Daily Washers: How long is your hair?

[nobeltonya]

I've washed daily since I can't even remember.. but when it was shorter, I'd generally wash with any old shampoo in Wal-Mart, wouldn't regularly condition, never heard of coconut oil, and would use those brushes with the balls on the ends and rip through knots.. Now, I only generally [unless I have no choice] use Indian shampoos [Dabur Vatika, Sunsilk], lots of conditoner [Herbal Essences Hello Hydration], leave-in [Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine] and regularly oil at night with coconut oil [starting to go every 3 days now that it's hot]. And I'm passing classic, on my way to fingertips! :D :disco:

[winship2]

I'm almost to waist and wash every day. Wish it wasn't so, but stretching has been so painful (and gross-looking) that it hasn't been worth it. I do get tired of having so much wet hair! I use Alaffia Scalp Repair shampoo right now, since I had a tiny bit of dandruff over the winter, and Acure Moroccan Argan Oil Stem Cell conditioner. Sometimes I skip conditioner and just use a couple of drops of pure argan oil. I oil (coconut, argan, or marula) while detangling by hand maybe one in three nights. I'd like to do it every night, but I haven't quite figured out a regimen that leaves me confident of washing out the oil the next day without being too harsh. I have fairly resilient hair, so it seems to be able to handle the frequent washing. Nice to hear from another daily washer, especially with hair longer than mine :)

[Buddaphlyy]

I've only recently started washing daily due to my new exercise regimen. I alternate between co wash only and a normal shampoo and conditioner routine(usually after swimming). Right now the main shampoo I'm using is Bath and Body Works Rainkissed Leaves and the conditioner is Motions Weightless Detangling conditioner.

My hair is quite short now, above chin. I'm hoping to get to shoulder length in the back by the end of the year. Even with a little trim to remove color damage.

[Kristen121]

My hair is just past waist. I have an oily scalp. All attempts at stretching washes have resulted in greasy, gross looking hair. I've tried giving it time, but my scalp has never "gotten used to it" and stopped making so much oil. I've just accepted that my hair needs daily washing. I might skip a day once a week on a day I'm not planning to leave the house, but I'm generally a daily washer.

[winship2]

Mind telling us how you care for your hair, and whether you find any damage or difficulties from daily washing?


My hair is just past waist. I have an oily scalp. All attempts at stretching washes have resulted in greasy, gross looking hair. I've tried giving it time, but my scalp has never "gotten used to it" and stopped making so much oil. I've just accepted that my hair needs daily washing. I might skip a day once a week on a day I'm not planning to leave the house, but I'm generally a daily washer.

[Suze2012]

I reached mid back and had a really good cut but started co washing last year and now my hair grows like crazy.

I have just booked my second cut for 2013..where I used to get it cut once every two years....then it went to twice a year and I think this year it'll be three or four times..no...in fact it will be four cuts in less than twelve months for me come my appointment in August (which I wanted doing sooner)
I keep having about 3 inches cut off each time....it's getting silly!

[LadyCelestina]

I'm sorry I accidentaly voted,even though I don't wash daily :(

[ravenreed]

I only wash every day during the hottest part of the summer, otherwise it's every other day. I CO, follow with a vinegar rinse, and follow that with a catnip rinse. I only do a pre-wash oiling every couple of weeks, and I shampoo about as often. I don't think stretching washes is necessary for everyone, and in my case it would cause damage rather than prevent it. I live in an extremely dry climate and if I go more than a couple of days without washing my hair, the ends get very dry. Couple that with my oily scalp and I find that it is beneficial to wash more often. I am just hovering around fingertip at the moment, and my hair has shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, I just trimmed about two inches of a couple of months ago.

[Angel Barchild]

My hair is just past waist. I have an oily scalp. All attempts at stretching washes have resulted in greasy, gross looking hair. I've tried giving it time, but my scalp has never "gotten used to it" and stopped making so much oil. I've just accepted that my hair needs daily washing. I might skip a day once a week on a day I'm not planning to leave the house, but I'm generally a daily washer.

My hair is the same. I tried the stretch wash thing for a year and a half. All I got was hair that looked bad half the time. I don't understand the whole "your scalp will adjust thing".

