Have you benefitted from washing less often?

[christine1989]

i have washed my hair every day (sometimes twice a day) since middle school. I am such a clean freak that I feel icky when I don't even though I know logically that my hair is not that dirty. Since my hair has gotten longer and thicker and the weather outside is colder I have been washing my hair only every two days since it takes over five hours to dry now. I wanted to ask all of you less frequent washers if your hair has benefitted from washing less. Did it help with length? Thickness? Something else?

[danacc]

It seems to help with length for me. I can't be sure that it is only from washing less frequently, though. CWC (in some form) and less frequent washes are 2 changes that I made a few years ago that have "stuck". While I made them a couple of weeks apart, it's hard to tell how much impact each has had individually.

[rapunzhell13]

Yes, for sure. I used to wash my hair every day, sometimes twice a day, and it was terrible for my hair. Now I wash about twice a week and it has done a world of good.

[nytquill]

I've never been an everyday washer. I've been washing about twice a week ever since I was old enough to take over my own bath schedule. At first it was mainly just laziness - well, and it still is to a big extent! :lol: Basically I hold off washing until I start to be too self-conscious about my scalp hair looking greasy, which works out to be about 3 days.

So I can't really tell you if my hair has benefitted but I know now that if I washed more often than that I think my scalp and skin would become terribly overdry, itchy, flaky, the works. As it is I'm already slathering on lotion on my skin, conditioner on my hair and oil on my scalp!

You may find - or you may not! - that as you go on not washing your hair every day, you aren't quite as bothered by the idea of having "unwashed" hair. For me, I don't feel dirty until I know I LOOK dirty. But everyone is different in that regard :)

[LisaMonster]

I've never been an every day washer, either. I've always washed about 2-3 times a week, not really because I knew it was good for my hair, but because I'm lazy. :)

I'm now off of all conventional shampoo, though (currently attempting a CO regimen), and my hair is so much happier. Now, if I use shampoo at all, my scalp gets terribly itchy and flakey and irritated. I'm never going back.

[pixistixx]

I CO wash every day... before that I shampooed every day. I spent a year washing twice a week, and then tried water only, but the only way that works for me is to do something with my scalp every day. If not, I get bad breakouts on my scalp. I have hight DHT and testosterone levels, so I have a lot of sebum production, too much really, on scalp and face. The DHT has to be removed every day or I start losing my hair... not a good look for me lol

[bluesnowflake]

I wash every other day- my hair dries out if I wash every day, but if I go longer than 2 days, it gets greasy and itchy- in general unpleasant. I CWC, by the way.

[jeanniet]

As I've gotten older, my hair/scalp have been less oily, so I've had to cut down on washings to prevent dryness. Lately I've been working on stretching out washes, and I do think it's helped my hair because damage from dryness is something I'm always battling, and the less I wash the less dry my hair is. Washing less has definitely encouraged my curls more, too!

[Angeletti]

I usually wash my hair once a week and so far my hair is a lot more moisturized and silky feeling than it ever was in the past. It also keeps my hair dye from fading quickly by stretching washes, not to mention it's a pain in the butt to have to deal with washing my hair due to it's length so I can be lazy and only have to deal with it once a week that way.

[Lianna]

I've always washed my hair with shampoo everyday (pre-LHC), I always felt dirty if I didn't. So I came here and learned it's not so great, I tried co-washing for several months, hair and scalp felt fine, too. However I found out that when I wash with shampoo everyday my hair grows a lot faster, that's the the reason I do it (again). My hair was drier before, but nothing that can't be fix with some drops of oil.

[Chiara]

I now wash (WC or CWC or Hollywood wash- shampoo with coconut oil) once a week and do WO in between if I want to freshen up. I do have bangs/a fringe though, which I shampoo every 2nd day (they absorb oil from my face and I just don''t like how it looks).
I have seen a major improvement in my hair condition from this, it does not get as dry or as tangled, even though it is highlighted. I was able to cut back to once a week washes after going WO for around 6-8 weeks.

