Natural hair: Basic washing tips

Whether you hair is short or long kinky or curly, washing natural hair can be one of the most intimidating task. You have to remove product build up without drying it out or creating excessive tangles when washing your hair. Washing your natural hair get harder as your hair grows. Knowing how to wash your hair is priceless. Here few tips for getting through wash day with natural hair:
1. Pre-poo: prepooing is the process of coating the hair shaft prior to washing. It prevents the hair from being dried out during the wash process, particularly when sulphate shampoo are used. It also helps to reduce protein loss. Coconut oil is a great prepoo ingredient. A conditioner can as well be used.
2. Shampoo: there are various options for washing your hair. For long natural hair, the key to tackling the hair is to approach it in section. You can as well braid your hair while to wash to prevent tangling. As you wash your hair, focus more on the scalp where there is the most build ups and focus less on the ends which is the driest part of your hair. Scrub your scalp and run the shampoo down the hair shaft to prevent it from detangling, the hair shaft will still get clean when you rub the shampoo down it. Process of section and wash takes a longer time, but fewer tangles, knots and breakage is totally worth it.
3. Dry hair with a microfiber towel: be sure to squeeze and blot the water out of the hair and avoid rubbing.
4. Follow up with a conditioner: you can apply a leave-in conditioner while the hair is still damp. Apply in sections to ensure even coverage from root to tip. Focus on the ends of your hair. Don’t apply too much products as this can weigh down the hair. The purpose of applying the conditioner is to replenish the moisture back into your hair as well as for easy detangling. Some leave-in conditioner can as well be used as a daily moisturizer. The conditioner can either be a protein leave-in for too soft/weak hair for strength or moisturizing leave-in for too stiff/tough hair to soften or smoothens it.
A little bit of breakage while washing is inevitable, but be sure to keep an eye out for excessive breakage. Learn to adjust your hair washing regimen to better meet the needs of your hair. Remember, the key concept is divide and conquer, otherwise, it becomes overwhelming.