Wash n Go Routine for 3C Blonde Natural Hair

Searching for a laidback wash n go routine? Here ya go! It’s been a while since I updated my hair regimen here and now is the perfect time seeing that I’m currently rocking blonde natural hair and some of you have been asking how I maintain it. I am always and forever a wash n go type of girl because… lazy. So by now, I’ve perfected my wash n go routine for 3c natural hair and I’ve updated some of my go-to products now that my hair is coloured…plus I’ve been doing this for so long.

I would love to do more twist outs since I like the look of my hair when stretched but I have not been able to master them. My hair comes out extremely trashy whenever I try to do a twist out. I need to look back on a few of my favourite YouTubers and see what it is that I’m not doing right. Anyway, I have surely mastered the wash and go and I get the stretched look after a couple of days anyway! So here’s what I do.

Wash n Go Routine

The above image represents my wash and go when I follow this routine thoroughly… it comes out perfect every time! Here’s the wash n go steps I follow each and every time:

1. co-wash with conditioner only, detangle hair
2. apply leave-in conditioner to soaking wet hair
3. apply a cream styler to help with curl definition
4. apply an oil or butter-based sealant to seal in all that moisture
5. allow to air dry

First things first, I co-wash weekly. Co-washing is simply cleansing your hair with conditioner only. I use shampoo maybe once a month or once every six weeks or really once every whenever I feel like I have product buildup and my hair is not responding to my creams and oils anymore.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Conditioner remains my favourite conditioner to use as it gives me the most slip and lather when I’m co-washing my hair. I have switched to the one with argan oil in it because of the amazing benefits of argan oil plus it smells so good. It’s also affordable enough for me to use it to detangle my hair.

Leave-In

This has been a day one holy grail and it has not failed me yet. I’ve re-upped on it a few times now after trying some other leave-ins to see if there was anything better:

It is a great all-natural leave-in and detangler that works wonders on combing through the kinks in munchkin’s hair. It however cannot be used on its own. It’s too light but it does a good first job. It makes your chosen styler work even better.

Styler

My favourite styler of the moment is the Jane Carter joint below.

This here is the business. Don’t try to use it on its own, it gets a little crunchy so don’t be cheap and only use one or the other. They work together. And don’t fall for the “curl defining cream” on the label thinking it means it will give you curls, it’s going to define the curls you already have, not give you popping curls if you don’t already have that. But it is absolutely amazing at moisturizing your situation. I ran out and decided to give another product that was a little more pocket-friendly a try.

This Cantu has been doing a pretty good job. It’s not as hydrating to my curls as the Jane Carter but did well enough for me to repurchase when it ran out since the Jane Carter runs a pretty penny. Munchkin’s hair, which is kinkier than mine, loves it too so if you have a tighter kink go ahead and give it a try.

Seal in the Moisture

When I’m done with all that, I seal in the moisture with either my whipped shea butter mix or some Jamaican Black Castor Oil which is thick enough to use as a sealant on its own. You can also thin it out a little (and maybe mask the smell) with a lighter oil like jojoba, olive or avocado. You’ll notice I didn’t mention coconut oil. It’s not an ingredient in any product listed here so if you’re like me and find that the holy grail for some actually leaves you with trashy ends and a terrible break out then these products are for you.

Air Drying

After applying all these products to my hair, the next step in my wash n go routine is really to ensure that I keep my fingers out my hair while it air-dries so that the curls can clump together and give me a defined wash and go. If you’re going for big hair that’s less defined then this isn’t an issue for you.

After day one, I pull my hair up in a puff and wear it like that for a couple days, only spritzing my hairline with a mixture of water, conditioner and oils to lay the edges flat in the mornings. If I take it down midweek, the hairline is usually straight so I spritz again and reseal to add life back to the curls. It usually ends up looking like this on those subsequent wash days

Notice how it’s now longer because it’s been stretched up in a puff for a couple days. It also loses a bit of the curl definition, giving me big-hair frizzy goodness. Embrace the frizz. It’ll still be soft and bouncy because of the products used.

So that’s my current wash n go routine! I hope it helps if you’re looking for wash n go natural hair tips and if you have any suggestions for a good co-wash conditioner to help me switch things up, I’m all ears!

This was first posted in 2014. Check out my updated wash and go steps here.

Related: My favourite DIY deep conditioner and a review of the Cantu Natural Hair Shampoo

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