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View Full Version : Washing every other day... Is it really worth it?



mermaidjada
December 30th, 2013, 05:54 PM
For ages I've heard that it's better for your hair to only wash every other to every three days. My hair tends to be on the oilier side, so I've always dismissed the idea of skipping days at all. On regular days, I wash and condition my hair, spray in some detangler and leave-in, and towel/air dy. On days when I don't wash my hair, I end up having to use a buttload of products (and heat) just to make my hair look decent - blow drying, heat protectant, texturizing spray, dry shampoo, teasing...it's such an inconvenience. So, for me, washing my hair every other day almost seems counterintuitive. What do y'all think?

ExpectoPatronum
December 30th, 2013, 06:00 PM
Can you try doing some updos on the second day so that you don't have to use all the products and heat? From experience, second day hair is much easier to put into an updo than freshly washed hair.

Though, there really is nothing wrong with washing your hair every day if that's what makes your hair happy.

I do have one question...You say you blow dry your hair on days you don't wash...Why? Are you wetting your hair?

katiebeans
December 30th, 2013, 06:08 PM
I think the reason that washing everyday is generally discouraged is because of the harsh cleaning agents in conventional shampoo. These clean your hair by stripping it of dirt and debris, but they also strip away the scalp's natural oils. Because the natural oils are being stripped, your scalp over-compensates by producing more, which is why your hair is so oily the second day. When stretching washes, your scalp will eventually get used to not being stripped of its oils every day and won't produce so much, resulting in less oily second day hair.

Cheyne
December 30th, 2013, 06:11 PM
Wash your hair as you wish. The blow drying and all the "stuff" you have to put in your hair seems counter productive to me. I wash my hair everyday in the warm season, due to my job and the everloving amount of sweat on my scalp and in my hair:rolleyes:. In the cool season I only wash every other day, but my hair is always in an updo year round, so I can hide a bad hair day if necessary.

Madora
December 30th, 2013, 07:52 PM
I think the reason that washing everyday is generally discouraged is because of the harsh cleaning agents in conventional shampoo. These clean your hair by stripping it of dirt and debris, but they also strip away the scalp's natural oils. Because the natural oils are being stripped, your scalp over-compensates by producing more, which is why your hair is so oily the second day. When stretching washes, your scalp will eventually get used to not being stripped of its oils every day and won't produce so much, resulting in less oily second day hair.

Katiebeans is right on the money. Daily washing will eventually strip your hair, leaving it like hay.

Only wash your hair when it really needs it. If you are plagued with oil after a day or so, put a cotton sock over your hairbrush and brush it down your hair. The cotton helps absorb the oil (per Dr. George Michael, "Czar of Long Hair").

HylianGirl
December 30th, 2013, 08:05 PM
I actually think any possible damage from frequent washing isn't as bad as blow drying it every other day. Have you tried different washing methods besides shampoo and condish?

ravenreed
December 30th, 2013, 08:21 PM
I agree. I think that the heat styling and all the extra product would be worse than more frequent washing.

Firefox7275
December 30th, 2013, 08:59 PM
Welcome!

Commercial shampoo is damaging to the hair, as is water (hygral fatigue). You would be best not fighting your hair so hard to make it 'look decent' and instead work with your natural wave pattern. Maybe try the Curly Girl method.

Part of getting decent second day hair is what you do overnight - many wavies curlies and long hairs use silk/ satin pillowcases to reduce frizz and tangling, also up dos like the 'pineapple'.

walterSCAN
December 30th, 2013, 09:22 PM
I think the reason that washing everyday is generally discouraged is because of the harsh cleaning agents in conventional shampoo. These clean your hair by stripping it of dirt and debris, but they also strip away the scalp's natural oils. Because the natural oils are being stripped, your scalp over-compensates by producing more, which is why your hair is so oily the second day. When stretching washes, your scalp will eventually get used to not being stripped of its oils every day and won't produce so much, resulting in less oily second day hair.

This.

