Wash day - Prepoo

The prepoo step is one of those steps that most of us do not include in our wash day routine, but there are some naturals that would never skip this step, why?, What benefits does a prepoo have? Lets see...

First it is important to note that there are different ways to prepoo but the most popular ways are (1) Oil prepoo and (2) Conditioner prepoo. Both are self explanatory, but it is believed that an oil prepoo is better than a conditioner prepoo, I will link a video below explaining why that is. So what is the point of a prepoo?

The main objective is to add extra oils and/or moisture to the hair before shampooing so that the shampoo does not leave the hair feeling very stripped of it's natural oils, so essentially the prepoo acts as a protective barrier on your hair strands.

With regards to whether a prepoo is necessary or not, it really depends on a few things including how dry your hair is on a wash day, what kind of shampoo you use and how dirty your hair is. Remember that since the prepoo acts as a barrier on your hair, if your hair is really dirty then the prepoo will prevent you from being able to really cleanse it properly. It also depends on whether you detangle your hair before washing it or not, if you detangle before washing, then a prepoo will make your detangling process a lot easier and also prevent breakage in a large way.

To prepoo, all you need to do is to apply a very generous amount of any penetrative oil of your choice on all your hair, then cover your hair with a plastic bag or shower cap for about 20-30 minutes then you will be ready to shampoo, or you can leave the prepoo overnight.

I personally only prepoo my hair if I know I will be using a harsh shampoo, otherwise I don't and my hair feels just fine after I shampoo. So if you don't have time to prepoo during your washday, it is not a train smash if you will be using a good shampoo that will not harshly strip your hair.

PS: Some penetrative oils are coconut oil (fights split ends), olive oil (softens hair) and avocado oil (strengthen the hair).                                                                   There are store bought pre-poos that you can buy if you want.

https://youtu.be/jgM0fVXfvH4 ( Oil vs Conditioner )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqZnPvzv4gQ (Aloe vera prepoo)

By Misimiswa Magoro