Washing, dry shampoo, and hair growth

[Miss Catrina]

Obviously the rule of thumb here is to shampoo/otherwise wash your hair as infrequently as you can get away with to avoid damaging it... but at what point should you start to worry about sebum blocking your follicles? How long could you go with just dry shampoo (cocoa powder) touch ups before you actually hindered your hair growth by having too much on your scalp at once? And is there any way to really tell?

[HintOfMint]

It can seem like that's the general rule because for many people, not washing every single day is quite a feat, so there is a lot of discussion for it.

In actuality, there is a lot of variation on this forum of the virtue/necessity of stretching washes.

My take is, wash when you need to, wash when your scalp gets gross. That's really it. There are ways to make washing less drying to the length of your hair such as sulfate-free shampoos, CWC, pre-wash oilings and the like.

I wouldn't routinely go as long as you can stand it. Every once in a while, it can be good and oddly satisfying in that gross way, but I wouldn't make a habit of it. Sebum smells, and there is bacteria that feeds on it. A clean scalp is perfectly fine to have.

[Madora]

Obviously the rule of thumb here is to shampoo/otherwise wash your hair as infrequently as you can get away with to avoid damaging it... but at what point should you start to worry about sebum blocking your follicles? How long could you go with just dry shampoo (cocoa powder) touch ups before you actually hindered your hair growth by having too much on your scalp at once? And is there any way to really tell?

Frankly, I wouldn't go near dry shampoo..ugh! The scalp needs to breath, not be covered with powdery gunk.

Sebum doesn't block your follicles if you stimulate your scalp follicles by brushing daily. Brushing helps keep those follicles exercised and your scalp and hair clean, which is necessary for healthy hair.

Shampoo only when you need it.

[ariesfairies]

When the oil is just about to show through (ie. hair clumping from moisture) it's when I consider time to wash. If you are sweating and doing some dirty work around the house like gardening or whatever, it pays to wash it then because you got to remember your pillow!