Skin & hair · 30 min
Make wash daya rest
Wash day can be a chore on the list, or it can be the slowest, warmest half hour of the week. Choose the second.
For many people, washing hair is a job: done quickly, standing up, before the hot water runs out. It can be something else. With a little planning, wash day becomes the one half hour in the week where warmth and slowness are the whole point.
The steps
Four small steps,in your own time.
Choose your wash day, and a time when no one will need you for half an hour. Tell anyone who needs telling.
Lay out what you need before you start: a warm towel, a comb, something comfortable to change into.
Wash with warm, not hot, water. Massage your scalp slowly with your fingertips as you go, and rinse for longer than you think you need.
Wrap your hair in the towel, press it gently instead of rubbing, and sit somewhere warm for ten minutes before you do anything else: a cup of something, a window, or your eyes closed.
The reason
Why it helps
Warm water, slow hands and a quiet half hour tell the body it can rest. Pressing rather than rubbing is kinder to the hair, especially when it is curly, fine or fragile. And giving the job a fixed day and a protected time turns it from one more thing on the list into something to look forward to.
A gentle variation
If standing in the shower is hard, wash your hair sitting on a stool and leaning over the bath or a basin, or ask for a hairdresser who visits homes. If your hair needs washing less than once a week, keep the ten warm minutes on the same day anyway.
WE · TRIBE
Try itwith someone.
If you help someone wash their hair, make it their rest too: warm towels, the water tested on your wrist, no hurry, and ten minutes sitting together afterwards. If someone offers to wash yours, say yes.
Try it today
This week, choose your wash day and protect half an hour. Wash with warm water, press your hair dry, and sit somewhere warm for ten minutes after.
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