Daily Shampooing

[Pamala513]

I know that most of the advice given here is to CO or if you do shampoo, do it very sparingly. But I am curious, is there any members here that do shampoo daily?

For many reasons, I shampoo daily. I use an organic mild shampoo and conditioner. Does anyone else shampoo ddaily as well?

[DinaAG]

i do as i workout daily i wish i can find a better way!

[Loviatar]

Yes, me. I use shampoo bars. Once my hair is longer I will be able to put it up again to hide second, third or fourth day unwashed hair, but while my hair is in it's current growing out phase I shampoo it daily. I do occasionally get bored of the shampoo bars and do a couple of Conditioner Only washes each week. I have a lot of products to use up (from years of LHC experimenting!) so this works well for me.

[Anyuta]

Me too. :( I have to shampoo every day, but I am stretching to two and on the second day it's like an emergency wash. My hair gets so greasy that I can't go to work like that. I switched to herbal shampoos and conditioners though, so it might be ok to wash it so often.

[blue_eyes]

Usually I wash most days. If I have no plans and stay home for two days or more I won't wash my hair, but when I've got something going on everyday I always wash it. My hair looks and feels pretty gross if I don't wash it regularly. I can't even stand it by day 3.

[kristin4290]

I wash every other day..I could never go longer than that. The feeling of greasy hair digusts me too much lol

[young&reckless]

Daily washer :)

I work out most days and am very active at work, I use CV poo bars and sometimes regular shampoo when I'm feeling lazy.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I wash my hair every other day. That's not quite every day but it's not a super long amount of time between either. I use a sulphate-free shampoo.

[Ksears4]

I just recently started every other day, and because I workout as well I usually just rinse my hair with some water after the gym and massage my scalp a little. It took some adjusting, but I don't wake up with super greasy hair every single day anymore.

[bunnylake]

Me! I'm making another attempt to wash every other day, though. We shall see how it goes.
My scalp gets pretty oily by day two and ew. Besides, I love the way freshly washed hair feels. I love being in the shower and scrubbing and feeling super clean and nice smelling and soft. I never ever noticed any damage to my hair from frequent washing and I grew it down to my butt!

[bunnylake]

Me! I'm making another attempt to wash every other day, though. We shall see how it goes.
My scalp gets pretty oily by day two and ew. Besides, I love the way freshly washed hair feels. I love being in the shower and scrubbing and feeling super clean and nice smelling and soft. I never ever noticed any damage to my hair from frequent washing and I grew it down to my butt! My hair never felt dried out or anything, even from using SLS shampoos daily. I've tried lots of different products and methods and nothing seemed to make my scalp produce less oil. Whatever, I wash when I want to! :)

[YamaMaya]

It took years to be able to stretch my washes to once a week, but now my scalp hardly greases up at all until the 4th day, then I just hide it in a bun until wash day. Nowadays I don't really mind the greasy feeling.

[Pamala513]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I was beginning to feel like an outsider because I don't stretch my washes. If I am staying in, I will skip my shower completely, but my head gets so itchy if I don't shampoo daily before work.

[Stray_mind]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I was beginning to feel like an outsider because I don't stretch my washes. If I am staying in, I will skip my shower completely, but my head gets so itchy if I don't shampoo daily before work.

Don't feel like an outsider :) everyone here does what's best for THEIR hair and noone is judging anyone for it...

[ositarosita]

I shampoo anywhere from everyday to once a week depending on what my scalp wants. If I got too long without washing then I get an itchy scalp. I don't get the greasies because I have a dry scalp I get the itchies and it's the itchies that I can't stand.

[Andrasta]

I shampoo daily as well. The amount of product and fussing it would take to make it look acceptable on the second day just isn't worth the time or the potential damage. Its all about doing what feels best for you and your hair :)

[Ravenkitten]

I shampoo everyday and condition. Couldnt imagine not doing it. Use coconut oil on my hair too.

[Ravenkitten]

I shampoo everyday and condition. Couldnt imagine not doing it. Use coconut oil on my hair too.

i also workout too, so I have to wash my hair everyday.

[XcaliburGirl]

I wash with sulfate shampoo daily. I only apply the shampoo to the scalp/roots, though. I've tried stretching and I can wash every other day for a short while, but then I start to get itchy flakes on my scalp. I find I just like washing my hair. Plus, updos stay better in damp hair.

[Hele]

if i don't shampoo daily i get a bad case of "angry scalp". It gets itchy and very very sore, plus my hair gets increasingly dry and poofy looking the longer i go without washing. I've tried stretching washes and it just doesn't work for me. I can skip a day every now and again but that's it. I apply a thick conditioner to the length and then the shampoo to the scalp only, leave in while i shave/body scrub/whatever. then rinse and reapply conditioner.

