10 day Curls | How to
I recently mentioned that i was given advice at a hair show about how often i should wash my hair. She suggested to me leaving more than a week between washes. I wasn't convinced but i was willing to give it a go. I have been in love with the results i was getting using the Aunt Jackies Quench Leave-in conditioner, and the Curl la la custard, so i chose these as my products.
On the first day i washed and deep conditioned my hair. I used a shampoo, then deep conditioner, and then conditioner for a rinse, as i also read somewhere that this works best.
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| Freshly washed hair |
In sections i then applied the products and stlyed my hair as usual.
It isn't uncommon for me to not have to touch my hair on day 2 so on day 3 i refreshed my curls by using a spray bottle and the same products again. I put my hair into two sections for this. I did the same on day 5 and the same on day 7. Day 7 is usually as long as i will go, but i was curious.
By day 8 my curls were huge! As big as they were i still had definition and was getting compliments on my hair. My scalp didn't feel itchy and my hair wasn't screaming to be washed.
Day 9 and the frizz was starting to arrive, however, i was feeling my hair alot. It was light and fluffy, definied, and felt great. I did the same day 3 water refresh on this day.
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| day 9 hair fully dry |
Day 10 and i knew it was time for a wash. My scalp was feeling a little itchy now, and the frizz was starting to get to me. Where i think i could have still gone a little longer, i didn't want to push it and risk my hair drying out too much.
Through the 10 days, my nighttime routine stayed consistant. I would do a scalp massage with Righteous Roots every other night, sleep with my hair in a pineapple with a satin scrunchie by osocurly, and i slept on a satin pillowcase by the same brand, and my styling was the same too.
I had so many people ask me how i managed to stretch my washday out this long, and compliement me on how my hair was looking, that i decided to come on here and share my tips for getting the most out of your wash day.
Wash day: Make it a good one!
If you know which shampoo and conditioner work best for your hair, stick to them. I have so many which i love, but my favourite is the LUS brands curl shampoo and conditioner. There is just something about the way my curls react to a wash day with them, that just makes them my go-to, especially when i know that it is going to be a while before i wash my hair again. I would also advise that at the start of this, you deep condition or treat your hair. The more TLC you give it, the more it is going to behave for you.
Choose your products wisely:
What are you're holy grail products? Which products work amazing together and require the least amount of refreshing? Go with these! I knew from experience that day 7 is easy with these Aunt Jackies products and that i only usually have to refresh twice. If a product you like usually doesn't last more than a day between, then don't chose this one.
Think about your styling technique!
For me, the best way to style my hair is always on wet hair. Some people like to scrunch some excess out, but i find that the wetter your hair is, the more it is going to work. I have low porosity hair so maybe this is why.
When styling my hair on wash day and on refresh days my method is this:
- Section hair into 6
- Finger detangle section, and apply leave-in
- Use a wide tooth comb to distribute this evenly
- Apply a cream/lotion/custard (whichever one is your go to) by using the praying hands method. This clumps your curls more, and coats it evenly. DO NOT COMB OR FINGER COMB AT THIS STAGE. This will separate any curl.
- Twist the section off in two strand twists, and repeat to the rest of hair
- Take a little oil in your hands and unravel the twists careful not to pull hair
- Any large clumps carefully unravel to your desire.
- Air dry or towel dry
On day 3, 5, 7 and 9 i refreshed the following way:
- Use a fine mist spray bottle to dampen but not soak hair
- Section into two sections
- Finger comb
- Apply leave in
- Apply cream/lotion/custard in the same way as above
- Twist and repeat
I like to use a curlflo diffuser on low heat if i am going to diffuse my hair, but i usually leave it to air dry. If you are going to bed on wet hair, i would suggest scrunching it out with a microfiber towel and then wrapping it for bed in a scarf of bonnet to protect your pillow and face from being wet. Do not sleep on soaking hair!
Stick to one brand of product!
I can not stress this point enough! I think that it is a mistake which a lot of people make when trying to stretch out their wash day, myself included. When you have started a wash day using one brand and it is great, then on day 2 you change your mind and use a different stlying combo, you are mixing those products together.
We all know about testing our products before we put them in our hair, but we don't do this when we add new products onto old products. How do we test them? The back of the hand test.
