Wash and go styles

I've seen some of the ladies on the board talk about wash and go styles. I thought only naturals could have wash and go styles, so I was surprised when I saw that some of the relaxed ladies did these. How do you acheive a wash and go??? I've seen some of the relaxed girls that I go to school with with a "wet n' wild" style that they say they achieve by airdrying and mousse. Does anyone know what style I'm talking about?? If you do how, do you do it?????

Help!!!

I know what you're talking about...I have this spray from John Frieda's Relax line made with sea salt and some kind of oil, that you spray in and scrunch your hair up while blow drying with a diffuser. It gives you a wet and wavy look, but it stays that way when its dry.

I have relaxed hair, and I know what wet and wild look you're referring to, but I don't use mousse, because it usually has alcohol in it. My wash n' go style is a plain ol' braid. If I want it wet and wavy, I will let the braid get partially dry and undo it which=damp, wavy hair. I'm trying to avoid wearing my hair down because my ends get dry, so I'm doing the braid as my protective style too. I'm trying to avoid trimming, which is why I've stopped wearing my hair down everyday. I CO wash, add my products, braid it and go. That's it. I unbraid at night to oil my hair, and rebraid to sleep. That's about as simple as it gets with my hair.

SEA SALT that is unprocessed salt sodium, doesn't that dry out your hair?

Here's how I do it. Some of the products have changed and what I realized that once you determine your own personal "recipe" you're good to go. For instance - I realized recently that I can get the exact same look - better even - by using only certain gels (L'oreal Anti-Frizz and Lasting Curls) and a good heavy serum. I can do without the JF product now, so I use it when I have and don't when I don't. It's all trial and error, but this should give you a starting point. The point is don't get hung up in the products....just follow the basic recipe and technique and tweak as needed.

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The primary ingredients for a natural looking curl on relaxed hair are: (Tracy)

conditioner
Styling Cream of Gel mixed with serum
Curl spray
Serum

Some people may not need the styling creme or gel and the curl spray together. I can do without the styling creme, or the spray in a pinch for instance. I usually need either spray ir gel or mousse to help encourage the curl tho, no matter what.

The products I use to achieve my curl vary, but for the most part I use the following:

Any leave in or midweight rinse out conditioner will do. Lately, I've had fab results with Sebastian Moisture Base (update: thanks to Southerngirl I use MNT almost exclusively now). Again, any conditioner that you like that isn't too heavy and doesn't have too many cones will work. I wouldn't go for instance with a cholesterol conditioner.

I religiously use and will never give up John Frieda Dream Curls. That's the curl spray that does the trick on my hair. A good gel that has a similar purpose is KMS curling balm (or the two I mentioned in the intro). Either will affect the same results - to encourage and hold the curl in the hair minus crunch (a determining factor for me). If you have a hard time with the sprays and gels some people's hair responds better to non-alcohol mousse. John Frieda's Frizz Ease line has one that is superior. Point? You need something to encourage the curl. To avoid crunch, be sure to use enough serum at the right times in the process.

The styling cremes (I like Salon Selectives Loosely Defined and my favorite is L'oreal UnFrizz Taming Creme) are optional but they give a nice finished look and some control if your hair tends to get too big as it dries.

The serum is key. I've experimented a lot and you need a good thick one. I like Keracare's Silken Seal. It should go after the conditioner and the creme's but before the spray. The product encouraging the curl should be the last to go on.

The rest is in the technique. I lightly wrap a towel around my head after washing just so it's not soaking wet. A minute or two - tops. Then I apply a tablespoon size of conditioner and styling creme or gel mixed with about the same amount of serum. Then I tie my edges with a satiny rectangular shaped scarf (I mention the shape only because it should extend back toward the crown only about 2-3 inches - otherwise the top of the hair will be flat). I leave the scarf on until it's mostly dry and to the area that's left free I apply the curl spray liberally and then the serum.

Then I DO NOT TOUCH IT, DO NOT TOUCH IT, DO NOT TOUCH IT (can you tell this is important?) until it's 75% dry. It should feel slightly damp but mostly dry to the touch. At that point I lightly gather just the tips of my hair in my fists and squeeze gently. That helps encourage the curl on the strands that aren't going with the flow. It helps to bend over and let gravity help separate the strands from one another to give a nice, full appearance.

