Wash And Go, To Grow And To Dazzle 2020 Challenge

Happy 2022!

I know it's the WNG thread but I blowdried today for the first time in IDK when (not in the past 365 for sure) and asked my sister to give me a trim. My ends feel so much nicer and cleaner. Now to see what this looks like when I actually WNG again :lol:

Let me also add that it was easy to tell how much the condition of my hair has improved since I changed my haircare practices. I shampooed and conditioned with the Matrix Sleek shampoo and conditioners, applied Chi Silk Infusion, and blow dried with the comb attachment. My hair stayed detangled, since I started that process during the shampoo, and it was super easy to blow out. After the blowout, my hair still felt hydrated, soft to the touch, and very 'light' and bouncy.

I could also tell how much my hair has grown back since my major haircut in April 2021. I'm excited to see what progress I can make throughout this year ahead.
 
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I did day 5 today. Going to post days 5 to 7 all at once. It is a pain uploading pictures so I will do them all on the same day. Decided to postpone my color day until Thursday. So Wednesday I will do a full shampoo, condition, leave-in and twist to get ready for color on Thursday.

What did I notice about my hair today? I probably used way too much leave in on days 3 and 4, so it is starting to build up on my hair. My hair could probably use a little shampoo right now :ohwell:

My hair does get wet faster and hold water just a little longer.
My hair doesn't go poof as soon as the conditioner hits it.
Each day I use way less conditioner than the previous day to cover the same hair.
My hair stays smoother with conditioner
Each day my hair takes longer to dry
Peppermint Pattie does care what I'm doing. She is still trying to stick straight up in the air :lol:

The proof will be in the pudding on Thursday.
 
I clarified yesterday and styled with gel :)

I don’t know if the hydration challenge has made a difference but, I’m just happy to back to gel.

I used ICH instead of jello shot and ICH is the BEST for smoothing. Something about the texture just makes it work perfectly. It doesn’t last quite a long as jello shot, but it’s amazing gel.
Aww! We will miss you. Happy 2022 to you. May your year be great!
I will still be here, just not multiple times a day. My plan is to allow myself to check the site first thing in the morning on weekends, and during my lunch break on weekdays.
 
I hope school is going well for you and you are getting a little break. It can be hard to take care of the hair with the demanding requirements of school. Not sure how long your hair is but maybe just keep it simple with a shampoo, condition and bun or when time is super short, just a condition and bun.
Thank you! I might give this a shot for those times when I’m really out of it but I’ve actually never bunned my loose hair before. (I’m an early elementary teacher & these last couple years have just been TOUGH.)

I agree, your hair is looking really good!
I’m so glad to be here and see the diversity of what our hair can do… and hear about what products & techniques are out there so I can try to reform my product junkie ways :look:


Happy New Year, everyone!
 
Completed day 6 before work. It actually made me move a little faster knowing I needed to sign on for work. My hair definitely needs some shampoo to get rid of the build up but I think I'm fine finishing up tomorrow. As usual I've already changed my plans

Tuesday: Last day of Lou's Challenge
Wednesday: Shampoo, condition, Leave-in - Twist it up
Thursday: Take a break
Friday: Color + CCS (do a wash and go)

This should set me up for another wash and go on Tuesday.

If she has to reschedule my appointment then none of this will happen :lol: I will just go back into twist.
 
@Napp no, it never flakes on me!

since you were asking earlier, here is my wash and go at 14 days. I’ve been way too lazy to wash my hair, and my Ulta order should be here tomorrow so I can start my hydration challenge. My hair has been in ponytails, buns, down, I’ve been working out, etc. it’s not the nearest, but it’s fine?

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I finished Lou's challenge yesterday and today cleansed, conditioned, applied leave-in and put in some twist to get ready for color day.

Overall it did improve my hydration, however, it did not get me to full hydration. Based on what I know about my hair that makes sense. In 2020 it took 45 days of back to back water days to get me from one level to the next. I probably need more than 8 days. But every little bit helps.

What I noticed
1. The biggest thing is that my hair holds a bit more water than it was holding onto before. I am hoping this translates to at least 1 extra day of my wash and go.
2. Even though a leave-in doesn't hold moisture in my hair all day, over the 8 day period, my hair was more wearable and contained more curls. You can't see it in the pictures.
3. I used less product as the days went on. I used far less conditioner and leave-in as I got towards the end.