[starlamelissa]

I think daily washing is fine. I have always been an every other day washer, but I am considering co washing on the off days, just to keep things fresh in the summer.

[mamaherrera]

I feel better scalp washing daily. Especially if that's the only manipulation you do, I don't think it's that bad.

[kidari]

I've been hovering at almost waist for the past couples years now or just a bit shorter and I have always been a daily washer. I always just did an SLS-free shampoo and followed up with conditioner and leave-ins. Now I mainly do CO washes and maybe use shampoo 2-3 times a week. Once a week I will do some sort of treatment and I always use leave-ins. I use tons of cones in my routine and build up is not a huge issue at all for me. Pre-oiling before shampooing seems so bothersome for me so I don't do it lately. Sometimes as a treat I might soak it in coconut milk for a couple hours before washing though. I probably clarify once a month or once every other month. I'm experimenting with a sort of modified bangs-only wash currently as I've noticed that the canopy is the portion that really needs to be washed daily. I manage the "dry ends" issue from not conditioning it daily just by misting with a concoction of water/glycerin/aloe/oil prior to damp bunning.

[Firefox7275]

A key issue for hair with daily washing is hygral fatigue but we are not all at equal risk of that, if your hair is virgin and naturally low porosity that is a different issue to someone with damaged or naturally higher porosity hair. Using coconut oil as some are doing can help reduce porosity.Sebaceous glands can adjust to less frequent washing since humans did not evolve to 'need' daily shampooing. Sebum production depends on your personal contributory factors - quality of diet and lifestyle, what products are being used (pH and ingredients), any underlying scalp issues for example. Overproduction of sebum can be hormonal, indicate systemic inflammation, indicate local irritation or some combination. For me (atopic eczema/ contact dermatitis) dropping the sulphate surfactants was effective the first week, for my mother (atopic eczema, seborrhoeic dermatitis) it took a little longer and she got a less complete improvement. Even conditioner-only washing can contribute to scalp issues if the chosen product contains an ingredient that is an issue for you or you react badly to the current composition of your own sebum (eg. excess of oleic acid). Some need to combine choosing a super gentle shampoo at pH 4.5 to 5.5 so that their skin barrier/ protective acid mantle can calm and repair/ beneficial skin flora can regenerate with diet modification to get the best results. Too many switch to alkaline cleansing products that are as or perhaps even harsher on the skin than commercial shampoo such as baking soda or 'traditional' bar soap, natural is not always better.

[CoyoteSarah]

I'm in the APL region and I wash daily most of the time. I'll skip a day if its particularly busy but I'm an oily scalp/dry,fine,thin hair gal and frankly, my hair just looks gross unwashed. I use Mane n' Tail shampoo and Garnier fructis triple nutrition conditioner and coconut oil regularly. I've got virgin hair from roots to half way down and then the ends are highlights I'm growing out and trimming regularly.

[BlueMuse]

I'm every other day, though I often rinse and condition on the days between. I also used to be every day up until a year ago. My hair is almost to my knees and it's CWC every other day and condition and rinse (or no rinse) on the days off. Stretching more than that just doesn't work for me.

[CurlyCap]

I co-wash daily. It feels wonderful and is the way to detangle my hair with the least mechanical damage.

[Hiriel]

For those who wash daily, how do you dry your hair? My main reason for washing as rarely as I can get away with (apart from laziness ;) ) is that my hair takes ages to dry. I wrap it in a microfibre towel for some minutes, which takes most of the water out, but my hair is still damp for hours, something I don't want to bother with daily.

[CurlyCap]

For those who wash daily, how do you dry your hair? My main reason for washing as rarely as I can get away with (apart from laziness ;) ) is that my hair takes ages to dry. I wrap it in a microfibre towel for some minutes, which takes most of the water out, but my hair is still damp for hours, something I don't want to bother with daily.

I don't. :o

I just sop all the drippy water out of my hair, and it is damp until it is dry. Takes several hours, sometimes up to 10. I dunno. I just gave up on trying to get my hair to behave on my timeline and my life (and my hair!) all got a lot easier.

