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Original poster

To not get this not washing your hair thing?!

350 replies

BarbieBarbieBaa · 21/09/2017 07:41

Recent trip to the hairdresser resulted in me getting told off (gently) for washing my hair every day. Post pregnancy my hair is a lot thinner and prone to breaking, and in the last few months I’ve had the nastiest greasy roots. I mean proper crispy hair, it’s grim!

I’ve always washed my hair daily since childhood, but now I’m told I shouldn’t.

Problem is by the end of the day I haven’t washed I look a mess! My fringe looks like a oil slick, it is horrible.

Do I go back to daily washing and just go bald? Or am I missing a trick that everyone else knows and I don’t?

OP posts:
AnnieAnoniMouse · 21/09/2017 08:48

I have long hair, I generally wash it every day, sometimes twice, I have done since I was about 13 & I'm in my 40's now. It's in lovely condition.

People make me laugh though...

'Your hair is lovely'
Thanks
'How often do you have to wash it?'
I wash it at least once a day because I prefer to.
OH you shouldn't do that, it's bad for it!!!!'

Hmm

So it look lovely, feels fresh & light, is long & healthy but something I've done pretty much every day for the past 30 years is bad for it 😂🤣

highinthesky · 21/09/2017 08:48

Dry shampoo is great for day 4 hair Grin

It takes a lot of disciplinary, but I have weaned myself away from daily washing to twice a week, max. It also gets easier with age.

AnnieAnoniMouse · 21/09/2017 08:50

I don't use a hairdryer either, it dries naturally.

MyCatIsASpy · 21/09/2017 08:51

I wash mine every other day. I think washing it every day strips the hair of its natural oil. However, much prefer it when it is washed so understand why you might want to wash every day!

amusedbush · 21/09/2017 08:52

I wash my hair four times a week, after the gym, and even that feels like too much. It feels very dry no matter what I do and it felt much better when I washed it once or twice a week (I didn't exercise then).

CredulousThickos · 21/09/2017 08:54

I have thick, dry hair. I used to wash it every day.

After a period of depression where I didn't wash it for about a fortnight, I now only need to wash it once a week or so. The bonus is it keeps my bright pink intact for longer and it means I actually spend time drying and straightening as I know it will last a while.

Beerwench · 21/09/2017 08:57

I have to wash mine every day if I don't want to smell. I muck out 2 horses every day and the ammonia smell from the pee clings to my hair and I have to use a tea tree shampoo to make sure it doesn't smell - if I don't I can smell it when I've got the hairdryer on it! It's not pleasant! I've got thin hair that looks greasy if it's not freshly washed, as well as working in a kitchen where the smell of the fryers/food also clings so sometimes I wash mine twice if I'm going out after work too because I don't want to smell greasy or like horse pee! I admit it's not great for my hair, and it probably does make it greasier than if I washed it less but I wouldn't feel comfortable with greasy, smelly hair! I think your lifestyle plays a big part in when you need to wash your hair too.

Esssa · 21/09/2017 08:58

Could you skip the shampoo every other day and just use conditioner so you reduce the amount of shampoo and sulfates you use that strips and drys hair out? I've not used shampoo at all since March and my hair has never been healthier. And no it doesn't smell of anything but conditioner!

Falcon1 · 21/09/2017 09:04

There's nothing wrong with washing your hair every day. What nonsense!

DeadButDelicious · 21/09/2017 09:04

I wash my hair once a week. I have very short hair (number 3) on the back and sides and a good 5 inches on top. I use dry shampoo and texture powder and copious amounts of hairspray to style it and that helps me stay on top of grease. Plus it's much better for my colour. I have dark purple hair, which has a red base. Shampoo is not friends with the colour red, it fades very quickly if I wash it too often.

I just buy shampoo and conditioner for coloured/damaged hair from the pound shop (gliss by Schwarzkopf at the moment) and wash it on a Sunday, leave it to dry by itself and then run the ghd's over it. If it's looking dry at the ends then I use a teeny, tiny, drop of baby oil on them (never near the roots). I don't have the time or the patience to wash my hair everyday and keep on top of the extra colouring that would mean.

JWrecks · 21/09/2017 09:06

There is some research that says washing your hair (and even showering) every day is not good for your hair or skin. However, it appears that the consensus (amongst hair stylists, etc., so not necessarily scientists) is that it all depends on your hair, whether you should wash daily or not.

Shampooing too frequently can dry out your hair, make it brittle, and cause split ends, so only if you have very fine hair or get very sweaty and dirty daily should you shampoo every day according to the "experts". Also, if you have any permanent treatments like colouring or body or extensions, shampooing fades them faster, so many people who colour their hair try not to wash it as frequently.

Also, washing hair makes it more difficult to style. With lovely soft clean hair, I simply cannot do ANYTHING to it! No style will stay in my hair if I've just washed it, no matter how much product I use. The longer I go without shampooing, the better a style will hold.

Apparently, showering daily is quite bad for your skin as it washes away natural oils and stops natural processes that protect your skin and keep you moisturised and healthy. It can cause rather than prevent acne, and dries out your skin and nails as well.

