I thought I'd include this little 'here's what I did earlier' post on washing afro hair that is short. Really, it's because I did a quick google search for some tips from the afro hair guru's that exist out there, particularly on YouTube, and was surprised to come up short. QUE?? Sure, there's advice on all kinds of hair washing to avoid tangles and moisture loss- co-washing (shampooing with conditioner, often with an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse), banding of hair into sections to wash etc. But none of these seemed to address the needs of the short afro'd people.
I'm growing mines out, having said NO MÁS! to my relaxer in December 2008. I won't pretend it was intentional. More like two weeks of regrowth snowballed into a month, and the prospect of shelling out £70 got less appealing. I found all the transition styles fun, such as "china bumps" or bantu knots, although washing with the resultant tangles became more of an issue because of the virgin/relaxed hair split. Since June, I had enough regrowth to feel comfortable chopping off the dead weight, aka big chop time, and enjoyed the ease of washing a short short afro.
Which brings me onto today and washing hair in that 'tween' not-long-enough for a pony stage. I'm always interested in different approaches to hair care, particularly the ones favouring natural ingredients, a gentle touch and efficient use of time. But with all the advice out there, you could find yourself torn here and there with 'sworn by' techniques and tips, when all that really matters is doing what works well for you and your hair.
I've noticed that with my short hair, tangling while washing can be a problem. Previously, I would use a detangling spray and comb through before washing- the hair was much more pliable and suffered less shrinkage.
Today's tip tries to combine the banding hair principle with what is possible for hair that's too short to hold in sections before contact with water.
Very simply:
1. Section the hair into quarters before washing, like you would if banding (tying 1 or 2 bands around each section to keep the hair stretched while washing). If it's uncomfortable to do while the hair is dry, simply wet the hair first and then section.
2. In the shower or under the tap, wet each section without disturbing the divisions made. They don't have to be perfectly separate- all you need is to be able to follow each section with your hands as you go through washing hair. NB: hair is easier to comb when wet and for those with tight curls, stretches out. For those who want to apply bands, you might find the lengths are long enough to apply at this stage and follow that process now.
3. Apply shampoo to each section, paying more attention to massaging the scalp with fingers. Wash hair by rinsing each section- if you're like me, that's literally rotating in the shower for even coverage!
Do the same with your conditioner.
4. I then towel dried, sprayed on a home made leave-in conditioner (one part cream conditioner, whatever you have + water mix in a spray bottle- shake well and spritz).
You can then oil the scalp or air dry first and oil later.
E basta così.
Everyone has their own technique, and as you can see, what I've suggested ain't rocket science. That said, for anyone who might be looking for tips from another woman in the same boat before doing your own, I hope it helps!
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