Do This to Speed Up Your Wash Day

Speed Up Your Wash Day with These

Time-Saving Tips for Curly Hair

*This post contains affiliate links*

If you're tired of long wash days, detangling struggles, or waiting hours for deep conditioning treatments, you're in the right place.

Today, I'm sharing a streamlined approach to wash day that can cut your time down to just 90 minutes or less.

This guide includes everything from detangling to deep conditioning – all while highlighting the tools and products you'll need for a successful wash day routine. Let's dive into the details!

Why You Don’t Need to Pre-Poo Anymore

One common myth in the curly hair community is the necessity of pre-pooing (using a conditioner, water, or oil mix before shampooing). While some find this step essential, it often adds extra time without significant benefit. Here’s why I recommend skipping it:

  • Risk of Breakage: When hair is dry, it’s less elastic and more prone to breaking. Pre-pooing before hair is fully hydrated can lead to breakage, especially if you're heavy-handed while detangling.

  • Inefficient Moisture Application: The optimal time to detangle is when hair is fully wet in the shower. Pre-pooing with semi-wet or dry hair doesn’t allow moisture to penetrate properly, making the detangling process more challenging.

Instead, hop straight into the shower and start washing right away. You’ll find it easier to work through tangles, and you'll reduce unnecessary breakage.

Step 1: Shampooing and Finger Detangling –

Two Birds, One Stone

To maximize your time, combine shampooing and detangling. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Divide Hair into Sections: Once your hair is thoroughly wet, divide it into manageable sections. If you have fine hair, two sections might be enough. For thicker hair, consider four sections.

  2. Apply Shampoo to the Scalp: Focus the shampoo on your scalp, where buildup tends to accumulate. Massage it gently into your scalp to lift dirt, oils, and debris.

  3. Bring Suds Down to the Length: Once your scalp is clean, work the shampoo suds down the length of your hair using your fingers. Finger detangling at this stage is essential because it allows you to feel and gently work through tangles without causing damage.

  4. Repeat the Process: A double shampoo is key! The first wash removes surface buildup, while the second provides a deeper clean. You'll notice more lather on the second wash, which ensures your hair is thoroughly cleansed.

Moisture Shampoo
Quick View
Moisture Shampoo
$22.00

Bring your hair back to life with our Moisture Shampoo. This creamy, nourishing formula is designed to infuse your strands with long lasting hydration while keeping them light, bouncy, and full of movement. Unlike heavy moisturizing shampoos that can leave buildup behind, this one delivers the perfect balance: deep hydration without weighing your hair down.

Features:

  • Gently cleanses while replenishing moisture to dry hair

  • Creamy, rich formula leaves hair soft, hydrated, and manageable

  • Keeps hair weightless, making it perfect before blowouts or silk presses

  • Strengthens and nourishes from root to tip

  • Safe for all textures, including fine hair, extensions, and color-treated strands

Benefits:

  • Your hair feels hydrated, silky, and smooth after every wash

  • Perfect second step after the Volume Shampoo for a balanced cleanse

  • Preps your strands for styling by keeping them moisturized and pliable

  • Helps prevent dryness, frizz, and breakage between wash days

With Moisture Shampoo, every wash day leaves your hair hydrated, soft, and ready for whatever style you choose, whether it’s a blowout, silk press, or natural curls.

What’s inside:

  • SUNFLOWER SEED EXTRACT: provides UVA and UVB protection to preserve radiant color.

  • COCONUT MILK: creates a strong barrier around the hair shaft to prevent breakage.

  • RHODOCHROSITE: balances moisture levels.

How to Use:

SHAMPOO: wet hair and lather from roots to ends. Rinse well. Repeat if necessary.

CONDITIONER: after cleansing with shampoo, apply evenly from roots to ends. Leave in for 2-3 minutes and rinse well.

Step 2: Deep Condition and Steam –

A Built-In Treatment

After shampooing, it’s time to deep condition. By following this routine, you’ll save time and achieve a salon-worthy steam treatment from the comfort of your shower:

  1. Apply Deep Conditioner to the Length: Avoid your scalp and focus the product on your mid-lengths and ends, where moisture loss is more common.

  2. Clip Up and Continue Showering: Twist or clip your hair up to keep it away from your body. Now, proceed with the rest of your shower routine—wash, shave, and relax. The steam from the hot shower will open your hair cuticles, allowing the deep conditioner to penetrate more effectively.

