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View Full Version : does less washing=increased growth?



jojo
June 4th, 2008, 05:05 PM
I have not washed since Saturday and although my hair is starting to get greasy, I could probably get away without washing it for a couple more days. Its braided all day so therefore covers up the grease.

For those of you who only wash once a week, do you think it increases your growth rate at all?

Pegasus Marsters
June 4th, 2008, 05:14 PM
I don't see why it would, infact I would think if you had anything icky on your scalp (fungal or whatever) that might stop your hair growing if you didn't wash it enough.

squiggyflop
June 4th, 2008, 05:16 PM
ive gotten slower growth and more shedding when i spaced out washes.. but i think my scalp was just unhappy about being greasy..

julya
June 4th, 2008, 05:17 PM
I think that washing less often effects my shed rate more than growth rate. I have noticed less shedding with less washing, but I haven't noticed any increased growth.

buttons
June 4th, 2008, 05:25 PM
I have not washed since Saturday and although my hair is starting to get greasy, I could probably get away without washing it for a couple more days. Its braided all day so therefore covers up the grease.

For those of you who only wash once a week, do you think it increases your growth rate at all?

I wash once a week, but not to increase growth rate. If I wash anymore than 1-2 times a week, my hair gets super dry and I'm not happy with it :o. I've noticed that I shed less but I'm pretty sure it hasn't sped up my growth. It's different for everyone, though. My hair is happy with 1-2x weekly washes but yours might hate it.

lulabelle
June 4th, 2008, 05:27 PM
I think less washing causes less shedding and less breakage, but of course if your scalp is unhappy you're going to shed more anyway. I think it's all about handling your hair as little as possible while keeping your scalp happy and achieving that balance, which will be different for everyone.

mira-chan
June 4th, 2008, 05:33 PM
I wash once a week, but not to increase growth rate. If I wash anymore than 1-2 times a week, my hair gets super dry and I'm not happy with it :o. I've noticed that I shed less but I'm pretty sure it hasn't sped up my growth. It's different for everyone, though. My hair is happy with 1-2x weekly washes but yours might hate it.

Same except I wash once every week to two weeks. No growth difference whether it's the longer or shorter period. Not much difference in shedding either. Washing more often than once a week gives my dry scalp and hair and that's just unpleasant to have. Going longer than once a week it because I can... and I'm lazy. :face:

Islandgrrl
June 4th, 2008, 05:46 PM
Ditto what's been said above. The only difference I notice is in shed rate, which seems to slow down if I wash less frequently. I'm down to about once a week or so now (but I do get my hair wet more often than that).

Forever_Sophie
June 4th, 2008, 06:32 PM
I don't see why it would, infact I would think if you had anything icky on your scalp (fungal or whatever) that might stop your hair growing if you didn't wash it enough.

I think so, too. The longest I will stretch it to is washing on the 3rd day, and I definitely think washing less frequently leads to less shedding.

jojo
June 4th, 2008, 07:08 PM
Thanks for your reply, the reason i asked being due to the sebum (is this what its called?) being natural would cause hair to be more moisturised which would be less damaging to hair, that conditioners, which would equal less breakage due to chemicals and resulting in growth??

Don't really know, just guessing really!

Or maybe because I tie it up more to hide the greasy evidence, so therefore it isn't catching on stuff?

My ends are still dry compared to the rest of my hair but not crunchy, fluffy dry since Ive made the washes less often. (not intentional just extremely busy and too lazy to wash)

Red_Wednesday
June 4th, 2008, 07:13 PM
I wash my hair about 1 time a week, not for any other reason than I like to take my time when I do my hair, so I set special time aside to do it. I can't really go beyond a week because my scalp itches too much, somehow that itching (whatever it is that causes it) seems like it would hinder my hair growth - but, I don't know.

Shadow Walker
June 4th, 2008, 07:14 PM
My hair's been growing rather quickly, and I shampoo and condition every single day (mostly because I have to, since I'm exposed to harsh chemicals while working). Whenever I go more than two days without washing my scalp gets very itchy and greasy, but I'm not sure what it would do for my growth one way or the other.

Lamb
June 4th, 2008, 07:15 PM
Thanks for your reply, the reason i asked being due to the sebum (is this what its called?) being natural would cause hair to be more moisturised which would be less damaging to hair, that conditioners, which would equal less breakage due to chemicals and resulting in growth??

