What's the longest you've gone between washes?

[Pixna]

I find that as I stretch it out, I'm able to go longer and longer between washes, and my hair looks fine and my scalp feels good. So far I'm up to 8 days.

What is the longest time YOU have gone between washes (whether it's shampoo, CO, CWC, or something else)?

[taliarose]

Well since joining here and deciding to stretch things out last fall I'm up to three weeks normally. Right now it's been three and a half weeks. I'm starting to look oily and feel the need to wash my hair. I love this site! :cloud9:

[Chanteuse87]

Two days. I've tried so hard to stretch my washes out, but if I don't wash (or rinse with water, or CO, or do SOMETHING) daily, it just looks disgusting. I'm not talking about the "oh, I can hide it in an updo" sort of greasy, I'm talking noticeably darker, clumpy, greasy mess. It's frustrating, but I just try to slather conditioner on my ends when I wash. Seems to be working all right, as my ends have minimal splits, and for the most part feel pretty good.

[*Rose Red*]

I´m trying to stretch out, and now I´m able to stretch out to four days. But on the fourth day my hair really needs a wash, it´s better for me to wash on the third day.
I would like to stretch out longer, but I´m a shampoo junkie and it´s hard for me to take a shower and not to wash :o

[Islandgrrl]

The longest I've gone is right around 2 weeks. My scalp just didn't feel good anymore, so I used shampoo.

I regularly go a week with CO or WO. That's about my limit.

[Samikha]

I have in the past gone a couple weeks, but it wasn't very fun and by the end my hair felt dry, icky and very ready for a wash :lol: Now I do about one week. I notice my scalp produces much less sebum with a sulfate-free shampoo than with even diluted SLS, so that's a tip for anyone looking to extend washes.

[viking_quest]

2 days, and then my hair looks unnaturally shiny, piecey, and then my scalp starts to smell.

[Ryanne]

Maybe two days longer than two weeks.

[spidermom]

About 8-10 days on a camping trip. I was swimming every day, then rinsing my hair with fresh water, so my hair never got too bad. It felt really good to wash it when I got home, though. I also went one week (7 days) without washing because of advice at this site, and YUCK! No more of that for me.

[Roseate]

Probably 10 days or so. I've never actively tried to stretch my washes; I've been on a once-a-week schedule for years, and it really seems to be good timing for me.

[freznow]

7 months, if you count NW.

2-3 weeks, outside of that.

[Unnamed]

Longest ever: 9 days. A combo of not feeling well (dizzy), being too busy, and at the time trying to stretch washes out as it was supposed to work. The entirety of my hair (I think almost classic length?) was an oily, stringy mess.

Limit of when it has to be washed or I have to wash all of it and multiple times: 4 or 5 days. I usually don't go past 4 days, but if I do 5 is the 'limit' limit. That's when scalp starts getting very unhappy, and also when the oil starts spreading down far enough that the length has to be washed.

It's usually washed around day 2-4; lately every 2-3. I work at home, though; if I didn't it'd be either every day or every other day or a mix of the two...day three really isn't presentable. It's okay for going to the store, but not for being around (the same) people every day. :rolleyes:

[AJoifulNoise]

I believe the longest I've gone was 7 days when I went to an outdoor music festival. I prefer daily washing.

[heidihug]

Longest? Five days, I think, when we were at the cottage on vacation. And I didn't feel like washing my hair in the lake, or in the kitchen sink. It was pretty horrendous when I got home, though, took three scalp shampoos to get up any kind of lather, it was that greasy.

Normally, every two days, sometimes three days over the weekend if we are at the cottage, or are not going anywhere.

[almudena]

4 days. I don't have greasy hair and my hair looks quite fine , but my scalp starts to annoy me and I have to wash and condition after 2-3 days.

[Eden Iris]

While traveling in Indonesia with limited access to showers I washed my hair about every three weeks. After the first few days it settled down and didn't really get any greasier.

[mira-chan]

About a month, I think.