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My EXACT products and combos look like this now: TBS of conditioner, TBS each of Loreal Lasting Curls and Serum mixed together and than a TBS each of AntiFrizz and serum mixed together. I leave the scarf til the end now too, after I've applied all my product. I find I get better coverage this way.

HTH.

Hey, I'm a wash and go gurl. What I do is as soon as I get out the shower from washing and conditioning my hair, I apply a leave in conditioner(Neutrogena Clean Conditioner) to soften my hair and keep my crinkles from getting frizzy. Then sometimes I apply a serum(Neutrogena Triple Moisture), though it is not really necessary for me to do this all the time. Then I will apply a light mousse(Herbal Essence Curls and Control). After I apply products, I let my hair air dry or sometimes sit under the dryer for 15 min. My hair takes over two/three hours to completely dry.

Everyone's technique is different but I wash my hair, then wait for it to air dry. While it's still somewhat damp I apply a good leave in conditioner like Nexxus Humectress and ball my hair into the palm of my hand and squeeze it (or scrunch it) to achieve the curl I want. Or sometimes I will let it completely dry on it's own and curl up. My hair is naturally curly so I use a relaxer to tame the curls. Now that spring is here I have dumped my instant weave so I can wear my hair out and curly. Let it breath a little. lol

See my hair album for more.

I tried somewhat of a wash-n-go last night but it wasn't on wet hair. It was on airdried hair that I sprayed water on. I was trying out a different style for my hair (a twisted ponytail) but didn't like it. I put these products in my hair: leave-in, glossing polish, and oil. I put my hair into a low ponytail and braided it. This morning, I unbraided, took out the ponytail, and fluffed my hair out. I didn't pull any hair to the sides (because I don't like how my layered hair looks with scrunched hair); it's all smoothed back like behind my ears (to hide the layers). It's nice and shiny right now. I also had left out bangs in the front since I have a big head. HTH!

Thanks everyone!!! How long do your styles last? Do you tie them up at night?

hairmaster said:

SEA SALT that is unprocessed salt sodium, doesn't that dry out your hair?

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No. Its a bother for me to use a blow dryer. I haven't used heat in over a year...I haven't used the product in over a year, but the ingredients are:

John Frieda Frizz Ease Relax: Ripple Effect Wave-Maker Styling Spray:

Water, isodecane, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, trimethylsiloxsilicate, macadamia seed oil, meadowfoam seed oil, sea salt, PVP Copolymer, mag sulfate, DMDM hydantoin, fragrance, sorbitan oleate, butylene glycol, silk amino acids, sodium chloride, etc.

My hair wasn't dry after using it. The softness was still there, and it didn't cause any breakage considering the mag sulfate, NACL, and sea salt in it. I liked it. I wear protective styles now (I keep my hair braided and pinned up), or else I'd still be using it.

I did a great wash and go yesterday! I just used Humectress and WGO on wet hair. I scrunched while it was wet, and then scrunched it again when it was still damp!

I tried a wash and go this past weekend and it came out really good. This was my second attempt. The first time all I got was wavy hair.

I washed and conditioned my hair. Then I put in John Frieda Relax Serum then John Frieda Dream Curls and did the plopping method (bent over let hair fall into towel and secure towel) After about an hour I took the towel off and scrunched my hair with Smooth and Shine Activator Gel .

I was totally shocked that I had actual curls (with a relaxer). Even my husband was shocked.

The newly relaxed hair (phyto) was really curly. That was one of the reasons I wanted to use Phyto relaxer because my hair is straight but if I put a curl enhancing product on it the curl is more defined. No need to get bone straight hair anymore.

lkg4healthyhair, did you take a picture? I've been dying to try a wash and go but I'm convinced I can't get curls.

luvSLave said:

lkg4healthyhair, did you take a picture? I've been dying to try a wash and go but I'm convinced I can't get curls.

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I was too lazy to take a pic, but I will next time. I was never able to get curls either but I tell ya I had curls all over my head. Usually I get waves.

I just decided to try it one day after a wash and it worked.

My only problem was the dryness. My hair gets very dry if it is in any way damp/wet and is exposed...Gotta work on that.

