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Original poster

If you don't wash your hair every day...

71 replies

JuniorMint · 28/02/2015 08:51

If you don't wash your hair every day, what do you do if your non-wash day falls on a special occasion that you want to look your best for?

I wash my hair every day, but have often been told (by friends, hairdressers and most frequently my sister) that I shouldn't, would be better condition if I didn't etc. It isn't in bad condition generally, but if I don't wash it, it is very lank, stringy and greasy by mid-morning.

However, as I am returning to work from maternity leave in a couple of months I am looking for time saving ideas for work mornings! So thought I'd give it a go.

Thursday- went to hairdressers so had good wash and blow dry
Friday- left it; was just going to soft play and outdoor walk (hat on) so not too much of a problem but it did feel disgusting by the end of the day!
Today- have washed it, lovely and soft and clean
Tomorrow- meeting 12 frievds for Sunday lunch at nice restaurant! But if I wash it I will break my cycle!

Do you just break the cycle and wash it and then leave it the next day?

Another question- how do you keep feeling fresh and clean on a non-wash day?! I mean I had a shower and washed my body and face but my head and hair just felt so dirty, do I just have to get used to that?!

I am also trying to stop touching my hair throughout the day and have started rinsing it in cold water, any other tips?

I have a feeling I'm overthinking all this... TIA!

OP posts:
BehindTheCurtain · 28/02/2015 10:02

Try using less or no conditioner. I did it one day I was in a rush and had only a drop left and found my hair looked better, dried more quickly (I blow dry it) and lasted 3.5 days instead of 2. So I now use v little or no conditioner and save a good 25 minutes by washing every third day instead of every other day. And hair looks healthier.

StatisticallyChallenged · 28/02/2015 10:07

I do use conditioner (my hair is waist length so I need it!) but don't put it on your roots - mid lengths and below only.

I spray the dry conditioner underneath rather than on top, and you can get coloured ones which helps with the powdery look. Another thing which can help is to use dry shampoo and then give your hair a quick fake blow dry - literally 5 minutes with a big round brush really perks it up.

LabradorMama · 28/02/2015 10:26

I wash every other day and on non-wash days I use dry shampoo and put it up. I found that it gets less greasy by cutting down on conditioner and only using it on the very ends, same goes for hair oil/serum. If I have an event on a non-wash day I make sure I use dry shampoo as soon as I've blow dried it on the last wash. Some products help it to be less oily too eg volumising sprays or mousse etc

LabradorMama · 28/02/2015 10:28

CoLab dry shampoo is brilliant

maybemyrtle · 28/02/2015 11:27

Wash my hair every 3 days, and shampoo once and condition. It doesnt itch or get greasy and defintely looks better on the 2nd day after being washed. The big thing I think is that I don't use styling products and I live by the sea (clean air).

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 28/02/2015 11:35

Mine was greasy and awful if I didn't wash it daily until I started dying it. That dried out the grease element and I now shampoo it maybe twice in 7 days, wet and condition every other day. Mine lasts longer between washes if I style and hairspray it, don't brush it out before bed, the next day most of the spray is still in and so it's less greasy/dirty somehow. BUT I have hair that I back comb and go for a slightly messy look so if your hair is a very sleek style that may not be good advise! A hair mask once a week also helps the overall health of my hair.

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 28/02/2015 11:37

Oh and avoid hats - they will make your head hot and give you hat hair, which will make it look worse rather than better!

slugseatlettuce · 28/02/2015 13:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Chewbecca · 28/02/2015 13:11

A close friend of mine, like me, needs to wash her hair daily for it to look nice, but about a year ago shecmoved to every other day on advice. It looks dreadful on the second day, it is so obvious, it is lank and greasy. She's been on plenty of social occasions with lank hair so seems she's pretty strict about it. It hasn't improved over time either, it is instantly obvious if it is 'day 2'.

Now, stupidly, I can't be as direct with my friend as I can a stranger on the Internet, but I say wash it every day!

