need to wash daily

[ErinLeigh]

I always read how 2nd and 3rd day post wash hair behaves best. Yet I cannot make my hair extend washes. It will not style at all. My hair is very fine and gets awkward without being set with a wash or co wash everytime I need to go out or work It is to the point I would rather stay in so I dont have to wash and style my hair. Does it take having longer hair to look good with stretching washes this or is it just me? Mine gets flat next day on top and more triangular on the bottom.

[Crabbyco]

I think it's a fine hair thing. I don't feel the need to wash every day but wetting is a must for styling.
I see pictures of people that do their washing at night and just take their hair out of a pineapple in the morning, then I notice their hair texture. Medium to coarse hairs seem to be able to do 2nd, 3rd and 4th day hair. Or they just smooth some oil or product over the top to fix frizz. Adding more product to my hair just makes it greasy and flat but still frizzy.
Don't let people tell you that wetting hair every day will be damaging. For some people it is but not for everyone. As for length helping. It may, but not for me.

[Kaelee]

I wash my hair daily due to getting exposed to all sorts of industrial gunk at work, but I remember I used to skip washes on the weekends and used to wash less often. I don't recall having too much trouble. I also don't have any issues from washing daily, and have been doing it for years.

[KittyMeowMeow]

I wash weekly but set my hair at night with buns or braids so I can have bun/braid waves the next day.

My basic method is to comb and lightly spray with water, and work it in to smooth the hair. If you need to, add a bit of an oil to seal in the moisture. You could add something for hold, but I don't. Then, put hair in your braid(s)/bun(s) and go to sleep. Take it down in the morning, and voila! Waves!

Some videos that show the basic technique:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FV-YO46E8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjZLhUBbFsQ

[TimeForMe]

I've tried time and again to stretch washes, going for weeks at a time. I can't do it. The most I can get away with is every other day, and that in winter, if I use dry shampoo. I have very fine straight hair, and I work out daily, and even a little sweat just ruins any volume or shine at all. So I try to pre-condition or oil, use mild stuff, and baby my ends. But yeah, I have to wash if it's going to look anything close to presentable. Maybe as it gets longer, I can get away with just scalp washes, but at chin length now the whole head gets washed.

[Treble Bolt]

I tend to wash my hair every other day under normal circumstances, or else it will get really flat and oily. I have pretty fine hair myself, so after a shower, I always twin braid it and sleep in the braids to give it volume when I brush it out the next morning. I towel dry my hair except my bangs (which are very short) and I just blowdry them so that way they don't weird things to me when I sleep.
Washing daily has not been very good for my scalp, and promotes dandruff on me.....but with you, it could also be a shampoo problem if you have fine hair but need to wash daily. If it becomes too flat, there is a chance of it being too oily, which again, can be connected to your shampoo. I don't use conditioner AT ALL because my hair is fine, all it does is make it flat immediately.

[Snena]

If you're bothered by appearance of your hair on 2nd or 3th day, try doing some sort of updo, or wearing a hat or wash only your bangs (if you have them) and tie the rest of the hair. Your hair probably doesn't look as dirty as you think it does.

[maborosi]

I have to wash daily because my job causes my hair to smell awful otherwise- plus I get acne from trying to stretch washes. I've given up on that pursuit.

Now I CWC daily and it makes my hair a lot easier to deal with, gets rid of the smells from work, keeps me from getting acne on my scalp.

~maborosi~

[lapushka]

It's not going to harm or hurt your hair, washing it every day, if that's your main issue. Just do what your hair likes, that's all there is to it. Trying to make it "like" certain things it doesn't is near to impossible anyway.

I have F hair too, and used to need to have it washed 2 to 3 times a week. My hair is past waist now and it gets washed weekly. Back when I still used to have a pixie, it needed those washes. It does get better with length!

[Absinthium]

I also have this problem, and I also have fine, straight hair. Sometimes I manage to go without washing for two days, but only with lots of dry shampoo on the second day.

[ladyfey]

I washed daily for most of my life, oily, fine hair. It really needed it and never did it harm. It was just in my very late 30's that my hair and skin became less oily and I can now skip one day between washes. As others have said, do what your hair likes :)

[RubyTuesday]

This is an eerie coincidence. I came on the site to ask the same sort of question. I have been struggling to extend washes for the past two months - washing every other day rather than every day as I have done most of my life. I have grown my hair from pixie to shoulder and am now growing it long and had hoped to stop washing so much in order to keep the condition of my hair from deteriorating as everyone always says that washing hair too much is detrimental.

To start with it was bad, then it got less greasy and then over the last two weeks it seems to have got worse again and my roots are awful the second day. I have been using dry shampoo and it is great and does the job but is turning out to be an expensive habit as I have to use a fair amount. I am simply not getting the desired results.

My hair is fine and has a lot of curl in it if I scrunch it but can go limp and wavy if I brush it with a paddle brush. It simply does not like missing a wash. From reading the responses, maybe I will never be able to extend washes. I am going to go back to daily washing using very little conditioner. At least then I will look presentable and not have to hide in the house to avoid people seeing my greasy head :eek::disgust:

Experiment has failed :sad

[Amahaitz]

I have tried and failed to stretch my washes. The morning after the day I wash my hair, it is already oily and flat and awful, and my scalp feels sore. If I leave it down, the top of my head is flat and several shades darker than the rest, and if I braid it or put it in a bun, the dirtiness and darkness combine with my high forehead to make me look almost bald. It's not a good look. :)

[shutterpillar]

I've tried time and time again to stretch my washes... it's just not something I can do. Most of my life I've washed my hair everyday (except for when I was a child - my hair did not need daily washing until I hit puberty) and only in the past year have switched to washing every other day. Really, I probably could still wash daily since my hair is pretty oily and lank looking on the day after washing, but I'll just put it up in a bun and try to forget about it unless I have somewhere nice to be. If I go any further than every other day without washing, my scalp gets insanely itchy and irritated.

