What does your family/friends think of your wash cycle?

[FallingDarkness]

My mom thinks my hair is disgusting. On day 4 (wash day) it gets pretty greasy, but the grease levels are definitely decreasing. :P At first she was dropping subtle hints like, "When was the last time you washed your hair?" or "You might want to start washing your hair more often. It looks a little greasy." Now it's full blown, "Your hair is gross. I know you like how soft it is when you don't wash it but it's not because your hair is healthy - it's grease. You look like you don't care about your appearance." And so on and so forth. It got me thinking though - I can't be the ONLY one with people complaining about how often I wash my hair. Does this happen to anyone else? I want to know I'm not alone in the world lol

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I just don't tell people IRL anything about my hair routine. It saves a lot of hassles. I might mention oiling but they probably think that is pretty gross....so I don't mention washing frequencies at all. They would probably faint.....

[FallingDarkness]

The problem is that when my hair gets greasy it shows, because my scalp area gets darker than the rest of my hair due to the grease. So people have actually asked me how often I wash my hair. :( HOWEVER I don't tell them anything of my 'real' hair routine. They'd think I was crazy.
Have you never been asked about your wash cycle??? *disbelief*

[Larki]

Well, I wash every other day, but I could never stretch my washes like that because my hair really shows the oil really fast, it looks revolting. Some people's hair doesn't show it, which would be nice. And I can guarantee that if I did try to stretch I would get millions of comments like that from my family and others.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

The problem is that when my hair gets greasy it shows, because my scalp area gets darker than the rest of my hair due to the grease. So people have actually asked me how often I wash my hair. :( HOWEVER I don't tell them anything of my 'real' hair routine. They'd think I was crazy.
Have you never been asked about your wash cycle??? *disbelief*
Nope, no one has ever asked about my wash cycle. I don't think they are very interested in my hair, they have other stuff to think about. I was staying with my sister once and went out in the kitchen one morning and grabbed a banana out of the fruit bowl. My sister said "Are you going to put that banana in your hair?" I replied, "No, I am going to eat it."

I suppose she figured that if a person puts oil into their hair, then there are no holds barred in terms of hairy weirdness going on....She used to laugh fit to burst if she saw me taking a hair photo. I learned pretty fast to keep these things to myself :)

ETA: Just tell them you are doing a scalp treatment.

[BrendaLoan]

I wash my hair once a week and my family/friends never noticed it. One day my mom said: Your hair looks nice, what have you been doing to it? And I confessed...I haven't washed it for days. She freaked out haha, :scared: that is disgusting! she said. That was a few months ago, and the last time I spoke to her, she was washing her hair every other day. And so was my brother! ;) So they may change their mind when they see the results on your hair. Meanwhile, maybe some dry shampoo could work for you? or stretching washes more gradually? Just a thought

[woodswanderer]

I wouldn't tell anyone. I already know it would go over like a lead balloon. First rule of long hair...don't talk about long hair. :cool: No one has asked me about my wash cycle, though they may have wondered about it. I have a couple tricks up my sleeve to disguise stretching washes. Wash day is loose, 2nd day is loose, 3rd day is wash hair that touches my forehead if it looks greasy and then loose, 4th day is usually toothed headband far back with a just little powder brushed onto greasy front or a braid.

[Duchess Fuzzy Buns]

I don't tell people.... I told a friend one time I don't wash my hair every day and she definately thought it was kind of weird. But then again, she washes her hair twice a day and I think that's weird. :shrug: Better to keep these things to myself. If my hair is starting to look greasy after a couple days I just put it back in a braid or something, that tends to disguise the greasies. Maybe you could try some kind of dry shampoo or powder on your scalp to help absorb the excess oil? I've never tried it myself, but maybe that would work for you.

[Weewah]

It's probably hard to attempt stretching washes when you go to school and need to be presentable every day. This is why I never succeeded at stretching washes. Also some people are naturally more oily than others. Have you tried using dry shampoo or putting it up with a thick headband/silk scarf to hide the greasiness? Tell them you're recalibrating your sebum production lol.

[Ferryl]

I go a full week before needing to wash my hair and my hair isn't greasy until day #7. I certainly wouldn't have been able to do that when I was a teen though! Sports/gym and just teen hormones made it so I could only go to day #3. That WAS stretch washing for me. So don't take it too hard if you can't stretch wash as much as other people on the boards. With age your sebum production may slow like mine did. IMO just do what your hair tells you to do. If you are getting comments about the greasies, wash your hair and don't feel bad about it. :) Problems arise when people wash their hair everyday out of habit or paranoia instead of necessity. If your hair is dry, oil it! If your hair is greasy or dirty, wash it! Your hair is made of its own special individual properties; do what is best for it.

[StellaKatherine]

I think putting my hair in a braided bun helps to hide my greesy hair very well :D So at the moment i get this type of a comments only when i am doing an oil treatment before washing as my husband can't stop joking about it ;)

[neko_kawaii]

My mom goes much longer than I between washes, so she probably thinks my twice a week is overkill. One wash day is generally the day before or the morning of visiting in-laws, so no reason for them to object. My husband doesn't care as long as I don't put anything smelly in my hair.

[jacqueline101]

I agree I found it best not to tell people. I found a bun or braid to help hide greasies while transitioning during stretch washes. It does take time to stretch washes.

[cheetahfast]

I don't really get into many conversations about it, but generally my friends who are African understand oiling and washing less. They also usually know the best tricks for curly hair.