I'm not sure too much sebum is that great for your scalp and I do believe that hair growth depends more on a happy scalp than on well moisturized ends. Sure, sebum is a great moisturizer, especially if you can use a BBB to distribute it down the length of your hair. But I wouldn't say conditioner is that much worse! The chemicals in conditioner usually don't cause breakage, even shampoo doesn't if your hair is already "sebumy" when you apply it.

flapjack
June 4th, 2008, 07:21 PM
I have experimented with this and went through about 3 months last year, where I washed it once a week. I just put it up so I wouldn't have to deal with/see the greasiness. And honestly, the shedding and growth rate was the same. I simply would have more shedding at once, rather than a little bit each time I wash. But it all added up- same same.

Angellen
June 4th, 2008, 10:30 PM
I wash once a week to once every week-and-a-half, and I notice overall less shedding than before, but my growth rate has remained unchanged.

Provided one does adequate scritching, I would think that there isn't much difference between the two, though I personally think that hair does better when left alone, and my hair at least seems to like not being manhandled in the shower too often.

I would stretch my washes longer if it weren't for the itchies. That's what makes me wash more than greasies.

nicolezoie
June 4th, 2008, 10:43 PM
My experience is that when too much sebum built up on my scalp, it ended up slowing down my growth because the follicles ended up becoming somewhat clogged. :confused:

Pegasus Marsters
June 4th, 2008, 10:44 PM
I think most people wash here less often (around once a week) because when your hair gets long washing and drying it is a complete kerfuffle, it takes longer to wash and longer to dry than short hair.

Riot Crrl
June 4th, 2008, 10:57 PM
It may be beneficial to draw a distinction between failure of hair to grow, and breakage. It can be easy to equate them since the end result is similar: less longer hair. But, they are very different issues with different causes.

Washing more frequently has the possibility of causing more breakage. Or not. For me, not putting water on my hair regularly makes it dry out and more prone to breakage.

I don't know whether letting scalp gunk build up without cleansing it in some form or another would impede growth, but it seems plausible.

toodramatik
June 4th, 2008, 11:05 PM
I really don't think less washing = increased growth but I agree with what everyone's said about less washing = less shedding.

working at burgerking means I too have to wash it everyday :mad: not that I mind. I'm a clean freak

jojo
June 5th, 2008, 07:57 AM
Thanks everybody.

Hockeymomof3
June 5th, 2008, 08:00 AM
For me, I find that when I am doing regular washes, my hair seems to grow more.

yogachic
June 5th, 2008, 08:11 AM
I wash my hair every other day. I don't think that, not washing, would equal more growth.

Anje
June 5th, 2008, 09:32 AM
Hmm... not sure. I do know that I broke out of a stall and grew a little faster than normal about when I switched to WO washing last year. I shed way less, too.

Hubby doesn't like that natural scalp smell, and my ends need a little more conditioner than I got with WO, but I miss the lack of shedding!

Lova
June 5th, 2008, 12:17 PM
I haven't really noticed a difference.. Because I don't keep trakc of my shedding really. (no idea how you could in the first place)
I always thought cutting down on the washing was better for the hair (less shampoos) but I'm not sure now

chotee
June 6th, 2008, 04:06 AM
I read in a book that the hair likes to soak in sebum as it is more balanced for the hair to be in its own natural ph balance. That is why for long hair it is said that once a week is a good thing and sometimes for very long hair i have heard its washing once in 2 weeks. Personally, i don't like it and wash every 3 or 3 1/2 days max. But this is becoz i workout heavily every single day and the sweat builds up and my scalp doesn't like plain water plus i live in a real humid tropical place. But defenitely, i have seen that if i prolong my wash my hair looks better. Its not the shedding or the growth(they are both the same anyways) but its the general texure and health of the hair which looks better. My hair is on the drier side and likes to be left alone most of the time. The minute i overdo things like oiling, washing etc it get more drier. but then, i have heard in LHC that it takes time for the hair to get used to the sebum build up. In the beginning it may be a lot more or a lot less but if you slowly prolong the days, slowly the right amount of sebum will be produced and the hair will defenitely benefit...so i have heard :smile:

chotee

frizzinator
June 6th, 2008, 08:18 AM
I haven't washed or rinsed my hair for 9 months. What is necessary for my hair and scalp is scritching, massage and preening everyday.


It was not the lack of washing, but it was the massage that increased my growth. It increased my hair's growth when I first started massaging everyday, but the increase lasted only a few months, and my growth seems to have settled back into it's normal rate.

Aisha25
June 6th, 2008, 10:04 AM
I wash once a week, once in 2 weeks in winter time. I find that my hair is in better condition no breakage and much more healthy with washings like this. When I was washing more a long time ago my scalp would hurt and my hair was weaker. So for me it works.

