Isn’t it interesting how when you first learn to do a task it’s a long and tedious process but the more you do it, the better you get at it but you also discover little shortcuts that make the job, faster, easier or just more fun. Sometimes doing hair is just like that.

I posted several months ago about the coconut oil pre-poo but mentioned that my strong dislike for oil and grease have kept this from being a staple in my hair routine. Recently, I took out a weave that I had had for about 4 weeks and because I had made this decision at approximately 2.30AM, I undid only the weave and did not undo the braids. Instead I soaked the braids in a mixture of ols, coconut, argan, olive, jojoba (there was 7 oils all together and I clearly can’t remember them all), put on a shower cap and went to sleep. The next morning I loosened the braids. The oils made my hair easier to comb and detangle and I could feel the pre-poo’s moisturizing effect. See, I’m not entirely incoherent at 2.30AM. I now know that I can stand the icky greasiness of a pre-poo when I have braids or twists in to keep the oils trapped in the hair and not dripping on my person or sliding down my scalp.

In other news, I relied heavily on a tea tree oil scalp spray while my weave was in to keep my scalp from getting dry and deal with the itchiness and all of the other not so fun parts of a weave. All in all, I had a good experience with it and so I’m wondering if it’s not the worst idea to keep the tea tree oil spray as a part of my usual hair care routine even out of braids.

At the end of the day, it’s all about learning and adaptation, finding what works for you.