  3. Rinse and Go: Once you’re done with your shower, rinse out the deep conditioner. This method eliminates the need for separate conditioning treatments and overnight deep conditioning, saving you time and still giving you soft, hydrated curls.

Deep Repair Treatment
Quick View
Deep Repair Treatment
$30.00

Give your hair the ultimate reset with our Deep Repair Treatment. Formulated with the perfect balance of strength and hydration, this intensive mask revives dry, damaged strands while keeping them soft, defined, and healthy. Infused with keratin protein and rich moisturizers, it works from the inside out to repair, fortify, and restore your hair’s natural beauty.

Features:

  • Deeply hydrates while reinforcing strands with protein

  • Infuses keratin to strengthen and protect against breakage

  • Restores elasticity so curls clump, pop, and define

  • Improves softness, shine, and manageability

  • Ideal for hair that is heat styled, color treated, or prone to dryness

Benefits:

  • Hair feels instantly stronger and more moisturized

  • Visible results, curls spring back with bounce and definition

  • Keeps straight naturals and curly girls alike protected from heat and stress

  • Perfect for weekly deep treatments or paired with a steam treatment for maximum absorption

When your hair needs both moisture and strength, the Deep Repair Treatment delivers. It’s the key to keeping your strands resilient, hydrated, and full of life.

What’s inside:

  • SUNFLOWER OIL + MALACHITE: restore moisture, shine, and resilience while protecting hair from environmental stressors.

  • RHASSOUL: a mineral rich clay, makes this a great treatment for even finer textured hair.

How to Use:

Apply to clean towel dried hair and leave in for 5 to 15 minutes, then rinse. Tip: Focus on mid-lengths to ends to help prevent split ends.

Step 3: Styling

Once you step out of the shower, it’s time to style:

  • Apply Leave-In Conditioner or Styler: Using a leave-in conditioner helps lock in the moisture from your deep conditioning treatment, providing added slip and frizz control for your curls.

  • Finger Detangle (Optional): If you feel any remaining knots, give them a final pass with your fingers to avoid using a brush or comb that could cause breakage.

Emergency Miracle Treatment
Quick View
Emergency Miracle Treatment
$26.00

Give your hair the hydration it craves with Emergency Miracle Treatment. This lightweight leave in conditioner penetrates deep into each strand, delivering lasting moisture without heaviness. Perfect as the foundation for any style, it preps and protects your hair so it stays hydrated, healthy, and manageable all week long.

Features:

  • Lightweight formula absorbs quickly to hydrate from the inside out

  • Provides lasting moisture retention between wash days

  • Strengthens and softens without buildup or heaviness

  • Ideal prep step before blow drying or heat styling

  • Safe for natural hair, relaxed styles, extensions, and fine strands

Benefits:

  • Keeps hair hydrated longer, even if you heat style weekly

  • Perfect balance of moisture and weightlessness

  • Leaves hair soft, manageable, and frizz-free

  • A must-have for straight naturals or wash and go girls who need moisture without reapplying product daily

With Emergency Miracle Treatment, you can enjoy long lasting hydration and strength without compromising your style, it’s the leave in that truly lives up to its name.

The Benefits:

SILK PROTEIN: nourishes, repairs and protects hair.
SERECITE MICA: smooths, seals hair color and provides radiant

shine.
UV FILTERS: block sun damage.

How to Use:

Depending on the length and type of hair, apply desired amount to damp hair after washing.
Comb through roots to ends for even distribution.
Do not rinse out. Style as usual.

Tools & Products That Will Transform Your Routine

  • Wide-Tooth Comb or Fingers: For gentle detangling, use your fingers or a wide-tooth comb if you prefer a tool.

  • Clips for Sectioning: Keep clips in the shower to make sectioning easier.

  • Moisture-Rich Shampoo and Deep Conditioner: Invest in quality, hydrating products designed for curly hair. These will make detangling simpler and leave your curls softer.

  • Leave-In Conditioner: To keep your curls hydrated and manageable after rinsing, opt for a lightweight leave-in that won’t weigh your curls down.

Final Thoughts

With this routine, you’ll save time and reduce breakage, helping you retain length and keep your curls looking healthy. Try these steps, and you’ll see that wash day doesn’t have to be an all-day event! Let me know how these tips work for you, and if you have any other questions, drop them in the comments.

Happy wash day!

Need more help with your curls?

Hair CareMirna Norales