Why You Should Pre-poo Before Washing Your Hair

What is pre-pooing

Applying a conditioning or oil treatment before shampooing to add moisture to relaxed or natural hair. The conditioning treatment will be rinsed out, but it provides some protection to strands prior to the manipulation of cleansing.

Natural oils or a conditioner can be used as a pre-poo. Or a homemade conditioning cocktail can be made by mixing together favorite natural oils, conditioners, and ingredients found in the kitchen like honey, yogurt, avocado, or coconut milk.


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Benefits of pre-pooing

• Helps with detangling before cleansing/shampooing
• Can soften dirt and residue on the hair helping them to wash away easier during cleansing
• Eliminates the squeaky clean feeling by preventing shampoos from stripping hair of all moisture

Why I pre-poo

I hadn't heard about pre-pooing until I began my healthy hair journey and was researching tips on blogs and vlogs. When I first started pre-pooing I was using natural oils like olive oil and rinse out conditioners by either applying them separately or mixing them together and applying the mix to my hair.

Since I started pre-pooing I've kept it a key step in my wash day. The few times I haven't pre-pooed I've noticed a difference in how my hair reacts and feels during cleansing and afterward. When I pre-poo I'm able to fully detangle my relaxed hair, it feels more moisturized during and after cleansing and keeps that feeling longer between my wash days.

Products I use to pre-poo

I typically pre-poo each time I wash my hair. It doesn't matter if I'm co-washing or using shampoo. Typically the only time I don't pre-poo is when I'm doing a quick wash. Here are the products I currently use to pre-poo my relaxed hair

• Oil mix of sunflower oil, olive oil, and tea tree oil
• Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi Deep Conditioner
• Suave Professionals Natural Infusions with Macadamia Oil & White Orchid Moisturizing Conditioner

Here are some products I've used in the past as a pre-poo

• Coconut oil
• L'Oreal Paris Ceramide Total Repair 5 Restoring Conditioner
• Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner 

There have been a few times where I kept the product on overnight, but most times I pre-poo for an hour or so and may sit under my hooded dryer or use my Hot Head Microwavable Deep Conditioning Cap to get the most from the pre-poo.