The Witchcraft of Washing

[Ardyn]

So...I wash my hair twice a week, on a weekend and midweek, unless I’m in an inversion week, then I might need to add a co-wash in too because it gets greasy.

But I see folk here like “I go 14 days between washes” and I’m wondering...how?! My hair gets greasy around the 3 day mark :| Like today I’m trying really hard to not wash until the weekend and get it down to once a week to encourage hair growth but...my hair looks like takeaway noodles right now.

What is this witchcraft? Please share your sagely knowledge...or is it just dry shampoo? 🤔

[afreckledgirl]

Haha, I feel ya! I am trying to do the same. I am assuming it is just dry shampoo and wearing hats? But any other advice is appreciated. :D

[Joules]

First of all, sebum production is controlled by hormones. That's why some people need to wash their hair every day, some can go a week without washing.

Also, texture plays a role. Straight hair show oiliness faster than curly, and if we're talking about 3s or even 4s, it's gonna be ages till those hair types start to look greasy.

Of course there are people who just like to rock oily heads...but I don't think there are that many of them here :D

[Simsy]

I used to have really oily hair. Mine still gets really oily if I handle it lots during the week, leave it loose or forget to apply my oil. Yes, it sounds counterproductive, but it does work on me. Manually oiling my lengths cut my oil and sebum production down by heaps.

[Beckstar]

I'm 3 a/b and I washed my hair last Saturday. I'll go 2+ weeks between washing or every day sometimes. It all depends on how my hair feels or what products I use. I've never had oily hair and my scalp barely produces any.

[embee]

Part of it seems to depend on how old you are and part depends on how you want to wear your hair.

When I was young I washed every day or I was a grease ball. Now I am old (70+) and need nothing more than the occasional scalp rinse.

When I was young I wore my hair loose, hoping it looked pretty, soft, sexy.

As I got older I wore my hair in an updo for protection (work related) and a more professional look. Now I wear it up every day because it is so much easier and cooler and comfortable.

YMMV. :) Hormones are indeed a very large part of the whole thing and there's not much one can do about that!

[Margarita]

I had greasy hair when i was 12-15. My hair would get oily and gross after 2 days and it was horrible. My hair now is not at all greasy and there are times i wash my hair every 6-7 days =)

[Wendyp]

My hair gets greasy so I really can’t go longer than 3 days. But have been using Indian herbs and frw mid week so that has been allowing me to stretch sudsings.

[Ligeia Noire]

Two things. My scalp is dry and my texture is wavy. I need that sebum actually. I can go a week but I have done a month in winter. It is not all scalps that can take it and there's nothing wrong with it.

[nycelle]

I'm like you, by day 3 lately it needs a wash, so I wash. I'm a 2-3 times a week washer.

Most of it is my scalp getting oil, and I wash because I hate an oily scalp. My hair sometimes gets drier if I go too long without washing. Very weather dependent with me I think.

[spidermom]

I've tried to go longer, but my scalp gets itchy along with oily, so 3-4 days is pretty much the limit.

[lapushka]

So...I wash my hair twice a week, on a weekend and midweek, unless I’m in an inversion week, then I might need to add a co-wash in too because it gets greasy.

But I see folk here like “I go 14 days between washes” and I’m wondering...how?! My hair gets greasy around the 3 day mark :| Like today I’m trying really hard to not wash until the weekend and get it down to once a week to encourage hair growth but...my hair looks like takeaway noodles right now.

What is this witchcraft? Please share your sagely knowledge...or is it just dry shampoo? ��

I used to need to wash 2/3 times a week and I am oily. My scalp has normalized somewhat with age and also because I have had to stretch to once every 2 weeks due to a medical condition that needed to be sorted out. Then suddenly I could do a week. So a week it is. I did have a serious bout of SD (seborrheic dermatitis) due to "suddenly" having to stretch that far, from 2/3 times a week to... yeah.

