To train my hair to be washed only once a week

[twentyfourth]

I binned sls and silicones around 6 weeks ago and I can now go a week before washing again. Previously it had to be done every other day because I have really fine, lifeless hair.

It can be done!

When I was a child I had really long, really thick hair, so washing it was done on a Sunday as it was a half day job.
It did train my hair and for most of my adult life I've only needed to wash once a week.
Unfortunately as I've gotten into my 40's it's all gone a bit to pot and I'm finding it a bit greasier so I now have to do two washes a week.

I only do mine once a week too. But mine is thick and curly, and just never looks greasy quickly.

I started using Faith in Nature shampoo last year after being recommended it by my sister. It was triple the cost of my previous shampoo but so worth it. I used to wash my hair every day and can now go 4 days without washing. I have done a week before but it was pretty greasy on the last day.

I’ve trained mine to go 7 easy but I’m tryna grow out all the damage so it’s very dry

A week after washing. It's not styled here, just my normal hair with a messy style at home so don't judge that!

I've got very fine hair and I always thought it was naturally greasy until lockdown when I stopped washing it so much, and now I can get 4-5 days before it starts looking greasy!

Turns out laziness/lockdown slobbery did me a favour! Now I dry shampoo on day 3 and it's ok til day 5.

So when training it, do you tough it out with a bit of greasiness for a while?

@SmileyClare

Can we see a picture of it on day 7?

I'm convinced mine would look horribly greasy after 2 days. And I just love the look of my hair freshly washed and coated in silicone so it's all shiny.

Yes however my roots are something to behold! It's embarrassing!

@speakout

Doesn't it smell?

I couldn't wash that infrequently- sweat from exercise and that "unwashed scalp" smell would make me feel less than clean.

Nope! Got my husband to check!

Once you start dry shampooing it doesn’t count, surely? Because once the dry shampoo comes out your hair looks like it needs a wash! Nobody puts it on clean hair!

What shampoo do you use @twentyfourth?

Following for shampoo names. I can't even make it through half a day at the moment without it being greasy :-(

My day 7 hair. Clean and fluffy still!

Favourite shampoos are:
Shea moisture weightless
Shea moisture 10-in-1 benefits

With matching conditioners.

Also have a look at the Noughty range.

Essentially you want to get rid of silicones so you don't need harsh sls to remove them. Shea moisture has options for most people's hair I think. Lovely brand.

@littlepeas

Once you start dry shampooing it doesn’t count, surely? Because once the dry shampoo comes out your hair looks like it needs a wash! Nobody puts it on clean hair!

No not for me

Day 1 vs day 4. If just gets fluffier and less and less defined until all the curls go and it's a fluffy mess!

@CounsellorTroi

I have always washed my hair once a week. That's what people did in the 60s and 70s and we weren't all walking about with greasy hair. Shampoo manufacturers decided we'd use a lot more of their stuff if we could be persuaded to wash our hair more often.

I was a teen in the 70s and had to wash my hair every other day because it was so oily.

Now I'm in my 60s I can go for THREE WHOLE DAYS without washing it because it's slightly less oily!

I think mine needs shampoo after 7-10 days but I co-wash daily (detangle with conditioner only because it gets matted). It doesn't smell and if I got sweaty water and I guess conditioner is enough

Ah thank you Doadeer admittedly your hair looks fine, I can't tell you're a shampoo dodger

I'm convinced this is a big hair curly thing that us with straight hair couldn't get away with.
I do find dry shampoo useful sometimes but it takes the shine off my hair and makes it look quite dull.

I inadvertently attempted something similar when I was very ill for a week and couldn't wash my hair. It looked like a load of shit and wasn't trained at all.

@SmileyClare

Ah thank you Doadeer admittedly your hair looks fine, I can't tell you're a shampoo dodger

I'm convinced this is a big hair curly thing that us with straight hair couldn't get away with.
I do find dry shampoo useful sometimes but it takes the shine off my hair and makes it look quite dull.

I inadvertently attempted something similar when I was very ill for a week and couldn't wash my hair. It looked like a load of shit and wasn't trained at all.

I have fine flat hair and washing less frequently and avoiding the bad products has actually helped my hair look bigger

I've also been reading recently that dry shampoo is really bad for your hair? Clogs scalp and causes thinning? Is there a particular ingredient in it that should be avoided?

@Pukkatea

I've also been reading recently that dry shampoo is really bad for your hair? Clogs scalp and causes thinning? Is there a particular ingredient in it that should be avoided?

It's not a problem if washed out properly. It is a problem with used with silicones etc as they are 'stay behind' ingredients which will block follicles etc

YANBU, but I've tried this several times and it didn't remotely work. Ditching sls and silicone makes no difference to my hair whatsoever.

I washed my hair daily from when I was about 11 (in the early 80s). It's very fine and looks greasy and lank after a day and a half. My DM has the same hair and always washed hers daily - yes, even in the 60s and 70s!

Also I sweat massively out of my head when I exercise, so it wouldn't be any good for that reason anyway I guess.

I go 3 days at the longest - mainly because of exercise (sweaty hair eww) but I have very long very thick hair that is impossible to brush without a decent conditioning mask - I've tried 'healthy' shampoo etc but it leaves it dry and tangled

YANBU, I wash mine once a week too.