My SO has two sisters and he knows that all girls don't wash their hair daily. His one sister is very environmentally conscious and says its good to not wash as often and was pleased to hear that I really am a lazy washer :lol:.

I don't stretch washes that long, I wash my hair when I feel like it, maybe twice a week?
My hair only gets greasy roots, which is hidden at work by my hat. I don't wash on work days since I'll get home and it'll be just as greasy as before I washed it.

[ReneeG]

My hair gets darker near the scalp too! I wash every 3-4 days depending on what is going on that week, but have occasionally stretched to 5 or 6 days... But it looks like it! I found that using cornstarch is a life saver. It's the active ingredient in dry shampoo, but doesn't have any of the other nasty chemicals! Just sprinkle some onto the greasy areas, rub it in like regular shampoo, and the after about 5 min brush through it to keep it from looking like old lady hair (I have a separate bbb for powdered hair vs non powdered hair) and its good for 2 more days without a wash. I usually do this on day 3 or 4 to keep from looking nasty. Nobody has ever said anything (my mom only washes once a week or less), but I hate how I look with it greasy and darkened at the roots.

[RainbowBowser]

My brother was surprised to find out this past weekend when we travelled that I never washed my hair at all. My father is subtle because when my hair is clean he'd say how good my hair looks and that I must have washed it today. My mom and sister understand a little better on the art of haircare :P

[Aderyn]

I am also one of those who rarely talks about my hair care regime. I wash my hair once or twice a week (currently working on stretching to once a week). Largely because I'm a quiet person in general, but also to avoid awkward conversations with people I'm not very close with.

For those who I do talk to it about, I haven't had any issue. They may find it odd and/or intriguing, but they don't view it as completely outlandish or feel the need to tell me to wash my hair more often. Most people are surprised I wash my hair only once or twice a week as my hair doesn't get too greasy nowadays, and I tend to wash it the day it reaches that greasy point as my hair starts clumping up at the roots which is not very cute.

[YvetteVarie]

As a contrast to everyone else, my family/friends think I wash my hair way too much. I wash my hair once a week, or once every fortnight when I'm really lazy. Most of my family and friends wash their hair at most once a month or when they get a chemical treatment done. It's because of an African hair myth that hair grows faster when dirty, so they are shocked that I get that much growth with clean hair :whistle:

[Wosie]

My DBF is the only one who sees my hair on a daily basis, and he doesn't seem to care nor mind if my hair is greasy (...or heavily coconut oiled). He's extremely supportive of whatever I'm passionate about. :crush:

Just like I, my family is all very much into the whole natural shebang (my mother way more, even), so they would never inquire or seem disgusted either. I'm just very lucky with all my surrounding peeps. :)

[ExpectoPatronum]

My mom is actually jealous I can stretch washes a couple days. It's not much, but she's a daily washer. She's also a daily 'styler' however, I've made progress with her!

-She CO washes or WO a couple times a week instead of shampoo. (She already uses SLS free stuff).
-She'll actually skip washes on the weekend.
-This weekend was her first weekend NOT styling her hair. (Hopefully this will continue to be a thing; her natural waves look nice!).

I'm just happy she's making progress. She really wants to grow her hair longer.

My best friends know I don't wash every day (mostly). In fact, one of my best friends washes her hair less often than I do, but her scalp doesn't get as greasy as mine. We exchange hair tips quite a lot.

My other best friend is a guy with short hair and I'm perpetually jealous that his hair dries in five minutes.

[divinedobbie]

My mom is supportive of me washing my hair less often. I used to be a daily washer and she'd always be after me to wash less often. I finally tried stretching washes when I had my transition phase between university and work so I could afford to look gross for a while. I don't see my dad much and he's never said anything to me but he does make comments about how women should always take care of themselves and look their best so I suspect he'd disapprove. I never talk about my wash routine with my friends, I think it'd be pretty awkward.

[Marika]

I wash my hair every other day, sometimes everyday if I have to be extra-presentable. I have no idea how often my family/friends wash their hair because we've never discussed it. I would imagine every 1-2 days. I tried to stretch washes years ago because I thought I had to (you know, LHC influence :D). I ended up with greasy scalp and dry length and my scalp never adjusted. I quit trying after 6 months and my hair hasn't been dry since then (unless I use bad products). Personally, I think it's best to wash hair as soon as it starts to look greasy. Washing has never dried out my hair as long as I use gentle products. I learnt my lesson! :D

[ravenreed]

No one notices because I wash before my hair gets greasy. Normally that means washing every other day, but when it heats up during the summer I wash every day. My hair is soft, shiny, and healthy, so I don't feel that washing as often as I do is damaging it in any significant way.

[Charybdis]

People generally don't ask about my washing routine, and I don't bring it up. I usually S&C every 4 days. My scalp produces quite a lot of oil, but my hair is dark and has a lot of texture/frizz; the oiliness would really only be visible if I did a half-up, where you could see the oiliness in the straighter bits behind my ears. My buns actually look their best (least frizzy) on Day 4, but my scalp can't tolerate stretching washes any further.

I do occasionally get the "My, your hair is so long!" comments from relatives when my hair is down, but I just smile and say, "Well, that happens when you don't cut it". That generally ends the conversation, because they know I'm not keen on people sticking their nose into my business.

[Selkie-]

Nobody ever mentions or asks about my wash routine. Mostly my hair looks clean though because although I only wash the length every four days, I wash my scalp every other day.

