Does anyone else suffer from this? + shedding of hair when trying to extend washes

[Dinosaurs!]

Hi HLC!

I've been starting my hair journey for almost a month now and I've been trying to do a couple of tricks that I've learned here. I have a naturally oily scalp and my ends get dry pretty quickly. I've switched all my hair care routine to sulfate-free poo and cone-free conditioners. I've tried LOC and no poo method and my hair did not enjoy that at all. What seems to be working well for me right now is the OSCO method.

I've been experimenting if I could extend the frequency of hair washes within the week and it seems that the most I can extend it is 3 days without my hair getting oily and gross. But I've also noticed that if I wanted to extend my hair washes for 4 days I started shedding crazy amounts of hair, I don't if this is normal or if I'm doing something wrong.... I've just avoided doing that and keep my hair washes every 3 days.

I would appreciate your feedback on this and any tips you may have!

[lapushka]

Your hair might not like stretching. Either your own oil or oil added to the scalp can cause excess shedding in some people. When my hair gets oilier as the week progresses, I shed more too. Some of it is normal, but too much might be too much. I can 't stretch beyond the week but that is mostly due to SD (seborrheic dermatitis).

Maybe try washing your regular amount again. I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about it, unless your hair regulates itself and starts producing less oil as it slowly adjusts. You are stretching one day per week, right? Very slowly? The keyword here is *slowly*.

[LawrenceSMarlow]

Hi Dinosaurs! I am noticing something similar... I have wondered if it because I used to wash every day, or every other day, and would always shed a fair amount with each wash and just think “well I’m washing my hair, some of it is going to fall out”. Now the hair that has served its time still wants to come out, but it’s not when I’m washing it, so I notice it more. So it’s not actually shedding more overall, it just feels like it? I hope that’s the case anyhow! I’m still learning a lot though, so I’m sure someone who knows what they’re talking about will be along soon...

[Dinosaurs!]

Your hair might not like stretching. Either your own oil or oil added to the scalp can cause excess shedding in some people. When my hair gets oilier as the week progresses, I shed more too. Some of it is normal, but too much might be too much. I can 't stretch beyond the week but that is mostly due to SD (seborrheic dermatitis).

Maybe try washing your regular amount again. I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about it, unless your hair regulates itself and starts producing less oil as it slowly adjusts. You are stretching one day per week, right? Very slowly? The keyword here is *slowly*.

Thank you for the reply! Yes I extended hair washes from every other day to every 3 days and my hair seems to be ok with that, I've only experimented a couple of times extending it to 4 days and that's when my hair lost it ( no pun inteded, lol)

As for oils, I think that the opposite is actually true, ever since I started oiling my hair it seems to be shedding a lot less. So the oil isn't the issue. My scalp is usually in pretty good shape, but if I try extending my wash for 4 days i start getting an itchy scalp too like you've mentioned with SD.

[Dinosaurs!]

Hi Dinosaurs! I am noticing something similar... I have wondered if it because I used to wash every day, or every other day, and would always shed a fair amount with each wash and just think “well I’m washing my hair, some of it is going to fall out”. Now the hair that has served its time still wants to come out, but it’s not when I’m washing it, so I notice it more. So it’s not actually shedding more overall, it just feels like it? I hope that’s the case anyhow! I’m still learning a lot though, so I’m sure someone who knows what they’re talking about will be along soon...

I know what your saying LawrenceSMarlow, I used to be plaged with the same questions too, I'm fairly new to all of this as well so lot's to learn still ( lot's of patience needed too, lol) before I was serious about my hair care routine, for a short period of time I was washing my hair everyday since I was working out a lot, doing outdoorsy activities, and it was the summer it jus seemed right. But I was shedding a lot of hair, then I switched to every other day and it seemed right, i was shedding less hair.
I haven't seen a lot of OSCO enthusiasts or maybe I haven't read tons of , but it has helped me GREATLY. I never thought I would say this having a naturally oily scalp. But since I switched to sulfate-free poos & conditioners and started doing OSCO, the amount of hair I was shedding pre-OSCO vs post-OSCO is nigth and day.

Thank you for your reply!

[MoonRabbit]

My hair gets oily on day 4 but I still stretch to day 7. I get a lot of shedding starting on day 4 and by my next wash I shed tons. I think you are just used less shed from frequent washing than letting the sheds stay longer and build up. I don't brush my hair after my wash day, which also contributes to the shedding. Been doing this for a year and my thickness has not changed. Some times I am alarmed by the amount I lose on hair wash day, I will get a big ball from brushing before wash and also big ball after I detangle with conditioner. But it is what it is.

[Reservechic]

My mormal hsir washing schedule is every 5-7 days. I get very minimal shedding when I stay on schedule. When I go past such, and may get lazy or not be able to wash my hair due to sickness, yes, I no notice an increase in the amount of shredded hairs that I see in my brush, the next time I wash my hair. My hair doesn't deal well with going along time without washing it, plus my scalp doesn't respond best to such either. I suffer with scalp eczema, and if I go very long without my scalp being washed too, my scalp eczema will go into severe overdrive. Which is why, I do my best to stay on schedule when it comes to washing my hair and scalp, no matter what.

Some peoples hair just doesn't respond well to when one stretches their hair washes. Which is why, it's best to stick with what works best for your own individual hair and scalp needs, when it comes to your individualized hair washing schedule.

[Joyful Mystery]

Be careful when trying to stretch washes.

For me personally, my scalp and hair are much happier with frequent washes. I usually wash every other day but sometimes I'm able to go one day longer. I wouldn't dare go longer than that!

[nycelle]

I also noticed more shedding on wash day (day 4). But for me, I think it's because I'm very careful when I comb by hair prior to wash day. On wash day, I take a large WTC and just got through my scalp almost raking it to make sure any debris is loose enough to come off my scalp when I shampoo.

