Mourning the Death of My Beloved Wash-and-Go ...

Flat twist with Trader Joe's Nourish Spa condish

Natural hair doesn't always live up to our expectations.

Sure, we start off with lofty goals, high aspirations, even.

But then, the rubber meets the road. Or, in natural hair lingo, the deep conditioner with uber slip meets dry, porous hair. And that's when our expectations meet with reality and come to a screeching halt.

Don't get me wrong: I've been natural for a long time and my expectations are still forming. I still don't feel like I've totally figured things out all the way. Every product is a new discovery. Part of the reasons why my expectations are still forming, even after 5+ years of being natural (had a brief affair with a texturizer in 2007, but had been a heat-trained natural since 1995) is that what my hair needed at the TWA stage is very, very different than what it needs now.

The Wash-and-Go Breakup

Each stage of the game is different -- and so, too, are the products, techniques and even styles that play well with our hair. For me, wash-and-gos worked so well with my hair. They were easy; I thought I could do them forever. They were my boo!

But right now, I just can't. Me and wash-and-gos have had a falling out.

I know, I know. I've talked about the end of wash-and-gos for a while now. But you know how you have a relationship that's hanging by a thread and then there's the final straw? Yup, that's where I'm at with it.

The Back and Forth

It's been hard to let go.

I've gone back and forth. But now I'm sticking to my guns now. Our love affair is over!

I've looked at old pictures of wash-and-go hair and wondered, Where is THAT hair? Didn't see a tangle. But now? BYE! Tangles galore. And I've come to the conclusion, after looking at some recent pics, that as the longer my hair has gotten, they just don't look all that good on me anymore.

Sigh.

Only when my hair is in an updo is the wash-and-go look OK on me.

My New Go-To Styles

Meanwhile, I've found some other styles. For the last two weeks, I've been using Trader Joe's Nourish Spa conditioner (product review to come later) with good results. I still can't do conditioner wash-and-gos because the conditioner just sits on top of my hair. However, it's great for me when used with protective styles, because it's just about the only conditioner I've found that moisturizes and lengthens my hair without mad shrinkage.

I've rocked pompadour updos, flat twists in the front with a braid and yes, I've even gotten decent braidouts/twistouts with it. (Thank You, Jesus!) So, I'm glad to find a new product and more styles and perhaps even sadder to bury an easy, tried-and-true style.

RIP wash-and-gos.

What styles, regimens, products or techniques have you had to let go?