[embee]

As a summer WO and a winter NW/SO, I do not discuss my "wash" cycle.... with anyone except here on LHC. ;)

[martyna_22]

I wash every other day. I've tried stretching.. probably 3 times now. One time I've gone 6 months washing every third day, but on 3rd day my hair would be greasy (and I have the kind of hair color that fades towards the ends significantly, so it magnifies the effect of oily hair), I would be very self-conscious and I decided that it isn't worth it. Nobody remarks on my wash cycle, and I'd prefer it so stay this way.

[Stray_mind]

My mom and brother say nothing. They don't really care how often i wash my head. But my father once sai "You were in the shower again?... But you went there not long ago.. ". That surprised me, because i thought 3-4 days is a decent time between washes. :D ( i mean, i do shower often, just don't wash my hair and he saw it wet that time)

[florenonite]

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that if people are noticing that your hair needs washed, well, maybe it needs washed. Not everyone can wash one or two times a week without getting greasy.

[Lyv]

I shampoo every 3 days and my mom and sister both go that long or maybe longer so it's not weird for them at all. They both seem to like hearing all the weird things I've tried with my hair and my sister usually tries it all too. My husband on the other hand thinks it's really weird that I don't wash my hair every day but doesn't seem to notice it getting greasy. That may be because I use dry shampoo on the third day when it actually looks greasy. Before I cut my hair I was washing every 4-5 days since I could put it up to hide the greasies but with it so short now there's no way to hide it. I don't really talk about my hair care to most people though, if they think shampoo bars sound crazy I doubt they would be all that receptive to any of the other things I've done lol.

[Stray_mind]

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that if people are noticing that your hair needs washed, well, maybe it needs washed. Not everyone can wash one or two times a week without getting greasy. Well, i let my hair get greasy intentionally. That is the point of streching washes is it not? It is so the hair could get some benefit out of natural head oil... :)

[florenonite]

Well, i let my hair get greasy intentionally. That is the point of streching washes is it not? It is so the hair could get some benefit out of natural head oil... :)

It depends on what you mean by letting it get greasy. A lot of people wash their hair every day whether it needs it or not, so they're constantly stripping the oil away before the hair has a chance to absorb it. In that case, stretching washes so your hair is actually oily (ie, it's absorbed as much oil as it can) by the time you wash it is beneficial. But then you should probably wash it :p

[MINAKO]

NEVER. EVER. TELL !!! :cool:

[quiltlady]

I never discuss my wash routine. I don't think the people around me are very interested in hearing about my routines. The closest I come to talking about my wash routine is to mention that my hair is wet. I leave it down on wash days. It takes a good 6-8 hours to dry. My hair tangles easily, so I leave it down to dry. When it is down, someone may comment on it, that's when I might mention it is wet. Other than that, I keep my hair routines and opinions to myself. I am not sure others would understand.

[spidermom]

For me, oily hair makes for an itchy scalp, so I wash it about every 3-4 days on average. I think my daughter might have said something about me washing my hair before an event that we were going to together, but that's just her. She also prefers if I let her choose my outfit. No problem - she has good taste.

[HumanBean]

I've mentioned my standard once a week routine to girlfriends before but none seemed weirded out by it. But then again, I'll wash more frequently when I needed to, right now that's twice a week. I've also done the once a week thing just washing bangs midweek, or using dry shampoo.

[kganihanova]

I wash my hair every other day, sometimes everyday if I have to be extra-presentable. I have no idea how often my family/friends wash their hair because we've never discussed it. I would imagine every 1-2 days. I tried to stretch washes years ago because I thought I had to (you know, LHC influence :D). I ended up with greasy scalp and dry length and my scalp never adjusted. I quit trying after 6 months and my hair hasn't been dry since then (unless I use bad products). Personally, I think it's best to wash hair as soon as it starts to look greasy. Washing has never dried out my hair as long as I use gentle products. I learnt my lesson! :D

ThiS. I get the same thing- greasy roots, dry poofy length. My scalp just never adjusted. Washing every other day makes my hair happy even though it's with sls shampoo and coney condish. For some reason, the sls keeps my dandruff away.....

[SkyChild]

I used to get a lot of comments when I tried the bicarb washing thing and my hair looked limp greasy and filthy. My family were kinda like "So why are you doing this again?" My husband didn't say until after I'd stopped that he'd been worried and thought I was in some kind of depression and had given up caring about myself!

I stretch washes now to every 3 days, so I'm not saying greasy = filthy. But I can't manage a 4th on my hair. I feel itchy and sticky which I don't like. No one comments on it now.

[lapushka]

My hair is washed once a week. This is stretched; the last couple of days my hair is pretty greasy (the longer it got, the less it was noticeable, though). I normally need 2 to 3 washes a week, so when there's a time and place where I need to be presentable, my hair does get washed more. No way I would dream of being dirty when there's some sort of family gathering or function.

[Stray_mind]

It depends on what you mean by letting it get greasy. A lot of people wash their hair every day whether it needs it or not, so they're constantly stripping the oil away before the hair has a chance to absorb it. In that case, stretching washes so your hair is actually oily (ie, it's absorbed as much oil as it can) by the time you wash it is beneficial. But then you should probably wash it :p

I mean that i don't wash it untill my scalp starts lookig greasy and feeling greasy. Only when it happens i wash my hair.

[Gardezbien]

Starchild ? What is Oxter in your sig?

My mother thinks my wash cycle is disgusting. My husband thought we were insane at first. I don't discuss it with her anymore.

My oldest still at home was converted quickly . Her hair is about BSL . My 11 yr olds is the same length also - but she has not hit puberty yet and only washes once every two weeks .( swims a lot in summer though )

My hair is in some sort of transition. The top is dry crunchy and frizzy and never gets greasy. The temple area gets greasy after two days. I guess the top is like that due to the fact it gets all the abuse.. Sun, shampoo, brush or comb .

