To wonder if I am washing my hair too much?

[guestofclanmackenzie]

I have long highlighted thick hair that falls past my shoulders.

I wash and condition my hair every other day. I have a sensitive scalp so cannot use dry shampoo. My hair is in reasonable condition as I use premium shampoos and i nourish it with using moroccon oil which it loves. However due to many years of highlighting and the odd straightening, there is a small amount of breakage, but it generally looks in good condition.

I've just been talking to my friend who was shocked at the washing my hair every other day and said I'm washing my hair too often. She has similar hair to me and says she can sometimes last 5 days between washes if it's not a gym day.

I'm now curious as to what other people are doing?

which it loves

How did it tell you?

Eewwww! 5 days?? I wash and condition my hair every day - it's in great condition. I think that it'll be the highlighting which is damaging - not the washing

I currently wash mine twice a day. Not because it needs it, but because it's a bit of an obsession - I just feel filthy and uncomfortable without a good scrub, and twice a day is limiting myself. It does seriously dry out my hair though, not a great routine to have.

I don't think you are unusual. Some people wash their hair everyday. I think the scalp is supposed to adapt regarding oil production but other things, cooking, pollution can make your hair dirty. If you are happy with what you do and the result, why change?

*Theimportanceofbeinghappy
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Haha. I don't know. I tried using cheaper products but my hair felt crap and it feels amazing when I use morroccanoil.

I wash my hair twice a week: tuesdays and fridays. I'll admit I'm too lazy for this shit so I go for blow dry at the salon.
Plenty of opinions on this topic: some say it's not good to wash it too often, some say hair needs to be washed when it's dirty. I think that your hair is used to washing so often so it gets greasy. Try and leave it a few times for 3 days even if it looks crap and see if it gets any better

Do you use any heat on it? Straighteners, curler etc?

I have similar hair OP & I wash it every 2-3 days.

My hair however hates all this oil shite that seems to be the latest hair fad & after rushing home to rip my scalp off wash it out after the previous 4 hairdresser visits I actually worked up the courage to tell her not to use it last time!

It'll most likely be the highlighting which is causing the damage to your hair not the amount of washing it gets.

My hair is too greasy to wash so infrequently - every other day is just about enough. Someone else with my hair so isn't so oily would think I was washing far too much.

So basically ignore your friend who might have similar looking hair but it won't be the same. And keep experimenting with your own - if you aren't going anywhere one day see what it looks like on day three for instance.

I do that - I couldn't possibly go out with my hair looking so grim but the extra day helps keep it in good condition overall.

Once a day, else it’s a greasy, limp mess.

People tell me “leave it to every other day and use dry shampoo”
“Washing it every day is what makes it greasy”

Dry shampoo doesn’t work either, it seems to stimulate the greasiness.

So every other day isn’t too much in my experience

The less frequently you wash your hair the better it is for it because you're allowing natural oils to condition your hair rather than man made or concentrated oils.

Your problem will be that you can't use dry shampoo as it's a life saver for when you want to leave it a while between each wash and especially at the beginning when you'll find that your hair will get greasy after a couple of days whereas after a while it'll stop being like that after a while as you're not stimulating your scalp (and sebum lands) as much through the motion of washing your hair.

Back in the day, when I worked in a hair salon, I'd have clients who came in for weekly blowdrys, they didn't wash their hair in between and other than it looking a little lank it didn't look disgustingly greasy.

I shower every day, at least once, and wash my hair (also long and thick) every other day.

I hate the smell of unwashed hair. It's all sweaty and musty. If my hair were shorter or thinner I'd do it every day.

Five days without washing sounds dirty to me.

I wash mine everyday, otherwise it goes limp and greasy and horrible.

If I leave it, it looks like I've styled my hair with olive oil, and I'm not really prepared to look like that every other day for two months while my hair "adapts" to less frequent washing.

It's in perfectly decent condition.

Once every other day is totally fine.
A small amount of breakage is normal
If you use heated styling devices. Try a heat protection spray if you want to combat it.

I just realised I haven't washed my hair for 13 days! I have been ill though, and very busy before that. I haven't really been out in public since Friday. It doesn't look that bad, doesn't it get to a point where it gets less greasy?
I've never tried the "no 'poo" method before and I am tempted to just leave it and see what happens.

Forgot to add, I also have highlighted hair, it is waist length.

I've got quite oily skin and hair so shower daily but only wash my hair every 3rd day. It's fine and prone to breaking if I do too much to it, and it looks far better now I wash it less frequently.

Well it depends on your hair. I wash mine every other day. If I don't its a greasy mess. I know someone who only washes once a week, but she has a completely different hair type and it still looks good after that amount of time.

Funnily I found my hair adapts to my routine.
I used to wash every day or every other day, but apparently this isn't good for your hair, as you wash away the natural oils?!
My hair would look like it needed a wash after a couple of days because that's what it was used to.
Now my hair looks fine, in fact it looks it's best about two days after washing.... weird! And I leave it 4/5 days between washes.
I think it could last longer, but I'd feel too scruffy leaving it more than five days 😄
My hair is above shoulder length, and is usually tied back for work. Not sure if that plays a part.

I work from home now (so I don't see many people during the day except on the school run and I don't care about that). I wash my hair at most twice a week, usually every 4-5 days. I don't see a reason to do it more often as it's a waste of time, unless I'm working out heavily or swimming or doing something else that makes it dirty. When I was working in the office 3 days a week (not totally from home like I do now), I used to wash it before I went in and I found it got so much more greasy and gross. It actually stays much nicer and cleaner feeling when I don't wash it often. Soaps can be really harsh and they increase oil production in your skin. I also stopped using soap on my face (oil cleansing only) and it's made such a difference in how oily my skin is. So there is something to be said for washing it less if you're using soap. Obviously, I would wash it though if it's truly dirty.

Horses for courses, my friend washes hers once a week and I wash mine every 2-3 days depending on the weather, work etc. Both of our hair is in good condition. Smile and nod and do whatever works for you

If you have thick hair you should be able to stretch it to washing every 3-4-5 days.
Do you style your hair a lot? A lot of heat or products can really damage your hair.

You might want to try a sulphate free shampoo as these seem to be the way forward.

Wash mine every day because I do a lot of sport and it gets drenched in sweat (sorry, tmi).

Moroccan oil is fab.

Do you blow dry and straighten most days. I would lay off the heat and maybe ask for root drag so you can lay off the highlights. This will defo help with braking

I washed my hair and used heat products every day and eventually managed to get this to a wash every other day but still using heat products each day.
My hair is wrecked.

Mat leave has allowed me to stretch to every 3rd day and I'm trying to avoid heat products a few timea a week.
Although the broken parts need a cut my hair is in a much better condition than it was at the start of the year.