By Geniece of Beautifully Made
For many women the decision to wear their hair naturally is well thought out. If you were like me you spent years wearing your hair relaxed and wanted to be sure that you weren’t biting off more than you could chew by taking the plunge and wearing your hair in its natural state. Once you figure out a few styles to wear during your transition, products and a regimen you felt ready. Then you realized something you hadn’t considered: The time. The minutes that turned into hours as you detangle, twist, braid and wash your hair. The belief that it has to take many hours to care for natural hair is one of the main concerns I’ve heard from those considering going natural. I want to put your fears to rest. It doesn’t have to take 6 hours a week to detangle your hair every week. In fact, I would argue that you should be able to care for your hair in a relatively short period of time.
So how long will it take you to care for your hair on wash day? Of course this depends on the length and thickness of your hair. As of today my hair is between mid-back length and waist length and rather thick.
From start to finish I can detangle, wash and style my hair in an updo with large twists (such as a chignon) in about 3 ½-4 hours. I love such styles because once I’m done I can tie my hair down with a scarf and the style will remain sleek and neat for a few days before I need to fix up the frizzy edges. Because I wash my hair bi-weekly I find that hair care ends up taking a very limited amount of time.
In detail here is how my wash time breaks down.
Pre-Shampoo: 30 minutes
I often start wash day by applying a conditioner to lightly dampened hair. I let the product sit for at least fifteen minutes.
Detangle: 1-1.5 hours
Detangling will take about 1 hour on hair coated with conditioner and oil. This is one part of my regimen I can’t rush through. I like to use a wide tooth seamless comb. Sometimes I then go through the section with a smaller tooth detangling comb (the kind with interlocking teeth) and gently comb the hair a few more times.
Wash: 40 minutes
I keep my hair twisted in large sections and wash each section, focusing on the roots. I always think it should only take me 20 minutes but, alas, I’m usually shampooing for about 35 to 40 minutes. I like to make sure there is no build up or shampoo remaining.
Style: 45 minutes- 1 hour
The time my hair takes to style varies. If I’m lazy I place my hair in 10 large twists and call it a night. The next day I will usually style it simply, such as a ponytail with the ends pinned up. If I want a braid out, I will place my hair in about 15 or 16 braids. When preparing for a twisted up do I usually twist my hair in 20-30 medium twists. Because I spend the time detangling before washing I don’t have to spend time detangling all over again. This makes the styling process fairly quick.
The only occasions in which I spend many hours on my hair is when I flat iron, which I very rarely do, and when I wear mini-twists. Even with mini-twists I find that I save time over the course of a month because while I may take 7 or 8 hours to twist my hair using small sections, I can maintain the style for a month. During such occasions I will also be sure to deep condition my hair, usually overnight. If I deep conditioned every week, which I don’t, I believe it would only add about another 30 minutes overall.
I’ve found a way to manage my hair without it consuming an inordinate amount of my time. If I can do it, I think you can as well.
Ladies, how long does wash day take? What are your strategies for making it go faster?
For more of Geniece’s haircare advice check out her YouTube channel: Beautifully Made.
Wow, this really shows how personal everyone’s journey is!
I decided early on in my natural hair journey that I was not about that twisting life. I’ve always been able to wash my hair and style in less than 1 hour (even w/a relaxer).
I usually WnG so that takes as long as my shower takes. Most days I just quickly stick my head under the shower head. I’ll co-wash if I notice the curls aren’t popping properly. If I don’t WnG I wear a puff or bun.
On real wash day (which is every 7-10 days) this is my routine:
-Pre-poo–(30 min) while watching TV or cleaning up with coconut oil. I sometimes use a garlic infused olive oil if my scalp is itchy (everyone in my house HATES that, lol.)
-Condition/Detangle– (5-10 min) I don’t use shampoo. So I co-wash w/ Aussie Moist. I detangle in the shower; finger combing first, then using a wide tooth comb
-DC or Protein treatment–(5-10 min) When needed.
-ACV rinse–(3 min) When needed.
-Style– (2 min) If it’s the morning I shake & go! If it’s night, I pineapple. IDK why but my wet hair doesn’t like oil so I oil at night instead.
I wash my hair every two weeks (cowash once to twice a week, unless it’s a wash week).
I don’t prepoo. I place my hair in four to five sections. With each section, I shampoo, condition, and re-clip my hair. While I shower, my hair sits with the conditioner in the hair. Afterwards, I rinse the conditioner out with warm water and do a final rinse with cool water. I gently squeeze remaining water from my hair and wrap it in a Turbie Twist. It takes me about fifteen minutes.
Once I let my hair get damp, but not dripping wet, I apply my leave-in and styler to my hair after sectioning it again. For detangling, I take out each section, one at a time, apply my oil mixture, and then, using a wide-toothed comb, I proceed to comb my hair. Sometimes, I will finger detangle prior to combing. Afterwards, I twist my hair in medium to large twists. This process takes 40 to 50 minutes.
I do not like overly-complicated regimens. I prefer to keep it simple and I know that it can be done.
I forgot to add: I deep condition on a non-shampoo day every two weeks or as needed.
I just love Geniece’s articles.
I recently shortened my hair routine down to around 2 hrs :) My hair is super coily and just below apl. All I do is:
DC on dry hair (30 mins)
Cowash and finger detangle (~40 mins)
Style in a twist and curl (50 mins-1hr)
I break my wash routine up into 2 days since it’s such a beast…
day one:
deep condition: with hair smoothie of avocado, coconut oil, banana, egg, and honey (modified Laila recipe). i let sit for 1-2 hours while i do stuff like clean, read or watch tv
detangle: hop in shower rinse out conditioner, section hair into 12 sections and detangle each section with water running through my hair. i detangle with fingers first, then wide tooth comb, then detangle brush. i’m working on getting to finger only detangle. twisting up each section as I detangle. takes about 30 minutes
ACV rinse: quick rinse with apple cider vinegar. 5 minutes
wash: massage clay wash on scalp and smooth through each section and rinse out. (naptural85 wash method) 20 minutes.
go to bed
next day:
leave in conditioner: re-wet hair and apply kimmey tube leave-in to sections. 15 minutes.
style: into mini twists applying homemade shea whip to each section. 4 hours. i usually watch movies on my ipad while i’m doing this. it’s usually a 2 movie job.