I try to wash on Sun and Wend.

[Lizzie_Bennet]

When I lived at home, my family would ask questions about my latest experiments and give me a hard time about putting food in my hair, but it was always in good fun and overall they were supportive (if not a bit confused). My mom especially has always been receptive of and interested in my methods (or she is at least really good at pretending to be!). They never commented first when I tried stretching my wash cycle in high school--that is to say, if I commented on my hair being greasy and feeling weird, they would comment, but they were good about keeping their opinions to themselves unless I opened up the discussion first.

DH is the same way, he likes to poke fun at me for using food in my baths and hair, but overall he isn't bothered and is quite supportive. He makes fun, but he loves the results! As for the wash cycle, he doesn't even notice. Even if I show him my greasy roots, he has no idea what he's looking at. Oh well, it makes it easier for me, not having to worry about grossing him out! ;D

[Lizzie_Bennet]

Double post

[cathair]

It's only my Mum who tends to comments on my hair like that. She used to tell me it looked greasy every once in a while, but she hasn't done for ages. I am stretching my washes to about once a week now. She invited me out for a coffee and I said I didn't want to go because my hair was week old and full of coconut oil pre-wash. She made me go out anyway, so I put it up and her and my step dad didn't think it greasy. They are usually very critical *shrugs*

That said, I think my hair is getting much less greasy as I get older, it's more on the dry side now. I noticed you are 16 OP. If I tried stretching my washes when I was 16 it would have been a disaster, because my hair was much oilier when I was younger.

I remember our biology teacher telling us that humans didn't need to wash their hair when I was a teenager. So being as lazy as I was, I thought brilliant! And stopped washing it. It was unbearably greasy, it looked wet and stuck to my head all the time, it never settled down. People used to tell me they could have fried chips in it, so I had to stop! I went back to washing it every other day.

It's possible being younger you don't need to stretch you washes as far to get the same benefits from sebum as someone older. Then if you wash it more all you are worrying about really is hair swelling when it is wet, which you can protect it from with coconut oil pre-wash anyway.

[Schneckschjen]

I wash my hair every 6 days and nobody have a problem with it. But my hair don't looks oily at the 6th day, exept my hair is open. And I should say that I sweat hardly even if it's really hot.

[KittyBird]

My scalp gets itchy when it's dirty, so I have to wash every 3-4 days/twice a week (unless I want to be in agony, of course :p ). It doesn't look dirty, but I can feel that it's time for a wash. I used to go 7-10 days between washes, but it didn't do my hair any good.
I don't think my routine is outrageous, and nobody seems to be bothered by it. At least nobody has called it gross yet. I think my parents are very grateful that I don't wash every day, since they have to pay the water and electricity bills :lol:

[spidermom]

I'm having one of those days when I looked at my hair this morning and decided it could wait another day. Three hours later it's visibly oily and my scalp is a bit itchy. I'm at college now so too late. Darn!

[StellaKatherine]

As a teenager and in my early 20s i was washing my hair every second day, before it even felt dirty. I honestly thought that how it supposed to be. Nawadays i wash about once a week or even once in a one and a half weeks, but i do always wash my hair if i have some family/ party / event to participate. My hair actually looks the best on the 3d day after washing and my braids look the best when my hair starts to get greesy as that is when my braids are very defined and loose the "fluffy" effect which i get from washing. Usually no one ask about my hair rutines as such, but i do sometimes get questions about what i do to make my hair grow long which can result in me telling something. I think the longer your hair is, the less it is noticible that the hair is dirty.

The weirdess thing is, that lately everyone WANTS my hair. LITERALLY wanting my hair! When my own sister said that i should cut my hair and give it to her for hair extentions - it was funny. But since then i got couple of other girls at work saying to me " Hey, if you ever cut your hair I will buy it from you " WTF ? My mom doesn't want my hair as such, but for years she wanted me to cut shorter. Anyone experienced this ?

[Stray_mind]

I'm having one of those days when I looked at my hair this morning and decided it could wait another day. Three hours later it's visibly oily and my scalp is a bit itchy. I'm at college now so too late. Darn!
Hahaha! My hair does that too! In the morning it looks ok, but a few hours pass and it's a ball of grease... I wonder if it's because i touch my hair to much or if my hair gets sweaty and that makes my scalp make more oil..:ponder:

[StellaKatherine]

Hahaha! My hair does that too! In the morning it looks ok, but a few hours pass and it's a ball of grease... I wonder if it's because i touch my hair to much or if my hair gets sweaty and that makes my scalp make more oil..:ponder:

I've noticed, that if i make complicated hairstyles everyday, then my hair go greasy much faster than if i do something simple and touch my hair less. So yeah to me the more i touch the more i need to wash :D

[Stray_mind]

I've noticed, that if i make complicated hairstyles everyday, then my hair go greasy much faster than if i do something simple and touch my hair less. So yeah to me the more i touch the more i need to wash :D

I have a habbit to redo my hair a lot.. I try to get rid of it, but it just doesn't work...

[StellaKatherine]

I have a habbit to redo my hair a lot.. I try to get rid of it, but it just doesn't work...

I was touching my hair much more when i had it shorter. The longer it gets the less i touch. I am so lazy that the only reason i sometimes brush my hair is because my granny would have killed me if she would have seen me with non brushed hair :D

[chen bao jun]

Interesting. I know many African Americans and African Caribbean people wash their hair about once a month. I thought it was just because they didn't want to wash it and have to straighten it again because its a lot of trouble, or if they have in those braids, washing can disturb how they look. I didn't know it was that ingrained a cultural thing.

