Hair training doesn’t work!

[FlorenceOfBelgravia]

I always washed my hair every day, and it would quickly get greasy if I didn’t. Everyone always says hair can be trained to go longer without washes, so with lockdowns/WFH I decided to only wash my hair EOD, and then stretch further from there.

Well I’ve been washing it EOD for around 10months now and it’s made NO difference! It still looks an awful, greasy mess on day 2. I’d have thought it would have started to adapt by now? I’m using sulphates and silicones free shampoo and conditioner.

It just doesn’t work! I’m starting to think it’s nothing to do with training and is just about your natural hair texture.

I used to wash my hair every single day for years. It was just the norm.

Now I do it once a week. Tbh by day 5 I feel like I really need a ponytail.

It took a long time I remember. Maybe about an year or slightly more. My hair was horrendous! I was trying to do the no-poo thing on top of it!!! it didn't work. It was a bad year in any sense of the word.....

Maybe try washing twice a week. I think that may be the magic number for a lot of people from what I read. Or you could try washing the scalp very well with just water

I've managed to get it from every day to every 3rd day, with last day having to be an up do day. I cannot seem to improve on this. I have very thin hair though, as in not a lot of it, the texture is fairly average I think.

I found my holy grail shampoo and conditioner which is Faith in Nature rosemary, since using this my second day can be a hair down day where before my roots would need dry shampoo on the second day. It's been a game changer.

Just to expand on it, I had 2 friends who only washed their hair with water. Every day, I think. One of them had shoulder length curly hair, the other quite short hair.

Their hair looked beautiful! And soft!! Soooo soft!! And I smelled it, I did! It smelled..... not of shampoo or perfume but a natural smell. Slightly musky (like musk perfume not yucky musky) but clean and weirdly pleasant.

I've never been brave enough to do it but could be a "half way down the week" wash. Rubbing your scalp well under the shower.

I always had to wash my hair daily until I had it dyed. I went lighter and my hair got a lot drier so I can get away with washing every 2-3 days now. I have noticed that since hairdressers are shut and my roots are growing in it's needing washed more often again. Maybe you can train it, I don't know, but why would I want to? I just wash it when it needs washed. Daily washing never did mine any harm, I always got compliments on how healthy it was (when it was my natural colour).

Same here, been washing my hair every 3 days in lockdown. It still looks shit.

Yes I agree with the roots thing. I trained mine to go from every day to once a week.
It’s usually dyed blonde but since I now have roots down to my ears I’m having to wash it every 4-5 days

I have tried to train my hair, so that I can wash it every other day. It doesn’t work.

It didn't work for my fine, greasy hair either. I've tried various SLS-free shampoos and co-wash methods for up to 8 months at a time, but it was such a relief to start washing properly every day again.

People love to tell us that we've not done it right or not persevered long enough, but our scalps don't care about their theories or opinions!

@LivingDeadGirlUK I have ordered that shampoo, thank you!

My hair is very fine too, it definitely seems like you need thicker hair to be able to go longer between washes.

@RunnyPaint I also tried the CGM co-wash routine and the results were utterly revolting. Never again.

Totally agree OP.

I heard people say that hair gets greasy quickly as a reaction to being washed too often and that if you gradually reduce your washes to the point where you only wash it once a week it won’t be greasy anymore.

So, being the reluctant owner of a thick greasy mop I put this theory to the test. Tried it for about 18 months. Load of nonsense, hair is still a greasy mess. I’ve tried everything. Sulfate free, co washing, wavy girl method, only using water etc etc. None of it works.

What I’m doing at the moment is putting my hair in a pony tail and putting conditioner in the pony for 20 mins and wrapping in a towel. Then I shampoo the roots only and wash the whole lot out. Works better than anything else I’ve tried to keep grease at bay but by day 3 I definitely need to either wash or use dry shampoo

I agree, my skin is also oily and it does not get better if I wash it less. However, it gets worse if I use all those drying and oil stripping greasy skin products, so I figured the same is true for scalp. Now I wash as needed, but use nourishing and gentle shampoos, instead of deep cleansing greasy hair shampoos, that left my hair dry and straw-like.
Still have to wash just as often, but hair looks much better.

Yep, after wash looks great, 6 hours later lank, pm dry shampoo, day 2 ponytail, day 3 wooly hat. Only thing that stopped it was a perm.

Doesn’t work on thin/fine hair. It just doesn’t.

Have tried and tried. Dry shampoo, hair bands/styles, hats etc. My hair thinned right out after baby number 2 and never really recovered. Shame.

I use AVEDA shampoo and then Keraste leave in conditioner. I only blow dry rough on a cool setting minimally and leave the rest to air dry.

That’s the best for my hair. Some dry shampoo through the mid lengths for body. Olaplex number 3 once a week.

Agree op , what better time than a global pandemic to try it I thought . Makes no difference to me . Still a greasy mess by day two ! I have tried loads of different slang shampoos And silicone free conditioners .

Also have fine straight hair

I will say though spa shampoos don’t make my hair any more greasy than sulphate ones do and I do feel that my scalp is healthier - no itching or dryness like I would sometimes get with sulphates , so one benefit at least for me

Slang? Lol sulphate free shampoos I meant

I have thicker hair and wash it probably every 5 days wrapping it in a hair wrap to take most of the water out.
I've also found the less 'heat' I apply to mine, the better it is. I've not used a hairdryer, curlers or straighteners since March last year. My hair is great. I wrap it in a bun when wet, leave it, open it out the next day, top is smooth, hair curly.
Now feels like the more I straightened the more I needed to!

Perhaps use a shampoo for really oily hair. Then a dry shampoo in between.

My daughter only washes every other day claims her hair is fine with it no it isn't it is the same as mine greasy roots and frizzy ends by day two my boys could get away with twice weekly washing but now the eldest boy is 12 he needs washing more same deal greasy roots frizzy ends I swear we all have different hair types

I think it depends on so many things ; hormones, whether you live in an area with high levels of pollution, whether the water is hard or not.

To give you hope for the future op, although it may be a long way off for you, most people's hair becomes less greasy post-menopause!

"hormones, whether you live in an area with high levels of pollution, whether the water is hard or not.2

Hmm.
Which hormone do I have too much/too little of?
Lived semi-rurally as a teen, now in a city so pollution level has changed, but not my hair.
The water where I am now is extremely hard and it does damage the hair, but it hasn't made any difference to the greasiness level for me.

Which dry shampoo are you using? Some are better than others! Living proof is great but £££ Do a cool water rinse too as having the water too hot releases oils