Stretching Washes

[backwoodsbeauty]

Okay this is a really stupid question but how do you strech washes? I have seen several on here that only wash once a week and one who only washes once a month! :D Right now I HAVE to wash every third day. Do you just say I'm not washing my hair X number of days no matter how greasy it gets?

[Konstifik]

The general rule is that it takes a few weeks for hair and skin to get used to a changed routine, no matter what it is.
So if you want to stretch washes, then yes, you should wait, regardless of how greasy it is. But if you haven't noticed any change in greasiness after having doing that stretching for about a month or two, it simply doesn't work for you. :)

Also, you could try just stretching one day. So you wash every fourth day, for about a month or two. If that worked well, you could try stretching another day and to that routine for another 1-2 months. Just to see how far your hair can take it. :)

[MermaidOH]

Yup pretty much. I try to wash only once a week like every friday or something (sometimes every 4 four days), but my hair does get greasy the last 2-3 days. I just wear it up so I don't notice it as much but when I take it down it is not pretty. On the up side when I do wash my hair I have been trying to exclusively CO wash, my hair really feels great. Oh also the 2 days before my "wash" day I oil my hair fairly heavily and wear it up I figure it is already really greasy looking anyway might as well wear a "slick" look :p. Since I have started doing this my hair has been much softer and seems healthier.
Cheers!

[Signe]

When I feel my hair is starting to get oily or flat, I start by giving myself a scalp massage to break up any greasies that might be forming, and then detangle my hair, section it, and go over each section a few times with a BBB. This takes about as long as a shower would, maybe a bit less time.
If I do this before bed I usually wake up in the morning with really nice hair. I have gone up to 2 weeks this way and been able to wear my hair down whenever I feel like it. Just make sure you clean the BBB regularly. Good luck!

[Madora]

@Backwoodsbeauty...

Hi, I'm the member who washes once a month. It took several months of gradually weaning myself away from washing once a week.

Also, I kept my head protected with a scarf most of the time I was outdoors and wore my hair up.

Most importantly, I brushed my hair 100 strokes every day with a bbb, and washed the brush every other day.

Stretching washes doesn't work for everyone. The thing to remember is not to wash the daylights out of your hair because too much washing will eventually strip the hair of its natural oils and leave it looking like straw (unless you put something back into the hair to restore what it lost).

[Ishje]

I stretched washes by waiting longer between washes until it felt like I could not pull it off anymore.

first I washed every 4 day's, after a few weeks every 5 day's and at the moment I am stuck at every 7 day's.
I would like to stretch longer, but I often notice my hair gets too greasy.

[backwoodsbeauty]

A big thank you to all of you! I am trying to get to the point where I only wash once a week, but lately if I want to be seen in public I have to wash every other day. I just have REALLY oily hair.

@ Madora You are the reason I bought a BBB

[backwoodsbeauty]

Days of oiliness here I come lol

[xovictoryxo]

I put scented baby powder on my roots when it gets greasy, I know some girls use cocoa powder as a dry shampoo as well. I wash once a week cant stretch it any further.

[Madora]

A big thank you to all of you! I am trying to get to the point where I only wash once a week, but lately if I want to be seen in public I have to wash every other day. I just have REALLY oily hair.

@ Madora You are the reason I bought a BBB

Awww, I'm flattered. I hope your brush is working out well for you, backwoodsbeauty.

[Cassie 123]

Washing once a week is no problem for me now, at age 38, but I would have been a mess if I had tried to do this in my twenties. Some (though not all) of us tend to dry up as we get older - just something to keep in mind. I would recommend just stretching your washes one day beyond your comfort zone, and then let your comfort zone slowly lengthen at its own natural rate.

