I've been asked this question a million times, "Alanna, should I wash my hair before I put it in? How do I prep it for the install? What do I do to it when I first get it?" I am going to give you an outline of how I prep my hair, both new and old, for an install.
You will need:
*a basin (a bucket can work, or even just your kitchen sink with the stopper in it; it just has to be able to hold water)
*shampoo + conditioner
*leave in conditioner
*a wide tooth comb [optional]
*a large plastic bag (storage zip lock bag OR a plastic shopping bag) [optional]
2. Fill the basin halfway with lukewarm water and submerge your hair (I would recommend removing the rubber bands first, but it's totally optional)
3. Let the hair sit in the basin for about 1 minute. Then you want to pick up each bundle, one at a time and "swish" or "dunk" it in and out of the water a few times. This is the gentle alternative to scrubbing your hair clean!
4. Pour the water out of the basin and rise the hair thoroughly with lukewarm water. Make sure you remove ALL traces of shampoo from the hair.
5. Squeeze out the excess water and apply a generous amount of conditioner to each bundle, working the conditioner throughout the hair with your fingers. Take a wide tooth comb and comb through from the ends up to the weft.
6. After all hair is thoroughly drenched in conditioner, you can either:
(1) Let the hair sit in the basin uncovered for an hour
(2) Seal it in a large plastic bag (squeeze out excess air) and let it sit for 30 minutes
(3) *My Fav* Seal it in a large plastic bag (squeeze out excess air) and microwave for 1 minute, remove the bag and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
7. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Squeeze out excess water, apply your fav leave in conditioner & let air dry!
Try it out and let me know which conditioner method you like best!
