Wash Day (5): Braid Care and Tea Rinse

Hey loves,

My last washday was the simplest washday ever.  I have been in braids for 2 weeks and I finally washed them for the first time. To be honest, when I am in braids I usually slack off a bit, because I feel I can get away with not being so strict. This is okay IF and ONLY IF you treat your hair very well before you take off braids, if not, you’ll see the results of your slacking off going down the drain, literally. Anyways, my washday involved a nice tea rinse and a cowash.

I have been looking into doing a tea rinse or coffee rinse and I finally settled on the former. I have done a tea rinse in the past and it turned out great so I decided why not. Plus I am not a fan of coffee, the taste and especially the smell so I felt it’ll be silly to pour that over my head despite my dislike for it. Anyways, tea rinses are wonderful for many reasons, but the main reason I do it is due to its ability to help reduce shedding (I hope to do a full post about the benefits of tea rinses soon). As I have said probably 100 times, I am in braids and this means my shed hair is currently accumulating. This can lead to further tangles when taking out the braids so I figured this is the perfect time for a rinse.

I steeped my black tea in hot water for about 4-5hours, letting it cool off as well as absorb as many “nutrients” as possible, if that makes sense. I bent over the sink, putting an extra bowl below my head to catch the tea so as to repeat the process again. Once I was done, I wrapped my braids in a towel to soak up any excess water and sat for about 30mins to an hour.

Next, I went into the shower and using my As I Am coconut cowash, I began to wash my hair. I focused mainly on my scalp and any excess I used to coat the length of my braids, up until where my actual hair ends. I rinsed, repeated the step and did a final rinse. I made sure to rinse my scalp thoroughly and in the end, my hair felt pretty clean. I was pleasantly surprised, cause the product didn’t lather up like a shampoo (not sure if this normal to others that have used this product, let me know in the comments please), but it did as expected, left my hair moisturised without feeling mushy.

I squeezed the excess water by making my palms tighter as I went along the length of the braids, rather than twisting the hair like you would a towel. I then put it in a big bun and finished up in the shower. Right before I left the shower, I put my head once more under the shower-head for a final rinse under cold water. I then proceeded to warp my hair in a cotton tee for about 10mins just to soak up excess water.

Lastly, I did my LOC method by applying my braid spray, then my oil mixture (JBCO, Argan Oil & Jojoba Oil) and then finally my Sheabutter. I applied a bit extra of my oil mixture to my scalp and did a scalp massage for about 5mins

I let my braids fly free for an hour before putting it up into a ponytail and tying it up for bed. And that was it; quiet an extensive explanation for such a quick/simple process yea? LOL.

PS: To maintain my braids in-between washes, I simply repeat the last step-LOC method-as much as I feel is needed. This can be anywhere from every three days to every five days. On one of these days, I may just apply the braid spray and oil. I try to limit it as much as I can to avoid build up, while trying to honor my hair needs. I also try to fit in a scalp massage on these days as they aid in hair growth.

For real now, that’s it guys. Thanks for stopping by again, and go check out how other healthy hair journey ladies did on their respective washdays -> The Wash Day Experience

Love

Dumsy.

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