All that said, I still shower and wash my hair every day because it just feels gross if I don't. I'm a disgusting oil monster and I look and feel yucky from head to toe when I don't shampoo, so I just go about with boring flat hair that's not greasy and dry skin that I moisturise myself. So take that, science, I don't care! :P

SusanTheGentle · 21/09/2017 09:08

Not washing Does Not Work for my hair, though I appreciated others with different hair types will find it brilliant. But it is NOT a panacea and I get really pissed off with hairdressers being snooty about it.

I've tried it several times and it remains just as greasy as it was before, just like my face is - I'm just producing a lot of oil and short of something seriously medical intervening that's not going to stop.

I do however try to avoid washing every single day, but not at the expense of looking shit. So if I'm not going anywhere at the weekends, for instance, I might leave it for as long as three days if I didn't wash it Friday. If I have an office-based day at work with no meetings I'll run some Lush dry shampoo (seriously, I have tested them all, it's the best one) through the front and put it up.

Doing this I can generally get it down to 4-5 shampoos a week. But my hair is in excellent condition - side effect of my general oiliness, I have very unlined skin as well - so I don't know why I bother, except it saves the hassle of washing it.

The other thing I have liked recently is Herbal Essences - they've brought out a new range of 0% whatever chemical, and the pink one from that seems to be a) not upsetting my scalp and b) leaving it much nicer the day after washing, to the point where I've not had to use dry shampoo, which is a revalation to me.

picklemepopcorn · 21/09/2017 09:09

Cornflour and cocoa make a good dry shampoo, mixed according to the colour of your hair.

I wash weekly, alternating just water with a kitchen item like bicarb or egg depending what my hair needs.

I have friends lined up to tell me if it looks or smells bad. Hasn't happened yet.

NameChangr678 · 21/09/2017 09:10

Washing it every day makes it greasier - the less you wash it, the less greasy it gets.

I have thick frizzy hair and it's a fucking fluffy nightmare the day it's washed, so I've now got the washing down to once a week! I straighten/curl it and it lasts me a week, plus saves money on shampoo too.

sooperdooper · 21/09/2017 09:10

I wash my hair every day, I couldn't care less what anyone else does - if you've got fine hair that quickly gets greasy like mine it needs washing every day or it's minging

I do have dry shampoo but that leaves my hair flyaway & flaky, plus I still need to damp my hair down and blowdry or straighten it anyway because it all gets in a tangle overnight

If you've got thick dry hair I'm sure it's fine to only wash it once a week but mine is a no

sooperdooper · 21/09/2017 09:11

Oh and I have tried leaving it longer, it just doesn't work with my fine hair

ArbitraryName · 21/09/2017 09:11

I wash my hair every day, not because it gets greasy, but because my scalp feels horrible the next day.

MyBreadIsEggy · 21/09/2017 09:15

As others have said - washing your hair everyday strips the hair of its natural oils and drying it out, which tricks it into thinking it needs to make more oil to replace what's been lost through frequent washing = hair that gets greasy quickly!
Dry shampoo is definitely your friend just until your hair can regulate itself properly again.
I have long, thick hair and if it's been tied up, I can usually get 3-4 days between washes.
When I was in the army, an instructor told me that after a certain amount of time of not washing it, your hair naturally "washes" itself. I didn't believe her, but then we went on a training exercise and I didn't have the facilities to wash my hair for about 6 and a half weeks. My hair was disgusting for the first 3 weeks, but it did indeed regulate itself!! I mean it was by no mean "clean", but it no longer felt like my head had been dipped in a deep fat fryer!

Shoxfordian · 21/09/2017 09:19

I wash my hair probably 6 days a week if not 7

It looks rubbish if I don't wash it

picklemepopcorn · 21/09/2017 09:19

Washing less often saves water, soap, plastic, energy...
My skin is better for it. My hair is fine too.
When I used a normal shampoo in the shower recently (I was washing something), my feet were incredibly itchy for weeks after.

sooperdooper · 21/09/2017 09:21

Everyone saying don't wash your hair every day then says they have thick hair!

SusanTheGentle · 21/09/2017 09:30

I know sooper - it's almost like there are different hair types that need different treatment!!

HidingUnderARock · 21/09/2017 09:35

I have always washed my hair about every 5 days, but remember being told off for washing it daily by a hairdresser.
Your hair may vary, and although clearly its their area of expertise, if the hairdresser doesn't know you and your hair, they can be giving you advice for the "average" person, or someone who seems a bit like you.

TipTopTipTopClop · 21/09/2017 09:37

OP you need to experiment with the various new shampoos on the market, as others have said. I have a feeling that your daily washes are at the root of all your problems.

I wash my hair every 4-5 days. It is terribly grim, I find it hard to deal with on days 4 and certainly 5, but I like long, complicated hair and I'm 44 so daily hair washing is out of the question.

TorNayDoh · 21/09/2017 09:37

I wash my hair every day, but I let it dry naturally, styling it with my fingers to tuck any random flicks in. The thing that I find dries my hair out the most is the blow-drying, not the washing.

Have you tried scrunching some leave-in conditioner on the ends, OP? The online poundshop has some lovely leave in condition from L'Occitane au Brasil.

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