You just have to gauge this watching your own scalp, if you can or can't stretch washing.

Some people can't stretch, and that's fine too. Don't feel obligated. :flower:

It's no big deal, really. :)

And I never use dry shampoo! :)

My mom can go a month (even longer) without washing. Her head does not produce sebum for some reason. It is dry (but not flaky dry). And it smells as fresh as on wash day after so long.

It is what it is. She has i, fine and 1b/c hair that is dyed blonde (due to gray). She is in her 70s but her scalp has always been that dry. When she used to go to work, she washed even less (due to: busy as hell).

[school of fish]

The main reason that I'm a daily washer is that my sebum is the waxy sticky variety. It makes my strands sticky and attracts lint, which results in strands of hair fusing together in micro tangles, almost like they've got a kind of glue residue on them. Because my hair strands are very fine and delicate, detangling these micro tangles and fairy knots vastly increases the likelihood of mechanical damage.

It took me a while to deduce why the daily washing was more protective to my hair than the stretching of washes - it wasn't the *amount* of sebum I produce, but the *type*. Ever since I figured that out I've had zero guilt about washing every day ;)

I have a girlfriend who goes a month between washes, and her hair loves her for it - my routine would be a disaster for her, and hers for mine. It truly is a very individual thing :)

[MusicalSpoons]

Yet another reason I hate hormones :( my scalp needs attention to look presentable every other day. With using diluted sulphate-free shampoo I was able to get nearly to three days, but wearing a satin nightcap put a stop to that (the benefits of the sleep cap vastly outweigh that drawback though!) I usually do one full wash per week and then scalp / hairline washes in between.

If I don't need to look presentable, I can go 4 or 5 days before my scalp starts itching. As for dry shampoo, I occasionally use cornstarch if I really have to, e.g. day 2 hair is unexpectedly greasy, or if I really don't have the energy to wash.

I think products and different techniques do play a part, but ultimately I'm fairly sure biological factors decide what's the minimum rate of sebum production - why stretching washes works for some and not for others.

[Larki]

For me, I have been washing my hair once a week for a few months now. What that means is the only time I fully wash all of my hair (as in get my length wet and shampoo my scalp, then condition the length) is once a week on Sundays. In between, I do scalp washes in the sink every other day and also use dry shampoo if I feel like going an extra day eithout a scalp wash. I have bangs so there is no way that I could literally only wash my hair once a week :p when I scalp wash, I put my hair in a bun and shampoo my bangs and scalp in the sink, then rinse and blow dry on cold.

[ExpectoPatronum]

Echoing what others said. Age, hormones, and hair texture play a huge role. I definitely needed to wash my hair more often 10 years ago compared to today. I was lucky to do every other day when I was 17. Now, I can wash twice a week (sometimes a third co-wash is thrown in) with no problems. Yeah, it can look a little greasy the day before wash day but that extra sebum makes for lovely braids :)

[Jas]

I can go until the third day, although third day usually is starting to look a bit greasy and needs to be up in a bun. I used to wash every other day but now it's twice per week. I haven't yet properly experimented with stretching them much further (maybe the odd day 4 if I'm not busy) - I want to this summer though when I'm not working as much and am not as concerned about my hair looking professional/clean.

I have no idea how people go loads of time between washes though - in between washes on the third day, updos are noticeably more uncomfortable and just don't usually sit quite right.

[lottiealice]

When I was a teenager, I'd 'wet' my hair in the bath every day, I wouldn't always use shampoo/conditioner but just literally only wet it. It was quite long, too, but it didn't look too great and sometimes looked greasy.

I'm 24 now and I *hate* washing my hair, I'll usually do it once a week but if it starts looking greasy (usually because I've oiled it too high up) I'll just braid it. That said, two braids are pretty much my go-to even when it's not greasy but I do prefer how they look with some sebum... they tend to look neater with less flyaways.