[BlueMajorelle]

I take a shower every day, but don't always wash my hair (shower caps are handy!). I can usually go every third day without washing hair. However during the summer, or if I've been working on something messy with my students, I often find myself showering sweat or mud or clay or paint or or or out of my hair. Elementary schools are like giant petri dishes, there are germs everywhere and one of the most common questions I ask myself is "Why is this sticky?"

[renia22]

I shampoo daily, with sulfates. My hair and scalp look and feel so much better this way. For a while there I tried sulfate free and stretching washes, and it looked and felt horrible, shed like crazy, and my scalp broke out in painful cysts. Then I did some research (scientific research, not backed by anyone who is trying sell products, or with some other agenda) and I was relieved to find out as long as you are mindful of mechanical damage, there is nothing wrong with shampooing as often as you like, with whatever product works for you. The idea that scalp oils will reach your ends and make them healthier is actually a misconception too (it would take a *lot* of oil and a long time, depending on length). If that's the concern for stretching washes and you are miserable doing so, or it looks terrible, you really are better off just oiling your ends for 14+ hours with a penetrating oil and then washing it out (coconut, avocado). However, if I had thick, abundant, or dry hair that didn't need to be washed daily, I probably wouldn't be. Some people also like the feel of stretching washes or using unconventional products or routines. But I wasn't one of them, and from what I am reading, there are lots of people who feel this way, or are miserable doing what is supposed to be so much "better"..if my fine, oilier hair looks and feels better with daily washing, so be it. I do like the routine of showering & shampooing in the morning and my hair smelling nice, too.

[desuvsdeath]

I wash daily with sulfates. I tried sulfate free and got flakes and itching and irritation. I tried using no shampoo and found a DRAMATIC increase in shedding... plus my hair looked really frizzy ( http://oi44.tinypic.com/15nqbue.jpg ) like it does in high humidity areas and the attempts to tame that just lead to a lot of mechanical damage.
I don't ALWAYS wash my hair when I'm in the shower, but I do most days and when I do I only wash the roots and let the suds sort of rinse through.

[Snoofie]

I shampoo daily. I can't not. I know it's supposedly "bad" or whatever, but personally? I think that, like so many other things, it depends on the specific person. For me, daily shampooing doesn't seem to be causing any damage whatsoever. Plus, I have *very* thick, coarse hair, and after sleeping on it all night, I basically have two choices: shampoo it, or use half a can of hairspray on it to tame it. So in my case, it's a "lesser of two evils" thing.

[RubyTuesday]

I have gone back to daily washing after trying to stretch washes for a couple of months. My hair would just not cooperate and I was getting through so much dry shampoo it was costing a small fortune.

I like having clean hair and my hair is so fine it shows up grease really easily. I think it looks horrible having greasy hair. It also looks unprofessional for work. It is a drag having to wash it and style it every day but I am used to doing it now.

Clean hair makes me feel clean. Even if I was home ill I would still have to wash my hair. It is the feel of it as much as the look.

[Snoofie]

Clean hair makes me feel clean. Even if I was home ill I would still have to wash my hair. It is the feel of it as much as the look.

Me too. I find if I'm sick, having "unwashed" hair (even if it's only been a day!) makes me feel even worse. And, even though I know it's a psychological thing, I swear I feel like a complete dirtbag if I haven't washed my hair. That's probably just because, when I haven't shampooed my hair, you can tell just by looking at it. It might not be dirty, but it sticks out in fifteen different directions after I've slept on it and there's no way to tame it. I might as well wear a sign around my neck saying, "I HAVEN'T SHAMPOOED MY HAIR TODAY." With neon lights. Hahaha.

[HintOfMint]

If your hair can handle being washed daily and you feel as though you need to do so, then wash daily. I personally can't wash that often because my hair dries out like crazy, no matter how gentle my routine is. A hairdresser was washing my hair and asked if I washed my hair every day because he could tell how dry it was.

One thing I should mention is that I used to wash my hair daily because I psychologically couldn't handle unwashed hair even a day old. My hair was dry and poofy and my scalp was perfectly fine without washing every day but I just could not handle it. When I got serious about taking care of my hair (in the fanatical days anyway), I learned about stretching washes and decided to try it out. I went without washing for 3 - 4 days just to push myself past the psychological block and afterwards, I found that I could shampoo every other day to every 2 - 3 days and be fine.

So I guess the question is, are you sure you need to wash every day, or is it a mental block that doesn't have much to do with the condition of your scalp and hair?

[ErinLeigh]

Usually I wash most days. If I have no plans and stay home for two days or more I won't wash my hair, but when I've got something going on everyday I always wash it. My hair looks and feels pretty gross if I don't wash it regularly. I can't even stand it by day 3.

DITTO. I was about to write same thing!

To counteract the fact I shampoo daily (unless staying home) I try to switch up my shampoos to at least give hair a break from certain ingredients. I do sulfates once a week, all natural one day, low poo one day, toss in a co wash, etc etc. I have fine hair and I must sweat in my sleep as when I wake up my hair looks horrid. Not so much greasy, but lanky, lumpy and all around crazy looking. I also love the feel of freshly washed hair even though i hate the drying/styling process.