Wow, i’m so impressed by everyone’s wash day routine. I absolutely hate wash day especially since i’m still dreaming of my days with a TWA. I have been able to shorten my wash day to 2hrs with BSL hair. Now, it’s 15min ACV rinse, 45 min shampoo 1x, condition 1x, 60 min detangling and twisting into ~20 medium size twists. I usually wear my twists for a week then wear them out for another week. I wonder if I would retain more length if I pre-poo’d?
Um…I’m a college student, and doing a 3-4 hour wash routine in a dorm would be pretty difficult. I also run daily, and I can’t stand having an itchy scalp, so I wash my hair a lot. I usually wash with shampoo at least once per week and cowash 2-3 times per week. If I’m too tired/busy to do anything, I just rinse my hair in the shower so that it is at least moisturized.
The max that my entire hair routine will take is an hour (from pre-poo to style), and when I’m really tired, I can get it down to about 15 minutes by cutting stuff out. My 4b hair is thick and long, so people assume that it takes hours to do, but I try to keep things simple.
How long is your hair? How do you style it? What is your routine exactly? 15 minutes sound so great!
Yeah…wow…damn…reading these comments…I doubt that I’ll go natural any time soon. I admire the heck out of you ladies, but I simply do not have the time or patience. My wash day can be as short as an hour, and that includes a quick pre-poo,detangle,shampoo, condition, rollerset, dry with cold air and then pin up. Even on LONG wash days I keep it under 4 hours – 30min prepoo, detangle, shampoo, 30min-1hr DC, rinse, rollerset and airdry. Y’all have a LOT of strength, it’s very admirable. I’ll stay on the relaxed bandwagon. However, I get GREAT tips from y’all, thank you :-)
These complex routines baffle me. I detangle my hair using water and a big tooth comb. Shampoo once and apply conditioner. No sectioning and all that jazz. 30 minutes tops.
Wow! All the above methods have been enlightening! Lol! Well, I have 4b hair and I wash once in two wks when my hair is in and once in a wk when its out. I guess it takes less than 45mins to do a basic wash and bout an hr when I’m doing spa like deep conditioning.
I don’t detangle much before shampooing cos I keep my hair in a stretched state prior to washing by banding or doing a single thick braid. I part my hair into four and wash each part from roots to tip quickly finger detangling, stretching and twisting. I then rinse out in twists and condition. After bout 10mins, I untwist,detangle and finally comb my hair as one under cold running water. I pat away excess water and apply shea butter and style (usually a banded ponytail to stretch my hair ) without combing to prevent frizz and that’s that!
My hair is only shoulder length, but it only takes 10 minutes to detangle. For those who spend1-2 hours detangling, are you combing 3 strands at a time?
Lol. Many people aren’t gonna like your comment. I take 40 mins tops WHEN i comb hair with conditioner. But if you take into consideration pre-poo, sectioning hair, washing by section, conditioning by section, combing each section etc..regardless of length you WILL take longer than 10 mins.
If its like we used to do it when we were kids; wash hair in one big ball, condition same way..then yes it will take 10 mins.
When it comes to our haircare, whether natural or relaxed, it truly is to each his/her own. Some people don’t feel it’s necessary to take a half day to baby their hair…some people will take longer because they feel it is what works for them. I don’t think anybody is suggesting that we all should take 4 to 6 hours to do our hair and I don’t think anybody is watching through our bathroom & bedroom windows so they can call the Hair Police on us. I think we can lighten up on each other a little.
With that mini-rant out of the way…I don’t think I’ve ever really timed my hair routines. During the week, I tend to co-wash & go. While in the shower, I wet my hair, put on whatever conditioner I happen to have, leave it on while I shower, then rinse. That’s usually about 20 to 30 minutes (including the bathing). I will use some sort of leave-in or moisturizing spray, then follow up with a cream & oil to further moisturize & seal my hair. My usual day-to-day style is a puff, so no real styling time is required.
When I shampoo my hair…once every one to two weeks, laziness being the major factor here…it will take a bit longer. I will pre-poo, gently detangle, and put my hair in four sections. (I could just rip through the tangles, but I prefer my hair on my head and not in my hand/comb.) I shampoo each section, then apply deep conditioner. If I need additional detangling, I’ll add a little cheapie conditioner for slip and further detangle with a wide tooth comb. If I put my hair in two-strand twists, that can take anywhere from 2.5 to 4 hours, depending on the size of the twists. I think in a lot of situations, it’s the styling that tends to take the most time.
In the end, it really is live and let live. If 5 hours is too long for you, don’t do it. If 20 minutes isn’t enough time for you, don’t do it. Whatever makes you happy and is good for YOUR hair…do that.
there is no way im taking 3-4 or even one hour to wash my hair! that is crazy! people really take 6 hours? WOW!
wow some of these regimines blow my mind. the only lengthy part of my regimine is the overnight oil treatments. the next morning, i wash, condition and detangle in 4 sections, use leave in and sealant and do flat twists 1hr30min tops. i cant stand the idea of spending unnecessary time on my hair. maybe because im in university and time is so valuable, with all my assignments, prep work and studying. i want my hair to be strong and grow long but no way am i spending 4-6hrs on my hair.