Kia Marie’s Wash-Day Routine Prioritizes Scalp Health (original) (raw)

By ,a shopping writer for The Cut who covers fashion and beauty. She writes the Cut Shop column "Where Did You Get That?" Her work has also appeared in Byrdie, HuffPost, Brides, and Allure.

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Kia Marie

Kia Marie has perfected her signature ’fro down to the very last product. The influencer and New York native has built a platform on her love for style, sneakers, and, of course, natural hair, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. But confidence in her hair didn’t come easily. Her earliest memories of her hair were traumatic with the pain of detangling, styling, and relaxing her sensitive hair and scalp.

Now she’s focused on hair health and growth. She washes her type-4 hair every two weeks, usually on Sundays (“I like to do it on Sundays so I can take the whole day,” she said), and otherwise has her hair in a protective style. She has a routine that prioritizes a clean scalp for healthier hair and a few staple products she knows will work. Before she starts, she will grab some detangling products from Pattern and Cécred: “I’ll grab any conditioner and use it to detangle and break up parts prior to getting in the shower.” Here’s her wash-day routine.

From left: Photo: Kia MariePhoto: Kia Marie

10 a.m.: I always use a clarifying shampoo. I know that’s controversial, but I’m trying to retain length, and it’s important for hair growth to make sure your scalp is really clean. I was using the Mizani clarifying shampoo, but my hairstylist recommended the K18; they’re both great. A clean scalp means clean hair; you need to start with a clean base so you can start putting that moisture back in. So I’ll use a clarifying shampoo one or two times, and then I’ll use the Mizani moisturizing shampoo. I’ve been using the same products for eight to nine years, but I’ll swap out sometimes.

If I can start detangling my hair right after the shampoo, that’s how I know a shampoo is moisturizing, because sometimes shampoos make your hair feel like straw. I‘m constantly finger-detangling through every step. I make sure my hair is clean, every strand; I get in there and scrub. Washing my hair is a full-body, holistic, sensory experience. It’s how it feels but also smell — if I can still smell the products I used before, my hair is not clean. I keep washing my hair until it feels spongy, I don’t smell any residue, and my scalp feels cool. I also go to the stylist quarterly for a trim and a deep, deep clean. There’s only so much that I can do.

From left: Photo: Kia MariePhoto: Kia Marie

From top: Photo: Kia MariePhoto: Kia Marie

10:50 a.m.: I’ll use a deep conditioner. I haven’t found any on the market better than the Mizani deep conditioner; it has the best slip. It’s a deep conditioner, but you don’t have to keep it in long. Sometimes to detangle, I’ll do a rough pass with the Tangle Teezer. I’ve tried all the brushes, and that one is the best for tightly coiled hair. Washing my hair takes 45 minutes, then I’ll keep my deep conditioner in for 30 minutes; sometimes it ends up being an hour, so I’ll clean the house. Once that’s rinsed out, I’ll go straight into styling. Products are best absorbed when your hair is damp or wet, so I’ll go in with the Mizani Miracle Cream.

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11:20 a.m.: I never used to blow-dry my hair, but I consulted my hairstylist, and when your hair is tightly coiled, it curls into itself, causing fairy knots and tangles. I’m trying to retain length, so I started blow-drying my hair before styling and I’ve noticed more length retention and less breakage, and my wash days are a lot easier because my hair is in a stretched state. I take such great care of my hair, so I haven’t experienced any heat damage. The Mizani Miracle Milk is also a heat protectant. If I don’t have the time, I’ll use the Dyson to blow-dry my hair in 20 minutes, but if I have more time, I’ll use the RevAir because it’s less tension and you’ll still keep the volume.

Clockwise from top left: Photo: Kia MariePhoto: Kia MariePhoto: Kia MariePhoto: Kia Marie

From top: Photo: Kia MariePhoto: Kia MariePhoto: Kia MariePhoto: Kia Marie

11:45 a.m.: For my signature hair routine, I use a foam. I’m trying to maintain my length, and I’ll use the Midnight Mender from Amika on wash days. It’s really lightweight. I’ll also use a foam from the Doux. I used to use cream a lot, but I wanted more definition and hold, so the foam is great and dries quickly, too. Sometimes I’ll mix them in the winter. Then I’ll put perm rods in my hair. They’re not comfortable, but we push through. It takes three hours from start to finish.

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9 p.m.: I have silk pillowcases, a bonnet, and sometimes a scarf as well. I’ll use a silk scarf when I’m doing a pineapple or perm rods, but throughout the week, I’ll use a silk bonnet with my hair in two buns with silk scrunchies.

From left: Photo: Kia MariePhoto: Kia Marie

The next day: I’ll use an oil. I love the Cécred oil to take it out and pick it out. Amika tames flyaways. They’re all silicone-based, so you have to make sure to clarify when you shampoo. I try to stretch my hair as long as possible before I do a retwist. So I’ll do the same perm-rod routine maybe once or twice between wash days.

On hair care and confidence:
I was a very active child. I played sports and I used to swim, so on top of getting a relaxer, my hair was extremely damaged. I remember going to the hairdresser, who said it was extremely damaged and needed to be cut off. As a 12-year-old Black girl, length is everything. To hear it was going to be cut was traumatizing. I had a bowl cut at 12 years old. I still have the picture as a reminder not to get down on myself. What would she want to hear right now? So that was a really pivotal moment for me. I associate a lot of that era of coming into myself with my hair and how that affected me. I learned really early how hair played a major role in your confidence, and it shifted how I approach my hair.

On hair types:
I think your porosity and hair-strand thickness matter more than your hair type. My hairstylist is more concerned with porosity. Your hair goes through different cycles. I dye my hair sometimes, and my hair is more low porosity, but my strands are very fine, even though my hair is dense. If I use too many heavy products, it’s going to weigh my hair down. Visually, hair typing is important because of representation; you want to find someone who has a similar texture to you, but the science behind your hair also plays a role.

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