[Rain76]

I have gone 2 days probably only a couple of times in my life. I can't stand the way my hair feels or looks if I don't wash it every other day. I washed it every single day my entire life up until a few months ago. I have been able to "stretch" it to every other day, but that is as long as I can stand. My hair is fine/oily, so I have no choice, really.

[rogue_psyche]

Six days while camping last week. I clarified before and after and sprayed my hair with catnip tea after I was done swimming for the day.

Let's just say braids were my friend.

[Armelle]

2 or 3 weeks I guess. I suffer from frequent fatigue and often skip washing my hair. Strangely enough, I haven't noticed any decrease in oiliness when I wash more frequently...can't figure out why.

[Vivien']

Maybe 10 days ? I usually wash once in a week. Coincidence : Today, 9 days without wash, because I pass my exams, and I don't have *enough* time (Yes, I have time to go surfing on the internet -_-#)

[Dvips]

12 days, but normally (when my hair was long) about 5 days.

[GlassEyes]

I think I went a week without it, wore ponytails everyday, and HATED IT. XD;

[Gutterfayrie]

Every 3rd day, otherwise I can't stand my hair.

[Periwinkle]

Probably a bit over a week.

[teela1978]

About 5 days or so on a camping trip (backpacking in the desert, no rinsing at all). I'm generally greasy enough to have my hair look damp by day 3, so it was pretty much plastered to my scalp by the time we made it back to civilization.

[rose_in_bloom]

When I first came here I tried washing only once a week (I used to wash every day). It was horrible. Itchy, stringy, shedding mess. I did that for 4 weeks and then gave up. Washing every other day is much better for me. :shrug: That's the curse of fine thin oily blond teen hair.

[zen_oven]

Three days between. Pathetic, I know, but it just looks like crap if I go any longer. I usually go two days between because three is pushing it, especially when it's hot out. I've thought about trying to gradually adjust to only washing once a week, but my hair tends to be dry, so I feel like getting it thoroughly soaked two or three times a week is necessary.

[EvaSimone]

I think 3 or 4 days. It really looked like it needed to be washed too.

[Kaamos]

About one week. Right now because I'm preparing for my exams and I stay at home and nobody sees me ;) Usually I wash it twice a week...

[Pixna]

Maybe 10 days ? I usually wash once in a week. Coincidence : Today, 9 days without wash, because I pass my exams, and I don't have *enough* time (Yes, I have time to go surfing on the internet -_-#)

We all have our priorities, Vivien! ;) Glad your exams went well! :applause

[Kiraela]

Not including a very bad bout with depression, probably 5-6 days. My hair still looked okay, but my scalp was itchy so I washed.

Including the depression incident, 2 1/2 weeks. I kept it braided throughout that period, maybe combed it twice? It could have been three times, or it could have been one. That was the last time I have allowed myself to get so far gone. Even if I am very very far gone, I will go and soak in the tub and be miserable.

[neon-dream]

Three days. I'm trying to stretch them out longer, and I'm experimenting with CO so we'll see how it goes!

[Bene]

i once pushed it to 5 days. i generally wash every 3-4 days.

[blondecat]

3 weeks. still looked fine, but, the sebum was making my scalp itch.

No co w or anything, mearly brushed with a bbb, morning and night. oh and a very light coconut oiling on the ends

[important to note, I do have very dry hair anyway. not a lot of oil action at all.]

[Rohele]

Probably 4 days? I was in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery, and by the time I was able to shower, my hair was disgusting.

I usually wash it every second day. Stretching it out beyond this doesn't work for me - I have really oily skin and scalp. By the end of day two my hair is obviously greasy, even in an updo, and my scalp itches like crazy.

[blondecat]

Probably 4 days? I was in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery, and by the time I was able to shower, my hair was disgusting.

I usually wash it every second day. Stretching it out beyond this doesn't work for me - I have really oily skin and scalp. By the end of day two my hair is obviously greasy, even in an updo, and my scalp itches like crazy.

Sorry to hear about your hospital stay. I hope all is on the mend now <<<<<<<HUGS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Even tho I can streatch to 3 weeks, every time I had major surgury [5x/5 yrs] my hair came out crook and greasy.

Something to do with all the chemicals they put into you.

