How often do you wash your hair? (guys & gals)

[PrairieSunrise]

I wash my hair twice a week.

During the winter sometimes only once a week, and during the hot summer months, I'll rinse it every day or so, but I don't apply shampoo more than twice a week. I use a natural, SLS free shampoo.

I also don't use shampoo on my length very often. I'll only apply it to the scalp and down to my neck. The length of my hair only gets conditioner on it. For conditioner, Suave Naturals Coconut works well. I apply a few drops of coconut oil to my wet hair after every wash.

Once every couple months I'll use a clarifying shampoo on my length to remove any buildup that might have accumulated.

During the winter I also often rinse with vinegar to help keep my hair shiny.

 

[User25159]

This is a bit of a vicious cycle. When I washed my hair every day, it would get to greasy after a day not to wash, but when I backed that down to three days, after a little while it took that long to need to be washed. The body reacts rather badly to its oils being washed out, and goes into overtime to make up of it.

This rings true for me too! I'd wash my hair in the AM, and by the PM it would be crazy oily. However, when i started doing "vintage" styles on my hair, i didn't want to wash out those waves that took so long to create, so I stopped washing it every day, and my hair is so much happier. I can go up to 3 days max without shampooing, but my skin is naturally super oily so i still need dry shampoo between washes. fftopic: Speaking of, can any of you gals recommend a good dry shampoo for black hair? I hate when i use one and it makes my hair white-ish!

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

I don't know how easy it would be to get in the US, but Batiste do a black one:

http://www.batistehair.co.uk/products/darker

 

[wahine]

I've been trying out the no-poo method for a while now. I wash it every two or three days with the baking soda only and rinse with vinegar.
The good thing about it is that I'm really surprised how clean the hair gets without any shampoo.
The bad thing though is that now my hair becomes sort of unmanageable. It won't hold a curl at all!
After the vinegar it becomes so smooth and flat that it's almost impossible to do a pin curl set (hair's too "slippery"), and the curls will fall out right after taking out the pins.
When I don't use vinegar, I can put in the pin easily but after taking the pins out, the hair feels sort of soapish, becomes frizzy and electrified and the curls don't hold properly (they come out when I comb or brush).

Anyone got advice what to do? I'm not ready yet to go back to shampoo, but I don't want to quit curling, too. [huh]

 

[MarieAnne]

Wahine- have you tried CO washing? I also found that when I started CO washing my hair didn't hold a curl as well. But since my hair isn't as frizzy with the CO washing I can do wet sets (instead of dry) and I get nice curls without all the frizz.

 

[wahine]

You mean washing with conditioner, right?
I haven't tried it but I really can't imagine it would work. Whenever I use conditioner, my hair gets so flat and slippery that it's practically impossible to do anything with it. I can't imagine that a wet set would make any difference but maybe I should give it a try...
(I haven't written that but, I always do wet sets, never even tried a dry one)

 

[Ada Vice]

I've been trying out the no-poo method for a while now. I wash it every two or three days with the baking soda only and rinse with vinegar.
The good thing about it is that I'm really surprised how clean the hair gets without any shampoo.
The bad thing though is that now my hair becomes sort of unmanageable. It won't hold a curl at all!
After the vinegar it becomes so smooth and flat that it's almost impossible to do a pin curl set (hair's too "slippery"), and the curls will fall out right after taking out the pins.
When I don't use vinegar, I can put in the pin easily but after taking the pins out, the hair feels sort of soapish, becomes frizzy and electrified and the curls don't hold properly (they come out when I comb or brush).

Anyone got advice what to do? I'm not ready yet to go back to shampoo, but I don't want to quit curling, too. [huh]

Do you use setting lotion or any product before you put the pin curls in?

I wash mine every day, but mines very short and I use dax each and every day for styling as otherwise I look like I've been dragged through a hedge

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

Since it's summer I have been washing my hair everyday. I use an olive oil shampoo bar and follow up with a conditioner that I add oil to. I work out most days of the week in the heat so I have to wash the sweat out of my hair. I deep condition my hair 1-2 times per week too.

 

[wahine]

Do you use setting lotion or any product before you put the pin curls in?

I wash mine every day, but mines very short and I use dax each and every day for styling as otherwise I look like I've been dragged through a hedge

No, I don't use anything. That is because when I stilled used shampoo, I got the best pin curl results without any products (not even hairspray). It made the longest lasting best looking curl. But now, all is different.
I'm not sure if I would be able to wash out a setting medium (whatever it is) with the baking soda only.

I thought about the Co wash idea (if that really means washing with conditioner) - it wouldn't really help he. I wanted to quit using shampoo because I think there are so many chemicals in it that this might be the reason why my hair looks dull, weak, thin, and tends to falling out more and more.
It is the same with conditioner, isn't it?! I mean, there are just as many chemicals in it. So, before I try conditioner, I could just as well go back to shampoo.

 

[Valya]

I am still in my teens, so my hair and scalp excrete a LOT of oil, which means I wash it about every other day. Any less than that and I look like I just went swimming. When I was a kid I (or my parents) washed it about once a week, so I am hoping I will be able to go back to that in a few years.

 

[Mae Croft]

No, I don't use anything. That is because when I stilled used shampoo, I got the best pin curl results without any products (not even hairspray). It made the longest lasting best looking curl. But now, all is different.
I'm not sure if I would be able to wash out a setting medium (whatever it is) with the baking soda only.