If I were you, I would just take the odd day off washing when you have nothing on and are only popping to supermarket etc. But I guess it depends how much you care about it, if you are a 'so what' kind of person about hair, ignore me!

darlingfascistbullyboy · 28/02/2015 13:42

I wash every 2-3 days (tend to alternate). I have long hair, only condition the roots, but use argan oil after washing. It looks best/most controllable on the second day so I try to time washing it so any special occasions fall on that day.

TheDetective · 28/02/2015 14:10

I am 30 now. From the age of 11 (hi hormones!) until the age of 27 I was a daily hair washer. I had no choice. If I was leaving the house, it had to be washed. It was greasy and awful. Totally hideous (and probably similar to the person Chewbecca describes!).

I have long blonde hair, mostly straight (bit kinky at times!) which looks fine, but is actually really thick. And knotty Hmm. Has a tendancy to be frizzy and flyaway.

I can promise you nothing I did changed the frequency of my hair washing. I didn't have to go out every day, so over the years there were plenty of days I didn't wash my hair. It was still just as greasy. I have pictures somewhere, because no one ever believed me. I would wash it, go out. Not need to go out for 2/3 days (or longer, especially when my oldest DS was born, I could regularly go 5 days without leaving the house or seeing anyone) and not wash it. It made zero difference to the greasiness. Some people just need to wash their hair daily. Mine was hormonal, I am sure of it. I had greasy skin that was very prone to spots too.

At the age of 27 both of these lessened. Suddenly the spots were far less frequent. And hair washing could be every other day, if on the second day I wore my hair up. I used dry shampoo on the second day.

Gradually as the year went on, I could get an extra day out of it. Especially when using hairspray.

Now 3 years later I am on every 4 days washing. I can wear it down on the second day (which wasn't until the last 6 months or so) and it is actually more manageable, and looks smoother and more finished sometimes on that day! The 3rd/4th days it has to be worn up.

I could probably get a 5th out of it, but I'm happy with 4th day washes as I do like to wear my hair down.

In answer to the question about what I do with special occasions, yes, I just bring the wash forwards. It doesn't bother me. I tend to think of the week ahead and plan my hair washing around the best days for it. For example, if I know I am going to take the toddler swimming, I don't bother washing my hair that day (as even though I don't usually get it wet, I can't then wear it down after I've had it up without straightening it). If I am in work early, I try and plan it to wash it on a day when I am in work later. Even if this means bringing the wash a day forwards.

I never wash my hair in the evening. I might give this a go one time. It seems a bit pointless to make your hair look all lovely, then just go to bed on it?!

TheDetective · 28/02/2015 14:13

Oh and on non wash days I use dry shampoo, particularly underneath at the roots. Then massage in quickly, brush it, then blast the hair dryer on it (gets any left over powdery shit out!) and style as required.

SchnitzelVonKrumm · 28/02/2015 14:21

I've been trying to switch to washing every other day to make my colour last longer. I HATE it. I don't have greasy hair really, it's just not fragrant and shiny and swishy on day 2. Confused

SchnitzelVonKrumm · 28/02/2015 14:22

And dry shampoo is more hassle than washing it!

Buttercup27 · 28/02/2015 14:22

Can I ask a really daft question? If you dont wash it everyday, what do you do about having a shower? Do you wear a shower cap, or get it wet but not use shampoo or just try not to get your hair wet?
I have short hair and use putty or wax I it, because of this I wash it every day, would it work to brush the product out ir do I still need to wash it?

SchnitzelVonKrumm · 28/02/2015 14:24

I hate all styling products too

MumSnotBU · 28/02/2015 14:26

I wash it when I run which is three or four days as it gets sweaty. It's another reason to feel good after a run. It looks ok for going out the day after usually and the dye lasts longer without washing every day.

TheDetective · 28/02/2015 14:34

I just put it in a half pony tail, and shower. I don't get it wet, it doesn't take any effort?

I just stand under the shower, head tilted back and wash. Turn around, head tilt forward, and wash. End by washing face, but don't need to stick my head under the shower for that.

