Going longer between washes...natural evolution...?

[jewelotn]

I was curious to know if once you've found which cleansing/conditioning products your hair responds to, if going longer between washes is the next "thing" that people try?

For me, switching from S/C to BS and ACV has gone pretty well and I find myself considering going longer between washes now...

[JamieLeigh]

That was definitely the next step for me. I don't know if it's really a conscious decision, or if it just seems natural to do so...but once I decided I liked going CO, then I certainly stopped washing every day, and moved to every other day...and now I'm at 3-4 days between washings. This is an interesting question, and I'm glad you asked it...I'm curious to see the responses from everyone else. :)

...one aside note: I don't know if I'll be able to keep up the length of time between my washings in the summertime. I discovered my good routine during the cold months, and Alabama can get pretty darn humid and hot from April to October. :rolleyes:

[Katze]

It took me a really, really long time before I found products that work for me and a way to hang them together (I don't have a 'routine' as such) so I did start by washing less when I first came here. Because my hair was very damaged, this helped me understand how it was with more moisture/sebum, and helped 'reset' how I thought about clean hair, if that makes any sense.

However, after trying no poo, CO, WO, and no sulfates, I did end up going back to sulfate shampoos.

One thing I still do that I did when coming here first is SMTs with every wash. Since I only wash every 5-7 days or so, this gives me cleaner, nicer hair for longer.

Hope this answers your question!

[viking_quest]

It was the opposite for me. I stretched out my washes and then found a shampoo that I liked.

[spidermom]

It depends on what else is going on in my life. I was washing my hair every 3-4 days, keeping it dry between washes, but then I started a workout program, so now I'm washing about every other day (CWC or CO) with rinses in-between. When the weather allows me to start working in my weedy flower and garden beds, I'll probably have to wash it every day.

[Anje]

I still mess with my routine, but it's usually CO. About the first thing I learned upon finding LHC though, was that I didn't need to wash my hair every time I showered. (Never occurred to me not to.) So I just started going as long between washes as my hair let me, and I've discovered that there are seasonal fluctuations to my sebum production. I've never so much tried to stretch my washes, I just let my hair dictate when I need them.

[twilight]

my hair started going longer between needing a wash all of a sudden very recently. i had been washing every day with soapnuts (for about a week) and when i switched back to diluted shampoo i found i only needed to wash every 3 days or so, instead of every other day at least.

loving it! braid waves that keep for days... :heart:

[marajade]

I know a lot of people are stretching washings etc here on LHC but I have found that tailoring my routine to time of year works best for me. I wash about every 3rd or 4 day in winter and every day or every other day in Summer. I get so hot and sweaty that getting "clean" feels so good and I just can't resist. ;)

[Katla]

It was with me, more or less. Once my hair was happy with the way I used shampoo and conditioner, pushing the time between hair washes came naturally. I'm lazy and will put off hairwashes as long as I possible can :o Right now it's a week between washes, but since I have two weeks off from work, I'm trying to push it to 1½ week this time, to see if I can. My hair is happier with fewer washes, too.

[Honey39]

I find that my hair thrives on being soaked daily; so for me, stretching 'washings' isn't beneficial, the ends seem to dry out terribly. I have found that giving up on shampoo has made a huge difference to my hair though - CO washes are perfect for me, and I do this either every day, or every other day and soak the bottom half of my hair with leave-in conditioner and water if I don't actually 'wash'.

I love the sensation of damp hair that's slowly drying, but my hair is only to mid-back. It's very thick, but it doesn't seem to take too long to dry to a tolerable dampness, about two hours?

So I don't have the urge to 'stretch' out washing - I suppose it depends on your hair type, your hair length, the goals you have and how you like to wear your hair...:)

[Eireann]

I had been stretching out washings, but lately I've gone back to swimming almost every day (or at least every other day), so I have to wash more, and now my hair is super shiny and looks and feels great! It does seem that every new length requires a slight tweak in the routine. For instance from APL to BSL, my hair was quite wavy and got very frizzy and fly-away if I washed it too often. Now that it is about mid-back, it is straighter and much easier to control. I can't wait to see what's next!

[Anlbe]

As soon as I found the right shampoo and conditioner I found I automatically went longer between washes. From twice a week to once every five days. From there it was quite easy to stretch it to seven/eight days.

