Irregular washes- what do you think?

[Henrietta]

(I tried to stretch them but it seems like my washes do not want to be stretch. My hair said "End of discussion".)

Generally, I wash my hair every 3 days. But sometimes I make an updo, let's say a top knot, a French braid or a crown braid just after drying, and I wear it for 2 or 3 days. As an effect my hair does not need washing on day 3 and I can easily go through day 4 without washing. But in most of cases I change my updo everyday, which is connected with combing and brushing so the oils are spread. And I have to wash every 3 days.

Do you think it would be OK to wash my hair sometimes every 3 and sometimes every 4 days? I don't want to wash it when it doesn't need to be washed because I'm afraid that it will begin to get greasy earlier. (But since it happens like once a few weeks maybe my hair won't change its rhythm for worse that fast?) On the other hand, usually I cannot stand 4 days without washes.

[pepperminttea]

Just wash it when it needs washing, and when you want to and can do it. The rest is just details. :)

[RitaPG]

The whole "stretching washes" thing makes sense, but it seems to be taken too seriously. My theory is: if you need to wash it, then wash it. Do what feels best :)
Sometimes I wash mine twice a week, sometimes three. My sister, on the other hand, washes every-other day, because her hair is so greasy.
More important than how often you wash, is finding a mild shampoo that is appropriate for your scalp and won't dry your hair too much.

[pittsburgpam]

I'm not one for trying to adhere to fast and hard rules. I am about the same in that 3 days is OK for me, if I go 4 days then it's definately slicked back in a bun. Any more and I really dislike how oily it gets.

You could try a WO or a CO wash and see if that extends your shampoo (if you do use it) time a couple of days. Finding what works for YOU and YOUR hair is more important. I feel that treating kindly, no drying products or heat, moisturizing and protecting from damage does more good than anything else. The details of what shampoo, what conditioner, what oil, etc. don't matter as much.

(hope I'm not going to get tomatoes thrown at me for saying that)

[tigr]

(hope I'm not going to get tomatoes thrown at me for saying that)
tigr throws a flower at pittsburgpam :pinktongue:

[tigr]

Henrietta - are we machines that our hair care must be kept on a certain schedule or we void our manufacturer warranty?

No.

Take care of your hair the way works for *you* :)

[Jcv-Shelley]

You should find what suits your hair the best. Your the one that lives with it everyday :p

I've found that since switching to WO, I can stretch my washes to once a week. Most of the time I CO, I'm hooked to the smell of conditioner. During the times when their isn't any conditioner packed; at least I'll know my hair can still be clean. :D

[spidermom]

The only thing consistent about my routine is inconsistency. My hair is still long and shiny.

[Peggy E.]

I did the No Wash for quite a long time and my hair and my scalp did just great! There was too much of a mess from the screeching, though, and physically I am just not able to do the amount of work that this routine requires, or you end up with dirty, greasy looking hair.

But since this, I have been able to stretch my washing (CO) down to once every two weeks. Now, I don't produce a lot of sebum, I wear my hair up just about exclusively, so this is an easy routine for me.

When my scalp begins to itch, I wash! Listen to your body - it's pretty good at telling you what it wants; we just aren't that great at translating the information into human-speak...:o(

[IanB]

Yes, I agree with the wash when needed method

[Loreley]

I don't think it can cause any problem. Washing it every 3 or 4 days is not too irregular. I usually wash every other day but I've just washed my hair after 6 days (I'm sitting here with a towel turban on my head). :p For me the less often I wash the better. :)

[Joliebaby]

I don't even know how many days I go between washes, LOL! Sometimes when I think back it's been a week. Yes, my hair really does not get greasy.. Sometimes I've oiled too much and messed with it and I'll wash much sooner. I don't think you need to have a schedule, just wash when you think it needs it...

[Anje]

I don't even know how long I usually go between washes. Sometimes it's 3 days, sometimes it's 5. Whatever my hair needs at the time. I don't wash on a schedule, I wash when I need to.

[papillion]

Because of my schedule, I aim to wash my hair on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which means I end up washing every 3 or 4 days alternatively. It's really just a case of finding the routine (or lack of routine) that suits you best.

[Lielananna]

I've never really kept a regular schedule of when I wash my hair, I just wash it when it needs it. My philosophy with my hair has always been benign neglect and washing my hair every day was too much hassle for me, which is why I started "stretching" washes in the first place, but beyond that I don't really stress that much about what kind of routine I do with my hair.

[Athena's Owl]

Wash when needed, absolutely. I think a lot of people do this rather than have a strict schedule.

[Madora]

Wash when needed, which for me is once a month. However, I do brush 100 strokes every day with my pure bbb..and wash that brush every other day. I don't go out much, and usually wear a scarf on my head when I do.

Do whatever feels good for you, but remember, if you wash it too much, you'll eventually strip your hair of essential oils (unless you put some back in afterwards) and your hair will look like straw!

The ladies of the mid and late 1880s had fabulous hair, used natural bbbs, and didn't wash their hair every week..and some of them had incredible manes! The 7 Sutherland sisters come to mind:cheese:

[gogirlanime]

I think it depends on your hair type and what you do to it. My hair is naturally very oily and I put Monistat in it 2-3 times a week, so I wash every 3 days. I condition everyday.

[Henrietta]

Thank you guys for all your answers :flower: I had no idea that so many of you wash irregularly. Since I've been doing this myself, I thought that regular washes are standard. I will wash when I need it since now. And maybe I'll manage to stretch washes. It's going to be at least third try :D

tigr's answer is my favourite one, and it sums up everything ;D

Henrietta - are we machines that our hair care must be kept on a certain schedule or we void our manufacturer warranty?