I think some people are just not meant to be able to stretch their washes, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Do what makes your hair and scalp happy. :)

[nobeltonya]

No, your hair is just different.. mine is the same way, although it is coarse.. I am nearly to Classic and STILL have to wash my hair every day. It just does not behave AT ALL to stretch washes.. :disco:

[Liz_park]

Hey ErinLeigh!

I also have fine hair, about collarbone length. I have been stretching my washes and I find it helps to keep my hair up on days 3 and 4. If it's in a bun I don't notice if it's a bit oily. Putting it in a bun also keeps me from blow-frying and heat styling it as well, which is a bonus. Not washing every day is a habit I've developed over the past few months and I've seen a real difference in the quality of my hair. It's basically the healthiest it's ever been. So if you can avoid washing everyday I would definitely recommend it!

[ExpectoPatronum]

I have coarse wavy hair and like a previous poster said, I didn't have to wash every day...When I was using shampoo regularly that is. I've switched to COwashing most of the time and I have to wash every day doing that. The way I see it, if your hair and scalp are happy, there's nothing wrong with washing every day. :)

[0xalis]

I have fine, relatively short, wavy hair and I can stretch my washes over a week! How confusing. :confused:
It could be that what you think is dirty isn't, but hey, all scalps and hair are different!

[florenonite]

There's nothing inherently wrong with washing daily, and many people's hair is happiest that way. However, I get the impression from your post that it's not a question of your hair getting greasy and needing washed, but rather it gets messy and needs to be wet down to look neat. In that case, I would suggest trying to wash every other day and just wetting your hair or applying conditioner on alternate days. Or, if your hair's long enough, try braids or updos on the off days.

Personally, I do find that with short hair it doesn't look its greatest the day after a wash, but now that it's longer that's its best day.

[ErinLeigh]

If you're bothered by appearance of your hair on 2nd or 3th day, try doing some sort of updo, or wearing a hat or wash only your bangs (if you have them) and tie the rest of the hair. Your hair probably doesn't look as dirty as you think it does.

Its weird, it doesn't look dirty, just looks odd. Has the craziest shape, cannot do an updo 2nd day with the dents. Its hard to describe. It is fine so I wonder if it needs weight to pull it down into something presentable? Layers are not helping the situation.
I look terrible in hats and since I am Florda would be too humid anyway.
What is your hair length? I see it is fine so I am back to wondering if length helps at all.

Not a bad idea to wash the bangs part, I have chin length bangs, maybe that will help. Now gotta just figure out how to keep it in an updo on 2nd day and hide the dents. Everything slides right out day 2. gah!
I don't mind washing daily per say now that I learned about pre poos, but would love to be able to wake up and be presentable! I resent having to take the time to wash :)

[ErinLeigh]

I think it's a fine hair thing. I don't feel the need to wash every day but wetting is a must for styling.
I see pictures of people that do their washing at night and just take their hair out of a pineapple in the morning, then I notice their hair texture. Medium to coarse hairs seem to be able to do 2nd, 3rd and 4th day hair. Or they just smooth some oil or product over the top to fix frizz. Adding more product to my hair just makes it greasy and flat but still frizzy.
Don't let people tell you that wetting hair every day will be damaging. For some people it is but not for everyone. As for length helping. It may, but not for me.

sooo jealous of pineapple heads! lol
so length didn't help. Must be a fine hair thing. I am happy to let my hair sit in its natural oils if I have nowhere to be, but if I have to work or go out washing or co washing is a must. Do you re wet to set? I honestly haven't tried that.

[jrmviola]

sometimes i'll wash in-between washes with a dime sized amounts of shampoo right at my temples (where i have the most grease) and i can make it stretch one more day. you don't have to wet your whole head just those parts.

[ErinLeigh]

This is an eerie coincidence. I came on the site to ask the same sort of question. I have been struggling to extend washes for the past two months - washing every other day rather than every day as I have done most of my life. I have grown my hair from pixie to shoulder and am now growing it long and had hoped to stop washing so much in order to keep the condition of my hair from deteriorating as everyone always says that washing hair too much is detrimental.

To start with it was bad, then it got less greasy and then over the last two weeks it seems to have got worse again and my roots are awful the second day. I have been using dry shampoo and it is great and does the job but is turning out to be an expensive habit as I have to use a fair amount. I am simply not getting the desired results.

My hair is fine and has a lot of curl in it if I scrunch it but can go limp and wavy if I brush it with a paddle brush. It simply does not like missing a wash. From reading the responses, maybe I will never be able to extend washes. I am going to go back to daily washing using very little conditioner. At least then I will look presentable and not have to hide in the house to avoid people seeing my greasy head :eek::disgust:

Experiment has failed :sad

Yup, starting to see from all the replies that I am going to have to wash or cowash if I want to be be seen :) That goodness I have learned better methods here at least to minimize damage. My hair can be straight or wavy depending on the cut and the weather . I dream of gorgeous hair that needs washed weekly. I cannot imagine what life would be like not having to have wet hair every day :) Wake and go hair is a fantasy hehe.