[pili]

I've always had a really dry scalp. I doubt if I produce any sebum at all. I can go a month (and have in the past). I've always been like this. I wish I produced some sebum at least. I'm also a wavy/curly, but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. My DS has fine/1c/2a hair and his scalp is the same way. My DD is wavier than him and get oily.

[lapushka]

I've always had a really dry scalp. I doubt if I produce any sebum at all. I can go a month (and have in the past). I've always been like this. I wish I produced some sebum at least. I'm also a wavy/curly, but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. My DS has fine/1c/2a hair and his scalp is the same way. My DD is wavier than him and get oily.

I doubt it. My mom has 1b/c i, fine hair that is totally gray, but she dyes it blonde. She has 0 sebum on her head. None. If you feel her hair on day 1 and the last day before a wash, it's the same (well in back, she hairsprays it to death in the front). She usually needs to wash more due to product build-up than anything else. :)

[ravenskey]

I think how often you need to wash just varies for person to person - I've alway been a once a week washer even when my hair was 1a straight.

CO washing has stretched me to once every 10 days and scritching helps me go even longer.

I do oil twice daily but do not use dry shampoo shudder:

I wear my hair in a plait, braided bun, or in some sort of braided half up do all the time so even if my roots do get a bit greasy it can be hard to tell.

[Milady_DeWinter]

I wash about 2 a week, sometimes 3 if my hair requires it OR if I want to wear my hair down. I just like to wear my hairdown on wash days :) I don't have an oily scalp, but I start feeling it down on day 4th or so.

It's just the routine that my hair seems to need, so I don't fuss about it :p

[MoonRabbit]

First of all, sebum production is controlled by hormones. That's why some people need to wash their hair every day, some can go a week without washing.

Also, texture plays a role. Straight hair show oiliness faster than curly, and if we're talking about 3s or even 4s, it's gonna be ages till those hair types start to look greasy.

Of course there are people who just like to rock oily heads...but I don't think there are that many of them here :D

Me! I love when my hair gets oily. It usually starts around days 3/4 but I always push it to 7/9 days.


I can get by wearing it down on day 5 but after that I take in the glory of having a sleek no frizz updos

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

see my hair gets drier and more tangled the longer that i stretch washes, but i also hate wet hair.
So i wash every 2-3 days, or try to at least. i should wash more often because i think my hair needs it, but im lazy.

[TreesOfEternity]

Me! I love when my hair gets oily. It usually starts around days 3/4 but I always push it to 7/9 days.


I can get by wearing it down on day 5 but after that I take in the glory of having a sleek no frizz updos

I really enjoy as well the no-frizz-superduper-shiny updos with greasy hair haha sorry not sorry. My scalp starts itching a little bit which is a problem though but I usually push a couple of days more.

[ursaV]

My hair has always been greasy, I think it has a lot to do with hormones now that you all mention it. I've always had acne, it runs in my family. I have oily combination skin and I always had to wash my hair every day growing up. But now that I'm in my early 20's I can stretch to 2 washes a week! Right now I'm on day 6 which is my longest ever and I look like I dipped my head in a deep fryer. The only reason I can walk around like this is because I'm doing a deep house clean and am barely going out! I'm not itchy and my length actually feel really soft, so we'll see if anything new or amazing happens after wash day tomorrow.
This was always me heheh:
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/75/2a/e2/752ae2fe4bf1ecdaee4ac0718cf9f1e5.jpg

[Spikey]

A boar bristle brush, finger-combing and scritching can get me through at least a month without washing, and it only starts looking greasy around the third week.

I produce an average amount of sebum, I think, and if I didn't finger-comb or use my bbb I'd look like a grease bucket! It's basically the no water sebum only method, you remove oil mechanically through stritching and using the right tools rather than removing it with washing. I also don't use dry shampoo. It's not really having an amazing scalp or anything, it's just putting in a lot of work to move sebum down your hair shaft. That's what works for me, but maybe I couldn't pull it off if I had an oily scalp.

