by
Chinwe
LEFT: Straight almost WSL hair (shot from July 2012). RIGHT: Shrunken, un-combed, damp hair (January 2013). Â Shrinkage never ceases to amaze me. Â Hair eventually shrinks to EL once dry.
By Chinwe of Hair and Health
Back in January 2013, I took down my set of jumbo twists and tried Cynthiarf’s daily wash-n-go regimen for kinky hair. Wait! Hold up. Yes! Wash-n-gos on my almost waistlength (at the time), 4b/4c hair. Following is how it all began, how it went and whether I would ever do it again …
This was back in January 2013 and prior to that month, the last time I recall wearing a wash-n-go was when my hair was around shoulder-length or maybe a little longer than that. It’s a well-known reality that once your kinky hair got past a certain length, wash-n-gos would become the enemy and bring about mass destruction in its path. (Okay, that last bit is a tad dramatic but I digress.)
In January, though, I was kind of forced into wash-n-gos. My jumbo twists had gotten fuzzy, I had undergone a serious surgery and the idea of doing my usual twist routine was not an option – physically. So, it was either experiment with Cynthiarf’s method OR get braid extensions, the latter of which I did not have the money or physical energy to do.  So, I picked the former. I will admit that I was extremely frightened of getting knots and tangles considering my length and shrinkage.  (See EXHIBIT A – the above photo.)
After allowing hair to dry some.
To my surprise, the regimen worked out well, and by “well,” I meant without the anticipated matted disaster I was almost certain would happen. I experienced very little knotting and tangling due to Cynthia’s daily finger combing method to remove shed hair.  (The method really only took me about 10 minutes daily tops.) It also helped that my hair was thoroughly detangled prior to the jumbo twists (hence hardly any tangles when starting the routine).  I kept this regimen going for two weeks until I was able to go back to my regular twisting routine.
Since that January, I have kept the wash-n-go as a viable option for the summers, especially when I just want the freedom to have water hit my hair and scalp daily. However, the massive shrinkage does still scare me, so you won’t really catch me going overboard. I avoid the following when opting for the wash-n-go:
1) maintaining the wash-n-go routine beyond a few weeks,
2) touching my hair in its shrunken state
3) skipping more than one day between finger combing sessions
4) using shampoo during the routine.
Although the knots and tangles are minimal, Â the majority of them do occur in the back where my hair is finer so I have to give that area special attention. (Hence, if you have long AND fine 4b/4c strands, I would personally recommend that you be extra cautious if you want to try this method.)
Stretched wash-n-go (via braids I did not allow to dry all the way).
Wash-n-go after air-drying throughout the day. Â (I swear I can enter a shrinkage contest. Â Where’s the application?)
What I probably love most about this method is that it has given me a sense of comfort and confidence in handling and wearing my hair in its completely shrunken state. Never did I think that would be possible past shoulder length! Additionally, I like that each day of the routine leads to my hair becoming easier to finger comb.  I believe Cynthiarf alludes to why (as well as why this method works for our hair in general) in this response to her youtube video …
So, look forward to the wash-n-go making another appearance at some point this summer! Â For those who are interested in trying her method, here is the link to her video tutorial.
Ladies, have you tried Cynthiarf’s method? Does this change your view on wash and gos?
44 Responses
Thank you for this~! My hair is super thick and I’ve always had trouble with tangles and wash n goes once it got past the twa phase. Seeing your video makes me want to give it a go again. I second what someone said about shrinkage. I don’t understand why it gets so much hate. How many other hair types are so versatile- from short crop like styles when wet to bra strap and beyond lengths when stretched. It’s like magic (and a lot of fun to play with ^^)
Ohhhh I love her texture, such tight curls plus lovely and long!
I love your video, it actually encourages me to keep doing wash and gos because I am very busy and it is a low manipulation hairstyle for my 4b hair.
WOW. I love your shrinkage. I think it’s beautiful, God gifted us with versatility ^^
What is a sealant? I see that term all the time and Im still confused as to what it does, what’s its purpose, if my hair needs it if so where can I get it.
