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The Benefits of Washing Your Hair Infrequently

Jambalaya

Ideal_Rock
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I have fine, wild, curly, whorly, ultra-frizzy dry hair in its natural state. Curly hair doesn't have the oil travel down the lengths so it's often dry.

I noticed my curls were more separated and my hair less frizzy a few days a few days after I'd washed it. I decided to string the time out between washes, and I wanted to post about this because it is the BEST thing I have ever done for my hair, bar nothing.

I don't believe the hype about never washing your hair and that it eventually cleans itself, etc. Experts say that your scalp needs washing and you should never go for more than 14 days.

I currently wash mine about every five days - and on the 4th and 5th days, and sometimes on the 3rd, I do use a squirt of Batiste on the roots. I couldn't do it otherwise.

When I wash now, the new growth - the part that has only been washed every 5 days or so in its whole life of six months or so - shimmers like glass, and feels like velvet. I have never found any conditioner or hair mask that even comes close to the magic worked by those natural oils - and believe me, I'm the opposite of vegan when it comes to cosmetics.

And because the roots are in such good condition, the hair seems to fall better. The rest of my hair is also benefiting from less heat styling.

Anyway, just wanted to post the tip that, for me, less frequent washing has made a dramatic difference to m hair. When I do wash it, I do a deep-conditioning treatment, and just recently started an Olaplex treatment, too. Then I blow-dry it and afterwards finish it off with styling. Sometimes I curl it using a hot brush, and sometimes I straighten it. Either way, I'm set for about 3 days, and then I'll put it up.

At night, I use a Mason Pearson-like brush to pull the oils through my hair.

My natural oils have worked so well for me that I wanted to give natural oils a shout-out!
 

missy

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@Jambalaya that's great you found a routine that works so well for you.
I have to wash my hair every other day due to Seb Derm. I have fine curly dry hair but if I go more than 2 days my scalp starts getting flaky and irritated. Consequently I wash it every other day.

I've tried it all. Co washing, washing less frequently, washing every day and what works best for me is every other day. I use no heat at all on my hair and just let it air dry. It's a pretty easy routine for me. Shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse and blot dry with t shirt and then apply leave in conditioner, crimp with t shirt and air dry.
 

OoohShiny

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I use hair wax, so if I don't wash it every day, I look like a tramp :shock: lol
 

Austina

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I used to wash my hair everyday, and it was very greasy. I started doing it every other day, then every 3rd day and noticed a big difference. Now I wash it twice a week, blow dry, straighteners and gel spray.

I’m fortunate that my hair is really strong, so the heat and frequent colouring, don’t really affect the condition of it.
 

telephone89

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I love not washing my hair lol. Honestly I don't mind the washing part, but the drying part is awful. Takes forever. I was never really one to wash daily, but I now wash once-twice a week. I find it depends on how I style it, so I try to be strategic so I don't have to re-style or use too much heat. The best part is taking a 2 min shower in the morning and being ready for work in no time!
 

LJsapphire

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I do mine every 2-3 days. Recently swapped to an all natural shampoo bar and after the adjustment period it has felt lovely. It doesn't get itchy if left an extra day either.
I hate drying my hair as well @telephone89
 

Laila619

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This does work for a lot of people. You just have to be careful about the smell, lol. There was an article about this, and it was boyfriends and husbands complaining that their partner's hair stunk because these ladies were going many days without washing--in some cases weeks(!). Now granted, not allguys have the best hygiene but I digress. I have dry hair but an oily scalp, so I have to wash my hair every day or every other day.
 

chrono

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Twice a week for no particular reason.
 
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JPie

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I can't go more than three days. I have eczema and despite using special shampoos for it, my scalp gets too itchy and flaky past that.
 

Demon

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I wash mine daily. I can skip a day if I'm sick or extremely tired, but it's rare. But I also can't stand any products in my hair other than the occasional use of humectress.
 

monarch64

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This does work for a lot of people. You just have to be careful about the smell, lol. There was an article about this, and it was boyfriends and husbands complaining that their partner's hair stunk because these ladies were going many days without washing--in some cases weeks(!). Now granted, not allguys have the best hygiene but I digress. I have dry hair but an oily scalp, so I have to wash my hair every day or every other day.

Yes--this always comes to mind when I read about infrequent washing. I have a distinct memory of my mother's scalp smelling like sweat when I was maybe 10 years old. She was one who washed her hair a couple times a week though she was always perfectly coiffed. There are several reasons for smelly scalp, though, and infrequent washing isn't always the cause. https://www.dryscalpgone.com/reasons-scalp-has-bad-odor/

I can't go more than washing every other day; my hair becomes greasy at the roots if I allow more time than that between washes. I'm an every day washer and that works for my scalp and hair type.
 

violet3

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I'm twice a week over here, and I also have Sebhorreic Dermatitis, like @missy. I can't go longer than that because my scalp gets really angry and irritated. I don't do much more than that though, because I HATE blowing it dry, and sadly it's not a very pretty curl that I have, so I also hate letting it air dry. I have a friend who can make a blow out last over 10 days, without looking greasy! I get really gross looking around day 4-5, so I've settled on twice a week. I blow dry at night before bed, because the thought of trying to do it in the morning, makes me angry.
 