But stretching for that long isn't all it's hyped-up to be. My hair was shinier and softer, but I lost my texture and it got really difficult to bun :(. It worked fine for me but if you're a person who washes 2 times a week, I can't say you're missing out on anything :).

[ExpectoPatronum]

This thread is interesting because there's such a spectrum for how often (or not) everyone washes their hair. Just goes to show that there really isn't a "one size fits all" washing routine for hair care.

[Spikey]

This thread is interesting because there's such a spectrum for how often (or not) everyone washes their hair. Just goes to show that there really isn't a "one size fits all" washing routine for hair care.

I was just thinking the same thing! It's nice to see such a broad range of what works for people rather than a clear "right" or "wrong" wash schedule.

[akurah]

I also think aside from hormones, age, and general innate greasiness, it's a matter of how much you care if your hair looks greasy and which are you more accustomed to and which you prefer visually personally. My hair looks somewhat greasy (but I would not consider it gross) in it's unwashed state, and I prefer how it looks and feels when it is "dirty". I'm very unhappy for several days after a wash because my hair is so static-y and dry, and it tangles easier. However, because I go so long between washes? I'm not really comfortable adding oils and whatnot to "fix it" because I don't want to upset the balance, I just wait for the sebum to come back round.

That said, if my hair was shorter (like APL or shoulder) and there was less hair to distribute the sebum across? My hair would probably look bad and stringy and I would have to wash more regularly.

Then there's the fact that I'm lazy and I despise the act of washing and the effort of drying.

Depending on a person's preference, though, I could easily see someone considering how I prefer to keep my hair disgusting, and my hair as freshly washed as gorgeous.

[guska]

I'm a 1a/C/II/III. During stressful times I've gone 1 1/2 months without washing. And this was when my hair was III thick. My scalp is dry and so is the skin on other parts of my body (face, legs etc.). Normally I wash my hair 1/week, that's how often my mom told me to wash when I was young. My mom has thicker hair than me, but the same texture, and she also washes once a week.

[lakhesis]

I remember when I was on accutane as a teen I could easily go week or week and a half without washing, because it just wasn't getting greasy ... and now I need to wash usually two times a week.
Also, I feel like darker hair colors can get away with not washing for longer.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Not everyone can stretch washes. Everything is dependent on keeping your hair and scalp happy. An unhappy scalp is going to be stressed and cause hair fall which is counterproductive. Try stretching one day for a while first then increase only if the one day stretch worked. You could also do a scalp rinse for 60 - 90 seconds instead of washing with shampoo.
Good luck.

[Katia_k]

I usually need to wash to put the moisture back in, not to get the oil out. I have a pretty dry scalp, and the sebum I produce just sits up there and doesn't move down. I've been washing twice a week lately, but my hair doesn't need it by that point, it's more my scalp that needs a cleanse. So I shampoo and deep condition once a week, and then do an Indian herb wash a few days later. I have my best hair for 1-2 days after showering, so this suits me just fine.

That being said, if my scalp wasn't being such a brat, I can easily go a week, and have gone two, which starts to push it. I get itchy by then, and though my hair doesn't get stringy, it just gets kind of dull and lank, and I go from a 3A to a very solid 2C. Sometimes it's polite and does this so I get sleek hair, but mostly it just looks "dirty" vs oily, if that makes any sense.

I would rather do a once a week wash, just because both of my wash methods kinda take a long time, but so far this is the best way I've found to manage length happiness and scalp happiness (I wish they would just agree with each other; that would make my life much easier.)

[Corvana]

So...I wash my hair twice a week, on a weekend and midweek, unless I’m in an inversion week, then I might need to add a co-wash in too because it gets greasy.

But I see folk here like “I go 14 days between washes” and I’m wondering...how?! My hair gets greasy around the 3 day mark :| Like today I’m trying really hard to not wash until the weekend and get it down to once a week to encourage hair growth but...my hair looks like takeaway noodles right now.

