Wash day doesn't have to take all day. After 20 years of caring for locs, I can tell you that most long wash days come down to three things: not being prepared, hair getting in the way, and rinsing that isn't thorough enough.

This is the exact routine I suggest to my client when they want to take care of their own hair at home, broken into simple steps you can follow. Set up once, move in order, and your wash and retwist will go faster, and your locs will be cleaner and healthier for it.

Before You Start: Set Yourself Up

The easiest wash days start before the water is even on.

• Use your tools. The more you use them, the easier wash day becomes.
• Keep everything within reach. Line up your products and supplies so you never have to stop and search.
• Put on a movie or podcast. It keeps you settled and focused, the same way an iPad keeps a wiggly child still.
• Grab your hair ties. Keeping loose locs out of the section you're working on is one of the biggest time savers. Hair in the way is a major reason retwists take longer than they should.
• Gather three towels: two large towels and one hand towel. Microfiber towels are best because they keep lint out of your locs.
• Have your extras ready: a set of silver clips, a plastic cap if you plan to deep condition, and wrap styling strips if you like to lay your edges.

Step 1: Pre-Cleanse (If You Need It)

Reach for the Dr Locs Pre-Cleanse when you have buildup or flakes, or when your hair has picked up odors like smoke from wherever you've been.

1. Spray your roots and scalp well, especially anywhere you see flakes.
2. Spray up and down the length of each loc.
3. Rinse, and repeat as many times as you need.

When you're done, your hair should smell like water, which means it smells like nothing at all. That's how you know your locs have been neutralized and are ready to shampoo.

Step 2: Shampoo With Yasin Shampoo

Yasin Shampoo is the foundation of every wash day.

• Start small. You don't need much shampoo on the first round, because your hair is still getting acclimated to the water.
• Wash at least twice. I usually wash three times.
• Wash the locs, not just the scalp. Many people shampoo only the top of their head. Work the shampoo down each loc like you're washing clothes.
• Rinse very, very well. Leftover shampoo is one of the most common problems I see.

Pay extra attention to the back and the tips. If you wash in the shower, the suds and dirt from the top of your head travel down your locs and settle at the ends. Rinse the back of your head and the bottom of every loc until the water runs clear.

Step 3: Clarify With Sweet Peppermint (If Needed)

If you haven't clarified in a while, or your hair has felt dry even though you've been using your moisture mix, it's time for the Sweet Peppermint Clarifying Shampoo.

It lifts away the oils and particles that block new moisture from getting into your locs. Clarifying clears the path. Use it once or twice, then rinse thoroughly.

Step 4: Condition With Amla Extract Conditioner

After all the shampoo is rinsed out, apply the Amla Extract Conditioner to your scalp, roots, and the full length of your locs. Use as much as you need.

My tip: Leave the conditioner in while you wash your body, then rinse it out. That gives it a few extra minutes to work.

Deep conditioning option: Cover your hair with a plastic cap (large sizes are available online) and sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Then rinse very, very well.

Step 5: Towel Dry in Stages

This is where your three towels come in.

1. Towel 1: Wrap your locs in a large towel and twist the towel to wring out as much water as possible.
2. Towel 2: Move to wherever you'll do your hair, set the soaked first towel aside, and wring your locs again with the second large towel. Repeat whenever you need to, because your scalp will dry before your ends do.
3. Hand towel: Drape it around your neck and over your back. This is the towel you'll clip your locs onto while you retwist.

Step 6: Moisturize and Retwist, Row by Row

1. Spray Jinan Moisture Mix or Island Breeze Moisture Mix all over your hair.
2. Put your hair up in two pigtails or a top bun to keep it out of the way.
3. Take down one row at the back. Spray your moisture mix and Imani Locking Spray up and down each loc in that row.
4. Retwist or interlock each loc, then clip it down onto the towel. Place the clip toward the middle or top of the loc.
5. Repeat on every row until your whole head is done.

Twist away from your scalp. As you twist, move your hand away from your head so the loc lies straight on your scalp or on the towel. Twisting in the same spot winds the loc into a tight coil at the root, and that causes breakage.

You may have seen the trend online of twisting very tight so you can skip the clips. Over time, that slowly breaks your locs. Use the clips.

• Starter locs: Twist from the root all the way to the end, and double clip. Your hair is still developing and needs the extra support.
• Mature locs: You'll usually only need to retwist the root and a few inches past it.

Step 7: Dry

1. Sit under the dryer for about 25 minutes to dry the top of your hair. If you like, place wrap styling strips around the perimeter of your hair to lay your edges while you dry.
2. Remove the clips and put your hair in two pigtails so the back and the ends can dry. Keep every retwist intact.
3. Dry for about 25 more minutes.

Retwisting works like a roller set: however the hair dries is how it will look. To check whether you're dry, pinch a loc. If water comes out, you need more time.

Step 8: Seal With Yaya Oil

Take your hair down. Rub a little Yaya Oil between your fingertips and apply it up and down your scalp and your locs to seal in the moisture.

That's it. You're done. Go back to your moisture mix in a day or two.

Wash Day FAQs

Why do my locs still smell after I wash them?
The most common cause is shampoo and dirt left behind, especially in the back and at the tips. Suds from the top of your head run down your locs and settle at the ends. Rinse those areas until the water runs clear. If odor from smoke or your environment is trapped in your hair, start with the Dr Locs Pre-Cleanse before you shampoo.

Why are my locs dry even though I use a moisture mix?
Oils and particles can build up and block new moisture from getting in. Clarify with the Sweet Peppermint Clarifying Shampoo to clear the path, then follow with the Amla Extract Conditioner.

Can I twist my locs tight so I don't need clips?
I don't recommend it. Twisting tight enough to skip clips winds the loc into a coil at the root, and over time that causes breakage. Twist away from your scalp and clip each loc down instead.

How do I know my locs are completely dry?
Pinch a loc. If any water comes out, keep drying.

How long should I deep condition?
Sit with the Amla Extract Conditioner under a plastic cap for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

Get Everything You Need in One Set

The easiest way to make wash day simple is to have the whole routine ready to go. The Founder's Favorites set includes the exact products I use on clients every day in the salon: Yasin Shampoo, Amla Extract Conditioner, your choice of moisture mix, Imani Locking Spray, and Yaya Oil.

• Shop Founder's Favorites: Jinan Edition
• Shop Founder's Favorites: Island Breeze Edition

Dealing with buildup or flakes? Start with the Dr Locs Detox System, which pairs the Dr Locs Pre-Cleanse with Yasin Shampoo.

xoxo Chimere Faulk, Dr Locs Founder