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Shona
November 6th, 2011, 11:20 AM
Hello everyone :)


What are the pros and cons of not washing your hair so often? Ive cut down my washes to once at week and so far (i have been for this about a month) i have not seen any changes, my hair is still breaking off at the ends. It's obvious something else has to be causing this breakage and it wasn't the amount i was washing my hair it seems.... I was washing my hair every single day before so i was hoping to see some good changes! but so far nothing.


Byebye:knit:

embee
November 6th, 2011, 11:41 AM
For me, the great advantage is not having to sit around with long cold wet dripping hair in my cold winter house!

Another plus of course it being able to put my hair in an updo and go, not having to wait for drying or plan an evening for washing.

In fact, I like it so much that I've been NW/SO for a year now. ;) It's great. However, some hair ends still break off, so NW didn't take care of that.

Madora
November 6th, 2011, 11:54 AM
Personally, not washing my hair often means I don't have to deal with tangles, which I loathe. I do have a special way I deal with them through the entire process, but still, some tangles are inevitable.

Also, because of medical issues, shampooing and rinsing are hassles, so I stretch my washes as much as I can. I've never noticed any problems by doing so. I do brush my hair 100 strokes every day with a clean bbb and that helps a great deal in stretching washes.

Maktub
November 6th, 2011, 11:55 AM
If you have damaged hair, not washing as often will not help this damage disapear. But you might see a major improvement on your new growth, which might be less porous, more hydrated, less breakage (because less wet manipulation, etc.)

If washing every day (and / or other practices) led to damage to your hair, changing that will not repare the broken hair, but it will prevent the same thing happening to the hair growing in your scalp right now :)


Growing hair needs us to be patient... most tips don't make a revolution overnight... but it does make a revolution in the long run :p
Happy growing :flower:

Panth
November 6th, 2011, 11:55 AM
The main advantages are: less damage from shampoo; less damage as less manipulation and less wet manipulation; less time spent drying hair (which is a serious consideration with longer lengths when you only air dry!).

I would say that just because you still get breakage doesn't mean that stretching washes isn't helpful. It just isn't able to 'cure' whatever is the major cause of your breakage - be that dye, bleach, heat, straightening/perm, careless handling, damaging hairstyles, whatever. Washing is only one component of haircare - even if you practice perfect, damage-minimising washing methods you can still be overcome by other damaging aspects in your haircare.

Panth
November 6th, 2011, 11:57 AM
(Sorry - double post!)

Carolyn
November 6th, 2011, 12:04 PM
As far as my hair is concerned, there are no advantages of stretching washes to less than every 2-3 days. My hair is the worse for it. I used to wash 5-6 times a week and now I wash about 3 times per week. Less than that and I find it's detrimental to my hair and scalp. I've said it many times here before and I'll say it again...stretching washes is not always all that it's cracked up to be.

Amber_Maiden
November 6th, 2011, 12:07 PM
I don't wash my hair often either. Maybe 7+ days I'll go with out washing. This helps keep the tangles down, helps keep the sebum on my hair, helps keep it healthy!

jojo
November 6th, 2011, 12:10 PM
I wash twice a week and sometimes just once a week if my week is busy. My hair feels healthier from doing this. It will however not help with damage or split ends only scissors will help with that. Maybe if you are experiencing damage on the ends a tint trim is in order and then move onto washing less to help prevent the ends getting damaged again.

honeydippedxo
November 6th, 2011, 12:12 PM
Maybe a trim would help?
Maybe it's the shampoo you're using?
Maybe you could try deep conditioning or oil treatments?

I think the not washing as often is just so you're not constantly stripping the natural oils off your hair. I don't think it's to repair the hair. Once it's damaged it's damaged and can only be fixed by a trim. But you don't have to trim it all off at once, you can do it gradually.

