Stretching my washes is making my scalp REALLY itchy...

[FallingDarkness]

I first stretched to every other day. No problems there. By the next week, I was going two days between my washes. Two weeks from that I was able to wash only twice a week, once on Sunday and once on Wednesday. Now I'm TRYING for every 4 days (wash on Sunday and then again on Thursday I mean) but on the fourth day my scalp is incredibly itchy. :( What do I do about this? I don't want to use dry shampoos, but I want healthy, long hair... Idk what to do at this point.

[kaydana]

Wash it.

What works for other people may not work for you. If stretching washes doesn't work for you, then don't. Wash your hair as often as YOU need to, not as often as other people tell you you should be washing.

[FallingDarkness]

But isn't my scalp going to readjust to produce less oils eventually or something?
And then shouldn't I be okay?

[kaydana]

Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't change anything, if it's itchy from not being washed, you should wash it. If twice a week is working right now, then keep doing twice a week for a while. If you get to a point where you feel your hair could go another day without being washed, then leave it another day.

[FallingDarkness]

You see, I THOUGHT that I could go an extra day, because it's not TOO greasy on day 3. But day 4 is just a fiasco.
I guess I could wait a little bit longer and try again in the summer sometime.

[meteor]

I agree with Kaydana.

Also, you don't have to wash your whole length, since your hair isn't greasy. Just do a scalp-only wash.
Here is a very good video by LauraLongLocks sharing her scalp-only wash technique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBOVM-dHlc

[FallingDarkness]

How do you manage a scalp-only wash without getting your length wet?

[Henna Girl]

I have the same problem FallingDarkness, stretching washes is a losing battle for me. It is really frustrating because no matter how hard I try I have to wash on day 3. I tried dry shampoo and it makes my hair feel even dirtier than without. I think I will keep washing on day 3 until my scalp adjust (if it adjusts!).

[meteor]

How do you manage a scalp-only wash without getting your length wet?
The link I've just added in my post above shows it well.

Just bun your hair in a compact bun (I like braided bun personally), cover just the bun with one or two plastic caps, dilute heavily your shampoo in a separate bottle, so that it turns to barely sudsy water, apply to scalp (applicator bottles are very convenient for this), scrub a little, wash off with showerhead pointed to scalp, and (this is optional) follow up with diluted ACV on scalp, if you like.

[sarahthegemini]

My scalp never adjusted, it just made me miserable and I felt like an absolute slob. Then I took advantage of dry shampoo :cheese:

[jeanniet]

There's no reason to stretch washes if your scalp doesn't like it. There's absolutely no reason why you can't grow your hair washing more often, or even daily. Lots of people do it. Don't get hung up on rules--the only rules that matter are the ones that work for you.

[FallingDarkness]

I'll give that scalp only wash a go and see if it works for me.
Thank you all for your advice!

[Nadine <3]

I wash on day 4. I could stretch to 5 if I wanted too, but...I like washing my hair and I feel like 4 days is more than enough stretching.

[meteor]

I'll give that scalp only wash a go and see if it works for me.
Thank you all for your advice!

I really hope the scalp only washes work for you. :) They've helped me a lot. But I should warn you that they don't give me the same super-clean feeling that I get from regular shampooing. It probably depends on the technique, but I find it hard to get every inch of my scalp washed with a bun attached to it. Other techniques include keeping the length in a ponytail or a braid with a cling film or plastic cap on top and hanging it up on some hook or hanger or whatever you have in the shower. It does take some trial and error.

[KittyBird]

Nothing wrong with washing more often. I used to stretch washes, going 7-10 days between each wash, and my scalp hated it. I already had a very tender scalp, but strecthing washes made it so much worse. It was sore and painful by day 4, making it nearly impossible to do updos. I could barely detangle and loosely braid it without being in agony. Other LHCers advised me to wash more often, and now I wash every 3-4 days/whenever I feel like it. No more scalp pain for me :)

[höpönasu]

I tried to stretch washes to only once a week but my scalp got soooooooo itchy I couldn't! Every now and then I can stretch wash to 5-6 days with barely dirty/oily hair. I now wash twice a week, stretch if my scalp co-operates.

[Anje]

Everything comes down to the "Does it work for you?" metric. There are lots of fabulous ideas and products out there that work for lots of people, but if it doesn't work for you, for your body, your hair, your personality, then it's no good. That's OK. You're justified to not like stretching your washes further.

Me, I've got a scalp that reacts to how frequently it's washed, and with what. I can stretch washes to a point, which strangely varies seasonally on the opposite schedule as most people's. Some others can stretch them to a different point. Some people produce (or don't produce) oil at a fixed rate, and their wash schedules are necessarily different. It's all good.