[Series] Mission Possible: Endeavoring to De-bulk My Natural Hair Wash and Go

Alright, family, I’m on a mission. A hair mission. I am going to find a way to get a de-bulked wash and go on my natural, dense, cottony hair.

I know it’s possible: I achieved it before, which is the reason I was able to create the post “Hair Gain #2: My Wash and Go Mastered!!! The Process, the Tools, the Products.” Also, a stylist of mine achieved it TWICE. I’m just having a challenge at the moment with reproducing it. That’s why I decided to give myself a month to recreate it and have decided to blog about in a dedicated series of blog posts.

Achieving It Once Before

Wng: SM hip masque, SM Manuka Honey LI, BB gel

Wng: SM hip masque, SM Manuka Honey LI, BB gel

Wng: SM hip masque, SM Manuka Honey LI, BB gel

Above are pictures of my favorite de-bulked wash and go. For some reason, I only have sparse notes about it. I am usually VERY detailed, and I don’t know WHY I don’t have a ton of details about what I did the day I created that wash and go! My notes say the following:

1. Finger detangled and cowashed: Shea Moisture High Porosity Moisture-seal Masque
2. Leave-in: Shea Moisture Manuka Honey Leave-in
3. Gel: Bronner Brothers Firm Hold Curling Gel (HG!!!)
4. Styling: Let gelled hair completely air dry, then elongate the wng via tension blow drying

I have tried repeating this, with the one exception of the leave-in: I’ve actually been leaving out the leave-in. 🙂 Why? Because Black Castor and Flaxseed Oil Eco Style Gel was working very well without a leave-in beneath it. In fact leave-in was interfering with that gel’s normally great performance on my hair. That lead me to adopt the stance, “no leave-in.” But maybe with the Bronner Brothers Firm Hold Curl Gel, the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey Leave-in makes all the difference on my hair??? I’ll see.

Other De-bulking Strategies on the Table

One of the reasons I’ve started this series of posts is to keep track of all of the de-bulking strategies/products I’m encountering. I’m kind of surprised that such techniques are not that easy to find. Whenever I search for “reduced volume natural hair wash and go” or “reduce bulk in wash and go” or the like, it almost always yields results like, “How to get more volume out of your wash and go.” It turns out that most naturals want more volume. 🙂

I admit I thought I’d have more company in my desire to de-bulk my wash and go. After all, many of us naturals are newly natural, meaning, we wore relatively sleek/flat relaxed hair for years before going natural. I’ll admit I feel a little different and self-conscious now that I’ve learned that most folks want volume when I want less volume and bulk (and more elongation).

I can hear the natural hair guiltmongers now: “You just want elongation and less bulk/volume because you don’t love yourself and want to have a white person’s hair.” No: It’s simply that when I compare my face (1) WITHOUT having hair to frame it versus (2) my face WITH having hair to frame it, I like the way my face looks when framed more closely. That’s it. That is all. I do indeed like textured hair. I don’t need Type 1 hair. Just Type 4 hair that frames my face more closely. That is all. Nothing more to read into it. 🙂

With that established, here are some de-bulking strategies I’ve come across so far:

The Tunnel Cut (Is This a Drastic Act?)

The creator of the Curl Keeper hair products brand, Jonathan Torch, has developed a method of strategically cutting “tunnels” into the hair to de-bulk it. Drastic? LOL. Maybe! The comments beneath the videos indicate that this tactic concerns people. What’s your opinion?

Technique: Adding Foam into the Mix

Someone commenting on one of the Tunnel Cut videos reasoned that a de-bulked wash and go did not necessitate a cut but instead could be achieved with product and technique. I did come acrosss a few videos that showed naturalistas adding foam into the mix, resulting in more elongated (and less voluminous) wash and go’s. I might give it a try since foam definitely elongates my hair when I first apply it.

The video below demonstrates a Day 1 wash and go that is low-volume. Her hair’s volume did increase on later days. The Youtuber applied:

1. Design Essentials Deep Moisture Milk Souffle
2. Lotta Body Curl & Style Milk
3. Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel
4. and Lotta Body Foaming Mousse

I saw a few other wash and go videos that included foam. Some applied the foam before the gel, and some applied the foam after the gel. Interesting! Would you try one of these techniques or something similar?

Below are a few techniques or products I’m considering.

Technique: Banding Wet Hair

Banding in this way seems like it could work! Have you done a successful, banded wash and go? If so, what were the results? Any tips?

Product: Urbanbella Cre’Gel

I spoke with the brand creator. I am excited to try this line, especially the Cre’Gel. 🙂 It gets amazing reviews at the Urbanbella website.

Product: Hairizon You Go Curl! Aloe Gel

The reviews at the Hairizon website are great. I’m excited to try this gel.

Your Thoughts?

If you desire, have you found a way to de-bulk your wash and go? Do you have ideas or tips? Please share in the comments! As always, thank you for visiting the blog, and many blessings!