Something that I recently tried is a pre-poo. I was on YouTube looking at all of the natural hair care videos and came across a couple of interesting clips. Little did I know that some people actually prepare their hair to be washed. Some call it a prewash, others prepoo, but it is essentially the same thing.
What I do for my prepoo/ prewash procedure is essentially applying a hot oil treatment to the hair prior to washing. I had several types of oils that I was using in my hair but several had an "interesting smell" so I no longer use them. Right now, I use extra virgin olive oil for the treatment. I warm the olive oil and apply it to my scalp, hair roots, and ends, making sure to saturate the hair.
After oil application, I will massage my scalp and rake the oil through the hair to make sure that everything is well covered. This process feels really good and makes sure that the hair is moisturized and protected, especially if a sulfate shampoo is used. Yes, it will be washed away but the cleansing process can be rough and strip the hair, resulting in split ends, hair breakage, damaged cuticle, etc.
My last wash was done today and I didn't do the pre-poo just to see if I feel a difference in my hair. The answer is yes. Not only am I using a new shampoo conditioner combination, but the lack of prepping the hair prior to the wash made the wash a little more difficult. I had more tangles than when I did the pre-poo and afterwards, the hair isn't quite as soft. My next wash will definitely be with a pre-poo hot oil treatment. I will also experiment with mixing oils with a conditioner before beginning the wash. Be on the lookout for more updates!
~natural para siempre~
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Thank you so much for your informative take on the reasons WHY pre-pooing is done in the first place and WHY it's good for ones' hair. I know you're being objective because, as a comparison, you described the feel of your hair when it hasn't been pre-pooed, which was also really helpful.
ReplyDeleteI've been natural for a year (my hair's growing slowly but surely), and I'd love to try new techniques with it, especially since I have fine hair, but I'm always wary of possible 'group think' attitudes on these YouTube channels. I didn't want to "prepoo" just cuz everyone else did it, but you've convinced me, with your sound (non-group think) reasons to give it a try. :-)
Thanks again! :-)