Are you any rougher on your scalp on day 4?

[Corvana]

My hair gets oily on day 4 but I still stretch to day 7. I get a lot of shedding starting on day 4 and by my next wash I shed tons. I think you are just used less shed from frequent washing than letting the sheds stay longer and build up. I don't brush my hair after my wash day, which also contributes to the shedding. Been doing this for a year and my thickness has not changed. Some times I am alarmed by the amount I lose on hair wash day, I will get a big ball from brushing before wash and also big ball after I detangle with conditioner. But it is what it is.

My hair is the same way. But my thickness hasn't changed at all in the past 4 months of this current shampoo/conditioner, so I assume it's fine. I'm keeping an eye on it, of course, but for now I'm not too worried about it.

[chomsky]

If I wash day 7 instead of day 5/6 I have an increased shed. Keep in mind that I only comb my hair on wash day.

There is a *very* significant difference in shedding for me.

[Dark40]

Yeah, me too also suffer hair shedding from trying to stretch washes. That's why I don't stretch my washes anymore. I co-wash three or 5 times a week, and I use shampoo once or twice a week.

[EriPenguin]

Could it just be more shed hairs just end up caught in your hair when you wash it less? Maybe it's not more shedding but just appears to be because there's more shed hair built up

[yahirwaO.o]

Same for me!

I usually dont stretch for the sake of hair integrity, its more because of laziness or because I have either styled my hair with a flat iron or preserving a pin curl-roller set and when it looks good I don't bother washing it.

Still as regular habit I prefer to wash mine every other day sometimes everyday. My scalp is much happier that way but I usually get bored and sometimes I like to play with it!

5th or 6th is shedding more than usual and by the time I wash it on the 7th day yep sometimes i see a lot of hair and sometimes i don´t.

For me I usually wear my hair down and that's why I dont see dramatic shedding as much as I use to in the past, but psychologically it makes me feel better not having to worry about seeing clumps of shed hair (anxiety stress and shedding are the worst combo for hair).

Feel free to pay attention to your scalp. Not everyone has the same head as you, so do what works for you, scalp and hair!!!

[hennalove]

Hi HLC!

I've been starting my hair journey for almost a month now and I've been trying to do a couple of tricks that I've learned here. I have a naturally oily scalp and my ends get dry pretty quickly. I've switched all my hair care routine to sulfate-free poo and cone-free conditioners. I've tried LOC and no poo method and my hair did not enjoy that at all. What seems to be working well for me right now is the OSCO method.

I've been experimenting if I could extend the frequency of hair washes within the week and it seems that the most I can extend it is 3 days without my hair getting oily and gross. But I've also noticed that if I wanted to extend my hair washes for 4 days I started shedding crazy amounts of hair, I don't if this is normal or if I'm doing something wrong.... I've just avoided doing that and keep my hair washes every 3 days.

I would appreciate your feedback on this and any tips you may have!

I have noticed the same BUT more so since extensive multiple henna treatments the I think have changed the pH of my scalp. I get almost no shedding for 2 days but a bit on the 3rd then really need to wash on the 4th. It used to break out but no longer does so something has changed. Could it be that your new hair care routine has changed the pH of your scalp as well? If your scalp is giving signals to wash, I would go ahead and wash rather than have increased shedding.

[akurah]

Could it just be more shed hairs just end up caught in your hair when you wash it less? Maybe it's not more shedding but just appears to be because there's more shed hair built up

For the vast majority, possibly all, THIS is why.

[Wendyp]

Yes I think this happens to me. That’s why I increased washing to 3x a week. My scalp hates prolonged oil of any kind.

[Corvana]

Could it just be more shed hairs just end up caught in your hair when you wash it less? Maybe it's not more shedding but just appears to be because there's more shed hair built up

For me personally, I'm pretty sure this is absolutely the case. If, for example, I regularly wash ever 3 days and I shed say 100 hairs (for easier math) every day, but 10 of them stick to other hairs, that's 30 hairs that are stuck and washed out.

If I then need to stretch to 7 days, that's 70 stuck hairs which is well over double what I'm used to. And that doesn't even account for extra hairs sticking because they get caught in more stuck sheds (a bit like how a fairy knot can cause a big tangle by getting the surrounding hairs caught).

For other people? Can't say for sure! But for me that's definitely the likeliest reason.

[wannabe-rusalka]

Could it just be more shed hairs just end up caught in your hair when you wash it less? Maybe it's not more shedding but just appears to be because there's more shed hair built up

This is the case for me as well. On a regular nonwash day I will only lose about 10-15 hairs in a single day but when I wash I seem to lose anywhere from 50-100 hairs just from the wash depending on the season. I know that this is just the way my hair is, no matter how gently I wash it. If I wash earlier my scalp gets dry and for me unhealthy scalp causes me to shed even more than just an oily scalp. However, my scalp doesn't and has never produced a lot of oil anyway.

[Pearly~91]

It sounds to me like you are changing a lot of things really quickly. You might just need more time to let your scalp get used the changes. The body can't change overnight.

If you want to stick with sulfate free shampoo and silicone free conditioner I think you should just do that for a few weeks and then try to stretch washes from there, adding a day at a time and waiting several wash cycles before stretching longer.

ETA: Also, the same with changing your method. If you change products and application method every time you wash your hair it's hard to tell what works.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

A healthy scalp promotes hair growth. Try to always listen to and do what your hair and scalp wants.

I have also notice that if I extend my washes by a day or two due to things eating up my time my scalp gets itchy, I have more hair fall and my hair feels and looks drier. My hair loves water therefore a regular dose is what it gets.