When you *should* wash... but don't

[Deelight]

Going heat-free has really thrown my personal hygiene routine for a loop. It's no longer as easy as "jump in the shower, blow dry hair and go". You have to plan in advance - either wash the night before or get up significantly earlier in order not to arrive at the office w/ still wet hair. I don't like to damp bun my hair. As a result, I find myself putting off showering sometimes for a couple of days past when I really should take one (currently I'm at 2x/week). I am just so tired at the end of the day that washing and dealing with my hair seems like an enormous task. I need to figure out a way to enjoy showering and doing my hair more so I don't keep putting if off. Maybe some funny bath toys or some really awesome body scrub to tempt me into the shower. I feel like a little kid with my current aversion to soap & water - lol!!

[Laylah]

You can put your hair up in a bun while you shower to avoid getting it wet, or if you don't like that you could try a shower cap.

[MirandaWelch]

Why don't you like to damp bun would be my first question I guess. It leaves really nice wavies when it's dry and you let it down later :p

[Tabihito]

As someone who can rarely skip a day between washes, I feel your pain. When I don't feel like showering but need to, I tend to put some extra coconut oil on, which forces me to shower. It's good for my hair, which practically drinks coconut oil, and a very good reason to shower, as coconut oil + already greasy scalp = otter in an oil slick.

Also, I love how my conditioner smells, which is pretty good motivation to wash my hair. That along with my apricot body wash, and it's a wonder I ever leave the shower, it just smells so heavenly!

[heidihug]

I sometimes shower/wash my hair only 3x a week. I long ago gave up on morning showers, though. I shower only at night, lightly oiling it afterwards. Then I go to bed with damp hair, spreading it over the top of my pillow to dry during the night. You don't say how long your hair is, but if it's longer than BSL or so, it might be easiest just to take the nighttime shower route to let your hair dry naturally. Once you get into that routine it works as well as showering in the morning.

[rhosyn_du]

I have the same problem. At my current length, it takes 6+ hours for my hair to dry completely, and at least 2 to dry enough that I can put it up for the day or to sleep. Since I've got more than one job, there are days when I have to leave my house by 8 a.m. and don't get home until after 10 p.m. If I've got too many of those in a row (sometimes all five weekdays), my hair spends many days not being washed.

I did invest in a huge plastic claw clip, though, so I can pull my hair out of the way and wash my body on days when I don't have time to wash my hair.

[LaurelSpring]

It takes a little time to find the routine that works best for you. Heck its taken me at least 2 years I think. I definately gave up on morning hair washing in the winter if I had limited time. Of course now I have the option of scalp washing once I figured out how to do it. I do use the blow dryer in the winter. I dry my scalp on low and this hasnt cause any damage that I can tell. You could combine scalp washes with low heat blow drying on the days you dont feel like washing but want to feel clean.

I also have used the dry shampoo idea. I used cocoa powder because I have dark hair. This worked pretty good and gave me lots of volume although I did get a caffeine buzz. :face:

I just wash and go in the summer. Usually by the time I get there my hair is dry enough to stick up. If you dont want to do the night washes give the scalp washes a shot or just use the blow dryer on a low setting and see how that works for you.

[cindy58]

You can put your hair up in a bun while you shower to avoid getting it wet, or if you don't like that you could try a shower cap.

That's what I do -- it works fine. And if an errant water spray dampens your hair just a bit, it's no biggie.

A quick morning shower helps wake me up and get me going. I usually wash my hair at night and go to bed with it damp.

[RachelRain]

That's what I do -- it works fine. And if an errant water spray dampens your hair just a bit, it's no biggie.

A quick morning shower helps wake me up and get me going. I usually wash my hair at night and go to bed with it damp.


Me too, especially if its still damp because I forgot to take it out to let it dry. Throw it right back up, take your shower, done. :) And I always take a shower at night - otherwise my butt would be soaked all day and that's not a good look for anyone, really.

[lapushka]

I don't know... Blow drying can still be done. Bow drying is not the enemy. Just don't do it on a high, or the highest, heat setting and use a good blow dryer. If the air stream is comfortable on your skin (hand), then it's fine.

I don't think the purpose of not heat styling is throwing your entire life upside down. That way your hair will become a burden and far less enjoyable.

[exile2600]

I don't know if it does any good, but I put some leave in conditioner when I absolutely must blow dry. I figure at least something on it might diminish the heat damage. It's rare I even use the blow dryer, though. I absolutely hate showering sometimes, because of annoyance with long hair. The wet hair and summer weather creates a halo of ungodly humidity around my head. I hate night showers though because then my hair is really messed up the next day. When I leave with a wet head in the morning, I just put the fan on hi in my car and point it towards my head. Even the cool air dries it. Silly, I know!