[Amber_Maiden]

I wash once a week, so every 7-8 days on average. Thats about as far as I'm willing to go with it, though there have been times I've lasted as long as 10 days. When it starts to get oily, I just stick it up in a bun, and the greasy look goes away after a while... but 10 days is my max because I actually like the feeling of washing my hair lol

[Sarah08]

This is an old thread, but to add my two cents, I've found the easiest way to not feel uncomfortable with unwashed hair is to find a nice little updo that disguises the oil. I have straight, fine, and oily hair, so there is no disguising it otherwise.

My favorite hairstyle is to loosely french braid from the furthest point at the front of my head to about the height of a high pony tail, then gather the rest of the hair and put it into a sock bun or pony tail with hair wrapped around and tucked under to hide the band. I also pull down a few little pieces of hair in front. I often will sleep in loose sponge curlers to add texture too. Looks pretty nice, considering I'm not one to do my hair in the morning. Hope this suggestion helps a little!

[MJ1972]

I've found the easiest way to not feel uncomfortable with unwashed hair is to find a nice little updo that disguises the oil.

I keep coming across this advice on this board, and it never fails to amaze me. What kind of updos do you do that disguise the oil? Is there an updo that hides the fact that you have greasy temples? Or do you simply assume that others, seeing the oil at your temples, will assume that it's product rather than grease? I'm not being sarcastic; I'm just genuinely confused whenever I read this piece of advice. Because when I put my greasy hair up, the grease shows very clearly, unless I put a ton of baby powder in my hair. I can't imagine an updo that wouldn't show off exactly how greasy my temples are.

[Johannah]

I keep coming across this advice on this board, and it never fails to amaze me. What kind of updos do you do that disguise the oil? Is there an updo that hides the fact that you have greasy temples? Or do you simply assume that others, seeing the oil at your temples, will assume that it's product rather than grease? I'm not being sarcastic; I'm just genuinely confused whenever I read this piece of advice. Because when I put my greasy hair up, the grease shows very clearly, unless I put a ton of baby powder in my hair. I can't imagine an updo that wouldn't show off exactly how greasy my temples are.

Updo's will hide your greasy hair for a big part, but not all of it (at least, not for me). So I use a little bit of dry shampoo on the parts of my hair where the grease still shows through. And all updo's you can find on this forum are good for this - lazy wrap bun, nautilus bun, figure 8 bun, infinity bun, cinnamon bun, equilibrium bun, ...

[dogzdinner]

What kind of updos do you do that disguise the oil? Is there an updo that hides the fact that you have greasy temples?

I cheat! I have a little bit of fringe at the front coz otherwise my forehead looks huge. Sometimes I just wash the fringe then everyone assumes the slick look is due to having damp hair, as long as its tidied away they never notice the difference!
tee hee!

[Zesty]

I keep coming across this advice on this board, and it never fails to amaze me. What kind of updos do you do that disguise the oil? Is there an updo that hides the fact that you have greasy temples? Or do you simply assume that others, seeing the oil at your temples, will assume that it's product rather than grease? I'm not being sarcastic; I'm just genuinely confused whenever I read this piece of advice. Because when I put my greasy hair up, the grease shows very clearly, unless I put a ton of baby powder in my hair. I can't imagine an updo that wouldn't show off exactly how greasy my temples are.
Headbands. :p Updo + wide-ish cloth headband. Just make sure to wash them regularly lol. Garlands of Grace on Etsy has some pretty ones.

[Madora]

I keep coming across this advice on this board, and it never fails to amaze me. What kind of updos do you do that disguise the oil? Is there an updo that hides the fact that you have greasy temples? Or do you simply assume that others, seeing the oil at your temples, will assume that it's product rather than grease? I'm not being sarcastic; I'm just genuinely confused whenever I read this piece of advice. Because when I put my greasy hair up, the grease shows very clearly, unless I put a ton of baby powder in my hair. I can't imagine an updo that wouldn't show off exactly how greasy my temples are.

MJ1972, you can get away with the greasies in updos as long as the greasies are not too noticeable. However, if you have naturally oily hair, you might need to shampoo more frequently. In which case, use diluted shampoo instead of full strength. There's nothing wrong with washing your hair once a week, providing you condition afterwards.

