Washing your hair once a month - unhealthy

[redsoles]

It sounds gross but my hair works that way! I have fine hair too.. but I honestly think my fast hair growing is contributed to less hair washing and overall less manipulation
I wash my hair once a month, blow dry once a month and do French braids in my hair, oil my ends and massage me scalp. And leave it up in my silk scarf.
it doesn't smell or get dirty... For some reason my hair seems to loves this.

Has anyone else ever done this?

[jacqueline101]

I think it depends on your hair type some people can do it others can't.

[linnepinne]

That is like, my dream!

I have fine hair too, and an oily scalp and dry ends, and I have tried so hard to stretch my washes. WO worked to stretch for my scalp, but my ends hated it and it did more damage than good. I just started a new routine (have been no poo and using alternative methods for years!); CWC with diluted, mild SLS shampoo and lots of cone free condish. I do this every 3 days.

I have read that curly hair often is a bit on the dry side naturally, and it seems that peoples scalps are very different when it comes to producing oil and sebum (mine is very active). One of my best friends is like you, her hair is maybe 3a-3b and coarse and tends to get dry easily. Her scalp hardly produces any oil at all! So she washes her hair maybe once every 2 weeks, and she washes mostly on routine, or because she feels like she is wierd to not wash her hair often. But she claims that the longer she goes without washing, the better her hair feels and looks. You are not alone ;)

[redsoles]

@linnie

Thanks for your insight! Do you like your fine hair? I'm the only one in my family with fine hair, when I was little and when my hair was at my waist I hated it because I assumed fine hair = unhealthy hair, prone to breakage. My sisters all have thick hair so I felt like the odd one out. Are you the only one in your family with fine hair? As I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate it and love it. Because when I straighten my hair it looks amazing, most people think I'm mixed or wear extensions because it looks and feels like Caucasian hair when I straighten it. it's much easier to manage IMO just based on what I have seen from my sisters..

PS I'm new posting here.... I have no idea what those acronyms stand for LOL! Can you break it down for me?

[rock007junkie]

I used to when I was much younger. I find I can't do this because my scalp will rebel against me. Now the most I wait to wash is a week.

[Becky9679]

First off since you're new, welcome! If you're having trouble with the acronyms this (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=10) is a good article to read, it has all the commonly used LHC abbreviations.

You'll find many different methods of hair cleansing on here from the usual wash and condition to condition wash condition (CWC), conditioner only (CO), water only (WO) and even no water or sebum only (NW/SO) which means you don't actually wash it at all.

As every person is different then a cleaning method that works for one person may be terrible for another. I personally use the conditioner only method once a week which is excellent for my hair but others have reported that they get itchy scalps, excessive shedding and hair that just generally doesn't feel very good!

If washing once a month works for you then there's no reason at all to change it - you may even be one of those people who could give up on washing entirely and go NW/SO ;)

[linnepinne]

O, sorry! WO stands for Water Only, it means you wash you hair with only water :), there's a thread dedicated to this method on the forum. CWC stands for Condition Wash Condition and means that you first put condish on your hair (lenght especially) to protect it from the shampoo, and then wash your scalp with shampoo, rinse, and then put on condish in the porpouse to condishion your hair. I think there is a CWC-thread too.
There are more acronymes aswell circulating the forum, and I think there is an article somewhere explaining them all, or most of them anyway.

I'm not particularly fond of my fine hair. I wish it was a bit more lively and voluminous. Or at least a little thicker. It is also a little more prone to breakage I feel. Though I still appreciate some of its qualities; It dries really fast, I don't need a ton of product, I can do certain buns and updos at much shorter lenght than a person with thicker hair. It also looks healthy and shiny, because it never tends to get frizzy.
My sister also has fine hair, but hers is iii thickness at least, and it's almost too much. Her hair is slippery like mine, and beacuse of that and the thickness she can't do many updos, and it gets really heavy at any longer than shoulder. So she keeps it short :p

[Madora]

Depends on your hair type and sebum production..and energy levels.

I began stretching my washes decades ago and shampoo once a month..or a little over. I have a dry scalp with medium fine, moderately thick, slightly wavy hair.

My hair is brushed 100 strokes every day with a clean bbb, braided and usually covered because of my Reynaud's.

More power to you if you can stretch your shampooing to once a month!

[pink.sara]

God I wish I could! Mines greasy and itchy after 2 days.

My co-worker has fine blonde clouds of 3c curls and washes once every couple of months. We were laughing last tuesday when I came into work with freshly washed wet hair and it took all day to dry, and I whined about it, that not washing is the way forwards.... She hasn't washed hers since new year, only gotten it wet a few times. It's gorgeous too.

Whatever suits you is perfectly fine I think :)

[DancingQueen]

I did this only once: when I was 14, I had my ears fixed, and I was not allowed to wash my hair for a month. It wasn't too bad, actually (although I did hide it under a scarf because of the bandage). But I have to admit that it felt pretty good when I could finally wash it. But you are very lucky you can do it. :)

[Amber_Maiden]

i think it's fine. Wish I could do it, and maybe one day I will! :)

[ohhiitssteph]

I wish I could do once a month! But my scalp can get itchy or flaky, and I work out a lot and sweat can make my hair a bit dirty. :p I wash my hair once/twice a week currently, which seems to work well. I do CO most of the time, but occasionally use a sulfate-free shampoo.

[Fireweed]

I have been washing my hair once a month with dilute shampoo these last few years and my hair is so much beter for it. My hair is very healthy, not much wear and tear.

[redsoles]

I have been washing my hair once a month with dilute shampoo these last few years and my hair is so much beter for it. My hair is very healthy, not much wear and tear.


I agree with you. I think society tells everyone that daily hair washing is healthy. I guess for some people it is. Not me. My hair does a lot better... a lot lot better and it looks better too, feels better.
What shampoo do you use?

[Beckstar]

My hair is fine, thick is very. very porous. My hair is also very dry. My scalp does not produce much sebum and never really has. I supplement with coconut oil and wash every 1-2 weeks depending on how my scalp and hair feel. I don't use shampoo very often and find CoWashing to be very, very beneficial.

[heidi w.]

Hate to be raining on the parade, but I believe it is VERY important to not spread misinformation.

Hair does not grow faster as a result of less hair washing. In fact, a lot of people actually experience an increase in hair shedding. That CAN happen.

Hair growth is completely genetic and hormonally determined. Plain and simple. This is well documented information by trichologists, and those who make a study of hair care.

heidi w.

[spidermom]

Seconding what HeidiW said.

My hair is awful if I don't wash it for a week. I'm not willing to see what would happen if I didn't wash it for a month.

Do you wash behind your ears more often than you wash your hair? I notice that I get a bad smell back there if I don't - like really stinky cheese. I notice the stench when I take my glasses off if I forget to give a good scrub back there 2-3 times a week.

[CurlyCap]

My hair is fine, thick is very. very porous. My hair is also very dry. My scalp does not produce much sebum and never really has. I supplement with coconut oil and wash every 1-2 weeks depending on how my scalp and hair feel. I don't use shampoo very often and find CoWashing to be very, very beneficial.

This is me, except I have only i/ii hair.

Also, my body stinks if I don't wash it, and my scalp is part of my body. So even if I didn't have to co-wash every night to help with moisture levels, I'd have to at least rinse it to stop it from smelling...musty. Ew.