How To Go Two Weeks Without Washing Your Hair
In this blog post I’m going to share my secrets on how I’m able to go 2 full weeks without washing my hair. We’ll cover whether or not washing your hair is bad as well as some other commonly asked questions on this topic.
To figure out exactly how often you should be washing your hair based on hair type and condition, see my post here.
Is washing your hair bad?
This is a super common question, and the answer isn’t completely straight forward. Similarly to other things, washing your hair isn’t necessarily bad–but doing it in excess can be.
Cleaning your hair and scalp is important to remove build-up and bacteria, but we produce natural oils for a reason. When you constantly remove those natural oils, you are drying out your hair and scalp. This can cause a number of different problems including producing even more oil as well as hair breakage.
Why should I skip washing my hair?
Washing your hair less frequently can be beneficial for a number of different reasons:
1. You’ll avoid drying out your hair and scalp
When you skip shampoos, you’re skipping removing the natural oils from your scalp. We need those natural oils to keep our hair and scalp moisturized. If you shampoo too frequently, you’re putting yourself at risk for a flaky dry scalp as well as split ends and breakage throughout your hair.
2. You’ll produce less oil
As we just mentioned, over-washing your hair dries out your scalp. When your scalp is too dry, your sebaceous glands actually begin to produce even more oil to compensate for this. This is how many people get into the trap of “having” to wash their hair everyday because they are too oily.
When in reality, the reason they’re so oily is actually because they wash their hair everyday. This is a cycle that many people get stuck in and don’t realize that their solution is actually what is causing the problem.
3. It saves you time
When you get in the habit of not washing your hair everyday, you’ll begin to loath having to do it at all. Washing your hair can be a chore depending on how much hair you have as well as how you style it.
I normally recommend not wetting your hair at all on the days you aren’t washing it. This means that your style is usually saved from the previous day. It will save you so much time and energy by skipping days. Just think of all the other things you can do with an hour or more each day!
4. Less washing means less heat styling
When you wash your hair less, you iron it less. This is saving your hair from excess heat damage from your irons. You may need to do a little touch-up here and there, but for the most part you should be able to skip thermal styling just as you are skipping shampoos.
When you use less heat styling, you’re saving your hair from excess split ends and flyaways. Your hair will grow longer because it’s not breaking off on the ends. And you’ll also be able to go longer between haircuts because you aren’t damaging it with excessive heat.
How to stop your hair from getting greasy between washes
Now I’m going to share my best secrets for how I’m able to go 2 full weeks without washing my hair. Keep in mind that I have done this over time and have trained my hair to be able to go this long. If you currently wash your hair everyday, you won’t be able to go 2 weeks right off the bat.
Start off by skipping a day or 2, and then increase the skipped days over time as your hair and scalp adjust to this.
***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***
1. Dry shampoo
My first secret probably doesn’t come as a surprise as dry shampoo isn’t unheard of, but it is the most important. You may or may not have used dry shampoo before, but my method for dry shampoo is actually a little different.
I start off using dry shampoo from day 1 after washing my hair. I have found this to be the key factor that makes a difference in the longevity of my wash days.
When you use dry shampoo from day 1, you’re being proactive and avoiding the hair and scalp from getting oily in the first place. This works so much better than using dry shampoo from day 3 on when your hair is already oily. It’s so much easier to absorb the oil as it is produced rather than trying to remove oil thats already there.
I have 2 dry shampoos that I love, and I use them each for a different situation.
Amika Perk Up was my first love when it comes to dry shampoo, and for good reason. They are constantly winning best dry shampoo on the market. But I have found that I prefer this dry shampoo only when I am using it from day 3 on. It’s pretty strong, and works well at combating the already present oil. But when I use it from day 1 on, it feels too heavy and like too much build-up is present.
Olaplex 4 D is my newfound dry shampoo love. I use this dry shampoo from day 1 on and have the best results with this method. It is lighter than Amika, so you’re able to use it for many more days without feeling too heavy or with too much build up present.
To learn more about dry shampoo, see my post here.
