stretching washes

[Mrs.X]

Sorry if there is already a thread about this but i couldn't find anything when i used the search function or when i had a quick nose through the forums. Basically i'm trying to stretch the time between washes from having to wash every other day to ideally once every four or five days. For anyone who has also done this how long did it take for your hair to adjust and need washing less? Also if i wash my hair say two days in a row while in the middle of trying to stretch washes, will this put me back to square one again? Sorry about all the questions i'm just not very clued up on this kind of thing!

[Speckla]

I haven't used shampoo in 9 days and my hair is fine. I'm using conditioner instead of shampoo and completely wetting my head every 3-4 days.

[Amara]

It took my hair about half a year to be totally fine with washing only once a week instead of 2 or 3 times a week. Part of the adjustment was also me getting used to not having a squeaky clean scalp all the time.

[Carolyn]

Start out with washing every other day and then go to 3 days and so on. Do it gradually. By "washing" do you mean any cleaning method that uses water or do you mean a regular old shampoo and conditioner wash? A lot of people here do CO or Conditioner Only washes to avoid use or as much use of harsh shampoos. There is a huge thread on it if you are interested. There are a lot of factors in whether you will be able to go to once a week washing. Your standard of what is clean/dirty hair may have to change as was mentioned. Do you get sweaty a lot? Do you work in a dirty environment? Can you put your hair up to hide the greasies? Start out slow and see how it goes. Sometimes you might need to wash 2 days in a row. I don't think that's a big deal at all. Just skip the next day and get back on your routine. Nothing is etched in stone and it's not rocket science :D

[Vermelha]

You know what, that's exactly what I'm doing now. I've opted to take a long period between shampoos to reduce breakage, tangles, dryness and all the "goodies" that come with washing the hair. I set my style for the week (bun, braids, twists, etc.) and do my best to rock it until the next Sunday (wash day for me). I wash once weekly, sometimes with just water if I haven't used any products throughout the week.

I really think it has a lot to do with your hair texture and oiliness, much like Carolyn was saying. My hair is generally on the normal/dry and medium/coarse side, so waiting a bit between washes works well for my hair. I could see you trying conditioner and water only methods between washes to help "wean" your hair towards less frequent washing. HTH.

[redneckprincess]

I try to CO if I feel like I need a wash before time...I did say try... Im still trying to convince myself I dont have to use shampoo EVERY time I shower.

[heatherdazy]

I find shampooing just my bangs to be very helpful. Usually that's the only part that looks gross, anyway.

[templeofvenus]

I found using a sulphate free shampoo makes a heck of a difference to the grease in my hair and a cone free conditioner!

[RancheroTheBee]

I put my hair up at night and this seems to reduce the amount of washes I have to do. Also, paradoxically, really moisturizing helps.

Then again, I still wash my hair every other day because I prefer it. Not everyone has success with stretching them out to more impressive times frames, like a week, or something.

[myotislucifugus]

I went cold turkey. Not having a job is good for my hair :o. I've been going for 6 weeks now, and I think my scalp is starting to calm down. I have fine-medium hair, so I think it may have taken longer than if I had thicker hair.

[spidermom]

It never worked for me. I tried to change from washing every 3-4 days to once a week, and my hair was literally plastered to my scalp after 5-6 days. It was too uncomfortable, so I decided to stick with what worked. Maybe I didn't stick with the attempt long enough, but I don't care. I don't like the scent of my unwashed scalp, plus the oilier my hair becomes at the scalp, the drier and more awful the ends feel.

[paintedmuse]

It didn't really work for me either, I had only managed to wash every 3 days instead of every other day; until I started doing WO washes in between shampoo washes.
Now I shampoo every, hm, 5-6 days or so? And do some WO most days in between that (I sometimes use conditioner on the length if it's getting a bit dry.)
What also helped is not combing/brushing all my hair every day, instead I just comb my hair back and put it up.

[Fireweed]

I now wash every seven to ten days. There was a time when I would wash every three to four days.