I just use two KinkyCurly products : WEN fig, knot today( or Kimmaytube mix), & Curl Custard in spring & summer & call it a day. NO WAY, JOSE IN THE WINTER ! I get wonderful little 4a curls even tho I,too, have conundrum hair . It can look like 4 a, b, or c depending on what I put in it or WHAT MOOD IT’S IN !!
By the way, I’m SO glad you posted this. You’ve really helped dispel a lot of the misinformation circulating on Youtube (and even here) about what natural hair can and cannot do. You hair looks gorgeous and you’ve proven that wash-and-go, done PROPERLY, does work and that one need not be a slave to protective styling. My hair shrinks just like yours (maybe more, lol). 🙂
For the past year, I’ve been doing WNGs, which have saved my hair. This is going to be a long post, but hopefully it will help the skeptics.
A bit about my hair: I have dense, coarse, very tightly coiled nappy 4abc (yes, all of it, lol) hair that shrinks 75 percent of its length. My hair always *looks* like a TWA, even though it varies in length (past nose in the front, chin-length on the sides, parts of the nape reach past shoulder). My hair is low/normal porosity; the individual strands are fine. From a distance my hair does not look silky like the typical 4a/3c hair. Yet it coils, curls, and clumps very similarly to 4a hair when it is properly hydrated and moisturized. In summary, my hair is a conundrum that leaves even stylists shocked by the [unexpected] coiliness/curliness.
That said…
There is an [erroneous] assumption that only certain types of hair can can endure WNGs.
When I started seeing my current stylist (a licensed cosmetologist trained and versed in the science and art of curly/natural black hair), she encouraged me to try the WNG because my hair was very dry at the time. Her advice parallels Cynthiarf’s on youtube. I was skeptical at first. In the process, however, I discovered that tightly coiled hair often forms knots because shed hair gets stuck in the tightly-wound strands, with nowhere to go. Doing WNGs provides a mechanism to release the shed hairs (just like in Cynthiarf’s videos) and, thus, prevent tangles. (When I let my skepticism and obsession with length retention get the best of me, I would stop doing WNG, only to have the knots and tangles return.) Now, I WNG twice a week in the winter (once on my shampoo day and another on mid week). Even in the frigid sub-zero winter my hair has thrived with no dryness.
Most people are doing WNGS INCORRECTLY, which is why they continue to experience tangles and knots. Spraying your hair with a water bottle is okay if you want to revive a second or third-day style. However, you cannot spray your hair with a water bottle and call it a WNG. A WNG has two purposes: 1) to moisturize (only water is going to moisturize, not layers of oils and product) and 2) to detangle. So, you have to thoroughly wet your hair under the faucet, plop conditioner in your hair and remove the shed hair with your fingers. Also using products with heavy butters is counterproductive and actually dries out your hair. Water-based conditioners and leave-ins penetrate the hair shaft easier.
My routine:
*Shampoo
*Detangle and remove shed hair gently with conditioner that has good slip On wash day I sit with a cap to deep condition.
*Rinse.
*Add leave-in (my rinse out conditioner is a leave-in as well).
*Add whatever products (I use a sealant, a moisturizing cream, and a gel)
*Let hair dry (DO NOT touch until dry)
*After it’s dry, scrunch hair to release coils.
*Mid-week I WNG without shampooing (in the summer, I may shampoo again in the week, since I workout and my scalp gets sweaty).
Also, after a WNG I use to play in my dry hair (not smart) and panic, thinking I came across knots. What we may think are knots are sometimes just clumps of hair coiling. When I rinsed them with water and conditioner, they came apart readily. Of course, doing WNGs does eliminate knotting completely, since that comes with having this type of hair. But, now, my stylist takes off much less hair when I go in for my 12-week trim.