What is this witchcraft? Please share your sagely knowledge...or is it just dry shampoo? 🤔

Well I just put my hair up when it's really bad. I can't always wash as often as I like, but my hair doesn't even start to look greasy until the week mark. That's just the underneath, though! The top still looks fresh.

As for how that happened, I trace it back to when I was in a car accident and wasn't able to leave my bed for a few months. I don't really recommend it tbh.

But when I put my hair up it's really hard, if not impossible, to tell that I haven't washed it for a week or two. The longer I go, the more it looks like it's just been slicked back with gel or something. It's also easier to handle then, tbh.

[BlueKittyMeow]

It varies for me. In the winter I can go ages without a wash but in the summer when it’s gross and humid I like to do every two or three days. Like everyone else said, it’s variable and depends on hormones etc. I think just washing when you need it is good, rather than making yourself uncomfortable trying to do something you think you “ought to” be doing.

(On a side note, I totally thought this post was going to be about incorporating witchcraft into shower routines, like using it for a situational cleansing quick and basic bit of witchcraft. Or maybe doing full moon rainwater rinses :P ... which I am so here for)

[FrayedFire]

Stopping washing entirely eventually got the greasy to balance out, but the transition period was hard to get through. Wearing it up really helps. Dry shampoo is useful for those who are planning on washing their hair in the near future, and awful for actually trying to stretch washes.

[Ardyn]

The replies have been so interesting!

Sadly, after chopping my hair, I don't have enough left to just tie it up when it's looking a little greasy. I managed 5 days before washing this week but my god, the last two days I looked vile! :P

I think when I get back to where I was (around waist/hip length) I'm going to look into no-shampoo methods, see if that's good on me.

[Chromis]

My scalp is very dry. I actually have to oil it (just a couple drops) after I wash! I wash my hair once a week-ish most of the year, sometimes it is closer to two weeks, but if it is very hot and humid it might be slightly less than a week.

Even as a teen though, I grew up in a house that washed once a week, and I don't just mean hair. I was your standard oily teen, and my hair was fine with it.

[Reservechic]

The longest that I can stretch my hair washes on a regular basis is 7 days. Sometimes, I do have to wash maybe 2 times a week, but that is due to my scalp eczema and when it starts to flare up very badly. I live in an area where it is hit and very humid almost all year round. Which is why, I currently use a leave in, as a 2-in-1 (leave in+styler). I've cut out using anything that with daily use causes me to have a lot of excess buildup, which in turn is what would lead to me probably having to wash way more frequently than I currently do. I currently use sulfate free cleansers to wash my hair with. I actually co-wash my hair, using actual co-washes not conditioner. I don't condition my hair afterwards at this time, because my hair is okay with going without conditioner at this time, as my hair is not suffering from not using such, and it actually makes my scalp feel better, with the less product that comes in contact with it, so I just co-wash and apply styling product and that's it. Just 2 products being used on my hair, at this time, is what I contribute to bring able to stretch my time between hair washes. My hair is naturally very dry and so is my scalp, so I never had my hair washed very frequently growing up and I have never done so to my hair throughout my adulthood. Very frequent hair washings for me would dry my hair out a whole lot, and I definitely don't need that. So, I just stick to a very simple regimen is all that I find works best for my specific hair and scalp needs is all.

[lapushka]

This thread is interesting because there's such a spectrum for how often (or not) everyone washes their hair. Just goes to show that there really isn't a "one size fits all" washing routine for hair care.

Oh, that's definitely true!

I look up to my mom where her washing schedule is concerned (my God to be able to go a month without issues), and my mom looks up to me where my hair's thickness is concerned. She's a i now she is in her 70s. An almost i/ii, i, but still a i.