This test is by adding the chosen products together on the back of our hands and mixing them together. If the products create clumps, then we don't use them in our hair for obvious reasons. If not then they are safe to use together. If you use cantu one day for example, and then day 2-3 you decided to try a new product out, are you back of the hand testing this? 9/10 we don't. Adding new product onto old product is a huge factor in how long a wash day will last. You don't know how well they mix together, and you don't know what the outcome is going to be. Sticking to just one product brand or type, means you know what the outcome is going to be.
Don't overload your hair
It is tempting sometimes to keep adding product to your hair whenever it feels dry, but this is not the answer. If you are having to add tons of a product onto your hair, then these products don't work for you. If you are using 5 products to style, again, the products aren't doing their job. As mentioned at the start, in my 10day curl stretch out, i only refreshed and reapplied product 4 out of 10 days. I didn't over apply, not just because the products were hydrating, but because this causes hair to become sticky and need to be washed more. Instead, what i would do is use a spray bottle mixed with water and conditioner to wet but not soak your hair. Soaking is just going leave you with damp hair. Invest in a fine mist spray bottle, these give the right amount of moisutre without leaving it dripping wet. When it is damp enough that you can finger comb it, then apply the products again.
A little frizz never hurt no body
You will get frizz. Frizz is one of those inevitable things for curly girls. If you are stretching your washday and notice a small amount, don't assume that you NEED to wash your hair and start over. For me frizz = volume. I will happily rock that frizz if it means my hair is big. Once this frizz becomes more than the definition, then ok wash away girl. I think that so many people panic when they see it, that they don't notice the beauty of it. I wasn't sure on some of the days if i was pulling it off ok, but the curl community were loving it, and i realised looking at photos, that it was looking great. We see the beauty in other peoples hair before we see it in our own sometime, that's just being a girl, but don't panic when you see how much bigger your hair is.
Listen to your scalp.
My scalp is the first thing that notifies me i need to wash my hair. If i am having a good scratch then i know my scalp is in need of some love. Again this doesn't neccisarily mean wash it (unless you suffer with scalp conditions) sometimes a scalp massage is all you need to soothe an itchy scalp. When applying your products to your hair DO NOT apply them onto your scalp. This will weigh your roots down and cause your scalp to suffocate. Leave it alone let it breathe.
Avoid over manipulation of your hair
Wear your hair up for work? Like experiementing with hair styles during the week? The best thing to stretch your wash day out, is not touching your hair. I know it's easier said than done, trust me i am a serial hair toucher, but hands in hair = not a good idea.
I work with food, so i have to have my hair tied up for work, so what am i talking about?
As much as i can, my hair is out. This means the moment i wake up until the minute my shift starts, and the second my shift ends until the minute i go to bed. I wear my hair in a satin scrunchie tied round my hair once as this doesn't pull, stretch, or leave a mark in my hair. I can just whip this out give my head a shake, and my hair falls back into place in an instant. If you have to work with your hair up, i highly suggest getting one of these scrunchies. By not using anything else to tie my hair up, it means my curls aren't being manipulated in anyway. You know what i'm talking about, we all know the dent we get from bobbles, or the way it sticks out when we remove it and looks weird.
Now i am not hair expert, nor do i pretend to be, but these are the steps i took during the 10 days, and they worked for me. Grab your holy grail products, have the best wash day and join me in the washday challenge and see how long yours can last!
DAY THREE:
Here my hair is wet after being refreshed the way discussed. I wore my hair down on my way to work and then tied it up using a satin scrunchie by osocurly.
After my shift was over, i took out my scrunchie and shook my hair and this was how it was left. It has so much volume and where you can see frizz, you can see more definition.
DAY FOUR
Day 4 was scalp massage time. My hair had grown and here you can see the roots are almost brushed out. This was done on day 4 because day 5 was going to be a refresh day so it wouldn't matter about the frizz i had caused.
Day five
Hello Volume!
DAY SEVEN
DAY EIGHT
Some frizz, some definition, some volume, some length
DAY NINE
Probably my most fave hair day out of them all. It was so light and fluffy and HUGE! Untouched on this picture too this was how it was after removing my pineapple.
DAY TEN
I made it! See those stringy curls ... they were the sign i needed that it was time to wash my hair. I refreshed on this day as i knew it would be the last.
What's the longest you have stretched out your wash day?
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