Question About Stretching Washes?

[sun-kissed]

I've been trying to slowly stretch my washes, and my end goal is once a week. But it took me almost 8 months just to switch from shampoo every day to WO every day! Will stretching out washes take that long to adjust? Because I will not be excited if I really have to spend a whole 'nother year with oily hair while trying to adjust.. .-.

If I where to simply stop washing my hair for a week or two, would that be enough to get my scalp to stop producing quite so much oil(faster than if I eased into it)? Should I just hop right into the routine and wash once a week instead of every day? Would that work? Most posts about this topic say that 'you should slowly change your wash routine' -- but is that just the -safe- way to do it so your family doesn't freak out, or does it really -need- to be done gradually as they say?

Any-and-all advice ya'll could give me on stretching out washes is much appreciated!

[Madora]

It took me a period of months to stretch my washes to once a month.

I guess there's no set technique for stretching since it differs from person to person, and depends on hair type also.

What you might do is wash it once a week, then in 7 days, wait one extra day and wash it on the 8th day.

Wait one full week and wash it on the 9th day...and so forth.

Also, I found that brushing daily, with a clean brush, helped stretch the washings. Your hair will stay cleaner longer if you use a clean brush every day to brush your hair.

[ibleedlipstick]

Do you water only? For me, I can only stretch my "washes" (I CO) if I don't get my hair wet in between them. I haven't put water in my hair since Sunday when I washed it, and it looks like fine, and I plan to wash it tomorrow morning. However, if I were to get water on it the day after washing it, it would be terribly gross and oily looking.

[Lostsoule77]

I'm not sure. I just know that I only found out that you could stretch washes over a gradual time period so that is how I stretched them & it worked for me. Not sure if that makes sense or not.
So, I used to S&C everyday. Then I found out that you could stretch washes to every other day so I started to do that. Then about a year later I was told you could wash your hair every 3-4 days and I started to do that. Then another year later I found this website and realized you could stretch it to once a week or longer. I've settled on once a week most of the time, though sometimes it's less and sometimes it's more. I never get greasy hair, but not sure if that's because I stretched over such a long time period or if I just don't produce an excess of sebum.

Sorry this doesn't really answer your question. I hope some people with better general knowledge can help you out. :)

[Rivanariko]

I think this largely depends on your hair type and how much it bothers you to be a little on the greasy side. It wasn't uncommon for me pre-LHC when I thought I was supposed to wash every day to go a few days in between washes for whatever reason. My hair would start getting greasy, but I didn't really care.

When I started stretching washes, I jumped right in and went from washing every day to washing once a week. It took 3 weeks for my scalp to adjust and now I can go quite a bit longer before it starts looking the least bit oily. I also wear my hair up 98% of the time though, so I don't really notice when I start getting a bit greasy. I did WO every few days when I lived in Oregon, but the water here is so hard that it doesn't really work, so I don't wash at all for 1-2 weeks usually.

Personally, I'm a proponent for getting it all out of the way at once rather than slowly trying to ease yourself into it. Like jumping into cold water. Use the greaseball time to play with some fun new updos or buy some pretty scarves to wear. Really, the only time people notice if your hair is greasy is if it's down or they're playing with it. If you wear it up, no one is the wiser!

[Tabihito]

I'll be watching this thread closely; I can't do it at home (my mom insists I wear my hair "down and pretty", bah!), but as soon as I go back to school I plan on getting to just once a week. I'm required to wear my hair up anyhow, and I figure a little greasiness at first can only help keep my hair in the horrid cadet-bun.

At the very least, I'll probably use my head as a guinea pig and just go into it cold turkey, so long as I can keep my hyper-clean roommate from noticing. She's the type to wash her hair three times a day. :eyeroll: She nags at me for not using antibacterial soap, too. It's going to be an interesting school year, to say the least.

[C.H.]

Sun-kissed, if you're feeling impatient, I honestly don't think you have anything to lose by having a go at it cold-turkey. Especially if you're willing to tolerate greasy hair for a period of time. Whether the scalp reacts more quickly to a gradual change, or by jumping right in I'm sure varies from person to person. You already tried the gradual approach and weren't thrilled with the results, so I don't see why you shouldn't go ahead and try another approach.

[Aerin]

So quick question--I'm unclear whether stretching washes means not shampooing or whether it means not getting the hair wet. I run every day so I've been rinsing it with just water, but I've been planning on using shampoo/conditioner just once a week. Does that count? Thanks!

[Madora]

So quick question--I'm unclear whether stretching washes means not shampooing or whether it means not getting the hair wet. I run every day so I've been rinsing it with just water, but I've been planning on using shampoo/conditioner just once a week. Does that count? Thanks!

Personally speaking, it means not doing anything with it except brushing.

However, that certainly wouldn't work for you since you run every day. It is better for your hair if your scalp is clean, which means cleansing with shampoo, which removes the perspiration odor. You might try diluting your shampoo when you use it instead of applying it full strength.

If you still wish to try stretching washes, then try and stretch to washing twice a week and see how your hair reacts. If it seems all right, then try going one week and see how it is. Brush your hair every day to help extend the need for washing. Be sure the brush is squeaky clean each time you brush.