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Paliele
June 12th, 2009, 02:20 PM
So growing up, my mom's constant refrain (or so it seemed) was, "Go take a shower. Your hair looks greasy." So in my mind, shower=washing hair. Always.

But when I started looking into stretching out washes, I had a bit of a conundrum. My hair would look fine for four or five days, but I felt gross not showering for that long.

Long story short, I had this amazing epifany: you don't have to wash your hair just because you're in the shower. *gasp*! I know, what a shocker. You would think that I would have caught on earlier. :rolleyes:

Anyway, in honor of this great discovery I would like to begin a list of ways to tell if your hair is still passably clean. Feel free to add your own!

You may not need to wash your hair if...

-You get your hair wet and you can still smell the condish you used for your last wash (I'm an occasional COer)

-Your mother comments on how nice your hair looks now that it's freshly washed--and it's not.

Ahimsa
June 12th, 2009, 04:07 PM
I only wash my hair once a week! ...Well, I guess I wash it every time, just by letting water run over it, and rubbing my head a little, to try to evenly spread the sebum/slough off potential dandruff(but I figure those are mostly taken care of by brushing)...but I only use an actual surfactant (shampoo, baking soda, etc) once a week. (My hair was really oily when I first started this routine, but is better now.)

The way I see it, shampooing and then condition is kind of a self-defeating cycle. You wash out the oils and then replace it with conditioner, right? So, usually my hair looks shiny and nicely conditioned(even though I don't use conditioner except my natural oils); then, I know it's good. But once it starts to look actually oily, and stays in place like pipe cleaners when I bend it >_< Then I know it needs shampooed.

Natalia
June 12th, 2009, 04:24 PM
Long story short, I had this amazing epifany: you don't have to wash your hair just because you're in the shower. *gasp*! I know, what a shocker. You would think that I would have caught on earlier. :rolleyes:

Lol i had that "ah ha" moment a while ago. I was only taking classes 2 days a week why did i need to wash my hair everyday if i wasnt leaving the house or getting it dirty in anyway :p. Now executing that can be difficult lol i have yet to manage to keep all the water off my hair in a shower or bath. Even showercaps dont help!

tarn
June 12th, 2009, 06:07 PM
I think keeping it dry in a bath would be easier. I have been trying to keep mine dry in the shower and my shower cap has been filling up with water. It is winter here, and I just love getting that warm head feeling.

nowxisxforever
June 12th, 2009, 06:08 PM
I wish I could do that! I'm bad at it though, since my hair feels like a brillo pad if I don't wash it and it's gotten wet. :[

SimplyViki
June 12th, 2009, 06:14 PM
LOL! I thought I was the only one who had that amazing revelation. Only in the last couple of years did it dawn on me that you could, in fact, just take a shower without washing your hair.

Oh dear, I'm afraid I'm just not clever enough to add anything to the "may not need to wash your hair if" list...

Flynn
June 12th, 2009, 06:24 PM
Fair 'nuff. I've never washed my hair daily... even as a little kid. When it was long when I was little, once a week was often sufficient, as far as mum was concerned.

You may not need to wash your hair if you washed it yesterday.
You may not need to wash your hair if you suddenly realise that some styles are far easier on "day-old" hair.
You may not need to wash your hair if your scalp-oil isn't causing "threadies".

>_o

Incidentally, as far as keeping it dry when you're showering without washing it, my approach is and always has been to do a high-up bun (either right on the top of my head, or fairly close) and just not put my head under. I wash my face by pooling water in my hands and splashing it on, just like you would if you were washing your face over the basin. I've never owned a shower cap, and have never needed one.

Angellen
June 12th, 2009, 06:30 PM
Showercaps make the whole thing a lot easier for me--their very existence is proof to me that you don't need to wash your hair every time you bathe. I love letting the water run over my face, neck, and shoulders, so it would be challenging at best to go without the shower cap. Plus, mine is a Japanese import from the dollar store, and has red flowers and hearts and "Happy!" written all over it. It's fabulous and hilarious and indeed makes me happy. :p

hennaphile
June 12th, 2009, 11:12 PM
... if you don't feel you need to. :)

Wash it when you feel it needs it, and don't wash when you feel it doesn't :D

Redheaded Raven
June 12th, 2009, 11:15 PM
I want a shower cap like that! lol
I love showering and not washing my hair too. It is a great revelation though isn't it? Unfortunately I have to wash more often, as my hair just needs more frequent washes.:p

enfys
June 13th, 2009, 12:34 PM
One of my friends had an epiphanee when she found out you could wah your hair standing up, not just leaning over. She tried to convince me of this and at the time I ended up, after trying not to be so blunt, telling her if I did my hair would go in my bum...

You don't need to wash your hair if you feel ill. It won't make you feel better or perk you up. Menopause might, clean hair won't.

MuzicalH3rb
June 13th, 2009, 01:40 PM
I, totally, didn't have the epiphany that I could take a shower without getting my hair wet until my boyfriend pointed it out for me. How funny is that?!

Lexibeth
June 13th, 2009, 02:24 PM
I never have washed my hair everyday. Maybe every other day when I was growing up. For the last year I have been washing it every 2 to 4 days. It looks better than it ever has. The only time it looks greasy/oily is if I have handled it too much. I bathe everyday, but always put it up in a high bun if I'm not washing it.

