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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How often do you wash your hair?

225 replies

ForeverWaitingInForParcels · 12/04/2022 10:11

Frankie Bridge has said on Instagram that she's now gone 4 days without washing her hair.

I wash mine once a week - is everyone else doing it every day?! AIBU to think 4 days is nothing?

OP posts:
whywhythough · 12/04/2022 10:48

I wash mine every day but it's long and I feel like all the dirt and smells of the day cling to it.

KatesMott · 12/04/2022 10:48

I have extensions and get a professional salon blow dry once a week which lasts. I cant stand washing my own hair!

SatinHeart · 12/04/2022 10:49

Twice a week. I used to do it everyday because it was oily but actually it stopped getting so oily after I started washing it less (on the advice of my hairdresser).

Sometimes I use a bit of dry shampoo on the roots in between washes but it doesn't need it often.

elbea · 12/04/2022 10:51

Twice a week! Mine is very long to my hips and incredibly thick, there is zero chance I’m washing it everyday, it takes hours!

TokenGinger · 12/04/2022 10:51

Once a week. I have thick, curly hair. It takes too long to wash and dry it to do it more than that. It's also very dry/coarse, and doesn't go greasy very quickly as a result.

RomansTheyGoTheHouse · 12/04/2022 10:52

Always every other day but as I've got a little older, I am finding more and more I can leave it to every 3 days, provided I am not going anywhere smart on the 3rd day and am happy just to have it tied back.

fancyfrogs · 12/04/2022 10:53

Every other day by habit or every 3rd day but I find I'd probably need a bit dry shampoo by day 3. I have mid back length hair and it's probably shoved up in a bun 5 days a week at least

CeratopsofthePharoahs · 12/04/2022 10:57

Once a week for me. I have long hair that only really gets greasy at the roots. Drying it so it doesn't resemble a birds nest is also a massive faff and probably damages it so mostly I wash it on a Saturday evening and put it in a plait and then go to bed. If I'm feeling more energetic I put coconut oil on it, partially blow dry it then put it in a plait and go to bed!
I also get very dry and flaky skin if I shower too often as well. It's always been a balancing act between being clean and being an itchy flake monster.

HopingForMyRainbowBaby · 12/04/2022 10:57

Twice a week

ForeverWaitingInForParcels · 12/04/2022 10:59

@whywhythough I like to leave my conditioner in for about 8-10 minutes as my hair is very, very dry. Hard keeping the hair out of the shower spray for 8-10 minutes!

OP posts:
AllOfUsAreDead · 12/04/2022 11:01

Mine can manage 3 days without a wash at a push. I used the lockdown too to extend it, it used to be every day.

SweetPetrichor · 12/04/2022 11:02

Every other day. It’s very short - standard ‘short back and sides’ approach - so it’s easy to do and tends to get manky if I try to eke it out to 3 days.

TillyTopper · 12/04/2022 11:03

Mine's quite short so I can wash it every day - never miss. I do it in the shower otherwise it feels horrible.

MrOllivander · 12/04/2022 11:04

Every 3-5 days

Wanderingowl · 12/04/2022 11:07

@Happycow

Am i missing a trick?! I have hair above shoulder-length which is fine altho a lot of it, and i wash it every other day. I can sometimes eke it out to a 3rd day if my hormones aren't against me, and ive had it pinned up. Once a week?! This would be amazing!
For most people, the more often you wash your hair, the more often it needs to be washed. I experimented with this when I was more hippy-ish in my very early 20s and I could easily go 3 weeks without washing it and it would be bouncy and shiny and look freshly washed for about 19 days. I wash it weekly now and it looks great for 5 days. Day 6 is a day for a ponytail. And by day 7, it needs to be washed. In hot weather I need to wash it more, especially if I've been wearing a bike helmet. And if I wash it after 3 days, 2 days later it starts feeling like it needs to be washed again.
Flickflak · 12/04/2022 11:07

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familyissues12345 · 12/04/2022 11:07

Every other day generally. I might let it slip slightly during school hols (I work term time), but not often as usually I'm out and about anyway

PussGirl · 12/04/2022 11:07

Usually every other day, occasionally every third day, sometimes every day.

Depends on whether it smells of cooking which I can't bear, or whether I wake with it all over the place & it's easier to wash it than fight with it Smile

abigailsnan · 12/04/2022 11:10

I wash mine every 3/4 days it takes ages to dry with being so long my fringe seems to get greasy quickest and I have known to just wash my fringe and leave the rest putting it up in a messy bun so it doesn't show any grease which may be there.I'm so lazy sometimes as it takes a good hour to dry.

5128gap · 12/04/2022 11:12

Don't you other weekly washers find your hair gets physically dirty though, marks pillow cases, looks darker if blonde, smells a bit of cooking? Not judging, as I wash weekly, but have all these issues, which I dislike. Any tips for keeping it 'clean'?

CaveMum · 12/04/2022 11:16

Daily here. I have PCOS and if I leave it more than 36 hours I look like I’ve pulled a shift in a chippy!

If I’m in a hurry or really can’t be arsed I will use dry shampoo but the following day it’s awful and I need to shampoo and rinse at least 3 times to get the grease out!

BHX3000 · 12/04/2022 11:16

Every 36-48 hours. I average 4 times a week. My hair is thick, gets greasy incredibly quick and starts matting if I leave it any longer. I also straighten it so it's a 30-40 min effort every two days.

I've tried leaving it, I've tried different shampoos, not drying it, putting it up, nothing works. I also have a hormonal imbalance (hirsutism) so that's probably why it behaves like this. Every 2 days it is!

Iamblossom · 12/04/2022 11:19

I exercise every day and get very sweaty so every day

FrankLampardsBrokenHand · 12/04/2022 11:19

Generally every other day. If I want to wear it down it needs to be freshly washed as it gets greasy really quickly. When I wash it in the morning it's on its way to greasy by the evening.

ForeverWaitingInForParcels · 12/04/2022 11:24

@5128gap I never find my pillow has a discolouration but if I've been somewhere they're cooking something very pungent there might be a whiff possibly?

I never really cook food at home though, eat a lot of salads, etc.

OP posts: