I know I ask a lot of questions, but...

[bythesea]

I was looking at my pictures from September 2011 through September 2012 and saw TONS of growth (from shoulder/collar bone length to just past APL). That was back when I was washing my hair almost daily.

For or the past year or so, I've been washing my hair only twice a week and using a little dry shampoo between washes. However, in my pictures I see a lot less growth between September 2012 and now (November 2013).

Now, I have a question... Lol. My scalp has been pretty dandruffy since I was a teenager and psoriasis runs in my family. And I've read that build up on your scalp can keep your hair from growing. So, I was just wondering... Is it possible that by not washing my hair more frequently I'm causing build up, and therefore causing my hair to not grow as much?

Has anyone else had experience with this?

Thanks y'all for always answering my questions lol!

[Shibe]

Makes sense to me, even though I do not have the issues you speak of. Many ladies who do the Monistat treatment have the same issues you have, and the Monistat seems to clear it up and promote faster growth. Many of the ladies report relief with itchy scalp, and they no longer get white gunk under their nails when they scratch their scalp. If you have the funds, Monistat may be something you might want to try.

[bythesea]

Makes sense to me, even though I do not have the issues you speak of. Many ladies who do the Monistat treatment have the same issues you have, and the Monistat seems to clear it up and promote faster growth. Many of the ladies report relief with itchy scalp, and they no longer get white gunk under their nails when they scratch their scalp. If you have the funds, Monistat may be something you might want to try.

haha, yeah thanks! I actually got the idea when I was reading the monistat for hair growth thread. Then I went and looked at all of my pictures and noticed the growth between 2 years.

[bunnylake]

Yes, this happened to me too. I never had dandruff, but I do have a very oily scalp. Years ago I washed daily with sulfate shampoos and my hair seemed to grow really fast. I switched to sulfate-free shampoo and tried to stretch my washes a little bit but could only ever make it to every other day. My growth really seemed to slow down a lot. Now I am back to washing daily with a sulfate shampoo and my hair is having a major growth spurt! You just have to find what works for you. Experiment. Every scalp is different.

[Anje]

Might be that you do best with a super clean scalp. But it seems plausible to me that you gave your scalp considerably more stimulation when washing daily, and lots of people get better growth with scalp massage.

[Shibe]

Yes, this happened to me too. I never had dandruff, but I do have a very oily scalp. Years ago I washed daily with sulfate shampoos and my hair seemed to grow really fast. I switched to sulfate-free shampoo and tried to stretch my washes a little bit but could only ever make it to every other day. My growth really seemed to slow down a lot. Now I am back to washing daily with a sulfate shampoo and my hair is having a major growth spurt! You just have to find what works for you. Experiment. Every scalp is different.

I've never heard of a sulfate shampoo. What brand were you using?

[0xalis]

I've never heard of a sulfate shampoo. What brand were you using?

Sulfates are in nearly every shampoo out there that doesn't specifically label itself "sulfate-free"
Sulfates are what make the suds and bubbles happen when you wash your hair. They're also what make your toothpaste foam.
Some people's hair love sulfates, but a lot of people do better without. As bunnylake and many others have stated, all hair is different.

[Shibe]

I didn't know that at all! I guess that bubbly shampoo doesn't give me any faster growth.

Thanks for the info!

[Flor]

Might be that you do best with a super clean scalp. But it seems plausible to me that you gave your scalp considerably more stimulation when washing daily, and lots of people get better growth with scalp massage.

This was my guess too. Massaging is a proven way to help hair grow faster and if one only massages scalp when washing hair, then less frequent shampooing would explain slower growth rates.

[bythesea]

Thanks everyone!
I do massage my scalp even when I don't wash it, so I'm gonna try washing it every other day instead of just twice a week

[Flor]

Don't quote me on this, but I think I remember reading in NW/SO thread (so basically no shampooing at all) people mentioning slower growth rate? There might be something in it. I've never noticed myself, but I only managed to stretch my washes 1 extra day, probably wouldn't make a difference.

[bythesea]

Don't quote me on this, but I think I remember reading in NW/SO thread (so basically no shampooing at all) people mentioning slower growth rate? There might be something in it. I've never noticed myself, but I only managed to stretch my washes 1 extra day, probably wouldn't make a difference.


Yeah, I mean, it seems to make sense, especially because on the days that I don't wash my hair I use dry shampoo (my hair is just too oily to not use it when I don't wash). My hair was growing FAST back in 2010-2011 and that was still back when I was getting partial highlights every 4 months! I haven't dyed my hair since early 2011 and all of those ends are now cut off.

[Naiadryade]

You might want to try massaging your scalp with castor oil, too. I had an itchy, dandruffy scalp for most of my life, and it cleared up fast when I started using castor oil on my scalp every night or two. I think it both moisturizes my scalp--which means the skin is less dry, healthier and doesn't flake off so much--and kills dandruff-causing fungus. It speeds up my growth a bit. The effect is actually similar to how Monistat is described in this thread. But castor oil is all-natural and doesn't have headaches as a side effect.

[ravenheather]

I have settled into every other day hair washing. My scalp is happier that way. I do preoil overnight to protect the length of my hair.