Should I shave my head again or not?

[natural80]

I'm not sure if I've asked this question before, but I have been keeping my hair short for the past year by shaving it. Now, I'm letting it grow out, but it's dry from washing it with sulfate shampoo like everyday. I wash it like that just because I feel cleaner when I do that. Should I shave it again and just wash it once a week or baby the hair that has grown out (almost 3 weeks of growth)?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I can't answer your question, you must just do what feels right for you. :)

[heidi w.]

If you want long hair eventually, then there's no reason to shave. If you want a shaved head, then shave it.
Whatever works for you.
Show us a picture, it might help us decide for you since that appears to be what you want.
heidi w.

[MrsGuther]

What are your hair goals? Are you planning on keeping your hair short? If you are wanting to grow it out long, then shaving three weeks of growth will only slow your progress. Washing with sulfate shampoo shouldn't be a problem since you have really short hair. A lot of people use sulfate shampoos even when their hair is super long.

[natural80]

My hair goal is to be MBL.

[leslissocool]

I say baby it, don't shave it anymore. I would baby it. Sulfate "damage" might not really be damage, but it could be being dry from over washing. I would put conditioner on it.

[meteor]

My hair goal is to be MBL. If that's your goal, then don't shave it. Even if your hair is a total disaster (which I really doubt), you still need to learn to handle it if you want midback length in a few years. And today is as good as any other day to start your journey. By the way, washing very short hair every day is not a problem at all: your sebum has enough time to coat your hair if it's short. The longer your hair grows, the more likely your hair will need stretching washes. Maybe what's really going on is that you are not sure yet whether you want long hair or short hair? Just don't forget that every time you shave you delay achieving your goal.

[panffle]

Baby it. Do you really need to wash it every day?

[McFearless]

Dry hair is easy to bring back to health. Don't shave and try to add moisturizing treatments to your routine. If sulphate shampoos are a must, try oiling your hair overnight prior to washing. You can also dilute your shampoo with water to make it less harsh.

[natural80]

Yeah, it is dry. I have some sulfate-free shampoos and conditioner cleansers, but I'm not used to them yet. I really need to start using them. I was real close to shaving it tonight, but after reading all of the replies, I decided not to and just baby it and use the cleansing conditioners. Thanks ladies. :)

[natural80]

I don't need to, but it's just a habit. I have an itchy scalp also, so that makes me wash everyday also.

[Aladria]

If you'll only be set back 3 weeks of growth, I would shave it. I shaved mine after growing out for 7 months from a shave because I let myself have fun during that previous growing out and didn't really take care of it during that time (I knew I was shaving again.) I'm glad to have started from scratch, babying every bit of it along the way.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

In fact you would have the advantage over many of us because you can learn how to baby and pamper your hair through all of its growing, rather than starting with hair of whatever length which has possible damage from previous lack of hair care knowledge.

[jacqueline101]

I agree baby it and maybe on top of the conditioner use a small amount of baby oil. Especially if the ends are dry.

[Anje]

Lots of folks here with gorgeous long hair wash with sulfate shampoos every day or two, and their hair is 5+ years old. I highly doubt that 3 weeks of daily washing has done any unrecoverable damage to your hair.

Consider using some conditioner if it's dry. Also consider that you might be drying your scalp out if you shampoo it that much (depending on how your skin reacts to these things -- some just gets dry, some compensates by getting extra oily), which could be contributing to itchiness. Try washing your hair every other day to start with and just wet it down on the off days if it feels like you should do something to it, see how that works. Another thing to try is just diluting your shampoo -- it seems often that it reaches the roots better that way for longer, thicker hair, and it's less harsh when diluted.

[natural80]

I've always had long hair and I shaved it because I wanted to get rid of all of the chemicals. Now, since it's short, I have no idea how to take care of it. It was easier when it was longer. I appreciate all of the advice that you ladies have given me. :)

[jeanniet]

I'd suspect that your itchy scalp is from shampooing so much. My itching improved quite a bit when I stopped washing as often, and it's even better when I CO most of the time. If you feel like you need to wash daily, you could try using just a bit of shampoo (since you don't have much hair, probably 1/4 teaspoon would be enough) and then diluting it with a couple ounces of water. That will clean just as effectively without irritating your scalp.

[longhairedlady]

I think just moisturizing it some will help alot. No need to shave it, unless that is what you want to do. But no need if its just a little dry! My hair is almost 42 inches long and its gets really dry sometimes. I just soak some oil into it and leave it for a few days and wash it out. I repeat that process until I am happy with it again!

[Mesmerise]

I doubt you'd have much damage on just three weeks of hair! Even washing hair that's three years old daily with sulfate shampoo isn't usually THAT bad. If it feels dry, then just change your routine now, and do some good conditioning. I'm sure it will be fine!

[natural80]

I was using Suave Clarifying Shampoo daily. I didn't have any other shampoo, but that one. I have cleansing conditioners, but I like a squeaky clean wash.

[PeacenQuietGal]

Natural80 I say keep rollin towards your goal. I think when it comes to our hair, that sometimes we can get caught in cycles that we repeat because we think we "ought" to. Try not to listen to what you "ought" to do with your hair, and instead work towards your dream hair :cheer:

[natural80]

Thanks! :) I'm not cutting it anymore. In my mind, it says cut, but I'm not going to.