[sunshine80]

I have oily hair so I shampoo about 3 times a week...I feel it keeps my hair stronger...

Pixie I just read that you said you have dht...Have you tryed nioxin? It is suppose to help with dht:)

[pixistixx]

thanks sunshine! yes, i've tried nioxin and it worked really well, except it dried out my hair horribly! I think I may go back to using the scalp treatment only, after using CO to wash, and see how that works :)

[DorothyAtForty]

My hair seems to do well with less washings, but if I hold off washing it for too long, I start breaking out in acne. Decisions, decisions.

[Raventresses]

I CO wash everyday, otherwise my hair turns into a greasy stringy mess. my hair seems to be happy with this arrangement.

[joiekimochi]

I used to wash like twice a week, but then had serious shedding. The regimen my dermatologist gave me involve daily washing, alternating between a gentle SLS shampoo (or so she claims) and a stronger shampoo for SD. Daily washing gave me less painful red bumps on my scalp but squeakier hair, while triweekly washing left my length smoother.

[PartyPickle]

I used to wash everyday. Like you I had to or I felt icky. (I have to have clean feet going to sleep as well. :rolleyes: ) I eventually shifted to washing it every other day. Then a year of baking soda washing reset my limits for dirty icky hair tolerance. Now shampoo bar washing it 1-2 times a week works well for me. My hair is less dry with fewer split ends and more wave since I switched to this routine. All the time and energy saved without all that washing is pretty awesome too.

[pepperminttea]

I used to be an every other day washer, now although I shower the rest of me most days (and definitely before a day at work), I only wash my hair every 5-7 days. After I started stretching washes, I found that my hair just didn't need to be washed that often. It's a lot less dry since I started washing less frequently, and I go through shampoo/condish less, too, so it saves me quite a bit. I also don't have the time to let it airdry that often, either; for me it's usually about six or seven hours from the time I take it out of the towel turban to get it properly dry. If I washed everyday, I'd never be doing anything but airdrying (which would mean wearing it down, and tangles, and damage, and all of that jazz). Damp bunning is all well and good, but I couldn't do it everyday.

[Ludde]

Growth yes, but especially the shine of the hair itself and the condition of the scalp improved vastly when I started to wash less often.

[luxepiggy]

I was washing my hair every second or third day for a while pre-LHC, but since I've started CO washing, I can actually do that daily or every other day, and my hair is still softer than before when I was stretching washes with shampoo (^(oo)^)v

So, I think it's not only the frequency of washing but also the harshness of the washes that matters, KWIM?

[mrs_coffee]

When I washed every day my hair was always very coarse feeling and frizzy, tangly, and fluffy (and not fluffy in a good way, I looked ridiculous). As soon as I started washing every other day it changed completely and is now a very nice texture and much more manageable.

I have been washing only once a week for about 2 years now and my hair is in better condition than it has ever been. I still let it get wet in the shower and condition the ends if they feel like they need it, but I don't use shampoo more than once a week.

[growing2shine]

Pre-LHC I washed my hair every second-third day. Now I only wash once a week, and my hair has transformed! :D
First I went even longer between washing my hair but I didn't like it, but because of that it's much easier for me to go a hole week without washing my hair. And my hair and scalp is very happy with that. :)
And after changing my hair washing routine, I have noticed a huge improvement in my growth rate. Now my hair grows like a weed! And my hair has also gained a lot of shine!!! :D

I do CWC now, and before that I do a SMT for as long I can. I finish of with a cold ACV rinse which I leave in the hair. Works wonders for me!

[aenflex]

Yes, immensely so. Unless something drastic changes about my hair or the climate or whatever, I won't ever go back to washing more than 2 times per week maximum. Washing less often, coconut oil and a satin sleepcap are the three most important things I've implemented the last few years :)

[Alix]

I shower every 2.5 days or so. So thats when I wash my hair. My scalp has been way less itchy.