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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To train my hair?

63 replies

StrongCoffeAvalanche · 26/01/2022 14:29

So I've always washed my hair every day since I was about 10. If I don't it gets super oily and greasy and I just feel disgusting all day long.

So I'm trying to train my hair and only was it every 3 days.

However now I'm reading loads of info that says fine hair does get oilier quicker and it's bad not to wash your hair if it's dirty, and that hair training is just a made up myth.

But other research says everyday washing is really drying and bad for your hair.

Feeling confused.

AIBU to attempt to train my hair? I've been doing it for a few months and it still gets as greasy as ever on non wash days. Dry shampoo helps but not by much. Should I just give in and wash daily?

OP posts:
alwaysneedanap · 26/01/2022 16:19

I have been trying to train my hair for about 3 years ( since I started getting it coloured professionally), as I used to wash daily and the colour faded really quickly.

Even using dry shampoo, I can only get it to behave for 1 day post wash. Have ended up washing it every two days and can't get past that, I do use conditioner on the ends.

Pedalpushers · 26/01/2022 16:25

I have super fine hair and I wash it every day with conditioner all over. It's in perfect silky condition and feels great. If I used half of the tips on this thread it would look disgusting. Dry shampoo in particular is quite bad for your scalp and there is evidence that regularly washing your scalp is good for it. There is no right way and I get fed up of people saying every day washing is wrong - everyone is different.

OfstedOffred · 26/01/2022 16:45

Dry shampoo just clogs it up more.

Check every product you use and bin anything with dimethocine or sulfates.

crazyjinglist · 26/01/2022 16:54

I have very fine hair and have washed it every day since my early teens. I've tried training it (persisted for quite a while), tried sulphate-free shampoo, tried dry shampoo. None of these appeared to benefit the condition of my hair in the slightest, and it just carried on looking greasy if I didn't wash it.

The only reason I bothered trying was because people say it's bad for your hair to wash it every day. I've seen no evidence of that though. And my hair is so fine (and pretty short now) that it's very quick to wash and dry.

RincewindsHat · 26/01/2022 16:57

I am the same as you, very fine hair but lots of it, and incredibly greasy to the extent that even pushing it to 24 hours it sometimes is already looking greasy at the roots. I use natural shampoo & conditioner, no hair products besides that, have tried training my hair to be washed less frequently in the past and...nope. My hair is beyond disgusting after even 2 days, some scalps are just oily and that's how it is. If it works for you I would love to know though!

downtonupton · 26/01/2022 21:57

so glad it isnt just me - I try to leave it between washes but I am greasy too quickly - have to wash everyday or it looks shit... so have bought expensive shampoo recommended on here and will be careful not to condition the roots.

Original poster
StrongCoffeAvalanche · 26/01/2022 22:16

Thank you to all the replies with similar hair to me! It's made me feel better. I'll keep you updated if I find something that works!

OP posts:
Roominmyhouse · 26/01/2022 22:20

@Pedalpushers

I have super fine hair and I wash it every day with conditioner all over. It's in perfect silky condition and feels great. If I used half of the tips on this thread it would look disgusting. Dry shampoo in particular is quite bad for your scalp and there is evidence that regularly washing your scalp is good for it. There is no right way and I get fed up of people saying every day washing is wrong - everyone is different.
Exactly this. My hair is fine and bleached. I wash it every day and it’s soft and in great condition. If it suits you to wash it daily then it’s fine. There is no one size fits all approach!
torquewench · 26/01/2022 22:29

I also have lots of very fine hair, which I used to wash every day. These days (thanks to not having to bother every day when I wad furloughed) I cba and use a GHD Glide, or a Babyliss Big Hair and some Batiste dry shampoo every other day. I get more compliments about my hair on those days.

I use TiGi Bed Head colour goddess shampoo and conditioner on the other days.

JurgensCakeBabyJesus · 26/01/2022 22:35

Definitely too many products I have lots of thick curly/frizzy hair , so dry rather than greasy, that when straight I can easily leave a week without washing and it still looks fine (curly I wash daily or I look like Russell brand), if I conditioned all over and used hair oil and a leave in conditioner even my hair would get greasy

Cheekypeach · 26/01/2022 22:39

This is me as well! Fine hair but lots and lots of it. No matter what I do it always looks greasy on day 2. Following for tips!

IrritableOwlSyndrome · 27/01/2022 00:19

I ditched conditioner completely and it's made a massive difference. I used to look a chip pan had been emptied on my head so I washed daily. I have fine limp hair and not much of it.

I use Philip Kingsley elastizer once a month, it's expensive but I use super sparingly because if my thin hair and a pot lasts me over a year and I shampoo twice a week now. I could maybe go longer if I used dry shampoo but that irritates my scalp and I hate how it feels on my hair.

ChiefWiggumsBoy · 27/01/2022 01:31

Honestly all this stuff about ‘this is bad’ and ‘this is good’ is just stupid.

