Is it really damaging to shampoo twice a day

[l0nd0nbr1dg3]

i always have a long day and need to wash my hair after as well as in the morning otherwise i feel so dirty

is it that bad..

i mean it should be better for growing hair than cutting it ?

[gretchen_hair]

Depending on what you're washing it with and if you're drying it with a blow dryer or a towel.

The sulfates in shampoos are harsh and strip the natural oils from your hair, even if you use a towel to dry your hair you are causing some damage by using friction (if you rub back and forth)

Not very many people (if any) need to wash their hair twice a day to keep it clean, of course you can do as you wish but washing so much actually overstimulates the scalp and will cause your hair to be more oily than if you washed once a day or every other day or less.

[Shelly]

I agree with gretchen. If you really must wash your hair twice in one day, I would recommend trying a CO wash one of the 2. It would be a lot better for the hair.

[Fencai]

yep- shelly beat me to it. I was going to suggest doing a CO for one of the two if you must cleanse twice a day.

[Roseate]

I was going to suggest doing a CO for one of the two if you must cleanse twice a day.

I was gonna say the same thing!

Also, what about skipping the morning hairwash entirely? I mean, if you've washed your hair the night before and then gone to sleep, it can't possibly have gotten dirty overnight.

You could use a shower cap if you need a morning shower to wake up but don't need to wash your hair.

[Shelly]

If she can do it, if she cuts back to washing in the evening, she can also just let the water run through her hair just as a refresher.

[Ashenputtel]

Why would you do that? And that's such a waste of water too. I know it's a bit off topics but us Canadians are champion wasters...

Maybe you can just wet it once of those two showers. But I would suggest to take only one quick shower a day.

[Anje]

I know my hair wouldn't stand up to it. I tried shampooing daily for a month and got some breakage and a lot of dryness. Twice a day would probably have my scalp mutinying.

Why don't you just wet it down in the morning if you need it refreshed?

[McFearless]

If you wash at night there is no need to wash again in the morning. If your hair has dried all wonky spray it with a bit of water.

[TheBluffs]

I like to put a parrel to washing your hair and shaving. The more often you shave, the faster the hair will grow back. The more often you wash your hair, the faster it will get greasy. :shrug:

[MinderMutsig]

I like to put a parrel to washing your hair and shaving. The more often you shave, the faster the hair will grow back. The more often you wash your hair, the faster it will get greasy. :shrug:This is really not true just like it's not true that trimming frequently will make your hair grow faster. Your follicles really couldn't care less what happens to your hair once it leaves the follicle. This goes for all your hair, not just the ones on your head.

[Lianna]

"The more often you wash your hair, the faster it will get greasy." That's not true for everybody either.

I wash twice a day too, but the second time just with conditioner. I live in a hot humid weather all year, I'm sweaty at night and in the morning. It's a confort thing. Most people where I live shower twice a day (most of us need to), it's not a waste of water for us, would you like to go to sleep all itchy?

[Mesmerise]

I would agree with the others who have said you really shouldn't need to wash twice a day. However, I would wash my hair the other way around than most have suggested. By that I mean, I'd wash in the morning (so it's really fresh and clean for work) and then just rinse at the end of the day before bed (because I don't see why you need your hair to be THAT clean if you're just sleeping :)). A rinse should remove any sweat etc. that has built up over the day, and should be fine unless you are going out in the evening or have something special planned!

That being said, though... I really don't think washing is the worst thing you can do to your hair. Blowdrying, straightening etc. are MUCH worse for your hair than washing frequently. If you are blowdrying your hair twice a day, you are doing a LOT more damage than you will just shampooing it!

[Shelly]

Why would you do that? And that's such a waste of water too. I know it's a bit off topics but us Canadians are champion wasters...

Maybe you can just wet it once of those two showers. But I would suggest to take only one quick shower a day.

I actually find it as quite a refresh to wet my hair down in the shower whether I wash it or not. I wash my hair once or even twice some weeks depending on surrounding circumstances but that doesn't mean I only shower once or twice weekly.;)

[sabreena]

Unless you are using a sulfate free shampoo. But even then...I would only stick to washing it once a day. Many a times we feel psychologically dirty and not physically dirty because we are brainwashed to over wash our hair in this modern world.

