If you know me or know anything about me, you know that my hair has become a major accessory. You also know that my #iwokeuplikedis game has become oh so strong. I didn't really notice until yesterday how much my hair has already grown. I don't really do length checks... I just really know my hair. So when I took down my twist out I noticed a significant weight change. When you have a head as big as mine, you notice even the slightest change. So I did what any normal natural did and I pulled my selfies for the last month and a half.

The picture on the left was taken in 7/23/2015 and the picture on the right was taken almost 8 weeks ago. At first glance you wouldn't notice the difference; but then I realized one very important detail on both pictures. My curl pattern YAAASS!! I still have the same heart shape, It's still very full.  But my curl pattern on the right is almost non-existent. The texture on the left is from a bad wash n' go that didn't dry the way I wanted it to.  I don't usually get this amount of growth in such a short time, so I had to immediately assess the situation.

I am definitely what some may call a "lazy natural". So trying to figure out what I changed in my regimen was easy because I don't really have one. I make nearly all of the products that I put into my hair, so I know it had to be the routine. About 8 weeks ago I colored my hair, just to get a change in look for the summer. And the second I did that my paranoia set in. I was scouring the internet  for extra tips on how to care for color treated natural hair. Needless to say I didn't find anything that I didn't already know. But then Periscope happened and I caught a scope from Gwen, @naturalicious, from Naturalicious.net and I asked her if she had any suggestions on how to combat fairy knots. Her solution was hot oil treatments. DUH!! I don't know why I didn't think of that. Back when I actually stuck to a regimen, hot oil treatments were a major factor. I would cover my hair in olive oil and then steam in the shower at least twice a week. So for this summer, and with this unusually humid LA weather, I decided to do hot oil treatments every three days. Everything Gwen said would happen, did happen. NO MORE FAIRY KNOTS!! YAAASSS!! Doing them So frequently also practically eliminated frizz and gave my curls the light.

But Des... Why every three days?

After my frantic internet search and my heaven sent encounter with Gwen... Naptural85 dropped her video : My Natural Hair Growth Plan & Theory  and it all made sense. In her video she talks about her theory of why girls with straighter or wavier hair get more growth. She made a really great point. Girls with straighter tend to wash their hair more often if not every day. Oils travel down the shaft of straighter and wavier textures more easily, making their hair naturally more oilier thus naturally preventing breakage and knots. We kinkier more curlier girls like to hoard the oils of our hair in order to retain moisture and prevent reversion our curls. Thus preserving our style not necessarily our hair. So when she came up with the plan to co-wash every three days, my brain said "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!"  I thought about my pregnancy days in Fresno. Summertime in Fresno was unbearable for this Inglewood-10-minutes-from-the-beach girl and being pregnant only made it worse. The only comfort I found was in my shower. Yes, everyday nearly 4 times a day i was in the shower running luke warm almost cold water run through my hair and it felt GREAT!! So that where the every three days comes in. I've committed to co-washing every three days. And since I'm  co-washing so much, I need to replenish the oils in my hair and scalp more often. Genius right?!?

Since that last wash and go went south, I've been protesting the entire wash and go movement.  The deconstruction of a tangled wash and go is by far the most tedious process... especially without a comb. To prevent tangles and more breakage I have only been wearing twist-outs.  By the third day, my hair is so stretched out that it makes detangling a breeze. And from previous experiences I have realized that I retain the most length from wearing stretched styles.

So how have I been keeping my sanity with this three day cycle? Naptural85's 25 minute co-wash and her latest twist-out routine that's how. The  shorter your hair the easier her method is and with the help of my bonnet hair dryer, I'm done in no time.

I realize now that I have inadvertently created a summer routine. I've stuck to it and it works for me. Give it a try for a couple weeks and let me know how it works for you.