I mean, those are real goals, right? ;-) I have always been someone who washes my hair every single day. I love the feeling of clean hair. Whenever my hair would start to feel greasy, I immediately just couldn't stop thinking about it and would need to shower as soon as possible. But I have been hearing for the longest time that daily washing really isn't ideal for healthy hair, and I am also a busy mom and really don't have time for all of that, anyway.
My hair is fine, and has gotten even more fine since having kids. Because of this, it has always seemed that within twenty-four hours, it started to look greasy. But in the last six months or so I decided to just stick to it and started washing my hair every other day, unless I had a big meeting or wanted to look my best, in which case I would always wash on those days. And I will say, on the 'other day', my hair always looked pretty rough. I have had a hard time finding a dry shampoo that gives me the fresh touchup I need without leaving behind a white powder-y residue, so often I would just let my hair do it's thing. Over time, I felt my hair start to adjust, and while my day two hair never looked amazing, it was becoming more bearable.
Truly, the biggest change in my hair washing habits came about a month ago when I decided to cut my hair. I have always had long hair, and I love having long hair. But it was feeling pretty dull and lifeless, and I thought a fresh start and hitting the reset button would help my hair get back to healthy. And I can say with 100% confidence that cutting 7 inches off of my hair was a game changer in me being able to wash my hair less. It may be because it is less weighed down, but since cutting it, it is holding style, feels significantly less 'dirty' after a few days, and for the first time ever I am going more than two days without washing my hair. I know not everyone is willing to cut their hair, but if it is something you are on the fence about, it was like the magic switch for me that allowed my hair to start spacing out washing.
I will say that this is not an all at once routine. Start with one day at a time. I give myself about two weeks before I attempt to stretch it a day further between washes. This gives your hair time to adjust; if it doesn't need to provide as many natural oils, it will cut back, but if you drastically go from washing daily to a full week, you will unfortunately notice ;-)
I am currently going 3-4 days between washes, and that includes not washing after a workout, which I never would have dreamed of doing before. Here is a rough outline of my routine to get through the days.
DAY 1
Wash hair. I have found that product buildup tends to happen throughout the week, so on my 'wash days', I will scrub a mix of baking powder, water, and a few drops of cedarwood oil (great for hair growth!) onto my scalp to get rid of any buildup. I am speaking from experience, do not try to get the buildup out on a dirty hair day; I did this and my hair was so filled with flakes that clung to my oily locks that I ended up washing my hair early. Once I scrub, I shower and rinse it out and then proceed with washing. I use Young Living lavender and peppermint shampoo and conditioner! I usually let it air dry, because #momlife. I tend to wash at night before bed, but I give myself enough time that I am not going to bed on wet hair.
DAY 2
Style normally. Since cutting my hair, it tends to feel very fluffy on the first day, so I make sure to spray in some surf spray to give it a bit more texture and to help avoid the dreaded frizziness that comes during winter.
DAY 3
I have started getting by without dry shampoo on my second day of styling. I may spray just a little around the front of my hairline, but otherwise brush my hair and touch up a few curls and am good to go.
DAY 4
I definitely need dry shampoo on this day. I brush my hair first, and then spray dry shampoo on my roots in 1-2 inch sections. If I start to get a bit of that 'powder' look, I brush through my hair again and massage my scalp to get it blended in. I tend to do a full touch up on my curls on this day, and apply surf spray or hairspray.
DAY 5
This is a top knot day! I could also get by if I just clipped back my bangs in a little pouf, depending if I feel the need to look put together at work. But usually, a top knot wins out.
That is the furthest out I have gone so far. I don't think I could wear my hair 'down' beyond day 5, and sometimes working outside of the home makes it harder because I can't just throw my hair in a pile on top of my head and call it a day. But I am super happy with how far I have been able to spread out my routine over the past few months!
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I would love not to wash my hair every day! Sometimes I try on the weekend to go one day without, but never if I really have anything going on. I think easing into it is definitely the way to go. I may have to give it a try! Although the thought of not washing after working out grosses me out, haha. I just sweat too dang much!
ReplyDeleteI have been doing something like this for years now. It bothers almost all of my family because they think it is nasty, but I love it, it frees up more time for me to do other things. (Since my hair is almost to the middle of my back and very thick, it is a process to wash and dry) I have however been on the search for a good dry shampoo to aid in my hair's longevity. And I have found a good one on pintrest that actually changes the ingredients based on your hair color so that you won't get that 'dandruff' look. Plus it is all natural and utilizes essential oils that not only take out odors, but add in hair growth!
ReplyDeleteI have a very oily scalp and I have gone without washing my hair on the second day only if I overslept or something if that nature. And even if I used dry shampoo if felt yuk. I have read titles of post like How often you should really wash your hair , ha ha and I’d think if you had my oily scalp and went a week loading in hair products with all the oil and dead skin you’d be at the dr for infections in your scalp. But your approach sounds much more realistic. I’m so glad I stumbled onto it.
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