I haven't a clue what you are putting on your hair. You may want to reconsider if you are loading your hair down with too much stuff..or overdoing the oiling, co washing (if you do it). Overloading products can lead to the greasies very quickly. In which case, clarifying your hair with a clarifying shampoo (followed by a conditioner) will help restore your hair to square one.

[Timea]

Updos help because when your hair is down you can see that it is stringy and greasy and that it's clumping by the scalp, but if you put it up, even just in a high ponytail (which isn't protective, but is the most basic of styles. you can put it up however, though), and smooth it back with a boar's bristle brush, it won't be clumpy and if it's not clumpy, it's good. buns also work if the hair is smoothed back.

I wash my hair 2-3 times a month. when it gets itchy, I wash it. in summer, i sometimes have to wash it as often as every ten days, but in winter i can go 2-3 weeks without needing to wash it.

i have found that if i get it wet without washing it, then it will look greasy a lot sooner than if i keep it dry, so i keep it pulled back and out of the way of the shower head and try not to lie down in the bathtub if i'm not up for washing my hair. but if i get it wet anyway, a (dilluted) vinegar rinse can help prevent it from getting prematurely greasy.

[Sarden]

Ive managed to stretch my washes to every 3rd day (from daily or every other day), but I cant imaging stretching much further for a little while as Im struggling so badly on the 2nd day at the moment. I made up some dry shampoo last week using cornflour and baking soda and it did help a little, but I was conscious of the greasiness and physically uncomfortable all day - grease gives me a really ichy head!

[Anje]

Headbands. :p Updo + wide-ish cloth headband. Just make sure to wash them regularly lol. Garlands of Grace on Etsy has some pretty ones.
I think I need to try that, because once my hair has reached the greasy needs-washed point, updos really don't disguise it.

Also, I read that as "Garlands of Grease," which seemed apt. :D

[LadyCelestina]

If you bbb or fine comb it into an updo,it looks smooth rather than greasy.Also after some time of being in that bun,the hair sort of stops looking as slick,but maybe that is not true for anyone but me :D

[Akville]

I've tried to stretch washes. But I think my hair likes to be washed, I use to wash twice a week CO...
And its so nice to have clean hair and hair smells so good and it fells that hair gets extra moisture when I wash it... Earlier I could go without washing the whole week and my end felt sooo dry at that point... and I put oils and it still felt dry and oily at the same time...
I don't know .. hard to explain... :)

[Sparklylady82]

I've tried to stretch washes. But I think my hair likes to be washed, I use to wash twice a week CO...
And its so nice to have clean hair and hair smells so good and it fells that hair gets extra moisture when I wash it... Earlier I could go without washing the whole week and my end felt sooo dry at that point... and I put oils and it still felt dry and oily at the same time...
I don't know .. hard to explain... :)

My hair gets dry and straw like if I wait too long to wash as well. Is there anything to combat that "Stretchers"? Right now, I wash on Saturday and co wash after that every other day. I wonder if this method will help me stretch in the future or if the co washing ruins it??

[Sparklylady82]

Headbands. :p Updo + wide-ish cloth headband. Just make sure to wash them regularly lol. Garlands of Grace on Etsy has some pretty ones.

Just ordered a chambray head covering from Garlands of Grace! So excited.

[Sarden]

So I have a question.... I'm stretching my washes to every third day (and struggling a bit as I said before). Tomorrow is my wash day, however this morning I woke up with a greasy birds nest on my head - it was gross and I knew I would do more damage to it trying to comb it dry so I gave it a gentle CO wash, which helped with the detanglingg and made my hair a little fresher.

My question is though.... Is this cheating? If I shampoo tomorrow will it still be "stretched"? Or should I count the CO wash as my main wash and wait another 3 days? Opinions appreciated!

