Pre-Pooing 101

So in the beginning of my hair journey I was doing a lot of research online, reading different articles and blogs.  I noticed that many of the HHJ bloggers had pre-pooing as the first step in their wash day regimen.  Pre-pooing simply means pre shampoo treatment.  I have decided to incorporate this into my regimen as well.  One question that I some how neglected to find the answer to is: 

 "Why Pre-poo?" 

I just thought hey it's working for these ladies I'm just going to jump on the band wagon.  But I never bothered to figure out why they are doing this? Why does it work? What is it's purpose?  I just assumed it was another way to add moisutre to the hair; extra conditioning. Often times conditioners and sometimes oils are used to pre-poo. But I started wondering, if we are pre-moisturizng our hair prior to shampooing, then why are we washing it right back out just to deep condition again right after?  On search for my answer I found this awesome article explaining pre-pooing and it's benefits.

The Benefits of Pre-pooing

Pre-pooing is basically done to protect the hair from the harsh process of shampooing which basically strips moisture from your hair.  The main purpose of shampooing is to cleanse the scalp.  Pre-pooing adds a barrier of protection as well as an added benefit of conditioning.

This is a great article, and it has even enlightened me to some mistakes I have been making . On my last wash day, I pre-pooed overnight with a conditioner.  (Actually I was DC-ing after my wash) This is a NO-NO! Thats why my hair felt too soft and kind of gummy the next day and I ended up correcting with a protein treatment.  You should also never prepoo overnight with a protein based conditioner as well.  Lesson learned!

Andrea :)