BallroomWithNoBalls · 28/02/2015 14:49

It's the blow drying that I just don't have time for / can't be faffed with doing every day. Plus it's so bad for my hair. I could wash it daily with a gentle shampoo and it would be happy enough, but I need to blowdry it to have it all swishy. I ideally want to find a powerful but not too hot hairdryer that I can use daily but the powerful ones are all really hot too.

So I wash and blowdry every 3 days, the second day it's just about ok, the third I use dry shampoo and a high bun which works well as the dry shampoo gives it volume.

It would probably look better if I blowdried daily but I have quite long hair which I have to really care for as I bleach it, so it's not worth it. But if I'm doing something nice I'll always wash and blowdry.

Shower caps work fine for me, but if I don't shower at all on non wash days then my hair does seem happier.

Depends on your lifestyle I think - I'm 90% sahm so don't mind being scruffy most of the week - I just pile on the makeup to compensate Grin

wokeupwithasmile · 28/02/2015 15:15

You are the only one to know something about your hair, so you are the best person to decide, BUT:

1- are you using a really good shampoo or are you spending 5 quid for it? My hairdresser once told me that we focus so much on our facial routines/body creams but very little on getting the right products for our hair. She was right in my case. I now make a point of buying things that, even if much more expensive than what I would have spent a year ago, are actually good for me.

2- Another poster already mentioned this but it seems to have been lost in the conversation. Our hair is like our faces. If you wash your face with harsh chemicals chances are that you are drying your skin and taking away important nutrition, which in turn often means that the skin will have to overcompensate, by becoming oily or producing more oil. The same is valid for our hair. Oil is produced in order to lubricate the hair, maintain the roots healthy, etc. If you wash your hair with crappy stuff or even good stuff but too often there is a good chance that you will strip it of its essential oils. The hair will have to produce more, you will wash more often, and so on. Whether this is your case, obviously, I do not know, but it might be an option to wash your hair less often, and also give it the time to rebalance its oil production. After all, if you have washed your hair every day for years, then obviously this will not happen in a week.

mousmous · 28/02/2015 15:23

for special ocassions I turn a non wash day into a wash day.

newtonupontheheath · 28/02/2015 15:35

I used to wash my hair every day. Since having dc I have considerably reduced hair washing. No longer do hair on a Sunday as Monday and tues I work from home so usually wash hair Tuesday night and either Friday or Saturday, depending on our plans. I don't mind adding another wash in but it's so much easier without! Hair looks best next day (I wash in the evening) and day after. I use dry shampoo, and/or wash my fringe with baby shampoo in the morning if it's looking a bit greasy. Will tie up too, but have not long had a fringe cut in again so more often the fringe washing works!

CointreauVersial · 28/02/2015 17:00

Day 1 - wash hair
Day 2 - don't wash hair (put it up in a clip so it doesn't get wet in the shower) and use Batiste Dry Shampoo (the brunette one) just on the fringe
Day 3 - don't wash hair, use Batiste all over my hair (sprayed into the roots)
Day 4 - wash hair

I actually find the dry shampoo suits my hair quite well, and gives it lots of body, although it does remove some of the shine. The brunette variety stops the powdery look. I really don't have time to wash it daily, as drying is a bit of a faff.

If I have a really special occasion I would probably just wash my hair, or if it was Day 2 I might apply a bit more dry shampoo beforehand to perk it up a bit.

flossy101 · 28/02/2015 17:11

I have to wash my hair everyday, I often think if I had one (very superficial) wish it would be to never have to wash my hair again as it's such a pain! I do think some hair does just need washing everyday, if I don't wash it I use colab dry shampoo which is good because it's invisible and doesn't leave white marks.

hiccupgirl · 28/02/2015 17:15

I used to always wash my hair everyday because it is fine and was very greasy.

About 6 years ago I went down to every other day to wash and condition but I do wet it through in the shower and restyle everyday. If I don't wet it through it feels feels greasy by lunchtime on the second day. My hair also takes on the shape of the pillow in the night but isn't long enough to tie up so I have to restyle it anyway.

If it's a special occasion I just wash it anyway and then wait 2 days after that before washing again.

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