[Hiriel]

I don't. :o

I just sop all the drippy water out of my hair, and it is damp until it is dry. Takes several hours, sometimes up to 10. I dunno. I just gave up on trying to get my hair to behave on my timeline and my life (and my hair!) all got a lot easier.

Don't you get tired of having constantly damp hair? I don't like the feel of damp hair, which is why I'm asking - my hair needs to air dry (I time travel to the late 1980's if I so much as look at a hair drier - POOF! ;) ), and I just can't imagine having to do it daily.

[goldloli]

Daily or every other day washer. I only daily wash when it's hot or I'm socializing a lot. Thinking about becoming fully daily wash because my hair is pretty porous so by day 2 its greasy at the roots and dry as a dessert with lifted cuticles that tangle all along the length and cause more problems than they spare.

Drying = Wash at night, leave loose to part dry then damp cinnabun/braid for curls/waves next day. Wash in morning is either blow dried on cool or twisted into 2 twists and left to dry so they form spiral curls. If I have to be somewhere in a rush I will loosen up the wurls, clip a section back and just leave it to dry into a boho style.

[goldloli]

Don't you get tired of having constantly damp hair? I don't like the feel of damp hair, which is why I'm asking - my hair needs to air dry (I time travel to the late 1980's if I so much as look at a hair drier - POOF! ;) ), and I just can't imagine having to do it daily.

it's all products and technique and timing. I look like an early 90s cheerleader or mall rat, big poofy hair thats esp high at the crown without them. the main thing is to make sure your hair has some kind of moisture leave in/cream and to wait for hair to be partly dry before starting. oh and you must stop when your hair is 95% dry not wait for it to be fully dry. someone with your wave type should be able to get better results than most from blowdrying, since you have some body wave but no curl.

[Caitpenn]

I used to wash daily (now it's every other day with a shower cap on off days). I found the best thing for my hair was to only wash around the scalp and nape of my neck and not the whole length of my hair. That way, I keep most of the good oils on the length of my hair, and wash off the excess from my scalp and hair nearest to my head. I've been doing this since Feb, and my hair is much healthier looking and is very soft.

As far as drying goes, I haven't used a hair dryer in a while (and I used to everyday with this long hair!). Every other day, there's the shower cap, so I don't have to worry about it. On my wash days, I just towel dry, air dry, and brush... takes a few hours to be completely dry. More brushing seems to help.

[dulce]

I wash daily with Devacurl no poo and my hair at the lowest point of my v back is one inch to butt crack.I air dry or use a floor fan beside me while on the computer.With a floor fan near me ,my hair dries in 15-20 minutes!

[starlamelissa]

I wash daily with Devacurl no poo and my hair at the lowest point of my v back is one inch to butt crack.I air dry or use a floor fan beside me while on the computer.

I'm starting to daily wash, after a lifetime of every other day washing. I shampoo one day, co wash the next. My hair is also at buttcrack.

have you all seen cinnamonhair at beyondclassiclength.com? She washes every day, and is firmly at knee.

[DarkCurls]

As someone who likes to stretch washes out of sheer laziness, I'm finding this thread really interesting. It feels like my hair takes hours to dry (and overnight is not even an option, because if I sleep on it it doesn't dry, period). Even pre-LHC I only washed every other day, or every three days, not because I feared hydral fatigue but because I've always hated waiting for my hair to dry and because I don't particularly enjoy my shower routine (detangling, detangling, detangling). My hair doesn't get greasy fast; I don't remember every thinking "Ugh, my hair is greasy, it needs to be washed" -- even after several days, or after applying oil.
I can't imagine washing my hair every day, especially at waist+, so I find your answers really intriguing. I thought the answers to this poll would be mostly shorter lengths, but waist would be a pain for me to wash every day so I'm surprised that's the most chosen answer.