It takes trial and error to figure out what works for your hair best. What one head of hair loves another head of hair may hate.

ingvild
November 6th, 2011, 12:14 PM
Main advantage: I don't have to wash my hair so often. ;)

I haven't really noticed any improvements. I used to wash my hair every day before too, shampoo only (okay, I'm shampoo only now (but with oiling before shampooing), my hair just repels everything :) ).

summergreen
November 6th, 2011, 12:17 PM
I usually wash my hair once a week and this has definitely reduced shedding. If I wash after 3-4 days the amount of hairs in the drain seems almost the same as when I wash after 7-8 days. Also, my hair seems to have more body and volume with washing less often - it goes limp and sulky after a mid-week wash.

nobeltonya
November 6th, 2011, 12:20 PM
My hair seems to behave MUCH better if I do wash it every day.. it's also less dry, looks better, feels better, smells better.. I can actually comb it. I'm heavily oiling and shampooing scalp and length every other day, and washing just my scalp in between. No problems. :)

Yame
November 6th, 2011, 12:26 PM
I LOVE washing my hair just once a week. For me, the biggest advantage is the amount of time I DON'T waste in the shower every morning before going to work. I hop in the shower and take 5-10 minutes to get out, as opposed to having to wake up 20+ minutes earlier to have time to wash my hair and let it air dry a little bit before heading out.

I get to use the time to practice dancing or to sleep in a little longer.

I also hate waiting for my hair to dry (and blow drying is not an option because I hate that too). Basically, the less maintenance the better, and I find that once-a-week washes are just low maintenance enough... I get to have clean, just-washed hair for the weekend, which is nice because on the weekend I usually also have more free time, so I get to take my long shower without worrying about being late for work. On weekdays, who cares how my hair looks, I am putting it up for work anyway.

Stretching washes in general made my hair look nicer. This was before I was down to once a week, when I was at 2 or 3 times a week, I had already seen improvement from washing every day or every other day, which was making my hair too dry and frizzy after washing and too oily on the next day. Now my hair takes around 4 days to start getting oily.

I do get some buildup, which is the negative part, and when I do wash it I take forever because I'm trying to remove all of that. But I'd rather be in the shower for an hour once a week and 10 minutes on the other 6 days than be in the shower for 30+ minutes every other day.

Feng-Shui
November 6th, 2011, 12:36 PM
A comparison.
You have very much money paid for a dress.
You love it.
You will carefully treat it because you to know each laundry the material not well does.

The same happens with your hair.
Wash it rarely and with mild means.

The material is longer beautiful and holds longer time.;)

pepperminttea
November 6th, 2011, 01:06 PM
Pros:
I'm lazy.
In winter I don't have to deal with cold, wet hair as much.
My scalp generally itches less.
Oily hair is easier to put up and braided styles particularly look much sleeker.
I go through less product, so it saves me money.
I shed the most on wash days, so washing less = shedding slightly less.
Less wet/damp detangling = less damage.


Cons:
I wear my hair down even less.
I feel more self-conscious about my hair, and worry more about it coming loose by accident.
Over a certain amount of time, my scalp will itch more not less. (Normally about a week and a half for me.)
Despite my hair being happier oiled, it's not exactly socially acceptable.
After a few days of being braided, my hair will 'poof!' and no amount of oil will help.


On your hair though, OP, it sounds like there was more to it than washing everyday. Do you have old damage from processing (bleach, dye, lots of heat styling, relaxing/perming)? How's your scalp since you stopped washing it everyday? Mine's a lot happier on the whole with fewer washings, and it does definitely get oily much more slowly than it used to, but it's different for everyone.

Shona
November 6th, 2011, 02:19 PM
Do you have old damage from processing (bleach, dye, lots of heat styling, relaxing/perming)? How's your scalp since you stopped washing it everyday?

I have not a single bit of dye or bleach in my hair and I stopped using heat a long time before the LHC so all my damaged hair of that sort is long gone. My hair is totally natural, and I TRY to handle it with care all of the time, i wear my hair up in a loose low bun everyday to avoid it getting caught in my bag and jacket etc too. My scalp is alsmot normal no matter how long I go without washing, it gets a little more itchy towards days 6 or 7. I have never had any problems with dandruff, and stretching washes hasnt brought any on thank heavens.