[prairie lark]

....(On a side note, I totally thought this post was going to be about incorporating witchcraft into shower routines, like using it for a situational cleansing quick and basic bit of witchcraft. Or maybe doing full moon rainwater rinses :P ... which I am so here for)


:agree: It's been raining here for three days ~ I have many liters of rainwater stashed for hair washing:o

[lapushka]

:agree: It's been raining here for three days ~ I have many liters of rainwater stashed for hair washing:o

Our rain water has turned green, from algae and build-up; our barrel needs a deep clean! For sure.

[AshtangiPNW]

:agree: It's been raining here for three days ~ I have many liters of rainwater stashed for hair washing:o

Oh! That’s amazing. Good idea! How do you collect it? I once lived on an island where the main water source was rain water collected in cisterns. My fine hair was SO happy with this :) :)

[prairie lark]

How do you collect it? I once lived on an island where the main water source was rain water collected in cisterns. My fine hair was SO happy with this :) :)

I have clean buckets from the bakery down the street I can pop under the rainspout. :agree: I don't know what the magic is, but my hair loves it too. Witchcraft;)

[lapushka]

How do you guys keep your rainwater pure and clear and free of algae and stuff; this puzzles me.

[Chromis]

How do you guys keep your rainwater pure and clear and free of algae and stuff; this puzzles me.

I clean my barrels each winter when we flip them upside down to keep them from bursting. In the spring we cover them with window netting. There is algae on the sides of the barrels, but the water stay clear.

[lapushka]

I clean my barrels each winter when we flip them upside down to keep them from bursting. In the spring we cover them with window netting. There is algae on the sides of the barrels, but the water stay clear.

Yep yep, window netting, that is exactly what we have over the top of it; still the water managed to turn green on us. Somehow. And it gets cleaned out every summer.

[Gwyned]

So...I wash my hair twice a week, on a weekend and midweek, unless I’m in an inversion week, then I might need to add a co-wash in too because it gets greasy.

But I see folk here like “I go 14 days between washes” and I’m wondering...how?! My hair gets greasy around the 3 day mark :| Like today I’m trying really hard to not wash until the weekend and get it down to once a week to encourage hair growth but...my hair looks like takeaway noodles right now.

What is this witchcraft? Please share your sagely knowledge...or is it just dry shampoo? 🤔

You're hilarious. I laughed so hard when I read this the other day. I didn't understand how people stretched between washes either. I've since found products that keep my hair moisturized without making it oily and gross. Now I can go 7 days. Anything past 7 days is absolutely crazy. I'm a woman who used to go 3-4 days between washed max.

Noodle hair. :)

[trolleypup]

Yep yep, window netting, that is exactly what we have over the top of it; still the water managed to turn green on us. Somehow. And it gets cleaned out every summer.
If it has been dusty or there has been a lot of pollen, this gets washed into the cistern and feeds the algae; if any light can get in to the cistern this helps the algae grow. And if there is no light, you can get bacterial growth from dust or pollen.

Filtering algae out is pretty easy.

[lapushka]

If it has been dusty or there has been a lot of pollen, this gets washed into the cistern and feeds the algae; if any light can get in to the cistern this helps the algae grow. And if there is no light, you can get bacterial growth from dust or pollen.

Filtering algae out is pretty easy.

It's the first year it did that on us!

[samanthaa]

I think I've had a lot of luck stretching washes because of how minimal my hair care routine is. I don't get build-up because I don't use any heavy products or silicone. I've stretched from washing every day to washing every seven days...over a course of about 5 years. It's slow for sure, but that's been the most successful method for me. Try to go to fast and I believe you're in for scalp problems.

FWIW, I have fine, thin hair. When I was washing every day (in the morning), my hair would no joke be greasy by the afternoon. Now I can wear it down on the first three days (I usually don't though), and by the 4th it goes up.

Weirdly, the worst day is usually day 5. My hair seems to "dry out" again in the last couple of days before washing. By wash day, it's almost okay enough again that I would consider a half-up. Anyone else experience this?