[lazuliblue]

So I have a question.... I'm stretching my washes to every third day (and struggling a bit as I said before). Tomorrow is my wash day, however this morning I woke up with a greasy birds nest on my head - it was gross and I knew I would do more damage to it trying to comb it dry so I gave it a gentle CO wash, which helped with the detanglingg and made my hair a little fresher.

My question is though.... Is this cheating? If I shampoo tomorrow will it still be "stretched"? Or should I count the CO wash as my main wash and wait another 3 days? Opinions appreciated!

I count my CO wash as a 'wash' but I don't know about other people, and I can then go another 3/4 days until my next one (be it shampoo or another CW.)

[Olavi]

I'm wondering kind of the same thing as Sarden, but with WO. I am currently in school, and going there with visibly greasy hair is not option (mildly greasy is easy to hide), and I don't want to use beanie every other day. So is it "cheating" if I WO wash when needed?

Also, is it possible to move sebum to length with fine comb or tangle teezer? I don't have BBB, because they tend to damage my ends. I would give them another go however, but I don't have enough money to by new right now.

[Timea]

I don't think it's cheating. The point of stretching washes is to give your hair a break from the harsh chemicals in shampoo, and also to save you time, and to teach your scalp to produce less sebum over time. i think the goal is to eventually not need a touch up like that on day 3, but it's a process.

[Sarden]

Olavi - I think you can definitely get away with WO as you aren't using anything at all to cleanse. Does it help much with the greasiness do you find? I've never tried

Thanks Timea and lazaliblue - I kninda guessed opinion might be a little divided. I think under normal circumstance I would compromise and if I did a CO wash then maybe wash it on the second day after that but I have some time to myself tomorrow and really wanted to do a treatment on my hair so will probably let it go this once and not count today's.

[Beezle]

I do a full wash weekly with a scalp wash on the third day using very diluted shampoo. When my hair was short I had to wash it daily, so this seems like a great improvement to me

[MJ1972]

Thanks for all your replies concerning the updos, ladies. I appreciate all your answers!

So, where do I begin...?


Updo's will hide your greasy hair for a big part, but not all of it (at least, not for me). So I use a little bit of dry shampoo on the parts of my hair where the grease still shows through.

Updos hide the worst greasiness at the back of my head, but they do nothing to hide my greasy temples. If anything, they show off my greasy temples more! Maybe it's because my hair is so thin. In my experience, the only people who can get away with stretching washes for a long time and putting their hair up as a way to disguise greasiness are people with very thick hair.


And all updo's you can find on this forum are good for this - lazy wrap bun, nautilus bun, figure 8 bun, infinity bun, cinnamon bun, equilibrium bun, ...

I've tried several of those (I don't have enough hair for all of them), and they did nothing to hide the fact that my temples were greasy.


If you bbb or fine comb it into an updo,it looks smooth rather than greasy.

Maybe that works for people with a thick mop of hair. I'm afraid it doesn't for me. Oil is oil, no matter how you comb or brush your hair back. :-)


Headbands. :p Updo + wide-ish cloth headband. Just make sure to wash them regularly lol. Garlands of Grace on Etsy has some pretty ones.

Thanks for the tip! I used headbands back when I was doing WO, and they helped me through some spectacularly bad hair days. Sadly, though, headbands don't look that great on me. Some people can rock that look; I, unfortunately, cannot. My face isn't quite round enough, I think. It's too bad, because I do rather like how headbands look on other women...


I think I need to try that, because once my hair has reached the greasy needs-washed point, updos really don't disguise it.

I'm so glad to hear you say that! I was beginning to think I was the only one for whom updos don't work as a greasiness-disguise...


Updos help because when your hair is down you can see that it is stringy and greasy and that it's clumping by the scalp, but if you put it up, even just in a high ponytail (which isn't protective, but is the most basic of styles. you can put it up however, though), and smooth it back with a boar's bristle brush, it won't be clumpy and if it's not clumpy, it's good.