Give your hair a SMT. And treat yourself kindly [perhaps chocolate and a bit of home spa treatment ?]

[cobblersmaid]

I think about 10 days. It may have been two weeks, I don't remember.

[RoseRedDead]

I think it was 6-7 days. That was when I was doing the BS/ACV experiment, which sapped all the moisture out of my poor hair... eeek.

[Grenwich]

10 days without doing anything - no water, no CO, nada, that's pretty much the normal routine for me.

[Bianca]

I have gone 2 weeks without washing it, yuck, smelly hair :p
Normally I wash every 3 day. When I get to day 4 it starts to get really dry :)

[Gingevere]

A couple of weeks. I very rarely put off washing for more than 5 days, except when I'm on an extended hiking/camping trip. But it depends on where I am... I recently hiked the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, so I had good old Superior to jump into at the end of each day. :happydance:

[rags]

Other than when I was in the hospital for surgery and not allowed up (and I have NO idea how long that was - six or seven days I think?) the longest I have stretched it is three days. And it looked completly hideous the third day. It doesn't look quite so good even by the end of the second day, now that it's getting hot out.

Oh, the joys of fine, thin hair and oily scalp!

[Rohele]

Sorry to hear about your hospital stay. I hope all is on the mend now <<<<<<<HUGS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It was several years ago (which I didn't say), so I am fully recovered now he-he. But thank-you anyway. :blossom:

[Kelsey89]

3-4 days. I couldn't stand it, so I've stuck with my original routine of every other day.

[Kangaroo]

after 4 days i have to wash...my hair is looking very oily after 4 days...i try to stretch out but i never come over 4 days :(

[Elphie]

3 days is the longest I've gone as far as I remember. Not terribly greasy at the scalp and a bit dry on the ends.

[magpielaura]

I went a week once but it was pretty bad! My scalp gets itchy so I wash every 2-4 depending on the itch and whether I want it too look ok - I think my dark blonde shade is not terribly forgiving of the greasies. Near my scalp the hair looks dark and drab after a couple of days. I keep trying new hair care things though - I'd like to wash it less if I could.

[masterofmidgets]

5 days, I think - in the middle of finals, and I just couldn't be bothered with it, so I just threw it into a braid and didn't think about it. Normally I have to wash after three or four days because my scalp hair gets all greasy and piecy and the length is dry and frizzy, ick.

[Beatnik Guy]

If we're meaning full wash, 6 weeks, several times. Of course, there was many a scalp wash in that time. Usually, I wash it all every (3 or) 4 weeks.

[EdG]

A little over a week. My hair gets very greasy after about the third day. :)
Ed

[embee]

I think I went NW for a month or so. I know I spent most of a winter with WO and it was pretty good, but I wear my hair up always. I had to use shampoo come summer, it was so hot working in the garden... sweat and oils and dirt and stuff. Ugh.

Now I usually go a week or two.

[Carrie Ingalls]

I have not washed my hair (SCC, or CO) for about three weeks now...that's the longest that I can remember.

I just haven't been motivated to wash it since I have been keeping it oiled and covered (to keep it out of the sun) at work.

[ecologystudent]

Once when I was a kid, I think I went a month without washing. I don't recall caring. :P

[RavennaNight]

The longest I went was 9 days in the winter when I was trying to stretch washes. It got reallygreasy and it smelled:(. So that was where I stopped. Now I shampoo once a week, but CO 2-3 more times a week. So my hair is getting clean

[Dars]

Anywhere from 1-2 weeks, I can't remember the exact number.

[HeatherJenae]

I have naturally super greasy hair. Inherited it from my dad! So if I'm not washing and conditioning, by day four I look like a greasy fry-slingin' teenager! I mean, I can go longer, but I choose not to. I pretty much just wash it when I feel my hair needs it. Everyone can tell the point where their hair is just kind of...gross. Whether that's two days for some or two weeks for others. I think it's totally dependent on your scalp and hair type.

[may1em]

8 days, once. Never again.