[julya]

You could also try diluting your shampoo with water.

[Leoneska]

When I joined this lovely community a bit more than a month ago, I used to wash my hair every other day.
I switched cold turkey to a 5-day cycle. My hair (roots) went quite greasy at day 4, but after about 2 weeks everything was fine.
Your scalp will definitely thank you (-:

[Silver Strands]

I use full strength shampoo once or twice a week.
The rest of the week I CO wash or throw in a watered down shampoo after a day or 2 of CO.

In the winter I can go a day in between, but in the summer I do something everyday to my hair.
It's just too hot, humid and sweaty to go without doing something.
Plus the cool water makes my head feel so nice.

The only way I could stretch out washing would be to move to a much cooler climate.

[Norai]

It really helped me to go with the most gentle shampoo I could find-- but I can still only go 3-4 days ... been working on it a few months now. I think it's easier for people with thicker hair.

[Anlbe]

Over about six months I stretched from every 3-4 days to every 7-10 days. I only added one day at a time to let my scalp gradually get used to it and always put my hair up for the last day in a french braid or looped ponytail. My biggest problem was having greasy roots and dry ends but I fixed that my getting rid of the eveil dry ends. I don't know if anyone else has found this but I also found I had to stop brushing my hair in the mornings, brushing for some reason makes my slightly greasy hair look hideous, instead I massage my scalp to distribute the oils down the shaft and use my lovely wide tooth comb.

This way I was able to add about a day a month to my washing cycle, but I think I may be very lucky in that I've never had scalp problems and my unwashed hair doesn't smell of anything but that's how I did it.

[Monsterkitti]

I stretched out my washing from maybe every 2 - 3 day to 7+ days.

I pretty much just did it in one go rather than doing it gradually. I just wore it up with headbands to cover any greasies till it got used to it. Actually I was suprised how quickly the greasies calmed down.

Hairbands are good to cover greasies.

I think I would do it gradually so you can see if it works for you, some people it just doesnt work for.

I also find sleeping with my hair up helped keep it cleaner feeling longer, no idea why :)

[Feli]

I first started using a milder shampoo (with only natural ingredients) with a normal washing frequency and about a month or so later, I went from washing every other day to twice a week. Like other people have written, I think it's just as much about getting used to having hair which isn't necessarily freshly washed as it is about your scalp adjusting its sebum production.

After one year of twice weekly washes with my mild shampoo I'm now trying water only washes, so I'm back to the stage of having to readjust and put up with sebumy hair!

[prettigurl]

I'm still trying to adjust to stretching washes, but I always give in and wash or cowash every other day. It's so hard to go longer than 2 days, especially in the summer. Maybe in the fall I can cut down to 2 washes a week.

[Fiferstone]

Yeah, fine hair tends to show dirt/oiliness sooner than thicker, coarser hair. I'm a finey. I went from 'cones (the dreaded Pantene shampoo and conditioner) to no 'cones first, that took about 2 months. I knew nothing about buildup/crunchies/etc. (this was pre-LHC). Then, I discovered LHC, and tried using the CWC method using the 'cone free stuff I currently use (Lush Karma Komba, Lush Jungle conditioner), doing that, I went from washing every other day (shampoo/conditioner) to CWC, with 2 days in between washings. Now, I'm doing coconut oil the night before a washday, and I'm now up to 3 days between washings. I wash on the 4th day now. I've also recently discovered ACV rinses (1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of warm water). That helped my scalp calm down and not be so oily. I've accepted that on day 3 I'm going to be oily, so I oil the length, and put it in a braid or cinnamon bun, and wear it up all day. Good luck and I hope that helps.

[frizzinator]

I started reducing the frequency of daily washes about 7 years ago.

It has been 2 years since the last time I rinsed my hair.

Discussions about less frequent washings usually include issues such as hair behavior, looks, and the smell that is expected before reaching hair nirvana on the other side of a transitional period. But none of those unpleasantries are as difficult to change as the mind that is closed about hair.

