What is pre-poo? And why you might need it.

“Pre-poo” or a “pre-shampoo” is something I do before shampooing or clay washing my hair. This step has become a stable part of my wash-day routine and has become a game-changer.

What does pre-poo do? Well, pre-pooing helps me fully detangle my hair before the shampoo process. When I shampoo I prefer to work in sections and make sure the shampoo is not only on my scalp but also the length of my hair, because of the heavy products I tend to use. And that’s easier to do when my hair is fully detangled. Honestly, everything is easier to do with fully detangled natural hair lol. During the shampoo process we tend to tangle our hair, due to the massaging or scrubbing we do to our scalp, pre-pooing allows me to reduce the amount of manipulation and shedding I normally would get if I was to shampoo on old week hair.

Pre-pooing is a great way for returning some moisture into my hair after a long week. In the past, before knowing about pre-pooing, I would soak my hair in warm water then begin my shampooing process. And for some people that works perfectly fine, but for me it dried out my hair so much! I’ve noticed this more when I become fully natural. Even when I would use a shampoo I considered “moisturizing”, it still left a drying effect on my hair. My hair strands would be left stringy and have a weird squeaky effect. Then I would use a pre-poo before and use that same shampoo and the results would be completely different.

An example, of when a pre-poo could also be super helpful is after a long protective style. After taking them down your hair might be a little dry and have lots of shedding that needs to be removed. A pre-poo would be able to easily detangle and get out all the shedding before you go in and cleanse out the buildup from that style.

I’ve also noticed that pre-pooing is a perfect step for a scalp massage. Due to the slip from a pre-poo, it's a perfect time to help soften and lift buildup from your scalp, so when it's time to shampoo you can be more focused on cleansing to get rid of the already softened buildup.

I tend to only shampoo once during my washday, I’ve noticed if I do more than that it dries my hair out. But, because I’ve pre-pooed first, a lot of the buildup from my hair strands wash out after washing out the pre-poo! So I don’t need to shampoo twice.

Here are some different types of pre-poo’s I've tried and loved! I chose pre-poo’s based on the condition of my hair and what it seems it needs. There are probably a ton more different types of pre-poo out there, these are just ones I've tried out:

• African Pride Moisture Miracle Aloe & Coconut Water Pre-Shampoo (MY NUMBER FAVVV!!)

• D.I.Y Flaxseed Gel (Recommend watching Naptural85 Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os0gI1vx1tw )

• Aloe Vera Gel

• A conditioner with lots of slip (My fav is: Ancient Egyptian Anti-Breakage & Repair Antidote Conditioner)

• Hot oil treatment (don't underestimate the power of a great hot oil treatment, I used to lol)

I hope this has given you a good idea about what a pre-poo is and ways it can help. But, of course, do what works best for your hair! I would give a pre-poo a try and if you end up benefiting from it, add it to your routine. And if not, continue to do what works best for you.

Here's some love from y'all from my Instagram! 💗💗

If you have any recommendations, share them in comments!!

Also should I make a DIY section on my blog?

Thank you for reading, love yall!!

xoxo whynotgonatural