[nobeltonya]

For those who wash daily, how do you dry your hair? My main reason for washing as rarely as I can get away with (apart from laziness ;) ) is that my hair takes ages to dry. I wrap it in a microfibre towel for some minutes, which takes most of the water out, but my hair is still damp for hours, something I don't want to bother with daily.
I use a turbie twist for a few minutes, while I'm getting dressed, and lately wet bunning for at least 2-3 hours.. then when I take it out, it's damp but not soaking, sopping wet. Still takes several hours to fully dry after that, but it's much more manageable. If I air dry down completely, my ends seemed to be getting dry. :disco:

ETA: And even at this length, I really see no difference in the way I have to wash or anything from when I had it shorter also.. just takes a lot longer to dry. And I LOVE the way it smells, feels, and looks [after the drowned rat, frizzy, thin wet stage] when it's washed. My scalp is GROSS if I don't wash... and I can only braid it wet. :disco:

[alexis917]

I have been daily washing for a few months now.
At first I made an effort to stretch my washes, but I didn't think it sped up growth or helped my hair. It just made my scalp very itchy!
I also wear my hair up or braided daily. I wrap it in a towel when I get out of the shower, then after about ten or fifteen minutes, my roots are damp from the heat of my scalp, but my ends are still wet.
Then I put it in a bun of some sort for bed that I can hold with clips (after detangling), and it will still be damp when I style it in the morning into a more presentable updo or braid.
This system works best for me, and makes my hair feel much softer than it did washing every other/every three days!
So I suppose I don't really dry my hair....

[Indigostreams]

I CO wash everyday, but wash with a gentle shampoo about 2 days a week. The main reason that I wash everyday is because it's important to me that my hair smells good. I personally can't stand the smell of sebum :(. And if I go one day without washing, I can smell that un-washed hair smell on myself. I know it's better to stretch washes though...

[ravenreed]

My hair takes forever to dry. If I go to bed with damp hair, I usually wake up with damp hair. It limits the days that I can wear my wooden hair toys, which is annoying as can be. However, I do think my hair benefits by the frequent washing, and I have wicked allergies so I have to clean my hair of allergens regularly anyway. I also dislike the idea of running about with hair covered in dust, pollutants, and other such things that are inevitable. If I couldn't wash regularly because of my length, that would be a deal breaker for me. I will only grow as long as I can still cleanse regularly. The most I ever go without washing is three days, and that is only if I am home on the third day. Otherwise, it is usually every other day. However, if it is summer I get so hot and sweaty that I was every day, and often in winter my hair gets so dry that I wash every day. I really listen to my hair and scalp to let me tell me when to wash.


As someone who likes to stretch washes out of sheer laziness, I'm finding this thread really interesting. It feels like my hair takes hours to dry (and overnight is not even an option, because if I sleep on it it doesn't dry, period). Even pre-LHC I only washed every other day, or every three days, not because I feared hydral fatigue but because I've always hated waiting for my hair to dry and because I don't particularly enjoy my shower routine (detangling, detangling, detangling). My hair doesn't get greasy fast; I don't remember every thinking "Ugh, my hair is greasy, it needs to be washed" -- even after several days, or after applying oil.
I can't imagine washing my hair every day, especially at waist+, so I find your answers really intriguing. I thought the answers to this poll would be mostly shorter lengths, but waist would be a pain for me to wash every day so I'm surprised that's the most chosen answer.

[see_turtle]

I wash every day and just put it up and it stays damp...I rarely wear it down except sometimes at home before bed...then I braid or bun it for sleep. My hair get so greasy and disgusting if I don;t wash it...even in a bun it looks gross!

[heidr]

I'm a daily washer and my hair is to my mid back. I would love to be able to go two or three days between washes but my hair gets so oily and dirty looking.

[windchijmes]

I've also washed daily since I can remember. It's more of a climate thing - hot and humid 24/7. And it doesn't help that my scalp is seriously greasy. Now that I'm older, I realised that my hair texture has changed. It used to be smoother and straighter. But now it's dry at the ends and gets a bit frizzy, though I cannot be sure if it's due to daily washing or the fact that I dyed my hair previously and it's gotten a tad fried as a result.

So anyway, I'm trying to cut down the washing, though it's a terrible struggle. I mean, living where I live means I can perspire right after bathing because it can get THAT humid. Or I'll perspire just sitting motionless. Anyway, I'm using SLS-free shampoo and conditioner. Hopefully I can get used to CO washing and not have to use shampoo so often. I've also gotten some argan oil. Crossing my fingers that it'll help my hair.