My greatest challenge was accepting what my hair looks like now, and to stop comparing it to washed hair. It will never look like washed hair. It was difficult to open my mind enough to accept that unwashed hair can look great, it just looks different.

[EtherealOde]

I remember being in shock at the idea of not shampooing my hair, even though I mainly washed my hair because I needed to style it and not because it was actually greasy or dirty. When I tried the CO route my hair got really clean and I still never had a greasy scalp (probably because of the no -cone products). After three weeks went by and I still hadn't shampooed I was convinced. I shampoo now to clean out the MN treatments I do but it is with diluted shampoo and on the scalp only. When I decide to stop the MN treatments I will likely go back to CO because it really worked well for me.

My hair and scalp is naturally on the dry side tending towards itchiness, just like the rest of my skin. I think it benefits from the extra moisture, but someone with a different hair type would probably experience a quite different result from my routine. I guess everyone has to find out the things that work best for your own given hair type and go from there. And even then, everyone here says things change with the seasons or due to hormones, and other things. You have to be prepared to change up your routine to do what your hair needs doing to it at any time.

I now understand why someone might have a large collection of different types and brands of hair products just for cleaning and conditioning. My own stash has grown, lol. I used to have a single bottle of shampoo, a bottle of conditioner, and a jar of deep conditioner. Now with the different types of shampoo, conditioner, oils, and aloe, it's a good thing I have a garden style tub with a really wide side to it! Turns out the space is needed for all my stuff!

[EdG]

There's good advice here.

I think one eventually gets used to less frequent washes.

I used to be a daily washer, but have since gone as long as a week between washes.

Freshly washed fair has a lot of volume, but it's frizzy and hard to manage.

After a day, the frizz will go away.

After three days, my hair is very shiny and manageable. But it's also lying flat against my scalp. I'm used to this by now. :)
Ed

[jezebel17]

I wish I could go longer without shampooing, but if I don't shampoo every 3-4 days I start shedding like crazy. COin didn't even work for me because my scalp does not like conditioner or too much sebum on it. I do rinse my hair daily with water only, and I think it helps alot to stretch out shampoo washes.

[Yttrai]

I've tried this too. I can achieve it in the winter if i'm not working or working out, but not under normal circumstances.

I have no idea how people who work out every day can get away from wetting their hair afterwards. I'm not assuming that every hair cleanse is a "wash" in the shampoo sense, but if i work out, even if i don't shampoo i absolutely must CRCR (condition rinse condition rinse) or at the very lease CR once. (I've tried condition only and it doesn't work for me either. I must rinse.)

[Ravenwaves 88]

I have been washing my hair once a week consistantly. This week I am happy to report I noticed my hair is less oily on wash day (today) than previously observed. I even had my hair down alot this week and it it still kinda fluffy. Weird!

Maybe it is time to stretch even longer? Has my hair transitioned slightly? :confused:

[Jenn of Pence]

I've been washing ~3 times a week as long as I can remember...so despite all my hair vices it looks like I've been at least doing something ok for my hair before coming to LHC ;) I've been considering stretching it out a little more; in fact this week I went one extra day, but the greasiness really got to me! I've decided I should probably figure out what shampoo/conditioner works best for me first and then see later if this is is beneficial.

[ravenreed]

I have the same problem. If I go more than 3 days without CO-ing, my ends feel like straw. Plus I can't deal with my scalp hair looking oily. It squicks me out.


It never worked for me. I tried to change from washing every 3-4 days to once a week, and my hair was literally plastered to my scalp after 5-6 days. It was too uncomfortable, so I decided to stick with what worked. Maybe I didn't stick with the attempt long enough, but I don't care. I don't like the scent of my unwashed scalp, plus the oilier my hair becomes at the scalp, the drier and more awful the ends feel.

