Showering without washing your hair

[Annalise]

When you shower and aren't trying to get your hair wet, what do you do to prevent that?

I've been doing rinse-and-condition on a daily basis because I can't figure out what to do. But my hair is starting to take too long to dry for that.

I remember that the shower caps my mother used always smelled like vinyl. But with the recent switch from PVC to EVA, I thought I'd try buying one.

So the one I bought is still PVC and smells awful, will make my hair smell awful, and probably give me cancer. :(

[rosek]

I just put my hair up in a bun or ponytail. I wear a headband to keep my bangs off my face so I can wash that. And then you dont let your head get under the showerstream.

Its very easy. You should try it.

[joiekimochi]

I just bun my hair really high on top of my head. The area on my nape gets damp, but it's not sopping wet and dries out in 15 minutes after my shower. It's not something a terry-cloth headband cannot fix, only I'm too lazy to put one on!

[Animae]

I don't find that the shower cap makes my hair smell of vinyl. Its not like its on my head for a very long time.

[rhosyn_du]

I just bun my hair and pull my fringe back with a headband. The roots near my face usually get a little wet, but no more than when I wash my face at the sink.

[SimplyViki]

Another one who just buns the hair out of the way. I used to wash my hair every shower for the same reason you do. I didn't know it was so easy to keep the hair relatively dry.

[princessp]

Oh yeah, I do this all the time. I just tie it up.

[Tia2010]

I pull it back into a into a high ponytail/bun. The nape may get a little wet but never soaked and it dries quickly. I sometimes use a shower cap ( I bought a three pack at target) but usually it's just the ponytail/bun.

[Xandergrammy]

I put my sleep braid on top of my head with a couple of clips and then shower. The hair around my face gets a little wet when I wash my face but it's manageable.

[pepperminttea]

I just bun mine, and position the shower quite low. Without an adjustable shower, I'd go for a shower cap - if it's always going on dry hair, you could always line it with some smooth fabric, or just buy one that isn't PVC if you're worried. They're generally not expensive.

[Kittin]

I bun my hair, then use a shower cap. I made my own using this tutorial (http://junie-moon.blogspot.com/2008/08/one-yard-adventure-shower-cap-tutorial.html).

[Dragon]

I love shower caps. I don’t find they make my hair smelly.

[Carolyn]

As the others have said it's very simple to do a high bun and keep your head out of the shower stream. Yes vinyl shower caps can be a little stinky but it isn't going to give you cancer.

[Lostsoule77]

I just bun it or clip it up. Around my face usually gets a bit damp, but not so much that it's a big deal.

[IndigoAsh]

I do a bun as far up on my head as I can. Hairs still get wet but they dry quickly.

[Athena's Owl]

I've never used a vinyl shower cap. there are caps made of clear plastic. they're a bit flimsy and potentially disposable but I get quite a few uses out of one.

or else I just take a plastic grocery bag and use that.

Or, I just bun clip my hair up on top of my head so I only get a little water on my hair. I wear my hair curly so a few drops of water aren't going to wreck a do.

[pepperedmoth]

In the big scheme of things that are going to give you cancer, a PVC shower cap is somewhere very, very, low on the list, somewhere below forgetting to wear sunscreen in the middle of winter and loving lox on a bagel and way way below smoking or not eating vegetables.

Anyway, like others I usually just bun my hair and never have a problem. I also will let it get wet without shampooing it.

[LHC100]

High bun, usually. If I really don't want it to get wet at all around the edges (because going out soon, especially in winter) I'll wrap it firmly in a thin towel (tucking the end under the nape), just as I first wrap it when it's wet and I'm getting out of the shower.

If I'm "stuck" with only a thick towel, I first make a length-wise, four or five inch fold before bending over to center it on my neck. It takes up the bulky, interfering "slack".

[orbiting]

High bun. For me though, it's about not washing... If my hair gets a little damp that's fine :)

Usually my nape and hair near my face get wet.

I also have an adjustable shower head that I put in a specific position so I can put the pulse spray on my shoulders (they hurt... :( ). That position helps the hair not get wet too :)

[patienceneeded]

I use a shower cap, have for years. Never found it to make my hair smelly. I only need 5 minutes in the shower if I'm not washing my hair, so it's not like it's on very long. I LOVE my showercaps, family members snag them from their hotel rooms to give to me... =]

[turquoisebud]

I don't find the shower cap makes my hair smell funny. If you don't want to use one made of plastic, try a bun or something and then put a bandanna or something over it to prevent water misting your hair. :)

[McFearless]

Its easy to avoid getting your hair wet but I just feel weird if I come out of the shower with a wet body and dry hair. I just feel dirty somehow.

[pinchbeck]

I wear a tacky purple shower cap made by Goody. They come in regular and a size large. The latter is preferable because I am able to put my pony tail inside of it.

[spidermom]

I use a shower cap. I remember it had a smell when I first opened the package, but it doesn't anymore. You can always hang it outside until it has finished gassing off. It doesn't take long.

[MrsGuther]

I put my hair up in a messy bun/ half pulled through ponytail and then I don't put my head near the faucet. :) I have been trying to stretch washes mostly because my hair is getting to the length where it aggravates me having to wash it (takes FOREVER!!!) and it also seems to take hours to dry.

