I’ve been working on stretching out my hair washes for about seven months now. I’ve gone from washing every other day to washing every seventh day. And I’ve managed to do it without looking like a greasy, dirty hippie (for the majority of the time, at least). Here’s how I’m doing it.
- Stretch one day at a time, so you only have one dirty(ish) day. Once your last day starts looking pretty good, add another day. I found the first few days knocked off pretty quickly, but it took me about four months to go from every sixth day to every seventh day.
- Wash your hair in the morning to give yourself a bit of free extra time (sleeping time) between washes.
- Once you’re about halfway through your wash cycle, stop combing your hair in the morning. I find combing/brushing can make your hair look greasy if you’re borderline. Instead, comb out all of your tangles the night before. Part your hair the way you like it, braid it (I like two braids), and sleep that way. In the morning, just take out the braids and smooth things out a little. Just be sure to leave the part as it is.
- Same goes for boar bristle brushing. Don’t do that before you go anywhere after about half a cycle.
- Make yourself a batch of dry shampoo to help with any greasy days.
- Do a good job with shampooing each time so you start with a clean slate.
This handful of tips and tricks has worked really well for me, but I’d love to hear what works for you!
i’m very intrigued by this… i have really oily hair, and i’m quite skeptical that this whole deal would work for me. i honestly can’t even go for a day without washing or my hair looks like i could “fry an egg”, as my dear mother likes to put it. even leaving my hair au natural all day (no styling products like hairspray), it is oily by the end of the night, especially my bangs. and if i don’t shower one day (but still wash my face), my face breaks out like a highschool kid!
i suppose when i get to that magical age where my skin starts to calm down, i could give this a try…
Maybe you should try and start with hours? Wash your hair the night before instead of the morning of, or the following morning instead of at night? You might also try a stronger dry shampoo, something with a bit of clay and some some oxide for colouring to match your hair colour. Ask Meredith about her recipe; she told me she made one with a few different starches and what-not a few months ago.
i’ve actually tried to shower the night before, and it doesn’t make that much of a difference, unless i use hairspray. and then by the end of classes the next day, my hair starts getting pretty gross, and my skin starts hating me. even when i shower early in the morning (6-7), my hair starts oiling up by nightfall. it’s sooo annoying!
i’ll ask meredith what she used
I’ll tell you more about the dry shampoo i made tonight; but I’ll also pass along something I noticed only recently.
I typically wash my hair 2 or 3 times a week (as it gets longer, I can also go longer between washes), but a few weeks ago I found my hair was getting REALLY oily on the morning of the second day, and that I had some dandruff issues (which I normally never have). I realized the dandruff was probably being caused the weather and the fact I was wearing a hat more often. I tried a few natural things but nothing worked, so I caved and bought a bottle of Nizarol (it’s a infrequent use dandruff shampoo that has an active ingredient that isn’t tar). After I used it the first time the dandruff was completely gone, but I also noticed my hair wasn’t getting as oily, as in noticeably less oily. I think that dandruff issue was making my scalp produce more oil in an effort to correct itself, but since most dandruff is caused by bacteria, it served only to make my hair look gross. Once I got that issue out of the way, my scalp calmed down and so did the oily hair.
Not sure if it’ll help, but I thought I’d mention it.
Thanks, Meredith! I have definitely noticed the dry Calgary winter taking a serious toll on the health of my scalp. I might have to pick up a bottle of Nizarol as well. I checked the ingredients and was somewhat pleasantly surprised to find it isn’t 80% SLS and loaded with silicones. Stupid winter.
Sounds like your internal body needs some healing and tools to function well. Almost always, if there is a skin issue surfacing, it’s because of an internal issue the body is trying to deal with. i.e. acne is hormone and or gut issues. Skin is the biggest tell-tail sign that there is something not right with your gut. Take some good probiotics (do your research) and enzymes to kill off the bad bacteria in your gut. You’ll be surprised how much your skin and hair will love you!