Lastly, I have neither the the time nor patience for hours of protective styling. I’ve tried them. Plus, I can’t wear a protective style for more than 7 days without washing, since my scalp gets awfully itchy (and excessive, unnecessary scratching only damages he scalp). Also, I didn’t go natural to hide my hair in protective styles for 95 percent of the year, just for the sake of achieving some idealistic hair length.
wow reading this i felt like you echoed my regimen to a tee. i love what you said about the purpose of the WNG. I do my detangling just as you described, under the water fall of the shower every day. i just use my fingers and target bunched sections, and i smooth the conditioner into my hair, running my fingers down the clumps to encourage cohesion and unity. i remove any tangles i feel using my fingers only. I do this everyday because my second day hair is usually dry and the curls misshapen, but i don’t mind, because it’s really relaxing. i’ve noticed a decrease in breakage since adopting this method, when when i first tried WNGs i’d sworn them off because i wasn’t doing them correctly. my conditioner is my leave-in, even though it’s technically a rinse-out. it also depends what kinda condish the person uses, as i go only for the ones that allow the most slip, and especially if they specify that they are for smoothing or silkening the hair. those are the best ones. my curls come out perfect, and i don’t have tangle issues, even when i lay or sleep on my hair. it’s incredibly gentle on my hair, whereas the twisting and braiding for all those out-styles, and my run-ins with protective styles were just no go. plus, i wasn’t happy doing those styles because i felt like, as you mentioned, i wanted to “display” my hair rather than hide it. im loving the freedom and flexibility, and the best part is that it doesn’t take me very long- only about 15 minutes, to do, and then i don’t have to do anything with my hair til the next day where i wash, rinse and repeat. conditioner is the only product i use on my hair ever- no oil, no moisturizer, nothing else. it’s awesome!
This is what I’ve been trying to tell people. I’ve been doing wash n gos my whole time natural and I have 4B/4C hair. In my opinion, 4C hair doesn’t exist, and is just 4B hair, but I won’t go into the details …
While I don’t wash, condition, and detangle my hair everyday. I do it every week/2 weeks/or a month. And then I do the same method. I shampoo,condition,finger detangle, air dry and let it go…. My hair has thrived. It’s below BSL in the back and APL in the front and that’s only 3.3 years of hair growth…
And honestly, I’m pretty lazy with my hair, and there are times I go weeks without moisturizing because my hair has been treated well these last few years and can withstand it… But what I never seemed to get is what leave-in I should use… I end up using my moisturizer as a leave in as my hair hasn’t found a leave-in that works for it. What conditioner did you find that can act as a leave in?
I want to know what you mean by “4c hair doesn’t exist” because I know than when wet my hair (crown area) could be considered 4b because it’s looser but as soon as it dries it is waaaaaaay kinker and tighter than 4b hair. I’m not attacking you or anything, I just want to know what you mean?
Did I miss something? She mentioned using a product 7 then said it’s formula changed, But what was the product?
I think I have 4c hair (i say i think cuz this hair typing system is so confusing to me) I have tiny ringlets, smaller than 4a ringlets, and this is the dominant curl pattern on my head apart from some larger coils on some parts, and i still do wash and goes. Usually i get the most compliments when i do a wash and go than anything. But i dont think anyone who wants to grow out their hair with kinkier hair should do it. But who knows?
She should use a thick leave-in conditioner and while in the shower use the product and pick it through from root to tip with a pick. The coils/curls will be more defined. But it has to be a good and thick leave-in conditioner!
Today I did a wash and go on my 3c to 4c twa(mostly 4a/b) and my mother didn’t like it but I bet if I had some looser texture she would of thought different
Beautiful hair. 4a/4b hair is truly wondrous when you think about the seemingly infinite coils and twists in each strand. (Imma ’bout to get all
string theory quantum physics-y up in here!)
 Sometimes I ponder our use of the word “shrinkage” when the natural/default state of some of our amazing hair textures is in fact tightly coiled.  Maybe we should speak of “lengthage” (lol) to describe when we straighten or stretch (heat or heat-less methods) our hair’s regular coils? Don’t know if I’m making any sense 🙂
good point lol
I have 4a/b hair & I just use shampoo, Knot Today, & KinkyCurly Custard. I get a lot of little spiral curls. So far haven’t tried any other method
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/016.JPG[/img]
I was thinking that because 4 b/c hair shrinks so much, rather then do a wash and go on my 14 inches of hair, I would prefer to cut it. Maybe cut 4 inches off. I would only do this if I want to wash and go often. Or I would just wear it and not worry about breakage like they did in the seventies.