Ohio Sky
June 6th, 2008, 10:43 AM
Thanks for your reply, the reason i asked being due to the sebum (is this what its called?) being natural would cause hair to be more moisturised which would be less damaging to hair, that conditioners, which would equal less breakage due to chemicals and resulting in growth??


I dont think the breakage/damage really affects hair growth. I think growth rate is more related to scalp health. The reason for extending washes isnt to make it grow faster, its to avoid damaging it over time so that it will be healthier when it does get long.

One thing I have wondered about though, is whether using things like SLS can put chemicals in/on/under your scalp and adversly affect hair growth. If its damaging to the length, I dont see why it couldnt damage the hair under the scalp, because those chemicals have the ability to penetrte skin.


I think most people wash here less often (around once a week) because when your hair gets long washing and drying it is a complete kerfuffle, it takes longer to wash and longer to dry than short hair.

Im not entirely sure what that means, but I think I agree! lol

shellblue1
June 7th, 2008, 03:07 AM
Washing less frequently means I don't have to comb my hair when it is wet as often (when I get horrible tangles which leads to unnecessary shedding and breakage!)

Lixie
June 7th, 2008, 03:25 AM
I wash once a week out of pure laziness. It hasn't done anything for my growth but I do seem to shed a bit less.

chotee
June 7th, 2008, 04:36 AM
I wash once a week, once in 2 weeks in winter time. I find that my hair is in better condition no breakage and much more healthy with washings like this. When I was washing more a long time ago my scalp would hurt and my hair was weaker. So for me it works.

Hi Aisha, did it take a long time for your scalp to get used to the one week washes? I would luv to wash my hair only once a week but somehow my scalp gets yucky...any suggestions?

chotee

Aisha25
June 7th, 2008, 09:57 AM
Hi Aisha, did it take a long time for your scalp to get used to the one week washes? I would luv to wash my hair only once a week but somehow my scalp gets yucky...any suggestions?

chotee
Chotee how is your scalp is it itching,gunky or hurting if you wash once a week?
It took some time like couple of months for my hair to get used to it. First it was sensitive but with doing scalp massages every other day,oil treamtents the day before wash,braids everyday and egg treatment before shampooing gently it got much better. Now it is strong and growing. In winter is when I wash once in 2 weeks and that came naturally I only washed it when it had got dirty. Now it is automatic for my hair to only show dirtiness the day before wash.:grin:

chotee
June 8th, 2008, 05:24 AM
Chotee how is your scalp is it itching,gunky or hurting if you wash once a week?
It took some time like couple of months for my hair to get used to it. First it was sensitive but with doing scalp massages every other day,oil treamtents the day before wash,braids everyday and egg treatment before shampooing gently it got much better. Now it is strong and growing. In winter is when I wash once in 2 weeks and that came naturally I only washed it when it had got dirty. Now it is automatic for my hair to only show dirtiness the day before wash.:grin:


My hair gets oily and lifeless. Also, i think its the mental perception. If you think its dirty it seems like its dirty :smile:..slowly i am going to start prolonging to see if i can get there. Thanks for the motivation..How do you do egg treatments? thanks

chotee

Hypnotica
June 8th, 2008, 05:34 AM
I wash 2-3 times a week, but that is because my lenghts seems to require a good wetting down rather often.

Aisha25
June 8th, 2008, 09:06 AM
My hair gets oily and lifeless. Also, i think its the mental perception. If you think its dirty it seems like its dirty :smile:..slowly i am going to start prolonging to see if i can get there. Thanks for the motivation..How do you do egg treatments? thanks

chotee
Oh yes chotee. My hair got same way very limp and had lint too it is very annoying at first but when it get that way I would throw up it in a braid and not think about it at all. Maybe space out to 4 then 5 I do once every friday morning and it seems to be great my scalp is never sensitive unless I do to much massage :lol:.
Egg is easy, mix coconut oil castor oil almond oil or olive oil together with egg white,then apply to scalp only,for 30mins before headbath with hot towel. After been doing this I have noticed much more thickness and more hairs coming.

chotee
June 8th, 2008, 11:52 PM
Oh yes chotee. My hair got same way very limp and had lint too it is very annoying at first but when it get that way I would throw up it in a braid and not think about it at all. Maybe space out to 4 then 5 I do once every friday morning and it seems to be great my scalp is never sensitive unless I do to much massage :lol:.
Egg is easy, mix coconut oil castor oil almond oil or olive oil together with egg white,then apply to scalp only,for 30mins before headbath with hot towel. After been doing this I have noticed much more thickness and more hairs coming.

thanks Aisha, i would love to start this as early as possible. even the egg treatments look quite simple and sounds effective. Will keep u posted...chotee