[hairg33k]

I love my shower cap. Sometimes I want to shower but I don't want to get my hair wet, because either I like to keep the current style I have or I just don't want to shampoo or CO wash it either. So I pop on my shower cap and shower away! It works great because you can shower but you don't have to worry about getting your hair wet.

[Talula]

Wondering if anyone else feels like they can't skip a BODY-wash in the morning because they get an oily coating on their upper body after they sleep - plus they smell funky? My sis' couldn't understand why I shower before I workout (or anytime I leave the house), but rarely feel the need to shower after a workout. It's because I feel dirtier after sleeping than I do after exercising! The workout sweat usually feels ok on my skin after it dries. The sleep-sweat/oils do NOT feel ok when I wake up - I feel gross & don't feel like doing much of anything productive till it's washed off. I will only skip a body shower sometimes if I'm staying home all day, & nobody will see me & I never get out of my sleep clothes. If I'm going to put on clean clothes, I feel too gross not to shower. And my upper body oils can stain my shirts yellow over time. You guys all wake up feeling fresh & clean, hunh? Jealous! Although I've also had a very oily face my adult life, ....I'd say within 3 hours of a facewash with just a wet cloth, it's oily again..... and people have suggested to me it might be why I look a lot younger than I am & don't have face wrinkles- all the natural oils keeping me from drying out. But also, I barely get any sun - I don't like being in the sun at all & I'm sure that helps, other than my very low vitamin-D levels!

As for hair......I used to feel like I had to at least wet my hair every day, too, along with the body-wash... but sometimes now I'll use a shower cap to keep it dry while I shower. I like that I've gotten a little more flexible with that. It's nice to have a day now & then where I don't have wet hair half the day!

[Carolyn]

Could you explain what it is about damp bunning you don't like? Maybe we can come up with some suggestions for you. I like to wash my hair in the morning whenever I can. I get it washed as soon as I get up then go about all the other getting ready for the day stuff. If it's to the damp point when I'm ready to leave I'll bun it at the point. If not, I'll wait until I get to my destination and then bun it. Also as other have said there is no reason to have to wash your hair every time you take a bath or shower. You could bun your hair every day and then wash it on the weekend if you have more free time then. There is always a way to work it out.

[squiggyflop]

i suggest a small dvd player.. i have one thats kept in the bathroom just for bathtime

[Ivy~Rose]

Personally, I wash my hair about 3x a week, at night (I would rather sleep in than shower in the morning :thumbsup:). My DH helps me--he'll be blunt and say my hair looks greasy if I start slacking. Plus, I go to the gym after work a few days a week, so I feel pretty bad if I don't take one.

If all else fails, I just clip my hair back and scalp wash in the morning, and it's mostly dry by the time I get to work.

[GlennaGirl]

For a while, due to depression, really, I just completely lost interest in self-care. I had to force myself into the tub or shower.

I got back "into" the whole thing by making it a luxuriant thing (is that right?--or would the word be "luxurious" here?--English majors, please help :p ). I chose products that smelled SOOOOOOOOPER-dooooooooper le yum to me. I would stand there in the store and sniff 20 bottles of something if I had to. (You don't have to use counter stuff, though. Herbs and oils and the like are just as important this way, so sniff, sniff, sniff, try, try, try!)

Then I tried to make it this gorgeous self-coddling thing..."Oh, it's time to do my hair..." I would just try to luxuriate in it. Time permitting, I mean.

I bought some nice body lotion (with a soft smell but not technically "perfumed") to softly put on afterward once in a while and take my time and daydream.

Then I'd always try to find a cute pair of underwear to put on, something as non-ratty as possible; something that was the icing on the cake to the experience, I guess (I shower at night, usually).

I did get back into it. Now I look forward to "Glenna loving Glenna" time, LOL. (No, not THAT way. There's already a thread about that...)

[teela1978]

I often put it off. Showering is something of a chore, and I always feel like I should exercise or something before I shower. What if I go swimming tomorrow? I wouldn't want to have to wash it 2 days in a row if I don't have to.... or maybe I'll go for a run tomorrow morning, and then I'll wash it... 4 days later its in a braid and looks damp from the oil :) Then I wash it.

[Ursula]

If you want to wash your body, but not your hair, then put your hair in a bun and put a shower cap over it.

I bought a nice shower cap a few years back, plastic with a terry-cloth lining, and if my hair is in a bun fastened with pins or short sticks, with the shower cap over it, it will stay completely dry in the shower.

[LadyLongLocks]

I don't know... Blow drying can still be done. Blow drying is not the enemy. Just don't do it on a high, or the highest, heat setting and use a good blow dryer. If the air stream is comfortable on your skin (hand), then it's fine.