[Henrietta]

Some time ago I decided to stretch my washes from every 3 days to every 4 days. After a month my hair on day 4 was more greasy than I expected, but I didn't give up. I noticed that it's easier to stretch the washer when:
-you wear your hair up. Oil is spreading slowly as your hair doesn't move and you don't touch it
-you braid your hair before going to bed. Whan hair isn't rub against a pillow, oil spreads slowly too. I see the big diffeence. Before I started to braid my hair before sleeping, I could go to bed with fresh hair and after waking up, I felt my hair is greasy. Now it's almost the same as it was the previous day. I mean, the difference isn't as visible.
-you... avoid washing, in positive meaning, everytime you can. If there's a wash day on Friday and I know that the next day is Saturday and I am not going out- I leave my hair unwashed for 24 hours more. It helps. Skin produces oil slowlier (or more slowly? I have no idea. Sorry ;) ) when it "see" that I won't wash the oil out.

...and when you don't give up. It isn't said that your scalp will come down after a month. Mine calmed down after 2 months of hard work.

[deviantkitten]

I am washing my hair right now every 4 or 5 days. I don't recall how long it took my hair to adjust. Maybe a cpl months? I am trying still to make it every 5-6 days, then hopefully once a week, with a CO wash in between. A big thing that really helped me was to stop showering in between washes, and start bathing. In the shower, the steam would make my scalp really oily, thus making it feel gross and greasy. Also, the less I "play" with my hair, the better. I comb it, put it up for the day, then take it down and comb again, they put it up for the night. There are days when I want to play with my hair, which usually is the day of or before wash day. I will try out a few new styles, etc. Playing with my hair mid week makes it oily. Also, I am very structured with oiling. I always do a nighttime oiling before wash day. If I wake up one morning and my hair feels a little greasy, well too bad because I did not do an oiling, thus making me stretch it out one more day before I wash. I am also growing out my bangs, and every cpl days or so I will have to do a fringe wash. This also helps me to stretch out the days between full on washings. And if I can go longer sometimes without washing, I do. If it is day 4 and day 5 is when I usually do my washing, but I know I am not going to leave the house for a day or two, I don't wash.
Hope this helps! Good luck on your journey! I have been washing my hair only every few days for a pretty long time, only tweaking it a bit since I joined LCH (nighttime oiling). I went from washing every night to every few days, and have noticed a definite improvement in my hair! It can be frustrating, because as others have said, you will have to adjust your definition of "clean", but it is well worth it!

[Henrietta]

. Also, the less I "play" with my hair, the better. I comb it, put it up for the day, then take it down and comb again, they put it up for the night. There are days when I want to play with my hair, which usually is the day of or before wash day. I will try out a few new styles, etc. Playing with my hair mid week makes it oily. (...) every cpl days or so I will have to do a fringe wash. This also helps me to stretch out the days between full on washings. And if I can go longer sometimes without washing, I do. If it is day 4 and day 5 is when I usually do my washing, but I know I am not going to leave the house for a day or two, I don't wash. (...)


I've got exactly the same, with playing with my hair and washing my fringe. Since I wash my hair every 4 days, I wash my fringe every 2 days. And blowdry it. It doesn't look as shiny as it could, but it grows fast and I cut it often, so I don't care.

And sometimes when I wash my fringe, I somehow put shampoo on the top of my head, too, so I can wash out oil from that place, which helps a little too.

[Aurielle]

I didn't really think "Oh, if I do this it will be better for my hair" when I started washing it less often. It was more of a time issue for me. As a teacher of mine said, "Homework comes before sleep," and in my mind, sleep comes before shampoo/conditioner! During the winter I usually only wash my hair on Wednesday and on one day of the weekend because the only time I have during the week to wash my hair is in the morning. Cold and I do not get along well, so I ended up only washing it once , twice most during the week to keep from freezing my hair/self because of wet hair outside.

Laziness keeps me to 3-4 washes per week during the rest of the year. :p

[LoversLullaby]

I find shampooing just my bangs to be very helpful. Usually that's the only part that looks gross, anyway.