I'll grant you the non-clumpiness, but that doesn't alter the fact that my temples still look oily and that my hair is too flat. When your hair is as thin as mine, it's really noticeable when it lies slick against your skull.


MJ1972, you can get away with the greasies in updos as long as the greasies are not too noticeable.

Ah, but that's exactly my point, Madora. In my case, the greasies are very noticeable, and no amount of putting my hair up is going to alter that fact. :-)


There's nothing wrong with washing your hair once a week, providing you condition afterwards.

I fully intend to get to the point where I can wash my hair once a week. For now, though, that's an illusion. I can make it through three days, with a fairly hefty dose of baby powder on Day 3. After that, my hair starts getting hopelessly stringy and lanky, even in updos. Hopefully, I'll be able to stretch my washes four days some day soon, but I'm not holding my breath.


I haven't a clue what you are putting on your hair. You may want to reconsider if you are loading your hair down with too much stuff..or overdoing the oiling, co washing (if you do it). Overloading products can lead to the greasies very quickly. In which case, clarifying your hair with a clarifying shampoo (followed by a conditioner) will help restore your hair to square one.

I started CO-washing two months ago, after using a sulfate-free shampoo for quite a while to get my hair accustomed to less harsh washing methods. I now CO-wash once every three days, with an ACV rinse afterwards. I've given up SMTs and oiling for the time being because I want to see how my hair goes without them, and I never use any styling products, so I'm certainly not loading my hair down with too much stuff. My hair seems to love ACV. It looks better three days after an ACV rinse than it does three days after a CO-wash without an ACV rinse afterwards. It's already looking significantly healthier than when I was still shampooing, and it slowly seems to be getting a little less greasy, as well (I used to have to wash my hair every second day).

For the record, though, I wasn't asking how to stretch washes, nor even complaining about greasy hair. I was merely expressing my amazement at the oft-shared belief that updos hide greasiness. :-)

[Timea]

it sounds like washing it every 3 days for now is right for you. It is better than doing is everyday (365 washes a year, and by the time your ends are 3 years old, already a thousand washes!) or every other day (182 washes a year, you won't hit 1000 washes until your hair is about 6 years old). Washing it every 3 days means you wash it about 121 times a year and it will be 9 years old before it has been washed a thousand times.

So stick with every 3 days for now. over time, your scalp should adjust to 3 days and you should notice that the last day isn't as bad as it is now, and then you can try for four.

[Phexlyn]

MJ1972, I can't see your hair type, but since your hair is fine and you don't have too much of it, you're probably a straight hairtype, too?

I tried stretching washes several years ago. I managed to go 4-5 days between washes and my hair looked absolutely greasy and yucky on the last two days. If you don't have to leave the house, that might be acceptable, but in my current field of work that's just a no-go. So I wash every 3 days. Sometimes sooner, if it's necessary. There is no disguising the greasiness. If I use a BBB to smooth it all down, the hair clings right to my scalp and it doesn't even look like hair anymore. More like a cap which somehow forms a bun at the back of my head. Some methods are not for all of us :)

If you still want to try stretching, do it, but don't stress about it. You should be comfortable with your hair. You can try different, gentler washing methods and diluting, which might give you an extra day over time. As you get older, your scalp might get less oily and you may be more successful in skipping another day before washing. But please do what makes you happy about your hair, and if that means washing it every three days, then do it.

[leilani]

How many of you don't have any oil production to think about in this regard, but itchy scalp becomes horrid on day 4, forcing you to do something?

I could get away with doing nothing to my hair for a week except my scalp can't handle more than 3 days between washing. I'm only using sls twice a month and eggs twice a month. I also do an smt weekly as a co wash and use Indian herbs as a slightly acidic cleanse once a week. I settled on this routine to avoid using anything alkaline on my hair and thus opening up the cuticle more than twice a month, all other wettings involving hair friendly higher pHs, but still keeping the itchies at bay. Maybe I could go down to once a month sls clarifying but I'd need to cut out one heavy oiling session per month too (I do overnight coconut oil once a week).