I went from washing my hair every day and having it look oily after ~8 hours to washing once a week (Sunday) and it looks a little oily on Friday, really does need it by Sunday. It's a process, and it is counterproductive to be doing all of those other things to make it 'look decent' (try wearing it up instead?), but for me it's been absolutely worth it.

bunnylake
December 30th, 2013, 09:38 PM
I also have an oily scalp and wash frequently. I'm currently experimenting with trying to wash every other day, but... I washed daily with sulfate shampoo every day of my entire life and that's absolutely
NOT what caused damage to my hair. Bleach, dye, and heat destroyed my hair. After cutting off all the damage I grew it out healthy to tailbone length. I shampooed daily, often with sulfates, and never suffered any damage from that. I have never had dry hair in my life, even without conditioner, even when it was damaged, even before I had any clue how to take care of it properly. So the idea that daily shampooing will dry out your hair, damage it and turn it to straw, is simply not true for everyone.
I don't enjoy my hair when it's greasy and flat, but I love it when it's freshly washed and I see nothing bad about it. Maybe you have the same scalp/hair type that I do. Do what's right for your hair, not anyone else's. :)

Crumpet
December 30th, 2013, 10:00 PM
Katiebeans is right on the money. Daily washing will eventually strip your hair, leaving it like hay.

Only wash your hair when it really needs it. If you are plagued with oil after a day or so, put a cotton sock over your hairbrush and brush it down your hair. The cotton helps absorb the oil (per Dr. George Michael, "Czar of Long Hair").

Just when I think 'I know it all', I hear something new. I might give this a go sometime just to see what happens.

I already stretch my washes. I went from every single day to every other day, to every three days, to twice a week...and now I'm nearly once per week. My hair is much happier and it takes SO much less time!

Also, seconding the joy of sleep caps for wavies. I'm probably more of a 2c than anything else and a sleep cap has done *wonders* for my hair!

ladyfey
December 31st, 2013, 05:03 AM
I washed every day for most of my life, just until the past few years, now I wash every other day. I don't think that it caused any problems with my hair. My scalp needs frequent washing, some scalps do! If you prefer to wash every day, I don't see a problem with it. I don't think that stretching washes is for everyone.

sarahthegemini
December 31st, 2013, 05:39 AM
If the choice is between washing your hair or wetting it, blow drying and teasing for it to 'look decent' then just wash it. The other stuff is far more damaging. Why not just spray a bit of dry shampoo and wear your hair up til your scalp adjusts?

lapushka
December 31st, 2013, 05:52 AM
For ages I've heard that it's better for your hair to only wash every other to every three days. My hair tends to be on the oilier side, so I've always dismissed the idea of skipping days at all. On regular days, I wash and condition my hair, spray in some detangler and leave-in, and towel/air dy. On days when I don't wash my hair, I end up having to use a buttload of products (and heat) just to make my hair look decent - blow drying, heat protectant, texturizing spray, dry shampoo, teasing...it's such an inconvenience. So, for me, washing my hair every other day almost seems counterintuitive. What do y'all think?

You have to do what you think is best. If the amount of heat is really too much, then yes, wash every day if you can totally prevent heat that way. Stretching washes isn't the be all and end all of looking after hair. If your hair is really too oily, and you feel you must, then by all means wash every day. My hair is washed every week, and is also oily. If it's short, it needs washing more often. The longer it got, the easier it was to skip washes. That's also something to consider: length.

catasa
December 31st, 2013, 07:29 AM
I have been able to stretch my washes from every day to every other day, sometimes every third day if I am not doing anything special that day, but never more than that. Apart from being unbearably greasy it also itches and, at least to me, smells too bad after that. Just mentioning this to highlight that it is not just an adjustment of the scalp for everyone, but that some people have more oily scalps naturally. I havenīt done a "real" WO trial but from what I have tried, I have serious doubts that it would ever work well for me.

Anyway, I wash with diluted non-SLS shampoo (CO didnīt work for me), maybe you could try that, or some other less harsh washing method? I donīt need a strong solution at all to get clean hair (not squeaky clean, but clean enough!). I realize that hydral fatigue is an issue, and going to every other day has been beneficial to my hair as far as I can see, but I also know that when I stretch washes more than that, my lengths actually feel drier and worse.