[redneckprincess]

I cant go 3 days without washing...I try but I cant and when i get in the shower i might as well wash...just havent been able to stretch it out longer or get out of the shower without washing yet, lol

[Charlotte]

Longest I've gone without washing would be 7-8 days when I was a kid and had the flu or something - it would feel fantastic when I finally washed it again and look beautiful. So there must be something about not washing our hair more than is necessary. Nowadays, I usually wash every 3-4 days - that seems healthy and happy for me.

[danacc]

The longest I've gone is 7 days. That's too long for me; I had what looked like an oil spill on my head, and my scalp was itchy.

I can currently go 4 days between washes. I have been gradually stretching them over the last 1.5 years. (Yes, this is a long-term endeavor for me.) When I started, I washed every day. Going to every other day meant a couple of weeks of greasy hair. 3 days was out of the question. But after the first 2 weeks of washing every other day, my scalp calmed down a little. It was over 6 months before I could go to 3 days. Going 4 days (and still looking presentable the whole time) is very new for me.

[Fiferstone]

I've got a super oily scalp, and the absolute longest I can go is 3 days, max (CWC with a Lush poo bar is my chosen method). I do oil the length with coconut oil the night before washday, and it seems to be working. I used to have to wash every other day before I tried CWC, but I c an't stretch it out any longer than that due to the oil slick on my scalp.

[JamieLeigh]

I think the longest I've ever made it was about ten days. And that's with a couple of times water-only but with no scrubbing. I didn't like it, lol. :(

[Deborah]

22 months. That's how long I did WO. It was fun and I learned a lot about my hair. :)

[jtl45]

i have washed mine every day for many years with the exception of last year when i got knee surgery and went 6 days! It was awful! My hair type just needs a daily shampooing!
Jim

[ReddishRocks]

I've gone a couple of weeks with no water, no nothin'. My hair was nearly straight due to all the oil. :)

Now, I go 3-4 days between washes. Wash day and day 2, I can leave my hair down, but days 3 and 4 are updos.

[carinkla]

normally I go a week but when my hair was dry (had not found the right care back then) I could go about two or if needed even three

[drquartz1970]

All depends on the current weather or climate I'm living in. In Australia in winter I can go comfortably without a hairwash for 5-6 days. In summertime due to the heat and humidity it's shorter again say 2-3 days. My hair is naturally oily and starts to itch like hell after a number of days without a wash.

[kaminagai]

7 days while hiking.

[KarpatiiSiv]

I can usually go 7-10 days but there has been times when its been 2-3 weeks but my hair was a lot dryer then.

[LadyLongLocks]

7-10 days is the longest. 10 days being only a few times in my life. I remember my head itching and looking gross at the roots!
I generally try to wash every 5 days.

[dulce-de-leche]

My longest was 7 days and I was also really itchy and my hair was obviously really greasy
there was no hiding it and the smell uuuhhh smelly.I will never do that again.

[daydreamer]

I think about 3 days for me, maybe 4... I have a very oily scalp no matter how I have tried to stretch it with various experiments. Even on Water Only I had to rinse every day, otherwise my scalp becomes miserable and breaks out! Not to mention oil-slick hair. Thus, I am a daily washer.

[nowxisxforever]

Not certain. As a teenager I didn't wash my hair very often at all, perhaps once every few weeks, but it was generally oily regardless of what I did with it.

[gthlvrmx]

Two and half months, a whole summer vacation. Oh, the days of being a dirty young boy :P

[Mesmerise]

For me, "stretching washes" means three days or so :p. I'm getting better...I used to wash every day! I don't think I could go toooo long without washing, cause I like to wash too much, and I love the feel of freshly washed hair.

For me the longest time without a wash was probably errm... 4 days when camping?! And that was in the days of daily washing, so by the end of that I felt disgusting!

I'm wondering how much of a benefit one truly gets from stretching washes a long way? I mean... I can sort of understand less mechanical damage (makes sense), BUT I'd be afraid my scalp wasn't being cleaned enough for optimal growth, and I've heard people say that their hair growth slows down when they don't wash as frequently.