Sometimes I wonder if the benefit of heavy penetrating oiling like coconut is counteracted by needing to wash the heck out of it to get the oil off afterwards. Thoughts? Any of you stretchers oil your hair as a pre-poo? When you are theoretically trying yup stretch pooing as much as possible...and the pull becomes a reason to poo?

I do also get dry ends a couple days after whichever cleansing method.... do any of you guys have a routine to re-moisturize the length with a mister and seal it in lightly with an oil or butter? I was thinking about some sort of leave in spray conditioner I could make myself or just spritz with water and use a drop off argan oil to seal, when feeling dry?

[BroomHilda]

I would recommend anyone who want to stretch washes to start co-washing.

Co washing has the advantage of not triggering oil overproduction on the scalp while also keeps your hair and scalp clean enough to be comfortable.
When you start stretching washes it's inevitable that you ll get some oil build up that requires shampoo to be cleaned. Thus you ll end again with squeaky clean scalp . Those sudden fluctuations don't really help.
Instead, keeping oil amount controlled overtime by cowashing will be much easier and you ll avoid going through that greesy transitioning period. Plus you can have nice clean hair.

Moreover, keeping your ends lightly oiled will prevent water from fully penatrating and water damage is minimized (if this is a concern).

[MJ1972]

MJ1972, I can't see your hair type, but since your hair is fine and you don't have too much of it, you're probably a straight hairtype, too?

I wish! I had straight hair as a child and loved it, but these days I'm rather wurly. I'd say I'm a 2c most days. Depending on how much ACV I use, what the weather is like and how long it's been since my last wash, I run the gamut from 2b to 3a. SMTs give me solid curls. They're amazing that way.

I've never had thick hair, but at the moment it's thinner than usual due to a two-year period of severe hair loss. I finally stopped shedding two months ago, which may or may not have something to do with my switch to CO-washing. I have several short layers of new growth in my hair. Once they catch up with the rest of my hair, I'll hopefully have enough hair to try some of the more elaborate buns I keep seeing on this forum, or the French braids I wore as a child. I can't wait!


I tried stretching washes several years ago. I managed to go 4-5 days between washes and my hair looked absolutely greasy and yucky on the last two days. If you don't have to leave the house, that might be acceptable, but in my current field of work that's just a no-go. So I wash every 3 days. Sometimes sooner, if it's necessary. There is no disguising the greasiness. If I use a BBB to smooth it all down, the hair clings right to my scalp and it doesn't even look like hair anymore. More like a cap which somehow forms a bun at the back of my head. Some methods are not for all of us :)

Your description of your hair made me chuckle. It sounds very familiar. I have a sneaky suspicion that I won't be able to make it much past three days, either, but I'm determined to try four days at some point, even if only for a short while. Or even just three days without any baby powder. My goal is to be able to go on a three-or-four-day hike in the wild without looking like a ghoul by the end of the trip. If I ever manage that, I'll be quite satisfied, even if I never make it to a week.

Your advice about not stressing over stretching is duly noted. I actually learned that lesson years ago, when I tried (in vain) to make water only work for me. It pained me to give up my regimen and go back to regular shampooing, but I just couldn't stand the stress and anxiety about the condition over my hair any more. The amount of time I spent fretting over my hair was insane. In the end, I decided it wasn't worth it, and I think that was the right decision.

