אחרי שאני שוטפת את הידיים, אני שמה קרם ואז מסדרת את השיער.

Because אחרי is followed here by a whole clause: after I wash my hands.

In Hebrew, a very common pattern is:

אחרי ש... = after ...

So:

• אחרי שאני שוטפת... = after I wash / after I’m washing...

The ש here is a connector, roughly like that/when in English, though in this sentence it is best understood as part of the structure after I ....

You will also see shorter versions such as:

• אחרי ששטפתי את הידיים... = after I washed my hands...

That version sounds more like one completed event, while אחרי שאני שוטפת... works very naturally for a routine or repeated sequence.

Because the speaker is female.

In Hebrew present tense, verbs agree with gender and number. These forms are feminine singular:

• שוטפת = washing
• שמה = putting
• מסדרת = arranging/fixing

If the speaker were male, the sentence would be:

אחרי שאני שוטף את הידיים, אני שם קרם ואז מסדר את השיער.

So this sentence tells you something about the speaker: she is feminine singular.

Because Hebrew often uses the present tense to describe:

• routines
• habits
• usual sequences
• instructions or everyday actions

So this sentence sounds like a description of what the speaker normally does.

English does this too in some situations:

• After I wash my hands, I put on cream and then fix my hair.

If you wanted to describe one specific time in the past, Hebrew would usually switch to past forms, for example:

• אחרי ששטפתי את הידיים, שמתי קרם ואז סידרתי את השיער.

Because את marks a definite direct object.

You use את before a direct object that is definite, such as something with ה־ (the) or a possessive.

So:

• את הידיים = the hands → definite
• את השיער = the hair → definite

But:

• קרם = cream → indefinite here, so no את

If you made it definite, you would use את:

• אני שמה את הקרם = I put on the cream

A useful rule:

• definite object → usually את
• indefinite object → usually no את

Hebrew often uses the with body parts when it is obvious whose body is being talked about.

So Hebrew naturally says things like:

• שוטפת את הידיים = literally wash the hands
• מסדרת את השיער = literally arrange the hair

But the meaning is clearly my hands and my hair, because the speaker is talking about herself.

You can say:

• את הידיים שלי
• את השיער שלי

but that usually adds emphasis or sounds less neutral in simple everyday sentences like this.

Yes. לשטוף is very natural for washing/rinsing things like:

• hands
• dishes
• fruit
• floors

So שוטפת את הידיים is a very normal way to say wash my hands.

Another verb you may know is לרחוץ. That can also mean to wash/bathe, but לשטוף is especially common for this kind of everyday action.

So in this sentence, שוטפת is a very natural choice.

Not necessarily. לסדר basically means to arrange, to put in order, or to fix/tidy.

With hair, מסדרת את השיער can mean things like:

• fixing my hair
• arranging my hair
• doing my hair
• tidying my hair

It is broader than combing.

If you want to say specifically combing my hair, Hebrew often uses:

• מסרקת את השיער or מסרקת את השיער שלי

So מסדרת את השיער is more general: making the hair look right.

ואז means and then.

It links the next action in the sequence:

• first wash hands
• then put on cream
• then fix hair

A very common alternative is:

• ואחר כך = and afterward / and then

So both of these work:

• אני שמה קרם ואז מסדרת את השיער
• אני שמה קרם ואחר כך מסדרת את השיער

ואז often feels a bit more direct and step-by-step, while אחר כך can feel a bit more like afterward.

Sometimes yes, but not always.

In Hebrew, subject pronouns are often included in the present tense because the verb form may not clearly show the person. For example, שמה can mean:

• I put (if the speaker is female)
• you put (to a female)
• she puts

So אני helps make the subject clear.

In this sentence, repeating אני is perfectly natural:

• אחרי שאני שוטפת את הידיים, אני שמה קרם...

In casual speech, the second אני can sometimes be dropped if the subject is obviously the same:

• אחרי שאני שוטפת את הידיים, שמה קרם ואז מסדרת את השיער.

That sounds more conversational, but the full version is clearer for learners and very normal.

ידיים is the form for two hands. Hebrew has an old dual ending ־יים, which is still common with body parts and things that naturally come in pairs.

Examples:

• יד = hand
• ידיים = hands
• עין = eye
• עיניים = eyes
• רגל = leg/foot
• רגליים = legs

So הידיים means the hands.

Even though modern Hebrew often treats these as ordinary plural words in practice, the ־יים ending is something learners notice a lot.

In Hebrew, שיער usually works as a collective noun, like hair in English.

So:

• השיער = the hair

If you want to talk about individual hairs, Hebrew usually uses:

• שערה = a hair
• שערות = hairs

So in this sentence:

• מסדרת את השיער = fixing/arranging the hair as a whole

That is the normal choice.

Yes. The original sentence is already good and natural, but everyday Hebrew often allows a few variations.

For example:

• אחרי שאני שוטפת ידיים, אני שמה קרם ואז מסדרת את השיער.
• אחרי שאני שוטפת את הידיים, שמה קרם ואז מסדרת את השיער.
• אחרי ששטפתי את הידיים, אני שמה קרם ואז מסדרת את השיער.
  (this slightly shifts the feel)

A few notes:

• Keeping את הידיים is very standard.
• Dropping the second אני is common in speech.
• שוטפת ידיים without את also exists colloquially, especially in fast everyday speech, though שוטפת את הידיים is fuller and clearer.

So the sentence you were given is a solid, natural learner-friendly version.