Jambalaya

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When I was reading about the benefits of not washing you hair as much, the expert advice did say that if your scalp starts to itch, you can't wash less frequently, but if your hair gets nice and oily, you're good! So yeah, lower frequency is obv not good for you, Missy, and Violet.

I most often go 5 days, but at least one of those days are spent at home. I do use fresh-smelling dry shampoo on the roots on days 4 and maybe 3. My hair gets oilier at certain times of the month, of course.

Missy, one deep conditioner I've found that really works on my fine dry hair is a Briegeo hair mask, from Sephora. It's supposed to be a very "clean" product. It's worked very well on my dry hair:

https://www.sephora.com/product/don...eAuARxGrVyXMx33ef8caAv1FEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

In addition, the Decadence milk cleanser and conditioner from Deva Curl have been wonderful, too. The milk cleanser doesn't have shampoo in it.

https://www.sephora.com/product/no-...8TW9p7LFL-tYGBocwawaAuVWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.sephora.com/product/one...xOFknmoGSMcBbiR3KnoaAgAsEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

These products are the ones that have worked the best on my dry, ultra-frizzy hair.
 

Jambalaya

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Violet, how does your friend make her blowout last 10 days without looking greasy??

They say the longer you leave it the longer you CAN leave it between washes, but I have not found that to be true. I've been washing less frequently for many months now, and I still get gross-looking on Day 4. It's not like the time I can take between washes is stretching out longer and longer the less I wash - it isn't. Day 4 is my max for being seen in society, and I do need a squirt of dry shampoo.
 

Slickk

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I wash my long wavy hair once to twice a week, air dry or blow dry then straighten. I use oils to tame it and every day on the ends. It never gets greasy. I know I am lucky. I use dry shampoo starting on day two or three because I enjoy fresh smelling hair without the abuse of achieving it. I will also co-wash if it doesn’t need a wash but I want to style it/feel fresh. Interesting reading the replies here.
 

Jambalaya

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Yes, co-washing can be a great solution to get clean without using shampoo, which saves triggering too much oil if you want to cleanse more frequently than 1-2 times a week.
 

baby monster

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I wash my curly and coarse hair once a week. Meaning that it gets wet and cleaned somehow. Most of the time I cowash so truly only use clarifying shampoo couple times a month. If it gets a bit rough looking between washes, I apply marula hair oil and straighten it out. That usually gets me easily to 7 days between washes. Washing any more often dries out my hair and creates major frizz.
 

VRBeauty

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Two or three days between washes for me. My scalp is prone to getting terribly itchy (psoriasis, I think - to match my elbows! :lol:) and I don’t dare go longer than that. Occasionally I have to wash it every day to deal with itching.

One thing I have to be careful about when I go more than two days is WASHING BEHIND MY EARS. That area seems to get oily and smelly - even when the rest of my scalp doesn’t seem too bad!
 

stracci2000

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I usually wash my hair every day, when I shower before work.
On weekends, sometimes I'll skip a day if I don't need to be anywhere important. My hair definitely looks flat on non-wash days.
 

farrahlyn

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Fine, curly hair here and i used to wash every 4 days or so. I'm struggling with a bad haircut so when i get that fixed (hopefully tomorrow with a Deva advanced stylist) then i'll switch back to that. I have NO idea why i didn't think to CO wash, :roll2: i've been washing (with sulfate free) every other day and i absolutely hate it! i was strictly CG years ago so i feel really dumb for not thinking of it!

My daughter (7yo) has very long, straight hair and we wash her hair once a week. she has skin issues though and any more than that is just too much. her hair does really well with this routine
 

Wewechew

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I have always washed my hair every day or every other day... but this past winter I started spreading out my washes and now wash my hair 2 or 3 times a week. I love it- I don't get as greasy now that my hair is used to it.
 

asscherisme

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I wash every day, or if I am in a hurry to get out of the house, I may skip it and do every other. My hair looks better on washed days. It is lifeless on days I don't wash. I use sulfate free and high quality shampoo. My hair is fine, but curly/wavy.

My daughter has super curly very course hair and she only washes 2 to 3 times a week and her hair looks great whether she washes or not.
 

seaurchin

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I cut back the daily washing to about once a week a couple of years ago. The extra handling and styling that goes with daily washing was also damaging. I realized my hair stays clean anyway (and gets some damage anyway) because I use minoxidil on my scalp daily to improve on thinning hair, which has alcohol as the main ingredient.
 

msop04

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Wash day: hair down (my "I made an effort" day)
Day 2: ponytail, no dry shampoo
Day 3: ponytail, dry shampoo
Day 4: either large bun or ponytail with TONS of dry shampoo

...then I've got to wash it. (or stay home) ;-)
 

cmd2014

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My scalp is just much happier with daily washes. I wish I could go longer, but even if I skip a day my scalp gets irritated (which is too bad, because I'm lazy and would love to skip washing and most days). I also have really fine hair that gets greasy quickly. If I don't wash, you can really tell.
 

Dandi

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I wash mine every second day because otherwise it gets terribly oily, but at the end of the week it stretches out to 2-3 days as I work Thursdays and Fridays as a scrub nurse, so it's under a hat anyway. But by Saturday morning I don't have to tie it back, it almost ties itself back o_O Plus I looooove freshly washed hair, mine is super thick and looks nasty between washes!
 
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