When I took the towel off it was wavy then I bent over and started to scrunch it with the activator gel upside down and the curls appreared.

I am going to try it again this week next time I will take a pic.

Before the BC I was the wash and go QUEEN! It was my summertime do and the method I chose for transitioning to natural hair. However, my relaxed hair was very curly and I rarely needed to scrunch. I could add a product to eliminate frizz and my curls would find each other naturally.

I would recommend setting lotion to scrunch the hair or plop it dry. This will keep the curls bouncy and springy and avoid the crunchy feeling a mousse would deliver. Any type would do but my faves were Pantene Relaxed and Natural and Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion.

lkg4healthyhair said:

I tried a wash and go this past weekend and it came out really good. This was my second attempt. The first time all I got was wavy hair.

I washed and conditioned my hair. Then I put in John Frieda Relax Serum then John Frieda Dream Curls and did the plopping method (bent over let hair fall into towel and secure towel) After about an hour I took the towel off and scrunched my hair with Smooth and Shine Activator Gel .

I was totally shocked that I had actual curls (with a relaxer). Even my husband was shocked.

The newly relaxed hair (phyto) was really curly. That was one of the reasons I wanted to use Phyto relaxer because my hair is straight but if I put a curl enhancing product on it the curl is more defined. No need to get bone straight hair anymore.

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I am going to place this information in my how to album...ok thank you for the info

hottopic said:

I am going to place this information in my how to album...ok thank you for the info

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Anytime. Next time I will have some pics

curlilocs said:

Before the BC I was the wash and go QUEEN! It was my summertime do and the method I chose for transitioning to natural hair. However, my relaxed hair was very curly and I rarely needed to scrunch. I could add a product to eliminate frizz and my curls would find each other naturally.

I would recommend setting lotion to scrunch the hair or plop it dry. This will keep the curls bouncy and springy and avoid the crunchy feeling a mousse would deliver. Any type would do but my faves were Pantene Relaxed and Natural and Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion.

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Hmmm I am taking notes...your hair is naturally curly right???

My hair has a curl pattern BUT it gets very frizzy if I let it just airdry. The plopping method is great to soak up the extra water from the hair and no frizz.

Do you know if you can get curls from a wash and go if your hair is relaxed straight??? I recently self relaxed and left some wave in my hair, but when I go to a stylist, they always get it BONE straight.

asubeauty said:

Do you know if you can get curls from a wash and go if your hair is relaxed straight??? I recently self relaxed and left some wave in my hair, but when I go to a stylist, they always get it BONE straight.

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My ends are bone straight (I have only use phyto twice). Prior to that I was using Affirm and my stylist would get my hair bone straight. When I did the wash and go method The curls I had were from the bottom to the top and especially in the back thery were spiral ... I knew I had a curl pattern but I could not get it right...

Give it a try. I think the plopping method is important and a good curl enhancer. Any other time my roots did not curl when washed but they were curly with the Dream Curls.

lkg4healthyhair said:

Hmmm I am taking notes...your hair is naturally curly right???

My hair has a curl pattern BUT it gets very frizzy if I let it just airdry. The plopping method is great to soak up the extra water from the hair and no frizz.

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Yes my hair is naturally curly. Also, a creamy type curl defining product may work like Curly Pudding or Curling Custard. I would also use Smooth and Shine Curl Activator Gel with Aloe sometimes. That made frizz free boucy curly wash and go's, but my hair shed so much that I hated applying products by hand, that's why I preferred the Pantene R & N.

Great thread!!!

Those with relaxed hair, how much of a difference in texture do you see between your new growth and relaxed. I'm interested in trying this but with my new growth I wondering if I should wait a couple of weeks until I get my touchup.

curlilocs said:

Yes my hair is naturally curly. Also, a creamy type curl defining product may work like Curly Pudding or Curling Custard. I would also use Smooth and Shine Curl Activator Gel with Aloe sometimes. That made frizz free boucy curly wash and go's, but my hair shed so much that I hated applying products by hand, that's why I preferred the Pantene R & N.