Any time I go more than a day or 2 without washing (if I am hibernating) I end up having a break out on my face. Not worth it to me. 2 days is the longest I go and I would never go out with 2nd day unless it was a run to a store. Never have I been able to go out and look nice with 2nd day hair. It just doesn't work for me although I wish it did. Maybe when my hair gets longer?

I would be eager to know how many of the wash stretchers have longer hair that behaves better, or if they are wearing hair up after 2nd day.
What is the trick to not having to wash often successfully?

[walterSCAN]

I would be eager to know how many of the wash stretchers have longer hair that behaves better, or if they are wearing hair up after 2nd day.
What is the trick to not having to wash often successfully?

Short answer:

Time and being really committed to the idea. Even then, it just doesn't work sometimes.

Long answer:

I wash every Sunday and am able to wear my hair down (read: would be able to wear it down if it weren't for baby fingers!) through Thursday most weeks. I generally need to wear it up Friday on because it gets a little stringy/ piece-y and I'm not fond of that look. My hair and scalp weren't very happy washing every day-- it'd be OMG-wash-your-hair!!! oily 8 hours after I washed it, and I was sick of that, so I jumped on a method that might teach my scalp to produce less oil. I do think it is easier for people with longer hair to get away with oilier hair, especially because it can be worn up. There's also just a lot more hair there to absorb the oils.

I think that wash stretching can be a useful experiment for people, but obviously it isn't mandatory for nice-looking, long hair. Some people's hair and scalp will adapt to it and be much happier (or just as happy), and some people's won't. It's a good idea to bear in mind what HintOfMint mentioned about the psychological factor, and make sure that if you are going to bother trying to stretch washes, you give it a fair shake.

It can be quite a process-- I started wash stretching a little before I joined and was at twice a week 2 years later. I maintained there for a while, and now, nearly 4 years later, I'm at once a week. I'm not saying that you have to give it 2 or 4 years for it to be a fair shake, though! :rollin: That's WAY too much commitment for a lot of people, and I figure if you and your hair are happier washing daily, and if you gave it a couple months of consistent attempts to stretch washing, then it probably isn't for you.

And that's ok. :flower: Do what makes your hair happy!

[meteor]

I think it's very individual, and depends on the health of your scalp and the type of your hair.

The only time I could wash hair daily was when it was short (up to APL or BSL), and even then... it got really, really dry, and I had lots of breakage after a season or two.
The longer my hair gets the less I can wash it. But I'm sure the real reason is that I have fine, dense, wavy hair, so it's really prone to dryness.

I believe it's up to your hair type. I am curious: are there any long-haired curlies who manage to wash hair daily? I always heard that daily washing is a big no-no for African hair, for example.




It just doesn't work for me although I wish it did. Maybe when my hair gets longer?

I would be eager to know how many of the wash stretchers have longer hair that behaves better, or if they are wearing hair up after 2nd day.
What is the trick to not having to wash often successfully?
ErinLeigh, my hair behaves a lot better starting from day 4 or 5 after a wash, I kid you not. The first 2 days post-wash are total frizztown, untameable flyaways, hair sliding out of all styles... unless I use a ton of leave-ins, but I don't like to overload on them as they make hair sticky and attract lint. So stretching washes helps me... up to 2 weeks! I also get a lot more hair compliments when my hair isn't freshly washed.
It's DEFINITELY not for everyone though.

[Tini'sNewHair]

I wash every other day... I cant see it any other way for now :(

[insilentharmony]

I've washed my hair every day for my entire life. My scalp gets very oily as I sleep, plus my job is very labor-intensive and I often work with harsh chemicals. I even wash my hair when I'm spending the day at home or am sick. I just feel more put together and clean in general when I wash my hair.

[vanillabones]

With short hair I too showered and washed it daily. Now that it is longer I find my hair responds well to natural sulphate free shampoos and it is easier to stretch the washes now and hide it in a bun or use dry shampoo. I'm trying to wash 10 times or less a month. I'm on my second month of this :D I still use a strong shampoo maybe once a week since my scalp loves to be cleaned and my hair looks so much better.

[Foxylocks]

I shampoo my hair every other day, but I wet my hair entirely in the shower on days when i do not shampoo. In an unexplainable way, my hair needs to be wet for braids. No sensation of guilt.

[bunnylake]

I absolutely cannot wet my hair if i'm not washing it. It's such a strange feeling to me! Now that i'm washing every other day I just skip the shower altogether, but its winter and I'm not getting sweaty so I guess it doesn't matter.
I personally feel that a clean scalp is a healthy scalp. I know sebum isn't "dirty" but for me, it's not clean either. It's like if I didn't wash my face daily... I know I'd have terrible cystic acne and blackheads. shudder: When I was a lazy pre-teen I remember going through a phase where I didn't wash my hair very often, and I had painful acne on my scalp. Never again!