:cheese:
I totally agree! I still love to blow dry, and it makes having long hair so much easier to have that option. If you hold the dryer far enough away and use low heat I think it is fine. Another option is using a fan to speed up the drying. I have cut back on using the blow dryer in the past 2 years, but still like to get my hair dry as quick as possible at times. Wet bunning is too much weight. I do not like to sleep with wet hair either. I wash at all different times of the day and alternate drying techniques as needed.If I have all day I will let it air dry. The blow dryer is not the enemy! My warm setting can be held 1" from my hand and it does not burn. The hotter the setting, the farther away I hold the dryer. In the winter I must blow dry more, so I do and don't think twice about it.
I am in control of my hair and not the other way around!( 95% of the time anyway :))

[ghost]

Glenna -I have the same issue whenever I'm going through a depression. If I don't want to do anything but lie in bed, getting in the shower seems utterly pointless, and can even wear me out. Your tip for making it as luxurious as possible is a good one, sometimes it was the only thing that would get me in there. It's kind of embarrassing to admit, actually...normally I'm very on top of things, hygiene-wise.

To the OP: I feel your pain! I don't use heat on my hair and as such, if I don't shower early in the day, it means going to bed with wet hair, which sucks because it dries funny even if I braid it. And personally, I don't really like damp bunning unless it's the kind of damp that's practically dry, because then my hair takes *forever* to dry. And I can't even get it into a very interesting bun, because it's damaged and not very good to work with when wet...I end up with just a plain, low cinnamon bun.

To force myself into the shower, I usually do a hot oil treatment or put on some type of hair mask, because while I could go out into the world with less than clean hair if it was braided or bunned, you just can't do that with avocado and banana smeared through your hair.

[myotislucifugus]

[quote=Talula;1196121]Wondering if anyone else feels like they can't skip a BODY-wash in the morning because they get an oily coating on their upper body after they sleep - plus they smell funky? My sis' couldn't understand why I shower before I workout (or anytime I leave the house), but rarely feel the need to shower after a workout. It's because I feel dirtier after sleeping than I do after exercising! The workout sweat usually feels ok on my skin after it dries. The sleep-sweat/oils do NOT feel ok when I wake up - I feel gross & don't feel like doing much of anything productive till it's washed off. I will only skip a body shower sometimes if I'm staying home all day, & nobody will see me & I never get out of my sleep clothes. If I'm going to put on clean clothes, I feel too gross not to shower. And my upper body oils can stain my shirts yellow over time. You guys all wake up feeling fresh & clean, hunh?

Ah, no. I do NOT feel fresh and clean when I wake up. If I don't shower within 4 hours of waking, I feel so bloody gross I can't stand it. Especially my pits. However, I've gotten lazy about my hair, and don't feel the need to wash my hair whenever I shower, I just put it up...

[Deelight]

Thanks for all the responses everyone! :) I think a combination of Glenna's approach for the evenings when I feel "too tired" and a shower cap for those mornings when a body wash is all I need will help me out immensely. Although ever since I got my underarm hair permanently removed w/ electrolysis I don't wake up feeling gross and don't necessarily "need" a shower every day. But more than 2x a week would be good.

[adiapalic]

After a hard day's work, I was super tired... but I always thought of washing my hair as a pleasant reward because of how refreshing it is after waiting a while. I'm between jobs right now so time is not an issue for me at the moment, but I still wash mine about 2x a week as well. I've been known to put it off a little bit when there was very little time around to let it air dry, but the best time for me was always right when I got off work because I can have a chance to relax for a while after washing if I want. :)

[adiapalic]

Wondering if anyone else feels like they can't skip a BODY-wash in the morning because they get an oily coating on their upper body after they sleep - plus they smell funky? My sis' couldn't understand why I shower before I workout (or anytime I leave the house), but rarely feel the need to shower after a workout. It's because I feel dirtier after sleeping than I do after exercising! The workout sweat usually feels ok on my skin after it dries. The sleep-sweat/oils do NOT feel ok when I wake up - I feel gross & don't feel like doing much of anything productive till it's washed off. I will only skip a body shower sometimes if I'm staying home all day, & nobody will see me & I never get out of my sleep clothes. If I'm going to put on clean clothes, I feel too gross not to shower. And my upper body oils can stain my shirts yellow over time. You guys all wake up feeling fresh & clean, hunh? Jealous! Although I've also had a very oily face my adult life, ....I'd say within 3 hours of a facewash with just a wet cloth, it's oily again..... and people have suggested to me it might be why I look a lot younger than I am & don't have face wrinkles- all the natural oils keeping me from drying out. But also, I barely get any sun - I don't like being in the sun at all & I'm sure that helps, other than my very low vitamin-D levels!

As for hair......I used to feel like I had to at least wet my hair every day, too, along with the body-wash... but sometimes now I'll use a shower cap to keep it dry while I shower. I like that I've gotten a little more flexible with that. It's nice to have a day now & then where I don't have wet hair half the day!



I know exactly what you mean. It's feeling like you're in some kind of "funk". I don't shower every single morning, but when I do I definitely feel much fresher, like my skin can breathe better too.