I use to do the same. My hair was frizzy, terrible and unmanageable. Now I wash a lot less in a week. And my hair has never been better!

[racrane]

Well, I used to have super greasy hair as well. I felt like I HAD to wash my hair once a day. Now I can go every other day or every third day (depending how humid it is). I was drying my hair out with all the shampoo. Once I used less, my hair got used to it. I never thought CO would be ok with my hair, but it works great! Once a week I use actual shampoo diluted with water. My hair is very happy with this routine and my hairdresser can't believe how healthy it is. So, even formerly "greasies" can do with less shampoo. That said, if you really like two shampoos, keep one short and just wet your hair and massage your scalp. That helps me, I find. :D Good luck!

[celebriangel]

No one needs to wash their hair twice a day. No, really.

I mean, you don't need to go to bed with freshly washed hair - it's a bit pointless as it'll just get messed up and you'll have to wash it again in the morning anyway.

Normally when people need to wash their hair very frequently it benefits them to switch *how* they wash their hair - for example from daily shampoo + conditioner to daily Conditioner Only with a shampoo wash every 10 days or so. Or perhaps replacing some washes with just a water rinse - you would be surprised how much cleaner your hair gets if you just rinse it with water.

It's true that with very short hair, oil shows up more. You will likely find that you don't absolutely need to wash your hair as often once it gets long enough to put up.

[Anje]

"The more often you wash your hair, the faster it will get greasy." That's not true for everybody either.
Granted. But it certainly is true for some. Possibly a high enough percentage to try to get the people who insist they *need* daily shampooings with multiple latherings to stretch washes.

[pepperminttea]

If you wash at night there is no need to wash again in the morning. If your hair has dried all wonky spray it with a bit of water.

This. A spritz in the morning to help rearrange things is all you should need to 'reset' things if you're washing your hair in the evenings. I'd also second other posters who've suggested switching to CO (conditioner only) for at least some of your washes, that will be less harsh on your hair and scalp. :)

Once you've got the actual wash sorted, it's the drying part that can be an issue. If you're blow-drying twice a day too, or heat-styling twice a day generally, you're on the road to Splitsville. (Unless you happen to have won the genetic lottery and have very, very resistant hair. And not many of us have.) Also, I don't know if tangles are much of an issue at your length (I've never gone pixie short), but be very careful when you handle and detangle your hair when it's wet and damp. It'll be at its easiest to break then, so choose your detanglers carefully, and use them with a light touch.

[Roseate]

No one needs to wash their hair twice a day. No, really.

You know, there was a time in my life when I did wash my hair twice a day most days, and though I guess I didn't absolutely need to, it was really nice. Several contributing factors:


I lived in Florida
With no air conditioning
It was summer
I worked as a janitor.

So in that situation, coming home covered in sweat and filth, waking up already sweaty... I really craved water on my scalp twice a day! Fortunately, I had short hair at the time and it wasn't a problem. As I recall I think I usually did just rinse it in the AM; I just took a quick shower in the morning to wake up and cool off.

[Athena's Owl]

Twice a day? really? wow.

If I were getting into the shower twice a day and my hair felt dirty, I would do conditioner only washes both times, and do a shampoo only if i felt like I had buildup. which would probably be like once a week.

(my current routine is to CO once every four days, as it's summer and wet hair's not a huge problem, and do a clarifying wash once a month.)

This would also be assuming that I had a quarter of the hair length I have now, because I can't see getting my hair wet just a couple hours after it dried, that's bananas.

[Lianna]

Granted. But it certainly is true for some. Possibly a high enough percentage to try to get the people who insist they *need* daily shampooings with multiple latherings to stretch washes.

I just said the statement was untrue. I've been trying to stretch washes for about 10 years, on and off. People please, try it, I didn't say nobody shouldn't try it. It's time for me to give up though, my life is so much better the way I live it now.


So in that situation, coming home covered in sweat and filth, waking up already sweaty...

That's my daily life, I'm embarassed to say it. :/ I don't have air conditioning or anything like that either, just a fan that is on all the time. It needs to be on all the time. I come home sweaty and gross from my day, and often wake up all sweaty too. I need to wet my head twice a day.

I don't even own a winter coat, that's how hot it is where I live, all year long!

ETA: I've been here a while and tried CO for several months, and my hair grew a lot slower (I could see it in my roots).