Please help me! I’ve tried every possible way to get rid of my greasy hair! I’ve tried apple cidar vinegar,baking soda,lemon juice, dish soap, baby powder, and Batiste dry shampoo. I’ve tried Paul Mitchell clarifying shampoo 2, Neutrogena Ant-Residue,suave,Mane & Tail to no prevail! I’m a middle school girl and my friends keep telling me I have greasy hair and I don’t know what else to do. I wash my hair everyday but I can’t wash it every other day because that takes weeks to make a difference and I’ll have even greasiest hair. My hair is so greasy that it’s even greasy when wet. Please I’m on the edge here!!!
Courtney—I’ve been doing lots of research to try to find some fixes for extra greasy hair to help you out. Here are some ideas:
First off, have you tried dry shampoo, perhaps halfway through the day? I make a great one with clay, oxides, and cornstarch. It works really well as both the clay and the starch absorb oil very well. You can use oxides to match it to your hair colour, and dust it into your hair with a cosmetics brush over the course of the day as needed.
I’d recommend using handmade shampoo bars that contain clay, which I find helps get my hair squeaky clean. The internet also tells me that essential oils of sage, rosemary, tea tree, and mint are helpful for greasy hair. You could also try rinsing your hair after shampooing with a mixture of water, apple cider vinegar, and witch hazel (which is astringent). I’d try a 3:1:1 ratio to start with.
You can also try looking at hairstyles that disguise greasiness more; in my experience updos are better for this. Put your hair up, dust it with some dry shampoo, and off you go for the day. Leave it in and up; I’ve always found that taking out my dirty-day hairdo makes things much worse!
And, though this may be of little consolation, since you’re in middle school, there’s a good chance that part of the problem is hormonal, and it will likely go away as things even out. Fingers crossed for that happening sooner rather than later.
Hope that helps! Feel free to ask any more questions you may have 🙂
I’m very intrigued by all this, would so love to wash my hair less. But I do work out every other day. Doesn’t seem like I can go more than 2 days without washing, with all the sweat and such of working out. Plus I have pretty curly hair, after 2 days, it needs ? to be washed just so it has it’s curl/bounce back. what are your thoughts?
Branda—I, too, get a good amount of exercise, and I’ve still managed to do some stretching, though a 7 day cycle likely won’t work for you. You may find that a good post-workout rinsing of your hair (you could also try an ACV vinegar rinse for a little something extra) can help tide you over between washes. I’ve also found that braiding my hair before a workout helps (it mostly keeps it from getting too tangled so I don’t have to comb it out too much, which really makes dirty-ish hair look super dirty towards the end of wash cycles). As for the bounce & curl—I’ve got super straight hair, but I’ve found that I generally have to switch to pulled back/up-dos towards the end of the cycle. No need to worry about loss of bounce when you’re sporting a classy ballerina bun!
There is a excellent book for people with curly hair called “Curly Girl” by Michele Bender. Here is the amazon link.: http://www.amazon.com/Curly-Girl-Handbook-Lorraine-Massey/dp/076115678X She teaches that going longer between washings is better, too; and believes in using natural methods and products also.
Thanks for the tips/resource, Jennifer! I wish I had curly hair (like Rose from Titanic, of course :P), but since it’s pin straight I can’t offer first-hand advice to my curly-haired readers. Alas. The grass is always greener, right?
I’ve been looking into the no-poo process and have been using the baking soda wash and ACV rinse for 3 weeks now. My question is why do people want to stretch out the time between washing? If it starts to get oily, why not wash again? Does using natural soaps and/or baking soda too often cause damage?
Hi LeAnn! As soon as you mentioned the baking soda/ACV thing I wanted to be sure to link you to this article on why it might be really bad for your hair. I haven’t tried it myself and I have no evidence one way or another, but she makes some sound arguments, and it never hurts to be informed 🙂
For me, the biggest plus of stretching out my washes is not being so tied to the shower. With such long hair it takes most of a day to dry, and that’s a pain. I believe the general idea behind it (beyond convenience) is to get your scalp to chill out and relax since all that washing generally isn’t necessary. By washing your hair all the time with harsh detergents, your scalp is working overtime trying to replace the oils you’re constantly stripping out of your hair. So, basically, it’s easier on your scalp and your hair. Think about what your hands are like when you wash them too frequently… sort of the same thing, though my hands are no good at amping up the oil production to compensate 😛
I love your blog! But I have to say that the term “dirty hippie” is rather offensive.
