I’d longed to be a ‘wash and go’ girl since I was 11 years old. I’d hop in the shower and lather shampoo into juicy bubbles, smooth on a sumptuous conditioner, rinse and be on my way. My hair, my abundance of curly hair, would sit perfectly with no fussing or work to be done to it. As the day went on (and as I pulled it in and out of positions, ponytails and plaits), my hair would remain unbothered, never becoming puffy or tangled. I can forgive myself for coveting such a life. I was young, and women with hair like mine weren’t platformed as often or as powerfully as they are now.
Then, in the middle of a stifling summer, an epiphany struck: I could be a wash-and-go girl. My 90-minute daily wash and blow-dry routine could become a thing of the past, so long as I had the right approach. I knew I could learn how to care for and style my hair properly, with the right products for curly hair, the same way I had spent years perfecting my bouncy blow-dry technique. It would take some experimentation and allowing myself an adjustment period as I learned what worked well for my hair and what didn’t. Less of an overnight fix, I treated it like a relationship I was trying to rekindle. Two years later and I haven’t looked back. My wonderfully curly hair has become joyfully synonymous with my sense of self, something 13-year-old me would balk at. Giving myself the space and time to learn about my hair, experiment with products and try different methods gave me a deep appreciation for my hair’s natural form, including that sweet halo of frizz that expands outwards throughout the day.