[Myrrh]

When I first started CWC, I also started stretching out the days between washing. I'd still get it wet in the shower, but not wash it. It'd get greasy fast at first, but now I can go almost a whole week without CWC'ing [or any kind of washing, except water] without it getting greasy. :)

I think hair can get used to it eventually once it stops relying on being washed EVERYDAY.

[freznow]

When I use something both my hair and scalp like, I find it easier to stretch out washes. Especially my scalp. If it's happy, I can just put my hair up for a while and not care about greasies. If it's not, I get really tempted to wash. And if my hair likes it too, then it's not clamoring for something 'more' so, again, not really tempted to wash.

Then again, I've never washed my hair more than every other day or so - more often, about twice a week. The frequency of washing varies with what I use depending on how I like my hair after the use. I won't wash more than every week (except rinse if necessary) anymore, though.

[allege]

I have always stretched out my washings. Because I am lazy and don't like going through the process of washing and letting my hair air dry ever day (or even every other day). But I found that once I found a routine and style that fit my hair that I could stretch that time even further. And now I really scalp wash maybe twice a week and only co wash my ends maybe every other week or once a month. It gets very humid in Kentucky during the summer so sometimes I have to bump it up to scalp washing 3 days a week.

[joyful373]

I have gone longer between washes since I joined LHC. I had to laugh at the title, because after reflection my shampooing and conditioning have "evolved." I alternate between washing and shampooing, and scalp washing. The longest I can stretch is about 3 days before I start to get bothered. Then I do a scalp wash.... and go about 2 more days before washing and conditioning again. I think that hair type and seasonal changes do play a huge part in my routine. I am a fine-haired person and tend also to have an oily scalp- although it seems to have changed since joining LHC. Either that or I am just getting more comfortable with the "natural evolution" of things ;)

[Peter]

A year or two ago, I shampooed every other day. Then I read that frequent washing can dry out the hair, so I started shampooing every 4 days, but on the last day it would be stringy and greasy.

I CO now and my past few washes have been weekly. :)

[feralnature]

I look at it this way: If I shampooed every day for a year, it would be over 300 times a year, so 3,000 times in 10 years. If i wash it every 3rd day, that would be approximately 100 times a year or 1,000 times in 10 years. That is 2,000 less washes in 10 years by not wasing but every third day. That is signifigant in reducing damage to hair. I rounded off to make the math easier.

[jewelotn]

Thank you all for your responses! Really neat to read about everyone's expereinces. :)

I've found that for me, when I switched to baking soda & ACV, my scalp isn't as greasy but when I do scalp massages, I know the sebum is there still. I'm trying to work up the courage to try washing every 3 days. Right now, I can only do it when it happens to fall on a weekend.

BUT, I notice when I'm on that 3rd day (I wash at night) and do my errands, I'm more bothered by the smell of my scalp than any greasies or itchies. My length would probably LOVE it if I could go every 3 or more days.

I'm a little past shoulder length but I hope to get about BSL or a little longer. Maybe at that length I can do scalp washes every other day.

[Centeredgirl1]

I don't get much sebum, so with that recent knowledge, I've started to stretch my washes to every 3 weeks to a month. During the time between, I pull as much of the sebum down my hair as possible. I have changed my diet so that my scalp produces more sebum. My roots are so much softer and manageable than my ends. I will continue this effort.

For my kinky hair, the secret to my growth will be a healthy sebum production.

When I do wash my hair, I use a bit of oil and water. Next time, I will add honey, egg and a bit of glycerine.

SInce I have not washed in 2 weeks, my ends felt a bit dry yesterday so, I wash them with a bit of oil and water. Next time, I will add honey, egg and a bit of glycerine.

This is totally against everything that I am used to, but hey, whatever works right?

Oh and my hair does not smell bad at all.:)

[IndigoInk]

I have always had to stretch out my time between washings, if I don't my scalp gets horribly itchy and yucky. The thing is that there isn't a perfect time span that works for everyone and every hair type. You have to pay attention to your hair and what it is trying to tell you.

[lynnala]

It was a natural evolution with me. I used to wash everyday, then when I started working from home I started skipping the daily wash.....now I can't imagine washing everyday! My hair is best on the 2nd and 3rd days after a wash, and then I go a couple more days anyway...I don't even like my hair on the day I wash it now. A complete turnaround.