Washing Hair In Sections - The Secret Sauce To Happy Hair

Hands up if you don’t particularly enjoy washing your hair?

I don’t know maybe I’m alone in this one but quite honestly I don’t enjoy having to wash my hair. Not just because of the time it takes to do it but also because it can be a nightmare trying to make sense of what’s going on as the hairs start to tangle around each other.

When I was younger it was common to get my hair washed on a Sunday ready for school on Monday.

My mum would take down my hair and begin the gruelling process of trying to detangle and make sure my hair was clean at the same time.

It would take hours to get through the whole process not to mention the pain of having to comb the hair too.

As I grew up and fell into my natural hair journey I discovered washing hair in sections.

Something I had never heard of before.

If you don’t know about washing your hair in sections yet or why you should then you need to keep reading.

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What Is Washing Your Hair In Sections?

Section washing is simply when you separate your hair into smaller more manageable sections before you begin to wash it.

You would basically wash each section of hair one at a time until you have completed all the sections.

What Are The Benefits Of Washing Hair This Way?

Washing your hair in sections is incredible. I don’t want to be overdramatic here but it is game-changing for those of us with natural hair.

It is especially beneficial if you have very thick or tightly coiled natural hair.

- Washing your hair in this way is much quicker than regular “free washing” when all your hair is out and free because it’s easier to concentrate on each section as it is smaller and therefore easier to deal with.
- You will likely use less shampoo and conditioner as its easier to attain full coverage of the product.

- There are fewer tangles when you finish because once you have washed it you twist it back again meaning that it can not tangle on itself all over again.
- Smaller sections are easier to detangle
- Your hair will likely be cleaner as you can pay better attention to a smaller section rather than a larger one.
- You have better access to your scalp washing this way.
- You will probably have less breakage too as you can be more patient with smaller sections.

How To Wash Your Hair In Sections

Washing your hair in sections is fairly easy. I like to start before I even get in the shower although I know some people start once they are already in the shower. You should do whichever works easiest for you.

Firstly lightly spritz your whole hair with water.

Next, take a section of hair. You can just grab a section or part it if you think that works better for you.

Begin by twisting each section of hair one at a time.

Depending on the thickness of your hair you can do roughly 6 sections. (I find 6 sections a happy medium for me)

Get into the shower and undo your first section of hair.

Wash the first section of hair as you usually would when washing your hair.

Once done with that section you can twist it back up and keep the section out of your way using duck clips like these (I love duck clips!)

Next, move onto the next section until you are done all the way around.

It’s as easy as that!

A few things to take note of

Washing your hair in sections works best on medium to long hair. If your hair is very short it could get a little confusing trying to keep the sections apart.

It may be more helpful when you start washing to wash the first section with shampoo and then move onto the next before adding conditioner and rinsing. It can get pretty confusing in the shower especially if you don’t have a mirror to see what you are doing. Once the product starts dripping it could interfere with sections that have already been shampooed and conditioned.

You want to have a good number of sections of hair don’t have too many sections but make sure you have enough to enable you to have a thorough wash.

Can I Wash My Hair With Braids?

Yes, you can use the same method using braids if you find it easier than twists because they come undone easily.

Just bear in mind that braids can take longer to undo than twists which could mean that little bit of extra time in the shower.

If your twists are coming undone then I would highly recommend you do use duck clips to keep the sections separate

Duck clips are really cheap to purchase and they take the hard work out of having to keep your head bent in an awkward position to stop the sections getting messed up.

Final Thoughts On Washing Your Hair In Sections

Washing your hair this way really can make wash day so much easier. If you haven’t already tried washing your hair this way you really need to give it a shot. It’s a great way to get your hair and scalp very well cleansed as well as get you out of the shower asap.

Let be real, ain’t nobody got time to spend the whole day washing hair!

Let me know how you get on.