Peace and love
There wasn’t anything offensive in that description.
Thank you, LeAnn 🙂 It has always been a term of endearment (and awe) to me.
I’m sorry you feel that way, Sandra. Where I live, and in my social circles, it is considered a term of endearment, and knowing that, I hope you choose to see it that way. The wonderful thing about the internet is how easily we are exposed to other people’s cultures and viewpoints. When I was living in Australia friends called me a “tough c**t” as a term of endearment… that was definitely a bit hard to swallow at first, but the term truly has a completely different meaning down there, and it was a compliment. I figured I might as well take my compliments where I can get them rather than insist on being offended by something that was not meant that way.
Ditto.
Marie, I’m a longtime reader who LOVES your blog! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and information you make available to us all for free, and for the time you invest in your readers. I am, apparently, also one of the very few people with SHORT hair who’s considering going all-natural. My hair is color-treated (which I’m aware means no AVC/baking soda right off the bat) and I’m hoping that cutting down on washes will extend the life of my color. I love my pixie cut, but greasiness is obvious very quickly on short hair, and I can’t really disguise it with a braid or a bun. On top of that, I’m a medical student (so it’s also, ahh, extra-important that I always look shiny and spotless, so patients don’t INSTANTLY lose their faith in me… y’know, as opposed to losing their faith in me a little bit later, haha), so I can’t wear a hat or scarf on days I’m at the hospital… and I’m at the hospital six days a week. So, apart from… waiting until I have a vacation, I suppose?, there’s really no time for me to manage a transition period. :[
I attempted to make a “shampoo” with distilled water, activated charcoal (for cleansing) and honey (for shine/moisture) and it seems to have worked okay for the past week. I’ve used commercial dry shampoos before and not been overwhelmingly impressed with them, but I have some clay on the way to try making my own. Any advice or experiences for managing the transition period from other people with short hair would be dearly appreciated, though! 😀
Hi Andrea! Thanks so much for reading 🙂 If you’re considering doing the ACV/BS thing I’d definitely recommend reading this. I haven’t tried the ACV/BS thing myself, but that article has some good discussion on it 🙂
I found just switching to homemade shampoos and ACV rinses helped, and that keeps you looking pretty clean. After that I basically just stretched it one day at a time, using dry shampoo to keep myself looking respectable on that last day. I’d also wash my hair in the morning for a “free” extra ten or so hours of wash stretching 😛 I’ve also heard from other readers that a tea rinse can help as the tannins help cut the greasy look.
Hope something in there helps 🙂
Hi Marie!
I like to curl and style my hair once in a while but typically don’t use heat or product other than a leave in conditioner and quick spray of hairspray to settle flyaways when needed. Is it possible to do my once a week or less all over curl with heat and hairspray, and still use cold process shampoo bars? Will they remove the product from my hair?
Also, when I go more than 1 day without washing, I start to get pimples all around my hairline, right away. This is the only reason I wash my hair daily. Any suggestions for this?
Hi T! Honestly, I’ve never paired shampoo bars with commercial hair product for an extended period of time. The shampoo bars will get your hair clean, but I’m not sure they’ll get the silicone out. However, I’m not entirely convinced that commercial shampoos get silicone out, either, since it took so long for it to start coming out of my hair after I ditched it all. You will want to be sure to do an acidic rinse to balance the pH of your hair if you switch to bars 🙂
Have you tried clay for your pimples? I’ve found it to be insanely helpful. My everyday clay bar is brilliant for daily use 🙂 You could also try my anti-acne toner, which has had awesome reviews from readers.