What I want to keep
At least once a month I want to do 3 to 5 days of back to back hydration. I will simplify the process though and keep the rinse, 1x condition and then a very simple gel application to hold the hair until the next day. However, I will be more definitive after meeting with my stylist and seeing how long my wash and go lasts.

I think I deleted pictures for one of the days but it must have looked like the previous day or I wouldn't have deleted it.


Day 1...............................Day 2.......................................Day 3.......................Day 4........................................Day 6...........................Day 7...................................Day 8
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Will be back with wash and go pictures this weekend.
 
@faithVA

you did such a good job of documenting and observing the changes in your hair.

I also noticed that after a few days my hair didn’t seem to need as much conditioner

Over all I feel that this process is a battle between gaining hydration v gaining buildup.

For me I think the take away will be to spend more time rinsing my hair before I add my shampoo for my weekly wash. I’m pretty sure I won’t repeat the challenge because I really didn’t like the way my hair looked with only leave in.
 
I did day 1 of the challenge and promptly decided it is not for me. Partially because I was so irritated with myself for going 2 weeks without a wash and my hair was tangled.

My hair is now coated in leave in and in two flat twists. I’ll keep it like this until Saturday, do a conditioner rinse, and put it back in flat twists.

Next week I’ll do my full wash and go process again.

I need gel or a style to keep my hair in place.
 
Her hair came out nice. Now I’m tempted to try Miche Beauty mousse

Can y’all see this ?

 
Does anyone else seal their ends at night with a butter or oil? I know the ends are exposed in a wash n go so I was wondering if I could seal my ends with oils or butters for extra protection? I wonder if its worth the extra manipulation and possible destruction of the gel cast.
 
Does anyone else seal their ends at night with a butter or oil? I know the ends are exposed in a wash n go so I was wondering if I could seal my ends with oils or butters for extra protection? I wonder if its worth the extra manipulation and possible destruction of the gel cast.
Mizani promotes using their 25 Miracle Oil on the hair nightly for wash and goes. I really didn't see it affect the cast much when I tried it for a few weeks. I can't say I saw any improvements either. Supposedly, it is penetrative.

I was thinking about doing something like that to protect my ends too. The extra care to the ends of hair worn straight worked very well for me in the past. Somehow, I think re-gelling the ends might keep the curls from curling/tangling around themselves while not messing up the look. That really wouldn't be a nightly thing though.
 
Does anyone else seal their ends at night with a butter or oil? I know the ends are exposed in a wash n go so I was wondering if I could seal my ends with oils or butters for extra protection? I wonder if its worth the extra manipulation and possible destruction of the gel cast.

I don’t use gel much, other than my edges, so I can’t really speak to the aspect of the gel cast. However, when I wear my hair out (twists, twist outs, straightened), I generally do seal the ends at night with oil or a shea butter mix; not always every night, usually every other night. The main benefit for me is that doing so drastically reduces single-strand knots (the bane of my hair’s existence). The only time I slack is when my hair is up/in a bun, because whatever product seems to stay on the hair longer… or in the summer, when I might wash/co-wash every other day.
 
I wonder if this mousse has more hold than The Doux. Since it’s black owned I’ll add it to my list of potential products to try.
I want to know too. I was turned off when I saw her original vid for the mousse. I figured it might not have enough hold at first.

I guess Michelle made this most recent vid because people (like me) were wondering why she would have 2 people do a wash n go and then the more textured model’s hair do a rod set instead.

I’m talking about this vid.
 
I want to know too. I was turned off when I saw her original vid for the mousse. I figured it might not have enough hold at first.

I guess Michelle made this most recent vid because people (like me) were wondering why she would have 2 people do a wash n go and then the more textured model’s hair do a rod set instead.

I’m talking about this vid.

That was a silly decision. I understand wanting to show the versatility of the product but this is was not it

Here is the link of the same model getting her wash and go done with just the foam

 
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Does anyone else seal their ends at night with a butter or oil? I know the ends are exposed in a wash n go so I was wondering if I could seal my ends with oils or butters for extra protection? I wonder if its worth the extra manipulation and possible destruction of the gel cast.
I've sealed it in the past, with a shea butter mix while styling in a wash n go. It wasn't nightly. My hair seemed to be thriving then, but I also remember (depending on the mix) my hair could sometimes also attract build up of lint, or a gluey-texture. So I'd just rinse for a while longer. Mostly I enjoyed it, I just got lazy with mixing up my butter. I should get back to it. I also documented a lot in the original shea butter thread.
 
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