Raise your hand if you love wash day. Anyone? Well you should! There tends to be many negative associations with the act of washing textured hair, but it’s actually quite a positive thing. Not only does wash day lead to clean, healthy, and beautiful hair, but it should be seen as an act of self-care.
We understand that sometimes, even with the most positive attitude, wash day can feel like a chore. It certainly requires patience and skill to ensure you’re being as gentle and effective as possible. But try to reframe your detangling sessions and wash days as a time to treat yo’self! While detangling your curls and coils put on a guilty-pleasure TV show, listen to that podcast you downloaded weeks ago, or indulge in a sweet treat.
Washing natural hair, regardless of your texture or type, is an essential part of the natural hair care process. It’s one of the most important things you can do to ensure a healthy scalp and beautiful strands. With that being said we’re always looking for ways to make the process easier on both you and your hair. That’s why we created our fan favorite Moisture Miracle African Pride Pre-Shampoo. Packed with nourishing natural ingredients, this versatile formula is the key to a smoother wash day and healthier hair. Curious what a pre-shampoo can do for your unique hair? Let’s take a closer look.
What Is A Pre-Shampoo?
First and foremost, pre-shampoo is (most obviously) a treatment you use before shampooing or conditioning your hair. It’s usually the first step on wash day. With more and more women embracing their natural curls and coils there is interest in finding formulas and methods that help make natural hair look and feel its best.
But while pre-shampoo products are gaining mainstream popularity, women have been pre-pooing for centuries using a combination of hair oils like Coconut and Olive.
Who Needs Pre-Shampoo?
All natural hair requires some extra lovin to look it’s best. Since natural, textured hair tends to be curly and dry, it doesn’t take much for it to develop knots and tangles. Therefore almost all hair types regardless of curl pattern or type will benefit from using a pre-shampoo.
What To Look For In A Pre-Poo
The biggest things to consider when shopping for a pre-shampoo are the types of ingredients used to create the formula. You want your pre-shampoo to be nourishing, moisturizing, and gentle, therefore it’s best to avoid any damaging ingredients. Harmful chemicals and alcohols will strip your hair of its natural oils that help protect strands. It’s best to avoid any products with sulfates, silicones, or parabens as these can cause dryness, frizz, and damage.
Instead, look for all-natural ingredients that are full of proteins, vitamins, and fatty-acids. Similarly, since hydration is so important, make sure water/aqua is the first ingredient on the list and it’s not a gel or alcohol based formula. Our African Pride pre-shampoo for example, is a water-based formula made from Aloe Vera, Castor Oil, and Coconut Water. The Coconut Water helps strengthen hair and restore moisture while the Aloe Vera’s anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties keep the scalp healthy. Packed with vitamins A, B, C, and E, as well as many minerals and fatty acids, Aloe Vera’s chemical makeup is made to nourish and replenish moisture. Read more here about the amazing Aloe Vera hair benefits.
The Benefits of African Pride Pre-Shampoo
Think about pre-poo like a primer or base coat. Whether it’s before you apply foundation or nail polish, having that first layer to nourish and protect your skin or nails ensures smooth application, nourishment, and longer-lasting products.
We could write a whole novel on why using a pre-shampoo on natural hair is so important. In addition to helping detangle hair and prep it for protective styling, it helps restore moisture, reduce frizz, reduce fading on color treated hair, minimize breakage, remove excess buildup, and increase elasticity.
While there are endless benefits to using a pre-poo let’s look at some of the most important ones below and how they work to transform your natural strands.
Gently Detangles Hair
One of the main reasons wash day gets a bad rap is because of the dreaded detangling process. The tighter our coils are, the more they tend to get tangled. Adding a pre-poo treatment however, softens hair and gives it the slip needed to remove knots and tangles before even getting your hair wet. This is especially useful when taking down a protective style.
Not only does this help make shampooing easier, but incorporating a pre-shampoo into your natural hair care regimen also helps minimize breakage and define coils. Simply comb this lightweight cream through hair and let it sink into strands for a few minutes before rinsing.
Hydrates Dry Strands
Coconut Milk’s gentle hydrating properties make it an ideal pre-shampoo or detangling treatment. This moisturizing ingredient infuses much-needed moisture into strands while simultaneously preparing both scalp and hair for any moisture-loss during the wash process.
Got extra dry hair? Leave on for up to 30 minutes to allow hair to fully absorb all the moisturizing benefits before you rinse.
Nourishes Your Scalp
Those with curls, coils, and textured hair tend to have more sensitive scalps that need extra nourishment, so Aloe Vera is a must-have for scalp care. Along with deeply moisturizing the hair, Aloe Vera keeps moisture locked in to prevent dryness, itchiness, and dandruff. The same proteolytic enzymes also help to break down the scalp’s dead skin cells and repair them, which helps to keep the hair follicles active.
Give yourself an extra treat by massaging a pre-poo gently into your scalp and let sit a few minutes before rinsing.
Cleans Natural Hair
Unlike a lot of other ingredients found in hair care products, Aloe is gentle enough to be applied directly to the skin. This makes it an amazing cleanser for delicate curls because it is strong enough to deep clean their delicate hair follicles yet gentle enough not to damage them. Cleansing the hair with Aloe Vera keeps hair healthy and soft with the integrity of your unique curls intact while the Coconut Water gently conditions strands.
Preps Hair For Weaves & Wigs
So you’ve got a fabulous new wig and can’t wait to put it on. We get it, but slow down! Your natural hair will thank you if you follow a few simple steps before slapping on a wig. Your hair should be freshly washed and a pre-shampoo helps moisturize, condition, and protect hair from any potential breakage. Similarly, the Aloe Vera helps rid the scalp of any potential inflammation.
This step is important since you won’t be able to properly wash your strands for a few weeks. Plus, hydrated hair will ensure strands remain healthy and strong in a protective style.
The African Pride Great Hair Guarantee
Making positive, healthy choices for your curls and coils (and your overall well-being) may take slightly more time or effort but that’s why it’s important to use ingredients that work overtime. That’s why we’re committed to creating effective yet affordable natural hair products that make your life a little bit easier. Discover our extensive natural hair care collection and get ready for healthy, fabulous hair!
