There's no feeling quite like getting up from a salon chair with a clean scalp and hair full of body. A trip to my stylist is one of my favorite forms of self-care, especially since transitioning into a full head of naturally curly 4B-4C hair.  

I started seeing Meeka, owner of Curlfriends Salon in Rancho Cucamonga, CA in 2017. At the time I lived literally around the corner from the salon she worked at and had my hair done on a bi-weekly schedule. I later moved to a monthly cadence, which became challenging as I relocated to Orange County, CA. Although I tried other salons when I couldn’t get an appointment with Meeka, I was never as satisfied as I was with her, so I decided to remain loyal.

To avoid the hassle of finding an opening that works with my schedule, the hour-ish commute and the stress of not having my hair done when I want to attend an event or post an acceptable photo, I began working toward washing and styling my own hair on a regular basis and scheduling quarterly appointments with her for trims and professional treatments.

Although it sounded good and the plan worked, as a straight natural, I struggled to style my hair in a way that allowed me to have body beyond the time I spent admiring the results of the 4+ hours I spent washing, conditioning, blow drying and straightening it. I’ve spent a lot of time watching videos, reading blogs and trying tips that would leave my hair straight, moisturized, full of body and most importantly, styled to last at least two weeks until the next wash day, without becoming puffy or frizzy when I left my apartment.

In 2022, I’ve finally arrived at a place of satisfaction styling my hair and wanted to share some of the “secrets” AKA tips, products and strategies that helped me get here. Before I share my wash day routine, the seven tips below were most important for me because my routine didn’t change much, but my results did because of these simple practices I’ve learned and adopted over the last five years.

1. Wash your combs, brushes and hair scarves before you wash your hair to avoid putting dirt and extra oils back into your clean hair.

2. Make sure your hair and scalp are clean and no shampoo or conditioner residue is left when you move to the blowout.

3. Avoid weighing your hair down with too many products and heavy oils.

4. Always use a heat protectant.

5. Use a silkening agent before blow drying.  

6. Make sure your hair is completely dry before straightening.

7. Make sure the heat setting on your straightener is high enough.

One tip that I’ve heard several times but have yet to adopt supports Tip 6 and adds 15 minutes under a hooded dryer or dryer cap. I just haven’t purchased one yet, but I plan to soon and see how it impacts my results. Until then, this is my washday routine and the products I use.

My Wash Day Routine

1. Scratch my scalp with a dry rat tail comb to lift any dirt or dandruff.

2. Clean combs and brushes I use regularly.

3. Shampoo my hair 2-3 times depending on how dirty it is. I use a scalp massager on the second and third time to make sure it’s really clean. Also because it feels amazing.

4. Rinse out the shampoo and add conditioner.

5. Rinse and apply a deep conditioner or leave conditioner on your hair and cover with a plastic cap for at least fifteen minutes.

6. Rinse the conditioner out.

7. Rinse hair again with cold water to seal in moisture and close the hair cuticles.

8. Wrap my hair in a T-shirt, an alternative to a microfiber towel, which is recommended. Bath towels are said to dry out your hair.

9. Apply Mizani 25 Miracle Cream. I mention the product here, because I don’t know the general term for it; my stylist also uses it.

10. Part my hair into eight sections with my fingers and detangle it using a wide tooth comb.

11. Apply silkening agent and heat protectant with my hands.

12. Blow dry my hair in the eight sections.

13. Straighten my hair with a flat iron; I use a ceramic iron that I’ve had since middle school. My cousin/bff and I split the cost of it during a Beta conference and it still works well. She let me have custody when we graduated college because I use it more. ;)

14. Wrap it with a silk scarf while I apply make-up and get dressed or until I’m going out.

In an ideal world I’d go back to seeing Meeka or a professional stylist of her caliber biweekly, but until then I’m so excited and relieved that I’ve reached a level of comfort styling my hair in between salon visits. I think products will differ based on your hair type, but these are the products I use. With the exception of the silkening agents and the Flawless hair products, all others were recommended by my stylist or others I’ve found on social media. I don’t know the brands of the combs and a silk scarf I use; I just bought them at hair stores.

The tips I shared above were definitely game-changers for my blow out and silk press results, but one piece of advice that I heard from several YouTubers was very helpful. Approach wash day as a self-care ritual instead of a chore. Changing your mindset can change your life and when I started to see wash day the same way as a trip to the nail salon, another favorite self-care practice, I began to enjoy it more and released frustration from the wash day line up.

What’s your favorite form of self care? Share in the comments below or connect with me on social media @JASMINECTATE.

Hugs & Handshakes,

Jasmine C. Tate