I thought about the Co wash idea (if that really means washing with conditioner) - it wouldn't really help he. I wanted to quit using shampoo because I think there are so many chemicals in it that this might be the reason why my hair looks dull, weak, thin, and tends to falling out more and more.
It is the same with conditioner, isn't it?! I mean, there are just as many chemicals in it. So, before I try conditioner, I could just as well go back to shampoo.

I actually had my hair falling out for ages and thought it was the ovarian cysts (I'd been told several times that this can happen to those with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome and just assumed that was what was going on with me), but I stopped using shampoo about a month and a half ago and switched to conditioner only and I've already seen a vast improvement in not only my hair's appearance but also in how strong it is, and how little now falls out. I'd say I get a normal amount in my brush when I brush it out, not a lot at all especially compared to the near handfuls I got a day before. It's definitely worth a shot!

I can also tell you that you can remove a setting lotion with just warm water if you keep at it for several minutes, just from my own experience, or at least I can (my hair is thick and wavy, I don't know if that info helps or not?).

 

[wahine]

I actually had my hair falling out for ages ... I stopped using shampoo about a month and a half ago and switched to conditioner only and I've already seen a vast improvement...

Thanks for sharing your experience, Mae Croft.
I'll think about it some more and read some ingredients lists of conditioners. Probably I'll give it a try since I'm quite unhappy with the soda wash.
But then, maybe I just have to give some more time?
Maybe I'll go on trying the soda wash some more time before trying something else.

(just in case you haven't noticed - I'm sort of an indecisive person )

 

[PrairieSunrise]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Mae Croft.
I'll think about it some more and read some ingredients lists of conditioners. Probably I'll give it a try since I'm quite unhappy with the soda wash.
But then, maybe I just have to give some more time?
Maybe I'll go on trying the soda wash some more time before trying something else.

(just in case you haven't noticed - I'm sort of an indecisive person )

I did CO for a few months and it caused my hair to fall out. So do be careful as not everyones scalp reacts the same way.

Using regular shampoo also causes my hair to fall out though, I have to use very gentle shampoos. For the past two years I've used MillCreek Botanical s which is usually available at health food stores.

 

[MysteriousRed]

I stick to every 3-4 days unless, I really need to wash it for whatever reason, but that's quite rare.

 

[Octavia]

I wash my hair about twice a week. My hair is really dry and thick, but my skin is so oily, so I can only stretch it about 4-5 days. I wash it on Sunday evening, then blowdry and pincurl. I try to make the blowdry and set last ‘til Friday, and it is usually nice and fresh through Wednesday. Thursday it very suddenly succumbs to an insane amount of oil and I have to baby powder it or spray it with this Tressemme freshening spray I have (the baby powder works better, by the way). Fortunately because my hair is so dense and thick, I have a lot of hair on the top layer to cover the underlayer that touches my scalp and gets oily quicker. I wash it Friday evening and don’t bother to blowdry to avoid drying it out (I’ll just do updo’s and v-rolls for the weekend). Then I begin the cycle again Sunday. I'm trying to train my hair to hold out for even longer, but I don't think my oily scalp will allow it. XD

 

[wahine]

I checked several shampoos' and conditioners' ingredients lists and realized that conditioners usually have even more ingredients (=chemicals) than shampoos.
So for me, it wouldn't make any sense to switch from shampoo to conditioner. I'll give the soda system some more time before I give up and go back to shampoo.

@prairiesunrise: Milk Creed doesn't seem to be available in Germany.
There are several botanical shampoos in my local health-food shop though, but they cost around 8-12 Euros, which is too much for me as a student (considering that a regular shampoo costs 1-3 Euros and considering that noone can really tell if a botanical shampoo really will make any difference for my hair).

 

[annet]

i wash it every other day, but wet it every day and use conditioner daily and a hair mask once a week. i have natural curls that disappear when i sleep on them, so i need to get it wet every morning and if i don't use a conditioner it just dries out! curls need a lot of moisture... i did switch to lush shampoos and conditioner since they don't contain too many chemicals that leave residue in your hair, and my hair feels a lot better now.

 

[Hercule]

I have to sheepishly admit that I haven't used soap in my hair in over a month. I thoroughly rinse it out every day when I shower and that's it. It's very manageable and nevery really gets oily. I gueass I'm lucky.

B

 

[fortworthgal]

I wash my hair every 2-3 days. Occasionally I may go as long as 4 or 5 days, but that's pretty rare.

My hair is extremely coarse and thick. I used to wash it daily, followed by daily blow drying and flat ironing. My hair was fried! Since giving that up, my hair has seen a vast improvement. I use sulfate-free 'poo and conditioner, and let my hair air dry. I may touch up with a flat or curling iron on the 2nd or 3rd day if necessary. I generally don't use much styling product either, some Aveda Phomollient or Lottabody (if I set it) and a touch of Brilliantine.

If I do a roller set (not very often), I'll get about 3 days out of it.

 

[RosebudMarie]

Did I reply to this thread yet? I don't remember...LOL

Lately I've washed my hair every 2 days when my curl desintegrates as I'm still learning how to set it properly. I'm hoping to cut down to 1-2 times per week if my curl will last that long.