i’m a pre-poo geek! i love mixing things up in blenders and getting sticky fingers with honey and oils.
notice i said honey. i keep telling kinky haired naturals like myself to start using honey. you guys have really got to stop sleeping on one of god’s greatest hair elixirs!
one of the things i like about pre-pooing is that it helps with detangling because it can make your hair very soft.
pre-pooing is simply a pre-shampoo treatment, which is applied to the hair and/or scalp, left on for a period of time and then shampooed out. some people like to apply oils (olive, jojoba, etc.), conditioners or some combination of the two.
i like oils and other natural and organic ingredients.
benefits of pre-pooing
“pre-poos have many different benefits. pre-poos often help protect our hair from the harsh shampooing process. the majority of the buildup we are trying to remove lies on our scalp, not our hair (especially if you are not using a lot of product). our hair really only needs the conditioning aspect of the wash cycle. using an oil or a conditioner can help provide a barrier between the hair and the harsh detergents in the shampoo.
in this case, this pre-poo helps to condition the hair. it seems counter intuitive. why would we put a product on our hair that we were eventually just going to wash out? actually, conditioners and oil often work better when applied to dry hair. think of a sponge. if you place a dry sponge on a spill, it will absorb more than if your placed a wet sponge on that same spill. our hair reacts the same way, absorbing conditioner into the hair shaft.” source
when i want to do a goooood pre-poo, this is my recipie. this may or may not work for you, but i’ve not found one type 4 and above who did not see super soft hair after making this mixture. and transitioners found that it made their roots soft. since naturals are all “roots/new growth” anyway, your entire head should feel like butter after trying this pre-poo.
first, be sure to start with dry and well detangled hair. after you’ve detangled well with your hands if need be, put hair into four sections and clip each section. this is a must because this prepoo mixture is a bit sticky so working in sections (on hair that is long enough) is a life saver! next, saturate each section with the pre-poo mixture below:
1/4 cup raw wild honey
1/4 cup organic molasses (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raw sugar (raw is important as is still has molasses and is not bleached like white sugar)
1/4 cornstarch
1/4 cup lemon extract (or you can use fresh squeezed lemon if need be)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
10-12 drops of your favorite essential oil; i use rosemary and tea tree
leave on hair for 30 minutes to an hour. i always suggest doing this and then watching a good movie.
i don’t wash this out with shampoo, i use my regular conditioner to wash it out and i’m left with hair so soft and manageable that it’s indescribable.
if you decide to try this recipie please report back and let me know how it went for you! happy pre-pooing!
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Can’t wait to try the pre poo recipe. This may be a godsend for my kinky locks! Thank you. And I will post results.
I usually do a warm oil and honey treatment. If nothing else, I just warm some EVOO and honey and slather that on my head for about 45 mins, then do my wash routine. I never detangle before shampooing. I always wait until I have my hair full of conditioner and EVOO. I don’t see the point in detangling, pre pooing, shampooing, conditioning, possibly re-detangling, rinsing and styling. That is too much stress on my hair. One good detangle is enough.
My daughter and I are trying this recipe though we didn’t use raw sugar. We used the corn starch, olive oil, jojoba oil, 1 egg, honey, lemon and black strap molasses. We are awaiting results. You can check out our final thoughts at http://livingsimplistically.tumblr.com.
Thanks for this post!
Christie R. Edwards
It’s the Simple Things
Sooo, I only had honey and olive oil on hand, but I tried it anyway and let it sit for about 45 minutes(while I explored your site) and just rinsed it out: my hair feels amaaaaazing! It was so soft and it feels so clean and light right now. I usually brush my hair while I’m in the shower to lengthen my curls, which works pretty well except for the ton of hair that I end up ripping out as I try to get to school on time. THIS time, I didn’t use a brush at all, just lightly went through with a wide tooth comb and my fingers: I didn’t even feel the need to try to “stretch” out my natural texture, I’m just rockin’ the wash. So far so good!
Raw sugar is found a whole foods, trader joe’s, fresh market, and many large grocery chains.
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