I’m the exact opposite. Wash-n-go is ALL I ever do b/c I don’t see the point in wasting all the time setting my hair when I usually don’t get up with the desired result. The extent of my styling expertise is the occasional puff. But everyone has their go-to style and has to learn what works best for them. Online tuts and articles can act as guidance, but no one will truly know what works for you but you.
This article is actually a pleasant one it assists new the web people,
who are wishing in favor of blogging.
a wash and go doesn not mean “Curls” it means wash and go with whatever your pattern is, therefore anybody can do a wash and go.
But, regardless of what hair type you are, if you realise a wash and go actually means “wash and tangle” (you are essentially working with your hair at MAXIMUM shrinkage) you may want to give up and try again some other time.
i don’t think i’ll ever try it though, there are various patterns, densities and strand thicknesses all over my head and they don’t all go from loose to coily or coil to loose in a gradual motion, so i just look like i have a very weird mullet going on. i employ styles that get them all looking the same.
I have yet to see a ‘wash and go’ on mid length to long 4b/c hair (my hair type by the way) that I personally think looks attractive or appealing. I’d rather put the extra work in and have a style I can live with. When I had major surgery I just left my hair in twists until I had the energy to deal with it. With the ‘wash and go’ you have to ensure you finger detangle it at least every other day, which still sounds like a lot of work to me.
Twists just were not an option for me. My mom had to take down my old twists a few days after surgery and couldn’t do a long-term style on my hair. After that, it was a choice between me spending 4-5 hrs twisting or 10 minutes daily with the wash-n-go. It was just physically easier (moreso, physically possible) for me to do wash and gos. I also wasn’t allowed to move for more than a few minutes a day anyway. :o)
Also, Mwedzi wears the wash and go beautifully in this picture, if you’re interested: http://public.fotki.com/mwedzi/2010/2010-jan-jun/shrunken-hair.html.
Wow, I have to say that IS the most extreme shrinkage I’ve ever seen.
Tyler
http://www.onelittleblackdress.com
a wash-n-go is nothing but a tangled fro for me. They look cute on type 3 hair maybe a few 4a because their hair clumps into spiral curls but I don’t have the type of hair for a wash n go. its not even a wash n go because I have to detangle, moisture and seal my hair if it gets wet or it will turn into a tangled tumbleweed. I tried it back in the day and it just have me knots and breakage. Even if i combed it out and put gel in it, it doesnt come out right Its just a hassle, so i dont even bother..
Chinwe, your hair is gorgeous and it’s great you found a method that works for you! That being said, I must ask: why is there such a fixation on achieving a successful wash and go? Seriously? Why is there article after article on wash and gos? What is the root of all this? I have been natural for four years. When I started my natural journey I relied on the wash and go. But after awhile I had too many tangles. I then moved on to just keeping my hair stretched when washing and letting my hair dry stretched. I accepted that. Why can’t some people accept that a wash and go doesn’t work for everyone.
For now on I will just skip these articles. I know they help out many but I just had to add my two cents.
Once again Chinwe, your hair is gorgeous and it’s nice that you are sharing your tips.
I would not characterize the desire for 4a/b/c naturals to master the wash & go as an obsession. There are many reasons we want to know if it can be a viable option for us. (1) We want to wear our natural curl pattern without sacrificing the health of our hair. (2) We want the flexibility to leave home before our hair dries and have a look that we are ok with presenting to the world, without waiting for braided, twisted, banded or threaded hair to dry. (3) We want to wear our hair in an out style without going through the hair stretching that is a typical part of out styles, and (4) It can be a great tool for a low manipulation, high moisture hair care routine. So, just because some of us haven’t identified a way to readily exercise this option doesn’t mean they should give up on it. And just because a type 4 natural continues to experiment with potential ways this option may become available to her, doesn’t make her obsessed.