On my no-wash day I invariably put my hair up, normally pulled back in a bun. Since you are struggling so much with your hair on non-wash days I am guessing that you for some reason cannot, or donīt want to, "just" put it up? If the issue is the hair looking greasy/flat when pulled back/up, I second the proposal to try some dry shampoo - it may be drying to hair also but maybe that is better overall for your hair than everyday washes if those are hard on your lengths. There are "powder" alternatives to spray dry shampoos, my guess is that they are less drying.

Anyway, as others have said, if your lengths and scalp seem OK with everyday washing, then by all means just do it! :) But if you would like to try to stretch washes, maybe some of the suggestions above could work. Good luck!

walterSCAN
December 31st, 2013, 07:38 AM
I also have an oily scalp and wash frequently. I'm currently experimenting with trying to wash every other day, but... I washed daily with sulfate shampoo every day of my entire life and that's absolutely
NOT what caused damage to my hair. Bleach, dye, and heat destroyed my hair. After cutting off all the damage I grew it out healthy to tailbone length. I shampooed daily, often with sulfates, and never suffered any damage from that. I have never had dry hair in my life, even without conditioner, even when it was damaged, even before I had any clue how to take care of it properly. So the idea that daily shampooing will dry out your hair, damage it and turn it to straw, is simply not true for everyone.
I don't enjoy my hair when it's greasy and flat, but I love it when it's freshly washed and I see nothing bad about it. Maybe you have the same scalp/hair type that I do. Do what's right for your hair, not anyone else's. :)

This is very true, and I wanted to clarify my post a little-- I started stretching washes to control the crazy-oiliness of my scalp, not because I was trying to control any damage. I wasn't really noticing a lot of that, but it HAS been really nice to not have gross hair before the day's even over!

GoddesJourney
December 31st, 2013, 08:25 AM
I, too, had extremely oily scalp for most of my life. I would shampoo it heavily and daily, and that still wasn't enough. My scalp would still get greasy before the day was up and my hair would get dry below about APL. I heard all the hype about stretching washes and I was extremely skeptical. In the end, it never really worked too well. I think part of why is that my hair and scalp both love water and conditioner.

Eventually, I started reading about conditioner only washes and that was what worked for me. I would just CO wash every other day so I could skip the shampoo those days. The greasiness backed off a little after a few weeks. Then I CO washed two days in between shampooing. Now I shampoo once, sometimes twice per week, but I still CO wash every time I shower otherwise. That takes care of the sweat and grime and salt water from working or working out, without stripping my hair and scalp. If I start shampooing twice a week or more, it isn't long before I notice an increase in oiliness. The same is true for the rest of my skin. If I use oils or lotions my skin starts getting very dry when I don't use it.

Side note: I also found out that my hair and scalp hated silicones once they got healthier. They seem to make my hair dry and split (and feel like plastic) and my scalp feel greasy. It took me awhile to see the pattern in product marketing too. Almost every product that says "extra moisture" or "repairs damage" is heavy in cones.

Try some things and see what works for you. Just try one thing at a time and give it a few weeks to let yourself adjust before you throw it out. Also remember that as you grow or change you routine, your hair and scalp might need new things. My old products I used for years, which were heavy oily conditioners are no longer necessary, especially at this shorter length. I'm able to wash with Suave or VO5, which were way too light for me then.

DweamGoiL
December 31st, 2013, 08:34 AM
Welcome!

Commercial shampoo is damaging to the hair, as is water (hygral fatigue). You would be best not fighting your hair so hard to make it 'look decent' and instead work with your natural wave pattern. Maybe try the Curly Girl method.

Part of getting decent second day hair is what you do overnight - many wavies curlies and long hairs use silk/ satin pillowcases to reduce frizz and tangling, also up dos like the 'pineapple'.

DEFINITELY...this! You can also try bunning it on top of your head and secure it with small claw clips to sleep as well. This will keep it frizz free and smooth.

DweamGoiL
December 31st, 2013, 08:36 AM
Double post...dang 'puter!