Ok to let my hair get wet?

[ZephyrStorms]

My hair is getting longer, I have about maybe 1/2 inch (my hair has always grown fast). I only wash it twice a week (I have always had oily hair), but I work out every day and I get very sweaty. I usually wear a shower cap but I am concerned about my head starting to stink if I don't at least get it wet or something. Does anyone have any insight to what I should do?

[ositarosita]

I work out five to six a days a week. I CO wash on those days because I don't want my sweat to dry out my scalp (I have a sensitive scalp and it get irritated easily), feed bacteria etc. The conditioner cleanses the hair and scalp then doesn't dry it out like shampoo

[tlover]

The last few years I have been washing with schampoo once a week the rest of the times I have washed my hair but only with water and we have a lot of animals (we have had a horse during this time and we have had rabbits and chickens during all this time) and it's still not smelly.

Now I have been washing with only water for about the last two weeks and so far I don't smell chickenpoo.

I guess that no water would be best but then again I don't want to smell chickenpoo all the time

[Anje]

Totally up to you. I don't really think it's going to start to stink -- sweat doesn't seem to harm hair and I haven't heard anyone complain of it smelling bad once it's dry, but it does seem to move sebum out onto the hair and make it look oilier at the roots more quickly. On the other hand, if you've got 1/2 inch of hair, getting it to dry isn't really a big deal. Wet it if you wish.

When you've got several feet of hair, drying can be an ordeal, which is enough reason to just let sweat dry in there and not bother washing it if it doesn't look nasty.

[SkyChild]

I would rinse it with plain water if you're feeling particularly sweaty.
Maybe get a spray bottle and fill with water and a few drops of essential oils? .Peppermint and rosemary are both meant to be good for hair and have strong cleansing smells.
That way you could mist it and work it through without having to rinse it out after workouts.

[ZephyrStorms]

Thanks! I like the misting idea.

[browneyedsusan]

Great thread!
I deal with pollen in the warm months, and feel better if I rinse out my hair. (With the pixie, I never gave it much thought, but things are MUCH different now!)

When my hair was 1", I just washed it daily. When it's that short, the oil moves down the hairshaft pretty easily, and the ends don't get banged up. When it gets long enough for the ends to rub on your shirt collar or get caught under the seat belt of the car, you might want to do something different. :)

[ReneeG]

I work out almost every day myself, and sweat a lot! However, I still only wash my hair 2x a week. Most of the time I dont do anything with my hair excedpt let it dry after sweating, and no harm done. I just put it into a bun and take my shower as normal. It never smells, and usually you cant even tell I worked out based on my hair. However, if I'm feeling particularly icky, I'll rinse it well with just water, and apply conditioner lightly to the ends. Its just past APL so not super long, so I dont mind it drying for a bit if I need it to, and it looks like a full wash/conditioning afterwards.

[RancheroTheBee]

When my hair was that length, I found it got puffier if I let it get wet every day, but the sweat during the summer didn't help at all. At your length, it's not going to damage your hair significantly, and my motto for the shorty lengths is do whatever you have to do to stay comfortable.

[Wildcat Diva]

I've seen these threads before. I don't think anyone ever on them ends up to confirm that sweat damages hair. I have used rosewater with a mister on my scalp during hot summer months.

Also,some people try roobios tea misted on scalp for hair growth, it's mildly astringent I believe, and also helps people to stretch washes. This might be helpful. I have had excess drips stain my white clothes, so you might want to do it when you are changing, and with a towel in hand. It doesn't seem to stain anyone's hair by the way.

[Leslieslsa]

Well my hair is about one inch shy of tailbone and I rinse it almost everyday because of the gym. Reason being I am still growing it and I have heard that the salt in sweat can clog follicles and slow growth. So I don't want to take any chances. I also use the time I rinse it with water to massage my scalp real well and I end it in cold water. Then when I get out sometimes I will put a light leave in conditioner in the ends.