I do this too. I put my hair in a bun under a shower cap with my bangs sticking out of the cap so I can wash them in the shower. I have to do this daily otherwise my bangs get so gross. Otherwise I wash twice a week.

[Amelia]

I've been stretching washing since March (if memory doesn't fail me) and I have thick hair. I must confess that I took advantage of the fact that I was on vacation from uni to do it :P
I thought it would look horrible, because my hair is curly and the roots tend to be oily but the length is dry. What happen surprised me! I discovered that I was washing my hair way too many times in a week, and it was fine to do it so much less.

I have to say that wearing my hair up helped loads! It got so much less 'dirty', and I coped with it so much better.

I've recently left the kingdom of cones and SLS and i'm only using bio shampoos. In the short time I've been doing this, i have the feeling my oil production has been getting much better. I'm think the shampoos are milder and less aggressive, allowing my scalp to become calmer. hence you need to wash less.

Like someone said a few pages back in the thread, I too would try to go another day after my marked date to wash, just to see if I could tolerate it. I do this now a lot, and use the last day to apply coconut oil to the length, sleep with it, and wash the next day. I don't think my hair had ever been this soft! And easy to comb! It's heaven, i'm so happy!(Gotta love LHC advices!)

Good luck! :)

[FrannyG]

I used to wash daily before LHC, but even after almost four years, I can't stretch beyond two or three days. It just doesn't work for some people.

Keep trying to stretch, but if you hit a wall that you just can't overcome, don't sweat it. There are some very long-haired members here who wash daily for various reasons. Every three days really isn't too bad.

[ArienEllariel]

I'm currently trying to stretch my washings. So far I'm switching off between CO and WO with a diluted ACV rinse in between. It seems to be helping a lot and my ends get nice and lightly oiled on the WO days, though the hair round my scalp looks kinda iffy. So far though, I haven't had any scalp complaints, such as pimples or red itchy spots. I guess that means I have the ok to continue this and see if I can get my hair to at least be okay washing every other day. The only thing I have noticed for sure is that I do tend to shed a bit more on the WO days. I have to scrub my scalp for a longer amount of time, so I guess this is the reason. My ends are liking the extra sebum though, I can tell. :)

[ArienEllariel]

Update: I'm happy to say I can now go about 3 or 4 days between washes. By day 3 or 4 though, my hair is up cause of greasy roots. I shampoo and condition about 2x a week. CO and WO didn't really end up working out for me but that's ok.

Don't give up people! I used to wash my hair every day and by the next day I couldn't wear it down because of the greasies. Now I don't have the issue at all. :)

[LaceyNg]

1st off, i agree with the other LHC'ers who said if you dont HAVE to wash your hair, you have nowhere to go that day and can sit around looking like a greaseball, do it! wait to wash! take every opportunity to NOT wash! it will help your hair adjust faster.

having said that, the reason i often feel that i *need* to wash is b/c my scalp gets itchy. it used to be after just a day, and then CO washing (with only diluted dandruff shampoo 1x a month) let me go to every other day, and if i tried to go a 3rd day my head would be itching almost unbearably.

BUT, i've found a "cheat" that works beautifully for me. stumbled upon it by accident honestly, in the thread of people usineg rooibos tea sprayed on scalp and hair for hair growth. i havent used it long enough to know if i get extra growth, but i know it helps me stretch washes! :cheese:

now my routine's looking something like this: CO wash on day 1, rooibos the next 3 days/nights or so, CO wash again on day 5. and i'm thinking i could actualy go even longer between washes with no problem, but DH seems to think i've lost my mind... so i'm going to stretch my washes in a way that allows HIM to be more comfortable ;)

[EbonyCurls]

I stretch my washes, but I also have limits. My hair looks fine, but it's my scalp that doesn't let me go past 4 days unwashed. I CWC my hair twice/week, 8x/ month. I don't consider that to be too often. If it wasn't for my scalp I would only wash it once a week.

Sometimes I do still only wash it once/week out of laziness, but I get punished with gunky, flaky scalp and end up having to double lather on my next wash.