Oh and I might add... on most days when I don't wash, I still get my hair wet in the shower! The only times I didn't wet it when showering were days after I'd flat ironed my hair, and I wanted to make it last lol. Now I've stopped flat ironing, if I have a shower, I wet my hair, and often do a quick vinegar rinse too.

[TakeAPotatoChip]

Well.... I've had deep depression for many years now. A few weeks is easy for me & I shant tell you the longest :p

[kme81]

I'm on an "about a twice a week" schedule, so I go without washing my hair for 3 to 5 days (usually 4). Day 1 is lovely, Day 2 still has lots of texture, Day 3 starts getting oily, Day 4 gets itchy, and Day 5 makes my face feel super oily(YUCK!) ...although I have been known to go only 2 days when I find a particularly interesting hair treatment! ;)

[Tressie]

I think about seven days? I'm not sure I've gone longer than that, possibly when my hair was quite dry and it was cool weather, ten days, but I don't think so! (o:

[metricfuture]

Probably around a month, and more than once. But that was back when I had dreadlocks, and it really didn't seem to need much more than a rinse every few days and a diluted shampoo every couple of weeks or so to be happy, even in the summer. Now, however, it's 3-4 days, tops (and using dry shampoo like Raid on wasps in the interim) before I NEED it. I'm much more active now, though, so I'm thinking it's more of me sweating like a hoss on a frequent basis, and not directly related to any sort of indigenous oil action on my head.

[jesis]

When I straighten my hair I can usually go 6-8 days without washing :)

[|Xei]

The longest I've gone without washing was probably 4 days. I can't seem to manage to stretch my washes past every other day without my hair becoming extremely greasy and clumpy.

[TheBluffs]

15 days. Yes. A whole 15 days. I was on a farm with no running water. And most importantly, no mirrors or people. Exept in the market

[Rafusen]

Longest was 6 days. Won't be doing that again. The routine is every 3-5 days, shorter depending on whether or a wash day might fall on a day off from work, at which point, I'll likely push it.

[Athena's Owl]

I can easily get away with two weeks between conditioner washes, as long as I'm willing to wear my hair in braids and updos, since I'm brushing the sebum down the length with a BBB. I do this in winter, when getting all this hair from wet to dry becomes a trickier proposition than in months where I don't have to worry about it freezing.

Basically I decide to wash my hair when brushing the sebum down the length in the AM doesn't solve anything. Normally I don't produce a lot of sebum - it takes about five days for me to even feel anything on my scalp, so I think my results are probably not usual.

But Yeah, conditioner washes. Way more effective at removing sebum than shampoo is for me. Shampoo doesn't get the sebum out in even two washing treatments and then leaves my hair feeling wiry and dry. Conditioner + plastic cap + ten minutes = all the sebum out in one, maybe two washes, and my hair stays soft and well moisturized.

[racrane]

I've gone two weeks when I had ankle surgery and couldn't wash my hair without help. My mom took pity on me and washed my hair for me. It felt so good! My hair is blonde and after two days it looks disgustingly greasy. I need to wash it every other day otherwise it's like I dipped my head in a bucket of oil. Nasty.

[ibleedlipstick]

I can go about a week, but that is with me wearing it up EVERY day, and not sweating too much. I also use Panacea, which covers up any smell there may be. However, I prefer to wash it every 3-4 days, because I feel that it looks and feels better.

[WaterMusic]

Before I switched back to CO a couple of weeks ago, I was going 7 - 10 days between washes. Right now I'm transitioning a bit, so it's been every other day. But this round I'm stretching it to four days. It's not greasy per say, just kind of weird.

[jackiesjottings]

I went two weeks once. I had had a nose op and had a plaster cast on my nose and wasn't allowed to get it wet. I put my hair up most of the time but by the end of two weeks it was lank and horrible. the first thing I did after having the plaster cast removed was to go home and wash my hair and it was heaven!

These days five days is the longest.

[skyblue]

I think the longest I've gone is 9 days, normally it's about every 5 or 6 days between washings

[Cinnamon Girl]

The longest I've probably gone between washes is about 6-7 days, when I wasn't feeling well. I usually go 2-3 days without shampooing and just CO in-between. Any longer and my hair just sticks to my head like a limpet.

