How to Wash Grey 4C Hair Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Edges)

 

Step 1: Stare in the Mirror and Pretend You’re Not About to Work Out

Because, let’s be real, wash day is cardio. Tie on that headscarf like a sweatband and stretch those arms. You’re about to shampoo like you’re rowing across the Atlantic.

Step 2: Detangle Before the Chaos

Grab your wide-tooth comb or detangling brush. Start at the ends and work your way up. You’ll find hair clips, maybe a bobby pin from 2009, and possibly your patience. Remove them gently.

Step 3: Pre-Poo Like You’re Marinating Steak

Massage your scalp with warm oil (olive, coconut, or that fancy blend you bought during a midnight TikTok binge). Let it sit so your hair can soften and you can feel like you’re doing something luxurious even if you’re wearing old pajamas.

Step 4: Shampoo Without Turning Into a Human Cotton Ball

Use a sulfate-free shampoo and focus on your scalp. Work in sections, because grey 4C hair does not respond well to chaos. Think “organized wash day,” not “emotional breakdown.”

Step 5: Condition Like Your Hair is a VIP

Slather on a thick, creamy conditioner. Grey hair can be more coarse, so it deserves nothing less than spa treatment. Clip each section up so it can marinate in peace while you scroll Instagram.

Step 6: Rinse Without Losing a Section

Rinse thoroughly. This is where you discover which section of hair was secretly plotting to tangle again. Gently coax it into obedience with your fingers.

Step 7: Moisturize Like Rent is Due

Apply a leave-in conditioner or cream. Seal it with an oil because moisture and grey hair have a toxic ex situation — they always try to leave, so you have to lock them in.

Step 8: Style… or Just Put on a Head Wrap and Lie Down

Twists, braids, Bantu knots; go wild. Or don’t. You survived wash day. That’s enough.