I don't ever get a greasy scalp or greasy hair--quite the opposite, I hardly have sebum at all. I think this is common with African descent people and I know curlies in general have much drier hair and can actually damage their hair by washing too much. However, I can't wait as long as once a month. I pretty much get miserable if I don't wash my hair every 7-10 days. I can wash it as often as once a week, I never tried more frequently than that. But my scalp just completely dries out to the point where it seems as if I have eczema or something if I wash more than once a week. I'd be bald if I washed every day.
I know some people who wash once a month and you really can't tell. There is no oiliness, no smell nothing and they don't get dry like I do. However, there are some other people whose hair is completely nasty. Some people of African still load up their hair with petroleum based products that attract dust and lint and stretch washes too long with all this gunk collecting on their heads getting greasy and its just nasty. There also are the people who put their hair in braids for six months and seem to never wash it or care for it the whole six months. It is not attractive to see their natural hair growing out of the plasticky looking braids with a lot of grease and gunked up dust near their scalps. When I see stuff like this going on someone's head, it makes me feel I should wash my own hair right away whether I need to or not-- feel scared in case mine should ever look like this.

Its interesting that I can recognize this problem--but I 've had white people telling me how their hair looks 'disgusting' and needs washing and how their scalp is oily and I really can't tell what they are talking about. I can't recognize an oily scalp, probably because I never have one. they will complaining and their hair will look just fine to me. It's even worse in photos--here on LHC I see photos all time of people saying how dirty their hair is and please excuse it (especially in hair toy photos) and I really can't tell.


As a contrast to everyone else, my family/friends think I wash my hair way too much. I wash my hair once a week, or once every fortnight when I'm really lazy. Most of my family and friends wash their hair at most once a month or when they get a chemical treatment done. It's because of an African hair myth that hair grows faster when dirty, so they are shocked that I get that much growth with clean hair :whistle:

[ARG]

I just don't discuss my hair washing routine with anyone besides my husband, he's very understanding and encouraging and even initiates conversation about what I'm doing differently.

DH never complains about it, he says he knows what I'm doing is good for my hair and scalp and its fine by him, but he used to make comments after I would wash it like "Oh yay! I love your clean hair!", so I make more of an effort to wash a bit more frequently for him.

[YamaMaya]

Even if she is your mom, tell her she should respect your choices and ulimately, shut up about it. It's your hair, she doesn't have to wear it. I personally only wash my hair once a week usually, and sometimes stretch for longer, but not often else I'd get handfuls of hair in the shower.

[molljo]

I'm going to agree with lots of others: don't tell anyone! My bf is the only one irl who knows my wash schedule of every 4-6 days, and he doesn't care. He knows I'm very invested in hair care, and all he wants is for me to happy with it. Also, OP, like others have mentioned, you're still a teenager dealing with hormones. You can't expect to stretch washes like lots of us here can. At 16, my hair was grosser after 2 days than it is at 28 after 4 days, and that's including the oils and leave-ins that I use now. Don't give up hope if you never really transition, just try it again in a few years when your hormones have calmed down. And seriously get some dry shampoo.

[FallingDarkness]

OMG I wasn't expecting so many replies. I get home and like, whoosh, 50 people replied to your thread. o:
I really enjoyed spending 20+ minutes reading all the replies though! I like listening to other peoplez routines and stuff. And a lot of people actually answered my question, so yay!
I might invest in some dry shampoo. Where would I be able to purchase some?
The thing is that my scalp has been adjusting fairly quickly to being washed less and less, and in no time my day 4 hair won't be as greasy as it is now. As long as the pattern holds up. If otherwise, then :(
Doom on hormones. *scowl*

[ARG]

You can buy it where you would normally buy shampoo, but honestly, a fluffy make up brush and cornstarch (or baby powder if you like the smell) works the best. There are tons of "recipes" for it online.

[YamaMaya]

OMG I wasn't expecting so many replies. I get home and like, whoosh, 50 people replied to your thread. o:
I really enjoyed spending 20+ minutes reading all the replies though! I like listening to other peoplez routines and stuff. And a lot of people actually answered my question, so yay!
I might invest in some dry shampoo. Where would I be able to purchase some?
The thing is that my scalp has been adjusting fairly quickly to being washed less and less, and in no time my day 4 hair won't be as greasy as it is now. As long as the pattern holds up. If otherwise, then :(
Doom on hormones. *scowl*

Go for the powdery ones rather than the spray on ones, as the aim is dry and the spray requires liquid, which leaves a sticky mess on your head, yuck. Honestly, like ARG said, cornflour will do the trick and is cheap and easy to find in the grocery store, usually with the baking stuff. Also get a boar bristle brush to help distribute it and not make it look like you've got white roots :p.

[kganihanova]

I'm going to agree with lots of others: don't tell anyone! My bf is the only one irl who knows my wash schedule of every 4-6 days, and he doesn't care. He knows I'm very invested in hair care, and all he wants is for me to happy with it. Also, OP, like others have mentioned, you're still a teenager dealing with hormones. You can't expect to stretch washes like lots of us here can. At 16, my hair was grosser after 2 days than it is at 28 after 4 days, and that's including the oils and leave-ins that I use now. Don't give up hope if you never really transition, just try it again in a few years when your hormones have calmed down. And seriously get some dry shampoo.