If your current routine works for you, then why change it?

I have naturally curly hair so of course I tried the curly girl method. It did nothing that any other products wouldn’t - in fact, I need heavier waxy products to lock in the moisture else I have a head full of frizz after an hour.

Sure, try stuff out to see what works. But don’t get hung up on the rules. They’re made up. Shampoo is fine, conditioner is fine, silicone is fine….it’s all fine!

DramaAlpaca · 27/01/2022 01:44

I have very fine, soft silky hair. I have to wash it every day as otherwise it feels greasy and looks flat. I've been washing it daily for at least forty years since my teens and it hasn't done it any harm.

FirewomanSam · 27/01/2022 07:31

I have the same hair type as you from the sound of it and I can wash every other day, but it will be looking a bit limp and in need of some dry shampoo on day 2, and be pretty greasy by the end of the day.

My hair is dyed with semi permanent dye that fades with every wash, so if I’m WFH and not seeing anyone then I do try to stretch it out for as long as possible between washes. It is not a pretty sight when I leave it three or four days, but I do feel like my hair benefits from the natural oils. I use a boar bristle brush to try to distribute the oils through my hair. I don’t think it’s ever made a significant difference to how long I can go between washes though.

There is no way I’d be able to ‘train’ my hair to go longer than 2 or 3 days. I once tried this fancy shampoo alternative which made all these promises about how it would make my hair amazing and not need washing as much, but it made my head look like a chip pan. The marketing blurb said you had to give your hair time to transition but after washing with it for 6 weeks I’d used up the whole bottle and my hair still looked like shit!

Cheekypeach · 27/01/2022 07:51

@ChiefWiggumsBoy

Honestly all this stuff about ‘this is bad’ and ‘this is good’ is just stupid.

If your current routine works for you, then why change it?

I have naturally curly hair so of course I tried the curly girl method. It did nothing that any other products wouldn’t - in fact, I need heavier waxy products to lock in the moisture else I have a head full of frizz after an hour.

Sure, try stuff out to see what works. But don’t get hung up on the rules. They’re made up. Shampoo is fine, conditioner is fine, silicone is fine….it’s all fine!

I think it’s more that washing hair every day is time and effort, particularly if it needs styling.
Agadorsparticus · 27/01/2022 07:58

I had greasy hair and flaky scalp that I solved by switching to shampoo for dry hair. Really bizarre, I had dry hair but the harsh shampoos i was using was causing the oily and flaky hair. I wash my hair twice a week now and it feels much healthier. Shampoo the roots and condition the ends like pp said.

SunshineOnKeith · 27/01/2022 08:07

It's not often dirt, it's usually the silicon/diner hi one's in the shampoo that cost your hair and make it flat and lank.

Try a few washes with a clarifying shampoo then switch to a silicone free formula (there are loads out there) I did this and now wash every 2-3 days rather than daily

SunshineOnKeith · 27/01/2022 08:08

Dimethicone

Soontobe60 · 27/01/2022 08:16

I could not manage to wash my hair less than every other day, but much prefer o wash it every day. I have very fine hair that’s not quite shoulder length. When I get up in the morning the front of my hair makes me look like a mad professor! If I just wet the front it looks odd. So I wash it.
Our hair follicles produce sebum - the more hair you have the more sebum you produce. If your actual hair is fine and smooth it will get coated in sebum more quickly than if your hair is thick and course. Over the years I’ve used all sorts of shampoos and have come to the conclusion that spending a fortune is generally a waste of money. So now I use Herbal Essences sulphate free shampoo and conditioner nearly every day (costs about £6 each) and my hair is lovely. The secret is to only use a little bit of each and have a day off washing every so often.

Thisisit2022 · 27/01/2022 08:34

After trying EVERYTHING I finally was in a position to experiment in the first lockdown as I wasn't seeing anyone and I really persevered but to no avail (and believe me, I gave it a good couple of months or more).

TrashyPanda · 27/01/2022 09:11

Another one with fine hair.
It wasn’t until I hit late 50s that I was able to go more than 2 days without washing my hair.

RealBecca · 27/01/2022 09:17

Washing without shampoo is a game changer. Spread the natural oils to the ends. Hairs has shitloads more volume

RealBecca · 27/01/2022 09:18

And hair training is real. I used to be daily as I have fine hair. Now I do it 3-4 times a fortnight.

Allpenguinsarepingus · 27/01/2022 09:25

I have lots of fine hair too. I can get away with washing once every 2 days but it looks significantly different the 2nd day and I often put it in a bun to avoid looking like severus snape. Does anyone else’s hair actually change colour between washes? As a teen I used to try to go 2-3 days between washes but I gave up trying 3 days because everytime I did, once I’d washed my hair people would ask if I’d dyed it lighter. I’d be like, er, ‘no I just washed it…’