The washing hair debate

[linnea]

So I am trying to grow my hair out. All my friends and ladies that I work with are recommending that I don't wash my hair every day. I am torn. My hair looks super-nizzasty when I don't wash it every day. What do you people think?

[pmcd9]

Wash your hair.  Do you want to go around with smelly hair?  Also, there should be a poll.

~Paul

[linnea]

Houston, we have a poll. I was going to not wash my hair today to give my friends' hypothesis that only washing it every other day is better for it, but I just broke down and washed it in the shower. It just seems weird to take a shower and not wash it.

[Ben-San]

I have kinda long hair (for a dude, at least) and I wash it most days. Something some people suggest is to not use conditioner every time you wash it. I dunno what the effect of this is.

[Hobot]

Here are some good suggestions regarding how frequently you should wash your hair.  I have heard that it is not really necessary to wash it every day if your hair does not tend to be oily, or if you don't exercise vigorously on a daily basis.  But, since you mentioned that your hair becomes "super-nizzasty" (quotation marks not meant to imply derision; only for the sake of accuracy) if you do not wash it daily, it sounds like you should continue to do so every day.

[pmcd9]

The poll is good.  Better would be a video of you washing your hair.

~Paul

[Drygioni]

Linnea! I know it can get smelly with all that sweat and grime, but washing it everyday just seems excessive!

[pmcd9]

Linnea! I know it can get smelly with all that sweat and grime, but washing it everyday just seems excessive!

Kinda like brushing your teeth eh Judy.

~Paul

[side_show]

I wash my hair every day, and never use conditioner.  If I use conditioner, no matter  how well I wash it out, my hair turns gross after a few hours.  I do try to give my hair a break now and then, and give it a day or two off and wear a hat to dew rag, but basically, if I don't wash my hair it is not suitable for public presentation.  I had super long hair for years, and still had to wash it basically everyday - except that it was long enough to pile on top of my head to conceal the greasy roots sometime, and now that I have short hair, it's even more nessisary.

[wombat]

What, is this an Alaska thing?  It's too cold to get your hair wet every day?

People didn't used to wash their hair every day.  The Technical Staff remembers that when he was very wee, there was a commercial for Prell shampoo that touted its ability to keep your hair cleaner for more days.  A week even I think.  But somehow this changed. I think a lot of it is that now people have hairstyles that need to be washed every day to look right.  (And all the shampoos say they are 'gentle enough to use every day.')

If you have long straight hair that you can sleep on and still look normal in the morning, AND it's not oily, you can be old-fashioned and not wash it every day.  But like Smells I had to wash it every day even when it was long, which was part of the reason I gave up keeping it long.

So, um, how do your friends and co-workers look, actually?  Are you sure you want to take hair advice from them?

[side_show]

So, um, how do your friends and co-workers look, actually?  Are you sure you want to take hair advice from them?

Even more importantly, do you want to take hair advice from us?

[jough]

I have great hair, and I tend to wash it every day.  Well, I need to wash it every day. Working from home means sometimes not even getting fully dressed some days (although that is about to change this week as I take a non-bohemian job for the first time in five years) but yeah, I pretty much shower at least once a day in the summer because if it gets above 72F I sweat and my hair gets a little frizzy.

[CortJstr]

The poll is good.  Better would be a video of you washing your hair.

~Paul

Hot!

I wash mine unless I've overslept. I have been told by hair-cutting people that I should never use conditioner.

[linnea]

The poll is good.  Better would be a video of you washing your hair.

~Paul

Hot!

Creepy!


When my hair was very short, I didn't ever use conditioner. This was helped by the fact that I'm a total sucker for Aveda products and use a lot of product to style my hair.

I just hate having greasy roots. I don't know how to get around that without shampooing every day. I like my hair SHINY, dammit. I hate days when I oversleep and don't have time for a shower. On those sad days, I always end up coming home over lunchtime and washing my hair in the kitchen sink. There is something totally refreshing about washing your hair in the sink. I love it.

Most of the people that I know who don't wash it every day have very long hair. They also do stuff like use heated styling tools on it, which I do not do (save blowdrying it). Their hair is also not shiny. However, one of my sisters does not wash her hair every day, and her hair always looks fabulous. My other sister washes her hair every day and it looks fabulous. I think that as long as I take care of it and remember to eat protein every day (yuck) then I should be okay.

I was vegetarian/vegan for many years and my hair always looked like shit compared to my omniverous sisters. However, now that I make smoothies with protein powder and try to eat subsistence-caught giraffe, my hair looks great.

[Mite]

I've found that the less you wash your hair, the less you need to wash your hair. I used to be an every-dayer, and my hair would get disgusting if I didn't. But I lose my dye job really quickly if I wash it that much, so I just started stretching out the time I could go. When it's short, I can go about 5 or 6 days without washing it. Now that it's growing out, my bangs can get greasy from me constantly pushing them out of my eyes, so this gets cut down to more like every 3 or 4 days. I just rinse everything really well. Sweat's water soluble after all. And your hair will ramp up oil production if you just strip it all off all the time.

And I absolutely do not smell. At least I don't think I do. If you ever meet me in person, and I smell, please tell me. Thank you.