Word. My hair was greasy HOURS after a wash when I was in high school. It was a nightmare.

[kganihanova]

I'm having one of those days when I looked at my hair this morning and decided it could wait another day. Three hours later it's visibly oily and my scalp is a bit itchy. I'm at college now so too late. Darn!

I hate when I have these days. Than I have to walk around with an itchy head and flat hair. Quite irritating.

[vulgarshudder]

I wash weekly and nobody has noticed when it's getting towards wash days. Day 6 and 7 I wear alot of slicked up roots with big fake flowers. If it's itchy I'll use a spray in dry shampoo on the roots, I think it's got alcohol in of some kind it feels cool and tingly, prob not good for my hair but it feels good. If it's REALLY bad I'll wear a head scarf over it.

There's two long hair ladies at work, one is a weekly washer as well and the other knows it's better to not wash your hair too much. The usual reaction I get from people is surprise because it doesn't look dirty and they think that's the secret of my long hair.

[vulgarshudder]

I wash weekly and nobody has noticed when it's getting towards wash days. Day 6 and 7 I wear alot of slicked up roots with big fake flowers. If it's itchy I'll use a spray in dry shampoo on the roots, I think it's got alcohol in of some kind it feels cool and tingly, prob not good for my hair but it feels good. If it's REALLY bad I'll wear a head scarf over it.

There's two long hair ladies at work, one is a weekly washer as well and the other knows it's better to not wash your hair too much. The usual reaction I get from people is surprise because it doesn't look dirty and they think that's the secret of my long hair.

[Platzhalter]

My relatives are usually complaining no matter how often I wash my hair. But they seem to consider "fluffy frizz" the only way to have clean and healthy hair. Don't really care about their opinion any more, and that's probably the best way to cope with such people.

[eadwine]

I just love this..

the LHC: no one looks weird at you when you say you only wash your hair once a week
outside life: everyone looks weird at you when you say you only wash your hair once a week

:lol:

People just don't GET us ;)

[Chromis]

Heh, I grew up showering once a week! My husband is just happy that I bathe more now. He's never said anything about my hair washing. Obviously this wasn't an issue for me growing up, since it wasn't really my choice when I got to bathe. (It's complicated...but the shower was attached to my parent's room)

The only friends that have ever asked me about my hair routines are all pretty open-minded people anyhow and I don't really discuss it unless people ask. If people complain about their hair always feeling "weird" I might suggest an acid rinse since our tap water is super hard but that has never seemed to gross anyone out, even really conventional sorts. Sometimes I have mentioned shampoo bars to people who are worried about liquids and air travel, which is amusing really since I almost never wash my hair on vacation myself. Usually people want to know *what* I use, not how often and if they are clued in enough to ask how often, they likely are not daily washers themselves.

I will say that if you are getting comments about greasy hair from people who do not know your routine, then perhaps try washing a day or two earlier or the dry shampoo. People who know are are commenting might just be looking for something to complain about. If it is someone who doesn't usually make a ton of negative comments then I would be inclined to listen :)

[littlehedgy]

I stretch my washes as far as I can, but I do ballet 2x per week and go to the gym 2x per week I can't stretch too too far. My routine is usually wash, nothing, co/wash, nothing, wash, nothing, nothing. That 4th day is usually not the cutest my hair has ever looked. I have never used dry shampoo but definitely want to! What saves me is ballet buns and top knots. So even if my hair is slick with oil I comb it all up and bun on the top of my head. It sounds gross but then it just looks like you styled wet and hairaprayed.

[mira-chan]

Having dry hair means people generally don't notice whether my hair needs a wash or not. As for family, my mother washed my hair once a week when I was a child and I have stuck with that as it works just fine even now. Mum and grandma only started washing twice a week when they cut their hair shorter (shoulder). It's seen as the norm in my family.

[eadwine]

Chromis: I grew up showering once a week too. Still do, usually. Unless I have been working up a sweat.

I work closely with clients, done that for well over 10 years now, and never once have I heard one complain or seen one pull a face.

It's the every day, twice a day, or every other day washers that get the complaints, not me :D

[animetor7]

I wash my hair twice a week and my mom gets on me about it, but only because I told her about it. No one has ever commented that my hair looks greasy except for one roommate as I was literally walking to the shower to wash it and it had pre-wash oil in it. I just replied, yup, it's time to wash it and left it at that. That said, my routine is as much do to laziness as anything else. It takes 3-4 hours for my hair to dry now that it's hip length or maybe a little past, and I just don't want to put up with wet hair for that long more than twice a week.

[FallingDarkness]

Well I definitely have cornstarch. So huzzah, insta-dry shampoo! :D However, I do NOT have a BBB. Where can I purchase that?? Never even seen one before. :/

[LauraLongLocks]

Well I definitely have cornstarch. So huzzah, insta-dry shampoo! :D However, I do NOT have a BBB. Where can I purchase that?? Never even seen one before. :/

A BBB can be purchased at any drugstore. Just be sure it says it's 100% boar bristles.

No one cares what my wash routine is. My husband knows I wash every 2-3 days, but today I managed (unintentionally) to survive a 4th day. Ew. I'm a grease-pit and am finally getting to head to the shower now.

[HintOfMint]

Most are actually kind of impressed/envious that I can go three or four days without washing my hair. They chalk it up to thickness and coarseness hiding much of the grease. I don't think any of my close friends labor under the idea that you're supposed to wash your hair every day. In fact, they know it's generally good to not wash daily, but their hair texture makes it hard to hide grease and sweat, so they have to wash every day.

