The Best Counterintuitive Way To Remove Hair Gunk From Braids

The creativity of the natural hair community always amazes me! Seriously. Because of us, our significant others and our kids have to think twice before consuming oatmeal, adding bananas to their smoothie and using up the last of the olive oil. Food will never be the same.

Imagine my amazement when I first heard of people using mud to wash their hair.By now you’ve heard of the wonders of using a mud wash (actually it’s clay) to create visibly frizz free, juicy curls, but did you know it’s probably one of the most natural ways to rid your hair of the gunk that piles onto your hair and it’s roots when in a braided or twisted style?

One of the biggest reasons why bentonite clay is so good at gunk removal is because it attaches itself to dirt and oil and draws them away from what they’ve held captive (in this case that would be your hair).

Normally, when using bentonite clay, you want to not pair it up with conditioners since the charges are opposite and you’ll find that your hair will just feel super sticky.

Here’s my favorite bentonite clay mix for clarifying hair.

1/3 cups bentonite clay

1/3 cups aloe vera juice

1oz apple cider vinegar

Place all ingredients into a glass bowl and use a wooden or plastic spoon to mix it all together until smooth.  For this recipe, I skip some of my favorite ingredients (olive oil or jojoba oil) since my hair would’ve already had oil on it and I want to stick to deeply clarify my hair.

The process of using bentonite clay on hair that you’re taking down from braids or twists should look like this:

1. Smooth your braids with almond oil or grapeseed oil. The oil will help keep the cuticle layers down and prevent tangling as you take down the braid or twist.  for easier take down by putting some almond oil on your braid. Be very gentle.
2. Section your hair.
3. Apply your bentonite clay mix one section at a time, carefully detangling with your hands.
4. Leave on hair just until after it’s settled and dried.
5. Rinse thoroughly.

So ladies, what are some way you remove gunk from your hair?