BlazingHeart
November 6th, 2011, 02:25 PM
For me, washing once a week means a happier scalp, less stress on my already painful fingers, less water used (so more environmentally sound), and less time with heavy, wet hair. As my hair already takes up to 2 days to dry in the winter, I really prefer to wash it less often.

ktani
November 6th, 2011, 02:46 PM
The only advantage to stretching a wash for me is saving time - making catnip tea and the hour treatment.

I get no tangles in the shower. I get no tangles with wet or dry hair.

If you have damage try to narrow down the cause. If you are stressing your hair when washing it, try to find ways to avoid that, like a conditioner with better slip or a shampoo that does not make your hair tangle.

The Sunsilk Lively Blonde shampoo I use has one silicone in it and gives me lovely slip but it (the shampoo) does not build-up. It works well with catnip. Other shampoos I have tried did not.

holothuroidea
November 6th, 2011, 02:56 PM
I think that the moisture content of hair is fixed when it grows. You can take it out but you cannot put it back in. Like overcooked meat, once it dries out it is gone!

The advantage to not washing your hair as often is that the hair that is growing in now will be healthier.

Feng-Shui
November 6th, 2011, 02:56 PM
I have not a single bit of dye or bleach in my hair and I stopped using heat a long time before the LHC so all my damaged hair of that sort is long gone. My hair is totally natural, and I TRY to handle it with care all of the time, i wear my hair up in a loose low bun everyday to avoid it getting caught in my bag and jacket etc too. My scalp is alsmot normal no matter how long I go without washing, it gets a little more itchy towards days 6 or 7. I have never had any problems with dandruff, and stretching washes hasnt brought any on thank heavens.

I think the longer your hair grow you less drive will have it frequently to wash.

It is not funny 4 hours or longer with wet nearly knee-long hair to wait up hair drying.;)

DancingQueen
November 9th, 2011, 12:36 AM
If you don't want to wash it every day, you could just go 3 or 4 days instead. I can't go for a week either, my hair will become a grease ball. But 3 or 4 days work for me, and when I put it up every day, I could probably go longer. All the benefits have already been mentioned. :)

Lissandria
November 9th, 2011, 01:37 AM
I used to be every 2days I needed to wash my hair- Now I do it every 3-4 days but could probably go longer. My hair feels better with just this slight reduction in washing. I don't get frizzies on wash day or overproduction of oil like I used to.
A tea rinse or CO helps me stretch washes on days I have been hot and sweaty and would have in the past washed my hair weather it was oily or not.

Long_Curls
November 9th, 2011, 05:30 AM
IMO, the advantages are much more pronounced for those with curly hair. I normally recommend once or twice a week for curly hair and I certainly stick to that. Having said that, I do need to use water everyday on them as otherwise it is frizzland. Sebum has a harder time traveling down the shaft in curly hair which makes shampooing tricky for us with curly hair: shampoo too much and your hair dries up big time, shampoo too little and you start collecting too much sebum close to the root (which gives off visible residue too!).

I will be extending the non-shampooing period to a whole one month very soon and will be tracking its progress with pictures. Interested to see how my curls will look after a month of no shampooing nor using anything on my hair.

papera
November 9th, 2011, 02:07 PM
I extended the amount of washes for my hair from every 2nd to every 3rd or 4th day. The advantage is that my fine and dry hair is no longer so stripped of moisture and they seem to have become stronger and healthier.
It's also a matter of time, as washing my hair takes me approx 30min, and drying without heat another 3 hours, no fun in the winter time :rolleyes:

Anje
November 9th, 2011, 02:19 PM
I don't have to wait for my hair to dry.
Less water use, quicker showers, less product used.
My scalp doesn't get greasy as quickly as when I wash it frequently or with harsher cleansers, so the pattern reinforces itself for those of us with scalps that increase oil production in response to dryness.
Wet hair is weaker and more prone to breakage, hence hair that spends less time getting wet can be stronger.