[browneyedsusan]

What they don't know won't hurt them! :lala:

I keep a big jaw clip in the shower, and twist up a top-knot before I wet my hair. I can make it 3 or 4 days.
If seasonal allergies are bothering, I rinse it out daily.

[peachyleshy]

My mom and sister will both go for a few days without washing their hair (and showering all together). In fact they'll go longer than me, even when I was really obsessed and growing my hair out a few years ago. Now I'll only go every other day at the most without washing my hair ( I might have waited an extra day before or I would only wash the top.) My husband doesn't care or notice if I go every other day without washing my hair (although it is greasy 24 hr after - so annoying!) What would bother him is not washing my actual body for longer than two days apart or if I had worked out and got sweaty and didn't shower. We had a little spat about that once. It's just sweat... :rolleyes:

[xoChesleyy]

I don't tell anyone about my hair washing cycle. If I did, the general reaction would probably just be "ewww, that's gross." :p Aside from that, nobody has really asked me how often I wash my hair, although I'm sure some have wondered.

[patienceneeded]

Why should anyone care what my wash cycle is? With that said, I do shower daily (usually) but pull my hair up and slap a shower cap over it. I usually wash my hair every 3-4 days. I have done 5 days before, but my head gets itchy after 3-4 days and looks greasy. I usually wear a headscarf day 4 to hide the oil and extend an extra day.

With that said, if random people/co-workers/family who had previously been mum on the subject of my hair starting commenting on it looking dirty/oily I would probably start washing a day or so earlier. Just like anything else, our wonderful brains show us what we expect to see. If I don't think of my hair as greasy, I won't see it as greasy. Other people aren't looking through my brain/seeing through my eyes and may be more accurate than me on my own appearance. (Like taking a friend along shopping, her perspective is different/unbiased and therefore helpful in deciding on new clothes)

[RavennaNight]

I don't talk about my washing routine to friends. DH knows I go through conditioner much faster than shampoo.

[Nadine <3]

My family doesn't know/care. I wash when everyone is away at work/school since I'm on a different schedule than them, I have the house to myself for washing. I think my mom finds it stranger that I have honey, olive oil, and coconut oil in the bathroom...and if you pay attention you'll notice I have 1 shampoo in the bathroom and at least 6 conditioners... and the conditioner gets used up REALLY fast, while I've had the same shampoo bottle for at least the last 6 months LOL

Nobody says anything, nut if they asked what I do with my hair, I would tell them and then not care about any negative reactions. I'm stubborn and bull headed so my friends and family don't ever suggest that I do anything I don't wanna do...cuz they know I won't lol

[lilin]

I'm willing to talk about it to my friends. I'm so weird that they wouldn't have survived if something like unusual hair care freaked them out! I could tell them I'm going to do a fire performance parachuting from a plane, and they wouldn't blink.

I wash twice a week, unless I'm lazy and have nowhere to be, in which case I sometimes stretch it longer. But I really shouldn't. If I go longer than the standard 3-4 days, it does get greasy, and my scalp suffers for it. It doesn't need that much oil.

I do get comments on my hair, sometimes asking what I did, and I'm perfectly willing to say, "Wash it less, and stopped using stuff with names I can't pronounce." They can see for themselves that it doesn't look gross. If they think that's disgusting, oh well.

I get the same comments about my face, and it's the same answer: wash it less. At least in summer. In winter, which are bitter cold here, the combination of oily skin and very dry air causes build-up, so I have to wash a bit more. But ordinarily, my skin pretty much takes care of itself. I never look shiny.

As far as my family, I tell them virtually nothing about my life. I only have contact with extended family, and they're judgmental about everything. I go out there because my grandmother is getting old, I just let them do all the talking, and that's pretty much it.

[Johannah]

I don't talk about it. And if I did and people would complain about it, I wouldn't care.

[Cania]

All the women in my family stretch washes. DBF has started washing once a week since he realised that's what I do, it's make his hair feel amazing~

[urs]

I also wash my hair once a week. makes the hair feel better, due to the fact that the hair oils are being secreted appropriately.:)

[urs]

hey cania, how are you doing?

[PrincessPhoebe]

My husband comes from a family of short haired, daily washers, so he probably thinks my twice a week washing is mildly odd. He has very fine, very short, very greasy hair, so it is probably easier to wash it every day than to not wash it.

My family were always more once/twice a week washers anyway, so wouldn't think anything of it. That said, I'm not actively stretching washes anyway - twice a week suits me now. When I was younger and slightly greasier, I washed every other day. I don't wait until it gets to the annoyingly greasy stage before washing.

[PinkyCat]

I've learned that I should just keep it short like, "Oh I just never use heat", instead of, "Well, there's 2 kinds of salad oils and conditioner and gel in there, and I haven't used shampoo in a week, and yeah I love to put Monistat on my scalp, yeah monistat. Then I do this thing called "plopping".

*crickets*

Yeah, just no heat....

[Becs]

My mom sounds kind of similar to yours in this regard, FallingDarkness. I wash with shampoo about once a week, and co-wash in between as needed. I honestly think my hair looks just fine, but my mom is always telling me that my roots are greasy and gross and that I need to do something about it. However, she is the only one who ever comments negatively, so I figure it can't be that bad...

[Anje]

The hubby wasn't terribly thrilled when I did water-only. These days, though, he not only supports my wash method and schedule (which is largely CO washing when I feel like my roots are looking too greasy to hide, about twice a week in summer), but he has adopted a similar one. He still shampoos more frequently than I do, but he often CO-washes his short hair, too.

