Is it possible for me to move away from daily washing?

[gillian576]

I'm new here as you can see but I've already spent many hours reading this forum. I'm 35 and have approaching BSL hair. Since I hit puberty I've been washing my hair daily. I wash in the morning and by the next morning it's greasy and needing washed again. I wouldn't leave the house without washing it.

Is there anything that will help me lengthen the time between washes? :confused:

[Kelikea]

You can try BS wash and ACV rinse or CO only. Both helped me reduce oil production and now I can skip a day or two (or three). Now that the heater is on in the house, my hair wants more moisture, so back to my moisturizing coconut shampoo and conditioner, but not everyday:)

[gillian576]

Thanks Kelikea. Is BS bicarbonate of soda? What's ACV/CO? Sorry!

[Kelikea]

BS bicarb or baking soda
ACV apple cider vinegar
CO conditioner only--I use VO5 vanilla mint tea

[celebriangel]

I personally wouldn't use BS/ACV - the alkalinity of the BS just isn't that great for the hair long-term, and there's nothing moisturising about that routine.

(it might work well, heavily diluted, for fine, straight, non-porous hair. People with porous hair/moisture-loving hair/curls don't seem to do well with it).

For me, a major culprit for the greasies was using shampoos containing SLS on my sensitive scalp, prompting it to produce more oil in self-defence. You might be sensitive to SLS if washing up liquid makes your hands feel dry or "tight".

Switching to SLS-free shampoo allowed me to stretch washes further. I now CO and use SLS-free shampoo occasionally. I too washed daily during puberty when my hair was super-greasy, but now even the most paranoid over-washer wouldn't say my hair needed washing more than every other day, though I tend to go 3-5 days depending on where I have to be.

If you have very fine, very straight hair it might not be possible for you to stretch further than every other day; I've noticed a lot of people with this hairtype mentioning that their hair gets flat and limp if they don't wash at least that often.

The main reason not to wash too often is that SLS-containing shampoo is very drying; however if you eventually find you really need to wash frequently switching to a gentler wash method such as CO will prevent your hair getting dried out.

[gillian576]

I had been using Pantene but have been given Liz Earle shampoo for Christmas which is SLS free: http://uk.lizearle.com/haircare/botanical-shine-shampoo.html. (http://uk.lizearle.com/haircare/botanical-shine-shampoo.html)
It's a bit pricey to be using long term though so I'll have a look out for an alternative.

[Anje]

Speaking for myself, washing using conditioner only and no shampoo (CO washing, there's an article and a monster thread on it) made a big difference in how much oil my scalp produces. It seems that my scalp finds the dryness from shampooing irritating, and responds by dumping out tons of oil. Over weeks or months of using shampoo only to clarify (read: occasional degunking from any conditioner buildup), my oil production has gone down to the point where I wash about every 4 days in the winter and maybe every 5-6 days in the summer.

If your scalp is like mine and reacts to dryness or harsh washing, you might get good results by (1) switching to a non-sulfate shampoo, (2) diluting what shampoo you do use, and/or (3) not using shampoo at all but washing with conditioner, herbs, eggs, or clay. There are lots of options.

On the other hand, scalps are pre-programmed to make a certain amount of oil, and this varies from person to person and can vary through life with changing circumstances. If you're predisposed to pump out a lot of sebum, a gentler washing method might not make any difference in how frequently you need to wash.

Only experimentation can tell. I'd suggest you pick something and stick with it for at least a 2 months if it's not bad, washing when your hair looks greasy but not before. See what happens.

[JuliaDancer]

I used to have to wash my hair every day also. It would just look too greasy. Now that it's winter, I'm washing every 3 or 4 days. I switched to a natural shampoo and conditioner (Burt's Bees) and started stretching first to every other day. My hair would be greasy the next day, but I'd just put it up. Then I started stretching to two days, just putting my hair up both days. It took only a couple of months before my second day hair looked just as good as my first day hair. I actually like it even better than my first day hair now, because it doesn't have the frizzies I get on the first day. I can air dry, then bun or braid my hair the first day, and let it out with nice waves and no frizz on day two. I love not having to wet and dry my hair every day. In between, I use a plastic bag as a shower cap to shower and keep my hair dry. When I wash my face, I do clean the baby hairs around my forehead, which tend to look greasy faster, but the rest of my hair looks great!

[Amber_Maiden]

I think the best way to stretch washes is to just deal. Put your hair up if it's greasy.

[raveness13]

I second Amber Maiden. Your scalp just needs time to adjust. I had the same problem. It took a few weeks, but I have stretched my washing a lot. Be patient.

[Madora]

I'm new here as you can see but I've already spent many hours reading this forum. I'm 35 and have approaching BSL hair. Since I hit puberty I've been washing my hair daily. I wash in the morning and by the next morning it's greasy and needing washed again. I wouldn't leave the house without washing it.

Is there anything that will help me lengthen the time between washes? :confused:

Sounds to me that you need to try some other products since they apparently are not cleansing your hair. Also, perhaps a clarifying shampoo might be the way to go.

At any rate, your hair should not feel greasy after shampooing it!

Lengthening time between washes took me 3 months..but I brushed my hair 100 strokes every day, with a clean brush, and wore my hair up. Protecting your hair when outdoors is also another way to ward off the stuff in the air that can get on your hair.

Lastly, try and avoid putting anything on your hair that will attract dirt---hairspray, mousse, gel, oil. The less stuff that gets on your hair, the longer you can stretch shampoos.

[mzBANGBANG]

I'm new to this too, so I figured I'd weigh in.

I recently went from washing once every 1-2 days to once a week (albeit it's only been two weeks but I am having a good time with it).

I found it was easier to do CO. I CO about as often as I used shampoo before and the first week definitely wasn't as pleasant as the second week. It seems like my scalp is already adjusting. I make sure I scrub my scalp really well and it seems to do the trick.

I also purchased a Boar bristle brush. I'm not sure how much that played in how things are going, but since it helps the oils travel the length of the hair it might be a good investment for you.

One other thing I do is wear braids or buns to bed. My hair always appears to be less oily in the morning, when I do this.

Hope these things help!

[ElusiveMuse]

I agree with the others who said that you may just have to ride it out for a few months with a greasy, hair in a bun day between washes to let your scalp adjust.

Also, be careful with a boar bristle brush because depending on your hair type, it can cause splits and damage.

Some people, ultimately, just have hair and scalps that thrive with daily washing more than stretching washes so I would also advise that, while it's worth it to experiment and be patient, at some point you just have to go with what works for your hair even if it isn't what the majority of long-haireds do.

[luxepiggy]

I highly recommend CO washing! I used to have to wash daily because my hair would be oily by day 2; after a year of CO, my hair easily goes 3 days or more between washes. Personally I didn't experience much of a transition period. As soon as I switched to CO I was able to stretch my washes to every other day, and from there it was a very natural/gradual progression to my current schedule of washing every 3-5 days.

[gillian576]

As soon as I switched to CO I was able to stretch my washes to every other day, and from there it was a very natural/gradual progression to my current schedule of washing every 3-5 days.

Thanks, luxe, do you co every other day or co one day, shampoo the next?

[luxepiggy]

Thanks, luxe, do you co every other day or co one day, shampoo the next?

At this point in time, since it's winter here, I've been CO washing every 3 days. I haven't used any shampoo at all since June. Rest assured my hair remains quite clean, and it's ever so much softer & shinier than it used to be when I was washing it every day (^(oo)^)v