Wash Day: How I Learned to Treasure My Natural Afro Hair
Crystal-Angelee Burrell in knotless braids, photographed by Nana Kumi. All rights reserved.
Plus, 4 Simple Steps to Romanticise Wash Day
Wash Day sounds like a national holiday, so it’s high time we begin celebrating our hair texture accordingly. For the uninitiated, Wash Day is a Black heritage beauty ritual. Wash Day for people with tight, curly, and coily natural hair textures can range from two hours to two days. CNN and Parents magazine have recently published gorgeous photo journalism documenting Wash Day with Black families and their children. Increasingly, Black families use Wash Day as a self-love right of passage so their children begin a healthy relationship with their natural Afro hair rather than internalizing society’s anti-Blackness–that is, the well-documented mistreatment of Black children and adults on the basis of their Afro hair textures or hairstyles. In 2023, LinkedIn and Dove’s landmark CROWN Research Study of 1,000 Black women ages 25-64 revealed that 66% of Black women changed their natural hair before a job interview to prevent hair-based discrimination. A jarring 25% of Black women aged 25-34 said they had been sent home because of how they styled their Afro hair.
It’s no wonder, then, that many of us have had to unlearn such prejudices regarding our hair and relearn how to care for natural hair if we’ve used relaxers. But things are changing; The CROWN Act (which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act) in the United States specifically addresses the hair discrimination Black people face at work and in daily life. As of December 2024, only 27 states have ratified the CROWN Act into law. In the United Kingdom, there are growing demands to expand the UK’s Equality Act of 2010 to specifically name natural Afro hair as a protected characteristic. Legislation is a matter of urgency due to the consistent discrimination against Afro hair in the United Kingdom, even against children. Recent data from the Halo Collective (a UK-based group with a mission to end hair discrimination) shows that 46% of surveyed parents have children enrolled at UK schools that penalise Afro hairstyles. Meanwhile, in what has been described as a historic breakthrough for cultural equity, the French parliament passed a bill in 2024 that penalises discrimination against “hairstyle, colour, or texture” in France.
Growing up, I associated Wash Day with long wait times at the braiding salon and strangers manhandling my hair before painfully styling it.
Years later in my 20s, I’ve experienced uncouth hairdressers displaying an open disdain for my so-called 4C hair texture–that is, natural Afro hair that grows in a very tightly coiled “Z” shape. Hostile stylists are why I’ve gone solo on most of my haircare rather than enduring anti-Black abuse at salons.I’m certainly not alone; the internet is replete with stories of how non-Black stylists mistreat Black women because of their tightly coiled natural hair texture. Even Black stylists are often guilty of fetishizing looser curl patterns, either by announcing they will not serve so-called 4C hair types at braiding salons, or by making offensive demands that Black women must flat iron their hair before an appointment if they have so-called 4C hair.
I began learning how to care for my natural hair at age 22 when I did the big chop (myself) on Labor Day 2014.
Dig if you will, a picture: a twentysomething Crystal staring in the bathroom mirror, scissors in hand, cutting midback-length Senegalese twists out of my hair. Big chop, complete. I quickly learned that washing natural hair is a vastly different experience than that of my previously chemically straightened hair. Now, as a confident Black woman in my 30s, I’ve entirely reclaimed Wash Day and see it as an opportunity to pamper myself. Wash Day helps me treat my hair with the love and respect it deserves because it’s part of me. Below are my top tips to make your next Wash Day more restorative, because a peaceful beauty regimen is always cause for celebration.
4 Simple Ways to Romanticise & Reclaim Wash Day
Take your time:
When we want something to last, we take our time building it. Same goes for hair and scalp health. Since I prefer to style my hair in protective styles, Wash Day typically involves a knotless braid deinstallation that I do myself. I split my most recent braid removal into two days: seven hours removing my small knotless braids on Day 1 and three hours actually washing my hair on Day 2. While seven hours may sound like a lot, it’s because I’m being gentle in order to retain the precious natural hair I’ve been growing out for years. Rather than hazing ourselves to finish Wash Day all in one day, let’s remember that nothing in nature is rushed and yet everything is accomplished.
TLDR: Be kind to yourself and take your time.Choose your instruments wisely:
Learning what your hair loves (and needs) is just as important as taking your time on Wash Day. Lately, my hair is loving the Pattern Detangling Nectar by Tracee Ellis Ross as a first step. For years, though, I’ve loved Ominira Naturals Extreme Slip Tangle Slayer as a detangling cowash–a pre-shampoo treatment that helps nourish and safely loosen any knots in my hair. The best thing about this product is that it does what it promises to do, but I also like that it’s handmade by UK-based Black beauty founder Janet Davies and her team. My longtime favorite second step is the Shea Moisture Strengthen & Restore Shampoo to clarify my scalp and hair, and lately Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Manfura Oil Intensive Hydration Conditioner as step three. Finally, I like Camille Rose Curl Love Moisture Milk as step four to nourish my two strand twists. If I need to prep my hair for knotless braids, I love Revair’s revolutionary reverse hair dryer; Revair stretches my hair in record time with zero heat damage.
TLDR: Learn your hair porosity and embrace low/no heat options.Entertain yourself:
Confession time: I’ve probably watched Insecure reruns more than even Issa Rae herself. On Wash Day, I’m usually studying the masterful writing and character development playing out between Issa Dee, Molly Carter, Lawrence Walker, et al, on the award-winning HBO MAX hit. When I’m not kiki’ing with Issa, my various Spotify playlists starring Prince, ABBA, and contemporary gospel music help to make my Wash Day fun while I’m removing my braids. As an avid reader, I’ve started leveraging audiobooks as another way to meaningfully pass time during Wash Day. In 2024, Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry, R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface: A Novel, Jessica George’s Maame, and James McBride’s The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store made my Wash Days more memorable.
TLDR: Wash Day should be fun, so dive into your favorite show, music or audiobook to keep it light.Stay hydrated and well-fed:
Because who wants to be hangry when your arms are going numb from meticulously detangling your gorgeous coils and curls?
TLDR: Wash Day, gourmet!