go if not for the heat damage front hairs. The texture of the damage is so vastly different that I would not be able to pull it off. I hate that I did that so much b/c it has ruined so many styles. Btw Janet' your wash n go is really nice.

 

[ChocoKitty]

I don't think I can do them anymore. My ends wrap around themselves and detangling takes so much time and patience. I shampooed my hair the other day after wearing a WnGs for about a week. My ends looked a super hot mess!!! Too many SSKs and peppercorn knots! I think WnGs (for me) are damaging. When I was bra strap and above I didn't have much of an issue. I may revisit WnGs again after I BKT. However, that may be a while from now.

 

[Whimsy]

I voted for always worked for me. I heart them.

 

[Mz.MoMo5235]

always worked for me. i do a wng every week when i wash. i just air dry and go about my bidness. next day and days following i wear a bun

 

[VidaStarr]

I only do them when I need to do something to my hair but I don't have time to twist it up.

 

[LadyRaider]

I attempted another wash and no (as I call them) today. They are "nos" because I still have my straight relaxed ends screwing up the curls.

I used the diffuser today though and I see what a difference that makes!

OP, beautiful picture and thanks for the info. I know enough from my wash and nos that this style has a LOT of potential.

 

[anon123]

No, they don't work for me. But the method you described is not what I would call a wash and go. Detangling both before and after washing is not what is usually called a wash and go. I'd just say that you let your hair dry loose. Not that I can do that, either.

 

[1QTPie]

I haven't sworn them off, I just don't do them often otherwise I will be right where I am today, back at bra-strap.

 

[afrikurl]

I love the look and the ease but I don't do them often for a few reasons.
1)I have to be at work early and I have a small child. I dont do anything that takes more than 2 mins mon-friday
2) The look is unpredicatable, sometimes the curls form, sometimes they don't- Both looks are fine but I may have to do a liitle bit more in the accesory dept.
3) I don't blow dry and it literally takes a whole day to to dry. I don't want to go to work with wet hair
4.) My poor ends.... they can't take it. I'm really trynna get my afro to be large and in charge and it looks like stretched styles will get me there.

 

[Daughter]

My hair would give me the side-eye if I consider doing a wash-n-go. My hair would just matt up big time and the ends would be very dry indeed.

 

[hair4romheaven]

Not natural so i have no advice but your hair looks beautiful!

 

[lilsparkle825]

i love WNGs but they have become exponentially harder on my ends as my hair grows. i am hardheaded and may do one a week or every other week, but if i don't cowash again the next day and do something with it, disaster ensues.

yours are nice, but i fear your regimen would be too much manipulation for me. the reason i like them is because they are so easy to do: get in the shower, coat hair with conditioner, detangle, rinse out some conditioner, and jump out of the shower. i plop it with a t-shirt to soak up most of the excess water, and go about my business.

 

[ckisland]

I love my wash n'go and I don't know if I'll ever be willing to give them up completely! After doing rollersets for about 3 weeks, I'm not focusing on perfecting my wash n'go with styling products. I'm trying to see if gel or some kind of styler will help with ssk and having to detangle so often.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

wash'n'gos are fine for me. ♥

 

[Triniwegian]

I do w&g as rarely as I straighten my hair.
It is just too much of a mess to comb out afterwards.

 

[DDTexlaxed]

My wash n gos were OK, but it led to me having a helmet head. Now that I use Long aid activator gel underneath, my hair is now a soft mass of gorgeous curls. I no longer need to fear the wash n go.

 

[Poohbear]

Wash n gos only worked for me when my hair was shorter in length.

Now that my hair has gotten longer, I do not do them because it would turn out to be matted from the shrinkage and length.

 

[jetbeauty09]

I have to agree w/the other poster, your wash n go regimen is not the normal wash n go. Usually you just wash and then go about your business (LOL).

Its funny b/c I tried it yesterday for the first time and I liked it.

I literally cowashed, put some KCCC in while still standing in the tub and that was it. My hair didn't dry until lunch time but it was worth it.

 

[brittle_hair]

I'm relaxed with 4bhair and I use to think that I couldn't get away with a wash & go but now I realise I can, my relaxed hair pretty much drys straight if I bun when wet. If I leave it down after washing it just needs a creamy leave-in and some oil when it's about 80 dry to keep it from frizzing up. I never drag a blowdryer through my hair anymore.

 

[Janet']

I have to agree w/the other poster, your wash n go regimen is not the normal wash n go. Usually you just wash and then go about your business (LOL).

Its funny b/c I tried it yesterday for the first time and I liked it.

I literally cowashed, put some KCCC in while still standing in the tub and that was it. My hair didn't dry until lunch time but it was worth it.

Good point! I HAVE to detangle b4 EVERYTIME I wash my hair...the only thing that I did that I wouldn't have done with a normal Wash and Go is use the paddle brush...the entire process once I was out of the shower took maybe 10 minutes, and that was because I used the brush...but maybe I am doing a "modified" Wash and Wear! Funny!

 

[Lola Laughs]

First off--OP love your hair!! Thank you for this thread, as I am grappling with this very issue. I love WNGs and did them for years (literally washed, threw in some condition and KIM) without any SSKs.

Then in the last year I started getting "fancy" with it--washed, detangled with wide comb, applied condish, detangled more with the denman, added more product, etc---non-stop SSKs.

So I've gone back to just plain old WNG, with just finger combing/detangling, and like magic--no more SSKs! For me, I believe that wearing my hair "loose" is not the culprit, but the excessive and sometimes unnecessary combing that causes SSKs.

 

[Mad Scientist]

I voted always worked for me. I do them everyday. I really don't know how to do my hair without doing them.

 

[Tif392002]

i havent tried one yet. i want more length then i will experiement with these.

 

[jupitermoon]

I voted that wash and gos have always worked for me. I have thick, strong coarse strands though. I agree that wash and gos can wreack havoc on some hair types.

 

[classychic1908]

Very pretty OP!! I love wash n goes!!

 

[godsflowerrr]

Yes, I love wash and go's. I have been wearing them more often since my hair is a lot longer. They work pretty well for me.

 

[Creatividual]

I haven't sworn off them completely but I very rarely do them. They do a number on my ends now that I don't have a TWA anymore. SSK are real for me.