[ravenskey]

I don't experience what you have exactly because my hair doesn't get greasy, instead my scalp gets itchy and my ends go really dry - so the similarity is that my hair dries out in the last few days before washing - though CO washing, manual oiling and scritching help with all that.

[FrayedFire]

I think I've had a lot of luck stretching washes because of how minimal my hair care routine is. I don't get build-up because I don't use any heavy products or silicone. I've stretched from washing every day to washing every seven days...over a course of about 5 years. It's slow for sure, but that's been the most successful method for me. Try to go to fast and I believe you're in for scalp problems.

FWIW, I have fine, thin hair. When I was washing every day (in the morning), my hair would no joke be greasy by the afternoon. Now I can wear it down on the first three days (I usually don't though), and by the 4th it goes up.

Weirdly, the worst day is usually day 5. My hair seems to "dry out" again in the last couple of days before washing. By wash day, it's almost okay enough again that I would consider a half-up. Anyone else experience this?

That's sounds exactly like my hair - I say that my transition to SO took a few months, but those few months was followed by several years of stretching when I was in college... you might be able to stretch it even further now - just stick it back up. Some days it will be better, some worse. Do you SMP?

[AutobotsAttack]

I don’t think it’s that big a deal when it comes to frequency of washing. Some people can go longer, so need more frequent washing.

I train at the gym every other day. Even in a perfect temperature and humidity setting I will still need to wash frequency because I sweat a lot. I also live in a very humid and warm area of the US, coupled with year round pollen so i can stretch if I want to torture myself and my scalp, obviously I don’t so I wash more to keep my scalp healthy.

My sebum is also very thick and it just concentrates at the roots since that’s the other option for it to go. Couple that with all I said earlier and boom. Frequent washer.

Some people work indoors, don’t work out as much, or don’t live in humid/that hot of areas. Some have dry scalps, others have oily scalps, some have different diets than others as well.

My scalp mimics my face skin, and my face skin is even more finicky than my scalp skin.

[Stevy]

Could just be where you live! I moved from a city to a village and found that instead of having to wash every two days I could go to once a week. The water is hard in both places, so I'm assuing the problem was air pollution.

[nycelle]

I was washing every 4 days this winter and my scalp was fine.
Now that it's been warmer and more humid, I find myself washing every 3 days to keep my scalp clean.

Interestingly, I'm also shedding less. I thought at first that all the hair I shed when I washed on day 4 was hair that would of shed anyway, but it wasn't.

I think it's true that too much oil on the scalp can cause excessive loss for some people.

[samanthaa]

That's sounds exactly like my hair - I say that my transition to SO took a few months, but those few months was followed by several years of stretching when I was in college... you might be able to stretch it even further now - just stick it back up. Some days it will be better, some worse. Do you SMP?

I do not SMP. I haven't decided if I want to stretch further right now, but it's definitely something I consider.

[mane_event]

I wash my hair approximately every 4-7 days--I can comfortably wear my hair down for the first 2 days of that (or 3 days if I'm very lucky!), but then I have to start doing buns/braids/etc.

I actually personally find that what motivates me to wash my hair is not usually oiliness, but dryness! After a few days my hair frizzes up and starts to feel like my ends are yearning for a good deep condition. I've been able to spread the length between washes by oiling my hair daily after the first couple days post-wash, but it's still a WIP. I'd love to be able to reliably wash once a week!

[Cybercat]

I just went a week without washing. But I have been wearing a ponytail which hides oily head well on me. Up until a couple of years ago, I am 53 now, I washed every day. Also my hair length was above bra strap mostly. It is now down to waist fist time ever. Since my hair is straight and skin is oily if it's loose it means wash every 3rd day. But if I put it up I can pull off once a week. I just bought a Tangle Teaser which helps alot with scalp build up. My main brush just isn't fine enough nor have enough needles to do a good job spreading that oil around and massaging scalp. The TT does though but I won't use it for first brush out after wash. It pulls too much then. But it's great for up does and getting tops and sides smooth.