Yep, those were pretty much my reasons. :o)
I agree with all of this and I’ve been bigging up cynthiarf for a couple of years now, mainly because I was such a HUGE skeptical know-it-all in the beginning and she managed to convince me (and convert me). 🙂
Simply put, I love the ease and freedom of WNGs…so much so that when I BC’d for the fifth time in early 2010 I was ready to keep my mostly-4b hair TWA-length for the long haul. I had been natural for 15 years by that point and had done pretty much everything I wanted to do with my hair. I was going to be one of those older ladies who kept her hair short for convenience, except I got bored as I usually do 🙂 …and since I don’t wear wigs I decided to grow it out again in late 2010 BUT I also set myself the task of finding styling methods that were as close to the simplicity of a WNG as possible.
Happily the Internet came to the rescue, and after overcoming HUGE!! skepticism on my part, I decided to try cynthiarf’s method. I always knew I had a (very small and tight) curl/coil pattern but I didn’t know how to keep it as my hair grew longer. The big takeaway from studying cynthiarf was that I had to encourage the coils to coil and stay coiled. For me that means:
– water every day (I don’t saturate every day though; most days I just spritz enough to get it damp and loose)
– using products that help preserve the coils (for me these include HE HH, an occasional bentonite clay wash, and some kind of gel)
– avoiding techniques that disrupt the coils (these range from using combs and brushes to simply picking at my dry hair with my fingers; the last one is a guaranteed knot- and tangle-former)
Because I don’t often do a true WNG — in that I like to stretch my coils either via blow-drying or air-drying in cynthiarf’s Sprangz — I call my style a coily ‘fro. To some — usually black folks who are still stuck on what natural hair is “allowed” to look like — it may look crazy, but I love it because, compensating for length and shrinkage, the process isn’t that much different from my TWA process. And since I am posting this on BGLH, I guess I’ll add that yes, I’m retaining a lot of length, though I’d probably retain more if I could fix my HIF problem…
Love this! Well said … especially the part on being “stuck on what natural hair is ‘allowed’ to look like.”
:o)
Let me first say that I mean this is a nice way, but acceptance is the key word here. Please accept the fact that there are naturals who would like to have the option of a wash and go. Not all naturals, but some.
You hit the nail on the head. What really are they trying to prove. They’re over rated
Thank you for the compliment, Mlle. I can’t speak for other people, but for me it just became a break from my usual styles (twists, stretched updos). Also and more importantly it makes summer styling hassle-free and sweat-buildup-free. :o)
You’re welcome and the compliments are well deserved 🙂 I’ve always enjoyed your other articles and I certainly did not want my question to be an insult towards you. Or any wash go ladies!! My last wash and go was borderline traumatic because several sections of my hair were so tangled (even though I just lovingly detangled my hair!!) that I had to cut those sections…so after that I stuck to stretched out styles. Thank you for your kind response. I certainly understand the need for different hassle-free hair styles/routines. 🙂
First off Chinwe, your hair is GORGEOUS!! I have 4a/b hair and I’m not brave enough to try a wash n go at this point, over 2 years in. I just don’t want to risk the tangling and or knots. I used to do them when I had a TWA. Currently, my hair seems to stay healthy and better moisturized in a stretched state.
Thank you, Caramelcurls! :o)
I feel like if I figured out how to master the wash n go I would love it. After I wash my hair I love how it looks. So I figure I would like a wash n go I tried only 2 times lol and both times it looked horrible.
Check out http://www.curlskinksfashion.com for fashion & natural hair
Is there any way to embed this video? I cant see it from my country (Canada) would love to see what it involves. Share the love please!
Her videos were not allowed to be embedded before but it looks she removed that restriction. I’ll embed it at the bottom of the article. (You can fast forward to 2 mins and 40 sec to get to where she really demonstrates it.) :o)
My hair reaches my armpit when stretched. I tried a detangled wash-n-go this morning and had to deal with a tangled mess tonight. Tangles = me being impatient = breakage :/
i’d thought that wash n gos were not for me either but i revisited them following a flat iron stint. they work well in my son’s 4b/c provided i leave in conditioner, but his hair is still short (about 2-4 inches). glad to see this post. i’ll be keeping it as an option. for his hair i opt for twists, as you do, but for my own I wash n go everyday 🙂 my hair’s never looked or felt better.
I couldnt do wash n gos even if i wanted to id probably end up playing with my hair and it gets tangled.
I have learned by biggest problem is me–HIHS. I cannot keep my hands out of my hair