To wash or not to wash...

[Applegirl84]

I have been a shampoo every day addict my whole life, but am trying to take better care of my hair. I can't decide whether to shampoo, CO or skip getting my hair wet completely.

Washing or CO means I can wear my hair down and it will look nice, but it also means having wet hair for a couple hours, because I'm trying to avoid my blow drier.

No wash means I'll have to wear it up and even then it will look greasy, but it will help my scalp to start producing less sebum and will put less strain on my hair.

*sigh* hair dilemmas that people I'll people irl wouldn't understand

[Loribelle]

I have the same dilemma. I *try* to work out daily, which leaves my head a sweaty mess. I HAVE TO wash it. Like you, I was a daily washer, BUT, lately I've been having really good results with washing with conditioner only the majority of the time. I still need a weekly shampoo (sometimes twice weekly) but I'm thinking of it as weaning myself off of shampoo all together. I tried no poo and co-wash a few years ago, and didn't keep up with either routine, as it was hard to jump right into it, and deal with the initial results of gross hair. I couldn't bring myself to wait it out, and went back to shampoo. Hopefully, this time, the "weaning" method will help get me past the greasy hair situations that I had in the past.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

[Warda]

Mmmm, well if not washing means putting your hair up and not wearing it down every day then that is another advantage. That way you'll protect it more! Maybe just try washing every other day first that would definitely be better for your hair on the long run.

I also wanted to add, I wash my hair twice a week so my hair rarely gets oily. It is in a MUCH better condition than when I used to wash everyday but I think washing more often made it grow faster due to the head massage. I don't know if this matters to you but that is a disadvantage for me.

[Anje]

The fact that I hate waiting for my hair to dry was definitely a contributing factor for extending washes.

If you have hair that actually looks greasy/piecey 24 hours after you wash it, stretching is a tough process. If that's the case, I'd suggest starting with switching your shampoo for something sulfate-free or else diluting your shampoo and washing daily for a while. Then go to an ~36 hour schedule of alternate mornings and evenings before trying to make the jump to washing every 48 hours.

For the record, not all people have luck stretching washes. I consider scalps to be oily, reactive/normal, or dry. The normal/reactive ones tend to adjust their sebum production according to how you wash them, whereas the others pretty much do their own thing without regard to your feelings on the matter.

[sarahthegemini]

The old me would have said wash it with 'poo! I can't stand having greasy hair. I think you should leave it alone today and perhaps try diluting your shampoo tomorrow or co-wash it.

[GrowingGlory]

Feel free to try different methods: S&C, CWC, CO, NW/SO, etc. until you have found the best method for your scalp and hair.

[Vivalagina]

Now that I have bangs, I need to wash my hair every day. (I dislike dry shampoo.) I CO with diluted conditioner and try to sit outside for 15 minutes or so after a shower to speed up the drying process. Then I will damp bun/braid and go about my day. It's been working great for me. I think my bangs are starting to look less oily day 2, so I have been skipping a day here and there and pinning them back. I used to S&C every day and I have never had issues with getting my hair wet daily but I understand this can be a problem for some.

However, I figure with a baby due in a week I might as well enjoy as many long, lovely showers while I still can LOL. So that's been a contributing factor to daily showers for me.

[catasa]

I agree with Anje - if you have really oily hair, start with SLS-free shampoo, maybe diluted for one to several months, then maybe try CO for while, and see where you are. I tried SLS-free and then CO, and after maybe 6-8 months (2-3 on SLS-free and the rest CO) I was at a stage where I could usually go the second day with OK hair if I kept it up, and sometimes (often due to hormonal stage) also a third day, but never more than that. Also, my lenghts usually felt rather dry after three days "non-watered".

On a side note, according to studies blow-drying on cool is not harmful for hair, on the contrary I have seen it indicated that a shorter wet/"swollen" state is actually better for hair than slow air-drying, so CO and cool blow drying could maybe be an option. Though of course each individual hair reacts differently, so if you feel that your hair doesn´t do well even on cool blow drying, of course you shouldn´t

[Applegirl84]

I didn't wash it, just put it up :thumbup: It looks fine with a little cornstarch dusted on my hairline. Tomorrow I'll either wash with my sulphate-free shampoo or if I'm feeling brave just CO. This week is an ok time to experiement, because I'm not going anywhere other than playgroups, preschool and my Pilates class. This weekend I have several social events, so I'll want to wash for sure then.

[Applegirl84]

When I don't wash my updos are messier, because my hair gets slippery