[prettyinpink]

When I'm in the shower I rinse my hair with peppermint tea, then rinse it out. Its really clean and refreshing. It helped me stretch washes, so now I hardly ever shampoo

[Phexlyn]

Maybe your hair will react differently once your regrowth has filled in until the ends. But that (unfortunately) won't do much for greasy temples, I think ;)



Your description of your hair made me chuckle. It sounds very familiar. I have a sneaky suspicion that I won't be able to make it much past three days, either, but I'm determined to try four days at some point, even if only for a short while. Or even just three days without any baby powder. My goal is to be able to go on a three-or-four-day hike in the wild without looking like a ghoul by the end of the trip. If I ever manage that, I'll be quite satisfied, even if I never make it to a week.
Haha, thanks. I wish I'd been able to laugh at that much earlier. I'm still learning patience and self-acceptance when it comes to my hair.
I think your goal is quite reasonable for your current situation and hairtype, and it's a good medium to wash twice a week. Best of luck in getting there soon!

[MJ1972]

When I'm in the shower I rinse my hair with peppermint tea, then rinse it out. Its really clean and refreshing. It helped me stretch washes, so now I hardly ever shampoo

That's a good idea. Lady Celestina mentioned a while ago she rinses her hair with green tea, which supposedly helps her stretch washes. I fully intend to try that soon. I just need to buy another spray bottle first...


Maybe your hair will react differently once your regrowth has filled in until the ends. But that (unfortunately) won't do much for greasy temples, I think ;)

Heh. Probably not. :-)


I think your goal is quite reasonable for your current situation and hairtype, and it's a good medium to wash twice a week. Best of luck in getting there soon!

Thanks! I'll be interested to see where this journey ends...

[Marika]

Just wanted to say that I also don't get, how updos hide the greasiness. I almost feel like they emphasize the greasy hair. I get really bad scalp cleavage with buns, braids and ponytails already on day 2. Believe me, it doesn't look like I have product in my hair! :D Only hat can hide my greasy hair but I rather wash my hair every 2-3 days than wear a hat! :p And my scalp gets itchy on day 3 (day 2 with sulfate-free, hate CO washing). I actually like washing my hair but of course it would be convenient to wash only once a week or so. I hope I get less greasy with age.

[rags]

Marika, age and going silver helped me with mine. I can wash twice a week now (used to be every other day!). The fourth day, well it's still kind of bad - but only in a couple of spots at the crown of my head. I wear a garlands of grace type headband (it covers like a bandana) and that helps. My temples are totally silver and just fine, so no problems there! Also, not using a horribly coney conditioner was essential for me (I use coney leave-in instead). Any kind of coney conditioner - I'll be back to having to wash a day earlier. Even putting it on only below the ears. :shrug:

[AmberJewel]

Well, I began by stretching washes to every 3 days. Now I'm to 4 days. I have made it to 5, but that's really stretching. It's like to be able to wash only once a week, but I honestly don't see that happening anytime soon.

[Gaalsong]

I am washing only once a week right now. My hair starts looking greasy around day 4 or 5. I am trying to grow my hair as long as possible this year, so I am just putting my hair up and having greasy hair for a few days. If it gets really embarrassing and I want to go OUT out (like on a date or dancing or something), I use dry shampoo, but it makes my hair REALLY dry so I avoid it if possible. If I do a scalp massage and some gentle BBB brushing before bed, sometimes when I wake up it looks better. Also, if I sleep with my hair wrapped around a headband and make it curly, the curls hide the greasiness. But that last solution is quickly becoming impossible as my hair gets longer. I oil my ends lightly almost every day, and I think that actually helps hide the scalp greasiness a bit? I used to get oily scalp but the rest of my length would be dry, so it looked weird. Now the ends and the roots kind of match--it makes it less obvious. Maybe.

Most of the time I just go ahead and embrace my hair being not perfect for a couple of days a week. Every now and then I'll get embarrassed about it. I like the wide cloth headband idea. I'm going to try that.

Oh, and sometimes I can use bobbypins to create a more "volume-y" look on the top of my head so my hair isn't plastered to my scalp when it's greasy.

[gustavonut]

Me with a greasy updo is my usual look lol. I can stretch for days until I get stringiness. I can handle the grease but not the stringies..nope. I wash my hair probably every 3-5 days. Depends on my mood really.

