Recently there’s been a lot of discussion about whether or not women with Type 4 (i.e. kinky, nappy, coily) hair should wear “Wash n Go” styles. Wash n Go (or “WNG”) is the type of style where you get in the shower, wet your hair, get out the shower, towel dry and then…just go.
As in no real combing, a bit of styling but basically…shaking your hair out and hitting the road.
There are a lot of issues with this topic because for women who have wavy hair or hair with a loose curl WNG is a pretty good deal. They can wet their hair and be done with it. The next day they can wash, rinse and repeat. It is a simple, easy, and most of all “quick” hair style.
For women with my type of hair (i.e. kinky, coily hair) however, a Wash n Go can be a much bigger challenge. You see, when you WNG the point is to not actually run a comb through your hair. But when your hair coils up as its default hair pattern, well then when your hair dries, chances are it’s going to be a tangled matted mess. Which means you need to comb it.
Sort of defeating the whole point of the WNG in the first place.
Many natural women with very coily hair seem to forget that different hair has different rules. Some things are appropriate for women with coily hair – and some things are not. Just like some things are appropriate for women with naturally bone straight hair – and some things are not.
For example. If your Caucasian friend came to you and asked you to recommend a good hair grease for her bone straight hair – you might look at her like she was crazy. Why? Because the nature of her hair dictates that she not use grease (bone straight hair tends to get naturally greasy or oily on its own very quickly).
The same principle is true for women with naturally coily hair. The very nature and curl pattern of our hair dictates that we use different tools and rules in order to properly care for our hair.
If you’re going to WNG with kinky, coily hair, then you need to be prepared to comb your hair out. When I wear a big Afro, I know that before I go to bed that night, I’m going to have to section my hair and either twist or braid it up. If not, the next day my hair will be matted and that can cause breakage. I also know that if I’m not willing to take the time to care for my Afro at night, then I probably don’t need to wear a WNG style that day.
It’s really all about setting proper expectations and acting accordingly. What can be dangerous is when women insist on using hair rules/products/tools that were designed for someone else’s hair. That will always cause anguish and can do a lot of damage to your hair health.
Check out the video below where I discuss my take on the WNG for women with kinky hair and share a bit of my routine for how to properly care for the Wash n Go Type 4 Afro. Are you a Type 4 woman who wears a Wash n Go? How do you care for your hair? What routines do you follow to ensure hair health?
About Lurie Daniel Favors, Esq.
[…] I previously discussed here (check the link for written discussion along with video), for Black women with hair described as kinky, coily, nappy or Type 4 (pick an adjective – any […]