No.

Take care of your hair the way works for *you* :)

[Venefica]

I was when I need to wash and I have the time to, so it can get quite irregular, that works well for me for unlike me who is a Aspie as as such like thing to have a routine my hair do not mind irregular stuff. However I can not stretch my washes to long for then my scalp becomes sore and itchy.

[McFearless]

Go with the flow. Washing every 3 days when you've changed your updos multiple times, and washing every 4 days when you've stuck to one style both sound find. You don't have to have a washing routine that is set in stone.

Similarly, I wash my hair every 3 days and sometimes I can push it to every 7 days if I'm good about misting it daily with water and a splash on conditioner. I just go with the flow..

[QueenJoey]

I know what you mean about your hair saying "end of discussion". Mine is so stubborn, it flipped out when I tried stretching to every 3 days. I cut back to every other day, but it's summer, and my hair is so fine my mom told me I must wash it everyday. that's how oily it gets!

[Safira]

Some time ago I did try to strecth washes, but I gave up. No point to try strech something that wont strech. :suspect:

[Carolyn]

I can't imagine that a day or two or even three one way or the other is going to make a difference. When I'm away from home I often wash every day just because I wear my hair down more and I want to look nice every day. At home it often doesn't matter how greasy my hair is or how awful it looks. I don't think it's harmed or helped my hair.

[PianoPlaye]

I couldn't wash my hair to a timetable - my life is an elliptical orbit & there are times when since I'm on a hill with noone to see me a second time, I braid it, and leave it be. No comb, no shampoo, no conditioner, no oils, just an attempt to evade the worst snags from brambles, low tree branches etc.
When I'm back in off the hills then I scrub back to a civilised colour & apply loads of conditioner & so forth, but to wash my hair every day would involve daily hikes down to the river. (Cattle troughs are not sporting.)
Since I joined TLHC, I'm considering oiling it then braiding & abandoning, but have not yet mustered the courage.

[SoulOfTheSea]

I just wash my hair when I feel it's too greasy :P

[Amber_Maiden]

I wash my hair pretty irregularly- every 6 to 10 days... I'm trying to stretch it to 10, and in the new year/end of December after Xmas, I plan on stretching it to 10 days exactly and only washing my hair three times a month. I find it's better for my hair. I really don't care how oily it gets and what people think.

[Zesty]

Of course that's fine. I usually wash every other day, but most weekends I go three because I don't do anything, and it also means that I wash on the same three days of the week every week. It hasn't hurt me one bit.

[vanillabones]

I've been having to wash daily lately... my hair gets oily in a day... I don't use SLS shampoo unless clarifying but it still gets greasy. I can stretch a day using dry shampoo but I'd rather just gently wash it. I'm sure once my hair is longer I will be fine washing every other day thanks to up-do options but for now daily works for me, and there are longhairs on this site that also wash daily :)

[Copasetic]

I don't wash on any kind of set schedule. I just wash when I want to, or when I think my hair needs it. Sometimes this is every day, sometimes it is once a week. I think it's totally fine for your hair to do that.

[bna_rapunzel]

Henrietta - are we machines that our hair care must be kept on a certain schedule or we void our manufacturer warranty?

No.

Take care of your hair the way works for *you* :)

Agreed ^^^

Our hair and scalps are all different. Some people can go 7 days. I go two or three. I love washing and my hair and scalp love it too. :) whatever works best for you, just go with it :)

[Henrietta]

I've just been doing it.
I stretched at the third attempt, then it turned out I have beginnings of dandruff and my hair is not really clean on day 7 but I got used to it being oily, so I decided to wash every 5 days but it sometimes was still too rarely and several days ago I decided I will stop counting so obsessively and wash whenever I need, which would mean something between 3 (yes, back to 3, I had to make a whole circle to realise that this is the way my hair is, mostly) and 5 days.

[white.chocolate]

I also wash my hair at irregular intervals. Sometimes every 3 days, or 4 days. It depends on my daily activities and what I'll be doing the next day. I've never had any sort of problem with that. I just wash when I need to.

[door72067]

I don't wash on any kind of set schedule. I just wash when I want to, or when I think my hair needs it. Sometimes this is every day, sometimes it is once a week. I think it's totally fine for your hair to do that.


this is how I wash

in the summer, when I am outdoors a lot, in the garden and swimming, I def wash more often to get the pollutants o-u-t but in the cooler months, I can go up to 4 days without washing, depending on how I've worn my hair (which varies the products I might use and need to wash out)

[Gothchiq]

Whenever your hair feels oily/dirty, that's the time to wash. Your hair does not care about schedules. :)

[trolleypup]

Henrietta - are we machines that our hair care must be kept on a certain schedule or we void our manufacturer warranty?

No.

Take care of your hair the way works for *you* :)
Ahahahaha! Love this!

The only thing consistent about my routine is inconsistency. My hair is still long and shiny.
Right now, my hair is gross...and it has been ummm Idon'tknow how long since I washed it...but my scalp is just starting to get angry, so I've been putting it off. For some reason, exercising at length in the cold seems to reset the scalp anger (I've been out doing trailwork the last two weekends). But it looks fine up.

Preening to wash now though.

[Henrietta]

Now I have to say I am pretty much shocked because 99% of people seems to wash irregularly. Everyone around me, as far as I know, washes in a fixed routine. It can be irregular, like Saturdays and Wednesdays (4 days-3 days) but it is somehow fixed. That is why I kept trying to invent a routine based on hard maths for myself as well :D