2. Boar bristle brushing
If you aren’t familiar, boar bristle brushes are the best brushes for your hair. They are gentle and cause much less breakage than nylon or plastic bristles. The natural bristles also increase shine by pulling the oil from your scalp down throughout the ends of your hair that are prone to dryness and need the natural oil.
Every day that you skip washing your hair, you should thoroughly brush your hair and scalp with a boar bristle brush. I do this at night as well as in the morning. I take about 10 minutes or so to do this properly.
Your scalp needs exfoliating even if you aren’t washing it. So when you brush your hair, you should be brushing your scalp as well. The natural bristles will gently remove any dead skin cells from your scalp as well as increase stimulation which is good for hair growth.
You can find my favorite boar bristle brush here.
To learn more about brushes and properly brushing your hair, see my post here.
3. Blow drying
My last secret to longevity between washing your hair is blow drying, and for two different reasons.
When you blow dry your hair you can typically go longer between shampoos to begin with. This is because it opens up your cuticle (outer layer of a hair strand) enough to absorb more oil. When the cuticle is laid down and completely closed, the oil will only coat the outside of the hair strand and not absorb inside of it.
So if your goal is to go as long as possible without shampooing, blow dry your hair after you wash it.
My last trick is to blow dry your hair each day while you dry brush it. The blow dryer will help to guide the natural oils down from your scalp to the ends. It is accelerating the oil distribution of the boar brush as well as diffusing dry shampoo.
I recommend brushing your scalp well, blow drying your hair with a boar brush for a few minutes, then spraying in your dry shampoo.
Should I rinse my hair between washes?
The answer to this question is different depending on who’s asking. For men, this is usually a yes. Anyone that isn’t going to boar bristle brush, blow dry, and dry shampoo in-between washing their hair should rinse it instead.
Rinsing your hair will essentially do the same thing, and pulls the oil down from the scalp to the ends without removing it completely. You likely won’t be able to go quite as long between washing days using this method, but it does work if the brushing, blow drying, and dry shampoo method just isn’t for you.
I don’t normally recommend conditioning during these days unless your hair is severely dry or damaged. Conditioning will reduce the amount of time you’ll be able to go between washes. Instead I recommend just running some water through it with your fingers in the shower.
How to style hair on no-wash days
Aside from brushing and blow drying, there are some other styling methods you can try that can help you extend the days between shampoos. Hair typically styles better when it’s a little dirty. You may have had a wedding stylist ask you to not wash your hair the day of getting a special event style. This is because the hair needs a little oil to hold a style well.
I have found that I can go a little longer on the days that I curl my hair. Curls can help to mask oil. Oily hair isn’t as noticeable when the hair is curled and going in different directions than when the hair is smooth and straight.
You can also try wearing your hair in braids, half up styles, or ponies to pull the hair back and off of your skin. The more the hair is kept away from your face, the less oil it will absorb. One of my favorite ways to wear my hair is half up with the hair pulled into a braid. This keeps the hair away from my face, and the hair on top that would show oil is secured.
And the last trick is to tease your hair. If you find that the hair in your bangs or the crown of your head separates when the hair is oily, try teasing it. When the hair is teased, it will hold it together and mask the oil.
Conclusion
While washing your hair isn’t necessarily bad for it, washing it less frequently can be beneficial for a number of different reasons:
- You’ll avoid drying out your hair and scalp
- You’ll produce less oil
- It saves time
- You’ll avoid excess damage from thermal styling
How I go 2 full weeks without washing my hair:
- Dry shampoo from day 1 on
- I thoroughly boar bristle brush my hair and scalp daily
- I blow dry the oil down to the ends that need it
Other tips:
- Rinsing your hair can be done instead of the boar brush, blow dry, and dry shampoo method
- Curling the hair helps extend days
- Wear your hair in braids, half up, or ponies to keep it away from your face and skin
- Tease the hair to remove separations and reduce the appearance of oil
If you still have questions on how to go longer between shampoos, leave them for me in the comments! As always, Have A Good Hair Day!
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