Wash n Go on 4c hair

**Shakti** · 06-22-2013, 05:03 AM

Hilarious little video that certainly expresses my feelings when trying to make a wash n go work for me! COuldn't think of a better place to share it xP

**chachadiva** · 06-22-2013, 09:59 AM

Don't find this funny. The purpose of a wash and go is just that...you wash and go. Thus, you would have to be comfortable with accepting how your hair is and just going with it. Yeah, they indeed do work on nappy hair.

The problem isn't the hair. The problem is with your expectations and/or your desire for your hair to do something it doesn't do naturally. There's nothing wrong with a shrunken fro if that's what your wash and go becomes on its own.

It's okay to choose a different style. Just don't blame your hair because $2.99 hair gel doesn't loosen your natural curl pattern into your idea of an acceptable wash and go.

**GalaxyGirl2012** · 06-23-2013, 05:28 PM

i think this video misses the true point of what a wash n go is, it's not to show off curl pattern. it's to wash and condition your hair and go on about your business.

whether or not it works for you as more to do with your own feelings about your hair, your expectations of wanting your hair to look a certain way (ie NOT the way it grows out of your scalp) than anything to do with whether or not one can wash n go.

i also can't do a standard wash n go without it resulting in tangles. what i do for days i want to wash n fro (loved that!) i wash with my hair in big twists /braids. let the big twists/braids hair dry a bit afterwards, apply leave in product and take them out before i have to start my day. that way a lot of the wet and loose time is shortened which results in fewer tangles

**OHR** · 06-23-2013, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl2012

i think this video misses the true point of what a wash n go is, it's not to show off curl pattern. it's to wash and condition your hair and go on about your business.whether or not it works for you as more to do with your own feelings about your hair, your expectations of wanting your hair to look a certain way (ie NOT the way it grows out of your scalp) than anything to do with whether or not one can wash n go.

^Agrees with the boldeds. What many natural women (still) wish for is that elusive wash 'n' go that results in curls...or else why would there be hundreds of YT videos on how to get and maintain (?) definition or 'try product ABC and get the hair you've always dreamed of'!"

Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl2012

i also can't do a standard wash n go without it resulting in tangles. what i do for days i want to wash n fro (loved that!) i wash with my hair in big twists /braids. let the big twists/braids hair dry a bit afterwards, apply leave in product and take them out before i have to start my day. that way a lot of the wet and loose time is shortened which results in fewer tangles

^I've done this as well...especially in the warmer months. It keeps my hair calmer and not as dangled when it's time to redo.

**Soul Rebel** · 06-22-2013, 05:11 PM

I agree with Chacha. A wash and go is not a curly maker - I'm not sure what was expected by putting all that gel in her hair - and curly hair is not the only acceptable texture to wear a wash and go. And if after washing you have to spend 30 minutes styling it afterwards the wash and go element has been lost anyway.

Back in the day here on in NP.com several posters used to call it a wash and fro. I liked that. :-)

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

**JustAnotherNappyGirl** · 06-22-2013, 06:35 PM

I can relate to the video...wash n goes don't work for me either. Not because I am looking for curls to "pop" (I don't have any curls TO pop!) They don't work for me because they dry into a crispy tangled mess that will result in major breakage. I don't spend any time bemoaning the fact that my hair is not suited to the WNG...my hair makes luscious twists, gorgeous twist outs, a beautiful dense fro, a classic high puff and on and on. There's too much I CAN do with my hair to waste energy chasing styles that are just not a good fit for me.

**MommieDearest** · 06-23-2013, 12:57 AM

Originally Posted by JustAnotherNappyGirl

I can relate to the video...wash n goes don't work for me either. Not because I am looking for curls to "pop" (I don't have any curls TO pop!) They don't work for me because they dry into a crispy tangled mess that will result in major breakage. I don't spend any time bemoaning the fact that my hair is not suited to the WNG...my hair makes luscious twists, gorgeous twist outs, a beautiful dense fro, a classic high puff and on and on. There's too much I CAN do with my hair to waste energy chasing styles that are just not a good fit for me.

A wash and go is a no-no for me too. The closest I can get to one is to wash, condition, detangle, moisturize and put it in a puff. That takes me about 30 minutes to do and is my "go to" style when I'm vacationing on the beach.

I will admit that when I first started my natural journey, I fell for the hype and bought different concoctions and potions *cough*MissJessies*cough* that promised to "make my curls pop." It took alot of trial and error, money wasted, revelations and acceptance before I was OK with the fact that I don't have "wash and go" hair. What I DO have is hair that is THE BOMB. It's thick and nappy and lucious and does all kinds of wonderful things.

As naturals we all need to learn, in our own time, that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Learn to care for your OWN lawn by giving it what it needs, and it will flourish.

**LBellatrix** · 06-23-2013, 01:50 PM

Agreed...the WNG is not a hairstyle that only people with curl patterns can do. It's a technique that anybody can do depending on their comfort level with the aftermath: not just the look of it, but the breakdown later when it's time to wash again.

Having spent the better part of the last two years learning how to handle longer mostly-4b hair in a WNG "state," I've learned that dealing with tangles and knots (which is the OTHER main concern surrounding doing WNGs on tighter textures, from what I can tell) doesn't have to be super-complicated if you have the right products (for me it's generous use of AVJ along with a creamy conditioner) and technique (finger-detangling with the AVJ/conditioner combo is a MUST if I don't want to lose hair; also only touching my hair with my palms and the flats of my connected fingers when it's dry).

Again speaking just for me: It helps to have perspective. I just got out of having two monster finger-detangling sessions involving taking down mini-twists. They were "monster" for me because since my last BC I've lost my tolerance for spending hours on my hair at a single sitting. However, three years prior to that last BC, I was trying to pick out 3.5-year-old LOCS. Comparatively speaking, the tangles I deal with when my hair is in a WNG "state" are very minor.

For what it's worth, this woman is doing a WNG challenge on her mostly-4c hair. She talks about defining her curls but she also acknowledges that she doesn't have much to define and that for her the main purpose is to get away from twists and learn how to wear her hair loose in a way that's still healthy.

**Bithiya** · 06-23-2013, 02:19 PM

@ LBellatrix: Thank you for this video.
I think she has a GREAT Afro

Over the past few weeks, I've been surfing YouTube as part of my decision to experimenting with inexpensive, old standbys/tried-and-true products for my hair maintenance.
Bought Suave Conditioner on advice of one YouTube girl's [MahoganyCurls'] tutorial - and it works wonderfully!
I'm thinking of trying Sta-Sof-Fro. I remember the ditty from the Soul Train ads - "In condition in an instant!"

I believe it would work well for these particular [K & M] YouTubers' Afros.
That of course, combined with satin cap, sheets, pillowcases + sectioning it off into twists at night

**Bithiya** · 06-23-2013, 02:33 PM

@ Shakti:

I'll admit I find the way she put her thoughts together with the facial/hand gestures + the rhythmic melody to be entertaining.
But I think her Afro itself is fine - it is even, dense, and rounded, with a neat hairline. Contrary to what she implies in the video, there is nothing to be ashamed of.
So she could wear it just as it is - but she is choosing not to