Free The Mane: Wash & Go With Shea Moisture!

Hey Hey! As promised I am doing a hair post on my go to style, the wash & go! Since I have embraced my natural curls and put down the flat iron, I’ve always turned to this style. I like just letting my hair be free to do whatever it wants. The wash & go is the perfect style for this. I have been natural my entire life however, I didn’t always free the mane. I would straighten it every two weeks to keep it tamed. It wasn’t until April 2014 when I was on my way to a party and I was preparing to straighten my hair that I decided “nope not today”. It was pouring raining outside and it would be the entire weekend. I had been experimenting with my hair off and on but that day was the day I decided that I didn’t need it to be straightened to be popping and i haven’t looked back since! The more and more I did this style the more and more I loved my hair. I liked my hair before but I never really paid too much attention to it when it was curly because I would always just blow dry and straighten it. Luckily I always had my mom and older sisters who took care of my hair so aside from some heat damage it was pretty healthy. As time progressed I became obsessed with hair health and how to give it the TLC it needs to thrive. I attribute my love for wash & go’s to be one of the best things I do to maintain the health of my hair. With that being said I decided to share my typical wash & go routine with you all. Keep on reading to see what I do!

Step 1: Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Shampoo + Conditioner 
I start my wash day by shampooing and conditioning my hair. I like to cleanse my hair with shampoo often because I really do not want to acquire build-up on my hair and scalp. This line is SO moisturizing that you will not strip your hair of its’ moisture by using the shampoo. I then follow up with the conditioner. This line is my absolute favorite from shea moisture as my low porosity hair responds very well to the ingredients.

Step 2: Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Hair Masque 
I never wash my hair without deep conditioning. NEVER. This is pretty much the foundation when it comes to retaining moisture and avoiding/preventing breakage in my opinion. This deep conditioner is my holy grail, ol faithful, ride or die deep conditioner. I have literally bought so many tubs of this that it is impossible to count. This product not only deep conditions your hair but it infuses it with SO MUCH MOISTURE. I personally attribute the moisture to the manuka honey as honey is a natural humectant that pulls moisture into your hair. Moisture is something that natural hair needs because by nature natural hair is on the drier side. If you have problems with dry hair and you’re looking for a great deep conditioner, get you some! I leave this in my hair for about 30 minutes to an hour but honestly I leave it for 24 hours most days as I tend to sleep in it, go to work/school and then come home and style my hair. I love doing this as I don’t see the harm in leaving this magic in my hair a little longer. I also use heat while deep conditioning to penetrate the hair shaft even more.

Step 3: Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Conditioner as a Leave-In
For this wash & go I actually ended up using the conditioner I washed out as a leave-in. I do this a lot with this product because 1.) It is very moisturizing and all natural so I don’t feel I really HAVE to wash it out and 2.) I am obsessed with the smell. lol I spritzed my hair with a little water so it was saturated and applied this conditioner as a leave-in to each quadrant of my hair as when I begin applying product, I separate my hair into four sections.

Step 4: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie 
After applying my leave-in I use shea moisture's curl enhancing smoothie as a moisturizer. I am very generous with this product as I pretty much saturate every strand with it. When I put this on I like to see a white cast. That lets me know I have applied enough. This smoothie is also very moisturizing and when I apply a generous amount, my hair is moisturized for days. This also smells glorious! This product contains silk protein which is great for low porosity hair which is why I think my hair loves it! This was one of the first products I used when embracing my curls and it’s still my illest and my realest!

Step 5: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Souffle’ 
This step is optional as I don’t really grab gels when its super cold out because without humidity I don't have much of a problem with hold however, it has been very hot in Virginia despite it being February. I recently have been grabbing shea moisture’s coconut and hibiscus curl souffle’. I actually did not buy this product, my oldest sister gave it to me and I ended up really liking it. This product has agave nectar and flax seed oil that defines and promotes curls with a soft, smooth finish. It does exactly what it promises and works great with the curl enhancing smoothie. I don’t use much as a little goes a long way.

So there it is! That’s my typical wash & go routine! Even when I switch products these are the same steps that I go through. This is what has worked for me and I love the results. I usually complete this at night in the winter because I like to air dry versus having to diffuse my hair. I tie a scarf around my edges and place my hair in a pineapple covered by a bonnet to assist with drying. On the days after I just pineapple it and wear my silk scarf. Sometimes you’ll catch me wearing my pineapple as a style because that is also my go to. As the days progress my hair does get bigger and bigger and to keep it moisturized I like to spritz it with water and apply a little oil of my choice to my ends. Around day 4 or 5 it’s typically super big and frizzy and although I love this look, I usually go ahead and wash it again as the drier your hair is, the more prone it is to damage and breakage. This may seem like a lot to some but since I really enjoy washing my hair and find it relaxing, I breeze through this process.

I am quite the product junkie but I never stir away from these essentials from Shea Moisture. Their products have never failed me and I always look forward to trying their new products. You can find shea moisture products pretty much anywhere nowadays as they are online, Sally’s Beauty Supply, CVS, Target, Walgreens and Walmart to name a few! Comment below and let me know if you’ve tried any of these products or plan to in the future! Also let me know what your holy grail products consist of! Thanks for reading!

Peace & Good Vibes

Harmonious Kourt