[ElisabethS]

if i oil my scalp with coconut oil before i do an egg wash i can go one week before washing again.

[Eastbound&Down]

Even after a week, I can wear my hair down with no problems. I don't think my hair is exceptionally thick or anything, maybe it's just trained well. My problem comes from having no volume on the top of my head, I wish I could get it to pouf up a little more.

[lapis_lazuli]

Currently washing the hair once a week... I'm thinking of stretching it to once every week and a half to two weeks. The process is just so strenuous and my hair doesn't get oily after 7 days. We'll see though... two weeks might be too much :undecided

[poli]

Day 3 is a turning point for me - sometimes it just feels good to wash my hair at this point other times it is just a dry shampoo day.

[Groovy Granny]

Push come to shove I could go a full week, but by day 4 my scalp starts to feel heavy & look flat, and it drives me nuts lol

[Groovy Granny]

Push come to shove I could go a full week, but by day 4 my scalp starts to feel heavy & look flat, and it drives me nuts lol
That said just on January 9....since then I have stretched it a full week (twice)....and my hair/scalp looks/feels great :shrug:

It must be the drier air and using a BBB twice a day; plus I have no noticeable sebum, so what I do have is easily distributed down the length :hmm:

[VersLaLumière]

I'm not sure if this counts, but I like to alternate a water rinse in between shampoos when I'm stretching washes. As long as I'm not using my shampoo and double-conditioner routine on my hair I still consider it a stretched wash, and I get all the same benefits from this method as I do when I stretch without water rinsing. My hair loves stretched washes but I can't say I find the process all that enjoyable :/ But I find that this method helps manage the grease and make it bearable for me. Once my hair starts to get to that point of becoming uncomfortably greasy after four or five days, I just stand in the shower and rinse my hair out for a good amount of time, probably for about five full minutes. My ends always need extra moisture so I apply conditioner to the tips of my hair only, then rinse that out and done. Air dry, comb and brush it out later, I don't use any special brushing process for this. Seems to be good enough to help move the oil down the length and distribute it more evenly, and to help get rid of excess dirt and oil. My hair just feels really soft after and is manageable, and I can go another few days without shampooing it. I still mostly keep it up since it's still greasy, but it seems to look better. I only do one water rinse in between shampoo washes.

It's been a while since I stretched a wash past five days, but I'm doing one now. I'm on day 7 and planning to wash on Sunday for a total of 10 days. I've been able to go through phases of shampooing only once a week, but generally need to shampoo about twice a week.

[hayheadsbird]

I'm not sure if this counts, but I like to alternate a water rinse in between shampoos when I'm stretching washes. As long as I'm not using my shampoo and double-conditioner routine on my hair I still consider it a stretched wash, and I get all the same benefits from this method as I do when I stretch without water rinsing. My hair loves stretched washes but I can't say I find the process all that enjoyable :/ But I find that this method helps manage the grease and make it bearable for me. Once my hair starts to get to that point of becoming uncomfortably greasy after four or five days, I just stand in the shower and rinse my hair out for a good amount of time, probably for about five full minutes. My ends always need extra moisture so I apply conditioner to the tips of my hair only, then rinse that out and done. Air dry, comb and brush it out later, I don't use any special brushing process for this. Seems to be good enough to help move the oil down the length and distribute it more evenly, and to help get rid of excess dirt and oil. My hair just feels really soft after and is manageable, and I can go another few days without shampooing it. I still mostly keep it up since it's still greasy, but it seems to look better. I only do one water rinse in between shampoo washes.

It's been a while since I stretched a wash past five days, but I'm doing one now. I'm on day 7 and planning to wash on Sunday for a total of 10 days. I've been able to go through phases of shampooing only once a week, but generally need to shampoo about twice a week.

That's similar to my current routine. Weekends shampoo, mid week water rinse and some conditioner on the ends. I'm still trialling it, so far so good!