[ashke50]

About 4-5 days when camping, but that was putting it in up braids and leaving it, and telling myself it was ok, because I was in a field.
Usually 2 days is the limit, after that my hair gets greasy and clumps together - major scalp cleavage, and it just looks horrid (updo or not). Today is the 3rd day, and the hair isn't great, but I am hoping no-one at work notices.

[Sunny_side_up]

4 days, but then its feeling itchy and i notice little scalp bits and i want the clean fresh feeling after shampooing. Though since avoiding cones i feel i am managing going longer without a wash better, that is if i dont get sprayed with some of the icky things at work. Then its back home and wash hair even if it was washed the day before:rolleyes:

[kouran]

The longest I have gone between washes was 4-5 months. It was during winter time, and the place I was living at the time had no hot water, nor heating. It was really cold...:cry:

My hair did not get any oilier than when it hadn't been washed for 6 days...

[Fufu]

2 days, more than that, i really can feel the grease and itch.

[Chetanlaiho]

If I was sick maybe about two weeks?

Other than that, I've never really washed my hair more often than once a week anyway. I'm actually going to wash it slightly more often now (every five days or so) because even if I've been doing it all my life, my hair looks pretty gross on the last few days :/

[wavyR]

about 5 days i believe. i felt so gross afterwords. usually after 3 days i'm feeling majorly itchy.
i'm a nurse, and i feel like it isn't sanitary for me to go that many days without washing it. it could just be in my head, but that's how i feel haha.

[Rebecca.1905]

I don't like to go without washing for too long. Generally I wash every other day, occasionally I can do 3, but I miss the smell and feel of freshly washed hair and need to get rid of the grease.

[Carolyn]

I think I've gone 5 days a couple of times but it was awful. Stretching out washes is not a good thing for me. I think it's detrimental for my hair as it dries out my length so much. My scalp also gets painful and sore if it's not washed more often. As a blonde, my hair needs to be washed at least every 3 days to look decent even if it's braided or in a bun. I've seen no benefits from going longer than 3 days.

[elbow chic]

Two weeks. I was trying no-poo and it wasn't working out. eewww.

More recently, I've been really trying to stretch washes. Three times a week was probably too much for the long term health of my fine hair.

I was really surprised last week to get to my FIFTH day post-wash and not have it look awful. (It didn't look great, either, and DH's birthday dinner was the next day, so I went ahead and washed.)

But, progress! I'm hoping to get it down to once a week. My mom washes her once a week and it always looks fine.

[Madora]

Two months..but I brushed 100 strokes every day and usually wore something on my head a good part of the time, so that cut down on the dirt, etc.

[Amelia]

I would say at the moment- 4 to 5 days. I can't go longer, i start to get itchy and very self-conscious.

[Izae]

I went about 9 or 10 days the other month. My hair was noticeably darker at the scalp, and it made my strands look even dryer and frizzier than normal because of that.
Probably should have made better use of my BBB.
Anyway, at the moment, I do a mini-CO wash everyday.

[maborosi]

I've never been able to not scalp wash at least once a day- especially when summer comes. If I skip a day, everyone around me can tell.
~maborosi~

[eri401]

This thread is very interesting - everyone has really different hair/scalp!

Longest I've gone is only 2 days and even 2 days is kind of pushing it when its warm. Right now I wash my hair every other day and in between, do a condition rinse over the scalp and length. When summer hits, I'll go back to washing daily.

[Loreley]

I think it was a week or so. Last summer I tried to stretch washes. I hoped it would help with the greasiness but it didn't.