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Are these the ones from Curve Salon? They are so pricey. There is one I think on another natural site that is cheaper I will have to try.

http://www.curlmart.com/Kinky-Curly-Curling-Custard-p-205.html

lkg4healthyhair said:

Are these the ones from Curve Salon? They are so pricey. There is one I think on another natural site that is cheaper I will have to try.

http://www.curlmart.com/Kinky-Curly-Curling-Custard-p-205.html

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That's the Kinky-Curly product. Curve sells Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding.

The Smoothe and Shine Curl Activator Gel with Aloe has similar ingredients to the curly pudding and much cheaper. I used that on my wash and go's too. It made my hair really boucy and springy, but you need to use a light oil with it to help with shine because it makes the hair look dull when dry.

lkg4healthyhair said:

I tried a wash and go this past weekend and it came out really good. This was my second attempt. The first time all I got was wavy hair.

I washed and conditioned my hair. Then I put in John Frieda Relax Serum then John Frieda Dream Curls and did the plopping method (bent over let hair fall into towel and secure towel) After about an hour I took the towel off and scrunched my hair with Smooth and Shine Activator Gel .

I was totally shocked that I had actual curls (with a relaxer). Even my husband was shocked.

The newly relaxed hair (phyto) was really curly. That was one of the reasons I wanted to use Phyto relaxer because my hair is straight but if I put a curl enhancing product on it the curl is more defined. No need to get bone straight hair anymore.

Click to expand...

lkg4healthyhair, how long did this style last for you?

I'm a new poster and I'm following along here. My question is, how exactly do you apply the activator gel used during the scrunching process ? I'm trying to imagine that consitency used on the ends and in the hair itself.

TIA

kaygirl said:

lkg4healthyhair, how long did this style last for you?

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Two days because I only wanted to wear it for the weekends (Sat and Sunday)

Overnight I sprayed my hair with water (mist) and then Dream Curls again and put it up in a silk scarf just like the plopping method. In the am I scrunched with the Smooth and Shine and the curls were back.

Note: The silk scarf of course would get wet so I put on my turbie twist head towel over it to soak it up. I just didn't want to sleep in a wet towel.

HauteMama said:

I'm a new poster and I'm following along here. My question is, how exactly do you apply the activator gel used during the scrunching process ? I'm trying to imagine that consitency used on the ends and in the hair itself.

TIA

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Well for me I took off my towel after about 1 hour or so. My hair was damp.

What I did was take some of the gel that was in the lid and rub in my hands together and then take some of my hair and squeezed it in my hand--so I was making a fist--then release...then squeeze hair in a fist again. I got good results when I bent over and scrunched my hair upside down.

I would just take a little and repeat until I had the look I wanted. I can't remember the exact amount each time but it was not much--maybe a nickle size.

There are a couple people who have done this method and may have more detail if you need it. Try doing a search on Activator Gel, or Dream Curls.

HTH

I really love the "wash-n-go" for the summer! My hair isn't relaxed bone straight, so it makes it easier to acheive a wavy look.

I apply products to wet hair (not towel dried). I like to use a liquid leave in and then a little of Kiehl's creamy leave in. Then I scrunch my hair with my hands, while I blowdry on a low cool/warm setting (about 5 min). I only use the dryer to give definition, then I let it airdry. It lasts for 2-3 days. I wear it in a high pony at night. Actually, I normally get the same effect regardless of the products I use. The key is SCRUNCHIN' for me.

Here's a pic: wet-n-wild

hmm..today, i used dream curls and i love what i got from it. i might try my activator gel. its not smooth and shine though but ill definitely try it tomorrow. im gaining alot of information from this thread

Dolapo said:

hmm..today, i used dream curls and i love what i got from it. i might try my activator gel. its not smooth and shine though but ill definitely try it tomorrow. im gaining alot of information from this thread

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Cool....

Okay I am trying it again right now to try and get some pics.

I added another product...Garnier Fructis Style Curl Construct Mousse - ...

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100650&navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=prod879257#



I added it after the dream curls and my hair started to curl right then and there...I also ordered the curly pudding which I am going to try without a towel (plopping method).

After the Dream curls and Garnier I started scruncing and the curls were really coming. I just put the towel on for the night. I will use the gel and scrunch in the am.

I wonder if I cold do this and use a diffuser to dry. This would be a perfect style after the gym. I will try that next time.