Wavelength
June 13th, 2009, 02:55 PM
I take cool showers nearly every day in the summer when it's hot outside, and I sure don't wash my hair everytime. I invested in a good shower cap that doesn't leave my hair damp... although if it's hot enough I'll just wet my hair down with cool water as well. Nice and refreshing!

abritta3
June 13th, 2009, 03:39 PM
I NEVER use shampoo on my hair anymore haha...ever since I read Lorraine Massey's Curly Girl book I swore of shampoo:)
I am a CO method only girl and no one ever tells me my hair looks bad/greasy but us curly girls need more moisture and I don't think I have met any curly girls with greasy hair since curls tend to be dry...

freznow
June 13th, 2009, 03:44 PM
I know, I had the same epiphany! But I still felt like I ought to wash every time until I did my NW experiment. Now I'm really good at not getting my hair wet while getting the rest of me clean. Just takes practice and a secure bun.

You may not need to wash your hair if it looks exactly the same day 7 as it did day 2. My hair likes to do that, it'll be perfectly clean day 1, and then decently clean for the rest of the week. I just have to wash because my darn scalp hates me...

Lamb
June 13th, 2009, 03:47 PM
You may not need to wash your hair if it hangs downward, and doesn't stand up/sticks out in all directions in the morning. Alas, for a still short-haired curly like me, the latter happens about seven times a week.

Speckla
June 13th, 2009, 04:10 PM
You may not need to wash your hair even if it looks greasy. That might be a good time to massage your scalp and preen your hair.

danacc
June 13th, 2009, 07:08 PM
You may not need to wash your hair if it just looks like it has "product" in it when you put it up.


This was the revelation for me. Even when I get the greasies, it doesn't necessarily mean I need to wash it. I can slick it back, and have it look "oiled" instead of oily. It works fine as long as my scalp is still happy.

I wash if I don't particularly want the "oiled" look, or when my scalp gets mad, which for me is definitely by Day 4.

earthdancer
June 14th, 2009, 02:15 PM
Eureka! I wonder if the assumption shower=shampooing is the reason so many people think you're dirty if you don't shampoo every day! That thought never occurred to me before!

Orchid_28
June 14th, 2009, 05:00 PM
I use to wash my hair everyday. I was always frustrated that my hair didnt grow at all. It was probably going through a phase where it has stopped growing. So I would wash it everyday and it would just get dry and more dry. I felt that I wasnt using the right conditioner so I would buy every single kind out there and my hair was STILL dry! Then one day when I went to my cousins house I saw her long beautfiul hair and it was GREASY! I was like ew! then again her hair was shiny, black, and so long (down to her tailbone) and when she did this updo without any products or heat styling tools it looked pretty good. I envied it. She told me that I shouldnt wash my hair everyday. SOO I tried it and i was like wow my hair looks amazing lol. After a couple months to a year my hair was not damaged anymore. I cut all the split ends out and it finally grew!



But anyways, bed hair is "In" now. No one will notice if you washed your hair or not.

Aries_jb
June 14th, 2009, 05:35 PM
I wet and condition my hair almost every day, but only wash it every few days. My hair is in much better condition now and I don't think I could ever go back to daily washing, mostly because I find my washing routine time consuming and I avoid it at all costs.

Even with a shower cap, my hair looks bad if I shower and don't wet it. I think the moisture the water provides helps my curly hair also, which is also why I like to wet it.

Paul KMF
June 14th, 2009, 05:53 PM
Mine is dry and I wash twice a week, anymore and it frizzes out and looks terrible. Of course I shower everyday!
If I'm not washing it I put in in a tail on top of my head, lol.

Paul

shadowclaw
June 14th, 2009, 08:20 PM
Eureka! I wonder if the assumption shower=shampooing is the reason so many people think you're dirty if you don't shampoo every day! That thought never occurred to me before!

It's quite possible! Perhaps they envision a greasy, smelly, unhealthy person who doesn't bathe on a regular basis when they hear rumors of someone not washing their hair daily. It brings back memories of a teenaged coworker who thought that spraying himself down with Axe was the equivalent of taking a bath :disgust:

Anyway, I have always found it easy to keep my hair dry in the shower. I either bun it, or put it in a loop high on my head (make a ponytail, but don't pull the hair all the way through). The loop method obviously won't work for those of us with long hair, but it works for my BSL hair. I let the shower water hit my face and neck directly, as well as my ears, and I usually only get a bit damp along the top of my forehead and around the ears. It dries quite quickly.

LisaJaney
June 14th, 2009, 09:17 PM
Hello, Neighbor! (SE Idaho, myself) I used to find it hard to NOT get my hair wet in the shower, til I found a showercap would do the trick. I had a really pretty one that was very "grandma-ish", and I'd tease my husband that he had to stay OUT of the bathroom while I was wearing it, lest he be overcome with desire, caused by the beauty of my showercap! :silly: The elastic finally died on it, and I had to toss it. I haven't found one that I like just yet, so I'm using the clear-plastic cheapies that I get at hotels. They're not NEARLY as s3xy, though. ;)

Orchid_28
June 14th, 2009, 10:56 PM
OR instead of showering...just run the bath water and wash your body and face this will definitely avoid your hair from getting wet. Thats what I usually do.

stargazer028
June 15th, 2009, 04:02 AM
You may not need to wash your hair if you dont feel like it lol
I only wash my hair every few days ..... when the roots get too oily my hair goes flat on top.....

Anje
June 15th, 2009, 09:04 AM
Ha! I also had that amazing revelation when I joined LHC. It never occurred to me before that that I didn't have to wash my hair when I showered! (Duh!)

So now it gets worn up for most of my showers.

Another ah-ha moment for me was when I saw CinnamonHair's suggest to put a shower cap on after applying conditioner, so it doesn't rinse out of your ends while you're doing your other showerly duties. So obvious, and yet so helpful!

Sunshine69
June 15th, 2009, 09:14 AM
I think I was slow to realize this, too, but still a shower without letting the water run through my hair and over my head just doesn't feel as satisfying. I love relaxing in the shower and feeling the warm water all over my head.