[Raiscake]

I think 4 days during a hectic exam week. I was a greaseball. My scalp gets oily really easily, so I can't go more than 2 days without washing. :(

[Sweetie]

I guess a week, but only if I have my hair up every single day without touching it and if I don't go to the gym.... otherwise, every wednesday (when I usually Cowash) and saturday (CwC)

[CurlAhead]

Two weeks! Didn't even "remove" the sebum to the lengths of the hair, haha! Fresh girl right over here :cool:

[NotInPortland]

I'm at 4 days now and about to hop into the shower. I think thats about the longest I've ever left it. It looks bad though, my scalp is so greasy yuck :( I covered it the last two days with hats because it was obviously greasy, I was so busy the last few days I couldn't face washing it because my routine takes a while and then drying takes ages and honestly I just wasn't bothered so I threw a hat on, but normally I would wash every second day and even on the second day it's getting greasy and I wouldn't be able to wear it down. My hair started getting greasy fast once I hit puberty and I'm 21 now...I'm still kind of hoping the greasies might die down a bit in the future and I can stretch it longer without having to cover it up but it's getting less likely...

[Annalouise]

Two months was the longest. But I am happiest as a daily washer.:)

[dancingrain91]

I went a week once as a kid at a sleepaway camp. My mom is huge on super cleanliness. I didn't care.

[BrendaLoan]

A week was the longest :o

[deja]

One time I had a weave put in :rolleyes: and whatever type of hair it was didn't allow for washing so I didn't wash my hair for two whole months. And I didn't moisturizer it during that time so I ended up with a lot of breakage due to that and the fact that it was glued in so the removal literally had me picking my own hair out.

[biogirl87]

One time this summer I've gone two weeks without washing. I kept my hair up most of the second week and stayed at home much of that time. When I washed my hair after those two weeks, it took two or three shampoos to get my hair clean which resulted in a lot of hairs coming out in the shower. So, two weeks between washes seems to be too long for my hair but washing every seven to ten days seems to be doable for my hair although after about three days I need to start wearing my hair up because it starts to get oily after three days.

[Eve 322]

In my effort to stretch washes because of advice on this forum, I am now co washing every other day. My whole life, I washed every day, and the longest I've EVER gone was 3 days. By the third day my hair will be disgustingly greasy, darker, stringy, itchy, and it kind of puts me in a bad mood. And my scalp smells icky >_<

Even now, the only thing that's nice about the second day is that I can take a much shorter shower and I don't have to have wet hair for 2 hours (my hair takes really long to dry i guess). My second day hair still feels itchy and looks greasy to me, but I use it as a practice day for buns and my family says they can't notice.

[~honeyflower~]

The longest was five days for me

[sarahthegemini]

The longest was five days for me

5 days for me too. And my hair was an absolute mess.

[jacqueline101]

I go a week except after my monthly treatment I go two weeks then.

[Lady Mary]

I went two weeks once. It actually looked okay but I wasn't into the way it felt. If I water only wash I can go a week happily without a shampoo bar wash. I stick to about a week because I like to oil and I really do need to wash after I oil. Looks pretty bad on my straight hair.

[Misschilly]

Right now I'm on day 4, I'm planning on a co-wash tommorow..I'd like to wash once a week, any tips for that?=)

[TheVegan6]

When I had strep throat last year, I didn't wash my hair for a week and a half. I think the only other time I waited so long to wash my hair was when I was a kid.

[rose313]

Probably only 3-4 days. It's been a very long time since I've done that though. My hair feels greasy if I don't wash it at least every other day.

[TrapperCreekD]

The longest I've ever went was fifteen or sixteen days. It wasn't by choice, though - we had a really hard drought a few years ago with only enough water to drink and wash the important stuff. Once my hair started getting oily I was a disgusting oil slick up until a couple days before I washed, then the oil dissipated by probably half and my hair dried out again.

[AMD]

without any water, I recently went 2 weeks because I lacked the time (curly hair, cant just spend two minutes detangling it).

It was pretty sucky. My scalp was dry and unhappy about it

[rcblinn]

A week and a half. It was on a backpacking trip through the Sierras so there was no one to impress. I did however rinse it whenever we camped near a river and that made it very silky.

[Coolcombination]

Longest I've gone is 4 days. Day 1(day after wash day): hair is silky soft perhaps a little dry day 2: hair slightly oily at my parting and fringe day 3: stringy,oily and badly needs washing. I don't use any leave ins or products in my hair and try to refrain from brushing/touching too often yet my scalp is still always oily.

[GoldFrappe]

Almost 8 days :D