[Noula]

Ponytail with the ends tucked in the scrunchie or a headband, usually just get a bit of damp hair at the nape of my neck and that dries pretty fast if I leave it up like that.

[itsnikki]

I just pull mine back with an old scrunchie. It gets a little damp, but not bad.

[ravenreed]

The only time I wear a shower cap is when I am dong a treatment that will sit on my hair and drip otherwise. I don't find they smell if you hang them up in the bathroom and let them air out. I also don't think they will give you cancer. As for showering, I just put my hair in a bun, angle the shower head so it is at neck height and don't worry too much if my neck hairs get a little damp. Actually, I find that when I do this, my nape hairs curl up in a rather fetching manner. Otherwise they tend to stick straight out and are not appealing to me at all.

[jaine]

I wear my silk bonnet with a heavy wool cap over that. I envy those who can do the bun without something to guard it from the humidity...my random curly hairs would pop out if I did that and it would look very frizzy until I wet it and set it again.

[pennyroyal]

Yea, i just tie it back into a ponytail & use a headband or hair clips to keep my fringe out of the way. It's easy & it works very well.

[milagro]

Bun (usually two) on the very top of my head plus a few medium-sized jaw clips. Detachable shower head / shower extension is very handy too.

jaine, if I bun really tight there's no frizz except shorter hair in the hairline but it gets wet anyway so I just smooth it after. HTH

[Malibu Barbie]

I bun it and use a shower cap. I've been doing this for years. If you remove it and let it air like others have mentioned it doesn't really smell. They also come lined with terry cloth maybe that will work for you.

[CaityBear]

Bun it. I usually don't worry about getting it wet. It dries fast if it's only a bit of hair.

If I don't want it I just wear a shower cap. I think the Goody ones? I've never had a problem with smell before... *shrug*

[walterSCAN]

I just put my hair up in a bun or ponytail. I wear a headband to keep my bangs off my face so I can wash that. And then you dont let your head get under the showerstream.

Its very easy. You should try it.

I do this, but it's always a bun. It takes a bit to get used to keeping the water from getting past your hairline, butt it gets easier to judge the more you do it.

[Annalise]

Alright, I've been trying the bun it back and keep it out of the spray thing.

I've been able to keep it mostly dry; generally the shorter pieces near my hairline get damp, which means they poof up into a giant frizzball and I need to wet them down to reactivate the curl pattern so they're not sticking straight up.

The big problem, though, is that I think I"m going to have to completely change my haircare routine.

I used to braid my hair when it was damp everyday. But when I braid my dry hair, by the end of the day, I look like I've been electrocuted, since every single strand of hair that is not full length manages to fall out of the braid.

I've started the process of switching to no cones; maybe that'll help.

[irishlady]

I just put it up in a knot thing as high as I can on my head, and use an alice-band/headband to keep any wispy bits off my face. I don't really bother if it gets a bit damp in the shower.

[2peasinapod]

I wish I had an adjustable shower head. I just bun it and use a shower cap. I can't say I've had any issue with smell, though.:confused: It keeps all my hair dry.

[AnnaJamila]

Well, I just get it wet and leave it alone, really. Dirty hair dries much more quickly than clean, at least in my expirience. But then again my hair is so slick it's always dry within 30 minutes.

If I have to go out right after I just bun it. It gets damp but dries super quickly!

[squintinschool]

Its easy to avoid getting your hair wet but I just feel weird if I come out of the shower with a wet body and dry hair. I just feel dirty somehow.
I don't feel dirty, just confused. This is partially because when I have wet hair I have a rather odd ritual of stepping out and then leaning backwards to keep my drippy hair in the tub. Thus doing that when its dry gives a rather WTF moment because there's no pitter-patter of water on plastic.

To keep my hair dry, I either bun it (held with my acrylic ketylos), or leave it in a braid (if the braid is a crown braid/tucked up).

I only use my Goody shower cap to keep my conditioner covered hair out of the way while doing other shower tasks, and only noticed it smelling plasticky on opening. On wash and it was fine.

[Messyhair]

I use a shower cap for it, but I don't get any smell on my hair from it. :)

[EdG]

I wash new shower caps before use. That gets rid of the initial odor.

I also periodically wash shower caps to prevent mold.

An alternative method is to fold up one's hair and hold it over one's head in the shower. That keeps the length dry. Of course, only one arm is available for washing.
Ed

[CariadA]

I use a Tassi wrap. They are so perfect for keeping hair dry, but they are made of a terry-cloth like material and do not smell. They are also great for keeping hair out of your face when washing the face or just wearing around the house.

[Blandine]

Ah the blessing of hand-held showers.

I put my hair up and that's it, then shower as usual. No problem at all.

[freckles]

I've never had a problem with my shower cap smelling weird or making my hair smell weird or anything, but if you're concerned about it being in contact with your hair for whatever reason, you could try buying a silk or satin sleep cap, and wearing that UNDER the sleep cap ... I've never tried this, but it seems that as long as the sleep cap is totally covered by the shower cap it shouldn't do it any harm?