[Fericera]

Nobody really asks so I don't tell them. I'm not really set on a routine anyway. I wash whenever I feel like it needs it. I'm gentle with my hair, and when I grew it out last time (I was 16/17 so about your age) it got well past waist washing it every other day, so not everyone has to skimp on washes. Just use a gentle shampoo and condition well. If you continue to transition I hope it goes well. :)

[NatNat]

No one really asks about my hair. I wash it every third evening and only my mom knows I do that, and she doesn't care :)

[Carolyn]

No one in my life has the slightest interest in my hair. They don't ask what I do to it and I certainly don't offer any information. Mr Cranky and I do not share a bathroom so I doubt he would notice and he certainly wouldn't be interested in or care about my hair routine. I'm sure he has no idea there is such thing as a hair care routine. When I lived at home my mother knew I washed and set it daily. She didn't say much. She always hated long hair and thought mine was too long but that's a different thread. In college my roommate could observe my hair routine but we never talked much about hair. She didn't care what I did and I didn't care what she did. I have no idea how often my friends wash their hair and could care less. I would love to chat hair routines with someone who was like minded but outside of meeting LHCers there is no one. As in most things in life I find that a STFU mindset serves me well.

[Aurum]

My hair doesn't get greasy on its own very easily because it tends to be rather dry. However, I usually wash every 2-3 days as a compromise with my mother. Every once in a while I'll go up to her and just tell her touch my hair and she is amazed at how soft and wonderful it feels. It feels good to be right. :D

[skeletonous]

People I've told usually think it's gross to not wash everyday :p nothing new here.

[truepeacenik]

The problem is that when my hair gets greasy it shows, because my scalp area gets darker than the rest of my hair due to the grease. So people have actually asked me how often I wash my hair. :( HOWEVER I don't tell them anything of my 'real' hair routine. They'd think I was crazy.
Have you never been asked about your wash cycle??? *disbelief*

I've never been asked. Some people are around enough to figure it out. But I also rinse allergens almost daily, so no one is aware the shampoo isn't always involved.

My buddy and I got into a discussion about traveling and hair, and dealing with it.(he's an APL to MBL range guy)
So he mentions weekly washing, with a bit of a look in his eyes. I say, I've gone weeks without being in mini-braids, but five days is more my outside range.
He looked so relieved I didn't think he was dirty.
I explained scalp only, and pointed out that with a good sweat, which goes along with his job, and a rinse, you are looking at a fresh scalp. Brush down the oils, and it's reasonably clean hair, without stripping.

Hmm, I'm looking for a small gift for him this year, it's his 50th. I'm thinking a nice bbb would do.

[Symphony]

No one really seems phased by it anymore. But I only bring it up if it is relevant to the conversation.

[Sharysa]

Mom knows that I don't need to wash my hair everyday--I can only manage twice-weekly washes because of my scalp oil, though. She does make a couple of comments if it's day three and my hair smells like hair instead of shampoo.

It doesn't even smell bad or look greasy, but my roots do go limp if I go a day over my schedule. Aside from the horrible itching and flakes.

I don't think most people know how often I actually wash, but I live with lots of minorities and they probably wouldn't care. But I do notice a lot of Caucasian people (although I'm only in the US) aren't used to their own body's smells. They think showering and hair-washing every day is absolutely necessary, so they think it's weird to not smell explicitly fragranced all the time.

[Hrtchoco]

My hair is super gross on the third day, so I have I wash my hair every other day.

[AmberJewel]

I wash every third or fourth day (CO), and do either a coconut oil treatment or a tea rinse. I don't advertise my routine, so I don't think my family even knows. One day Mom told me that my hair looked greasy and needed to be washed. I responded by saying that it hadn't been washed for four days. She looked at me like "yuck". But that was about it. Basically I sneak around trying to take care of my hair. :couch:

[Jennwith4]

My husband just looks at me funny when I'm mixing up an egg wash or a yogurt mask but nothing negative. No way will I mention my routine to any other family. A friend of mine told some ladies all about how I don't use shampoo at all and they all gave me that "you're joking right?" look. I don't mention it to anyone else because of that. Lol

[RockabyeRed]

A friend offered me some shampoo/conditioner samples the other day and I said I didn't use either. She looked a little disgusted. She usually tells me my hair looks nice though, so I'm not bothered!

[Undomiel]

I live with my BF and he doesn't care. When I lived with my parents though, my mom thought I was disgusting for using only conditioner and for stretching washes. Since I realized how non-LHCers tend to take this, I just don't discuss it unless someone asks and seems genuinely interested.

[sammiesamm]

My mom thought it was weird until she saw how good it was starting to look. Now she likes telling people that I only wash once a week because it surprises them. Her and I have the same hair and mine is really thick and shiney now and shes a little jealous XD I just dont understand though she wants thick hair, but cuts tons of layers into it and wonders why it isnt thicker -_-

[kganihanova]

Mine thinks I wash too much lol. I hate a greasy scalp -.- daily or near daily for me.

[Sharysa]

I just dont understand though she wants thick hair, but cuts tons of layers into it and wonders why it isnt thicker -_-

I think she's conflating thick hair with BIG hair and trying to get more volume with her layers. Sometimes layers mean more volume, but more often they tend to fall flat.

[GoddessLocks]

I usually just wash every other day, sometimes every day. We talked it about in our group of friends once, and we all do it lol. I have a friend who obviously stretches longer but I would NEVER ask her about it lol. It can look greasy, but she mostly just puts it in a bun on those days