Why You Should Wash Your Hair Less

I have mentioned before that I try to go as long as possible without washing my hair, and recently I had a request on Instagram to elaborate on that! So here we are! 

Why washing your hair is harmful: 

Now look, I am all about good hygiene but what we are talking about here is over-washing. Despite what you think, you hair does not need to be washed every day. What happens is that shampoo strips the hair of its natural (healthy!) oils. These are the oils that keep your hair soft, strong, and growing! Shampoo doesn’t know the difference between natural oils and dirty/greasy oils so it gets rid of all of them leaving your hair squeaky clean, but also dry. Well nobody likes dry hair so your scalp will try to correct this by over producing natural oils. This over abundance of natural oils makes your hair look greasy so what do you do? You wash it! And the whole cycle starts over again! Not to mention every time you wash your hair you are putting freaky chemicals on your head, but thats a whole other topic. I also have a lot. of. hair. So not washing every day saves me boatloads of time!

I typically wash my hair once a week. Sometimes I will go a little longer, and sometimes I will wash a little sooner, it all depends on where I need to be, how greasy my hair is…and honestly how lazy I am being. :). I have worked up to being able to go this long over the past two years or so. If you are currently washing your hair everyday it will take some time to break the cycle and ease out. Expect bad hair days in your future! 🙂

How to start washing it less:

Tip #1: Wash with baking soda and rinse with vinegar. Yes Baking soda like what you bake with… This (I promise you!) will get your hair clearer than most shampoos. Pour a little on your scalp and start to really scrub with your fingers. It feels gritty on your scalp and will not lather up so this make take some getting used to. When you have rinsed all the baking soda out pour some vinegar on your hair to act as a conditioner. This will make it super soft, and super shiny, and don’t worry you won’t smell like vinegar! Baking soda will get your hair clean without stripping the natural oils, so for a while try doing this every other wash. Say you washed your hair on Monday but then got yo’ sweat on at the gym Tuesday and your hair is showing it, wash with baking soda! Try switching your baking soda out for shampoo every other wash for a while, then slowly start to spread out washes further and further apart. I use shampoo once a week when I wash it, but if I need to add another wash mid-week, I use bakings soda.

Tip #2: Baby powder is your new best friend. I’m going to tell you a secret, dry shampoo does not work! Don’t even go there! Just stick with baby powder! I buy the travel sized because they pour out little slower making it easier to control. Throw a little dash of this stuff on your roots, rub it in with your finger tips till the white powder fades away and you are good! Grease covered! I also like to tease my roots when I do this to add extra volume!

Tips #3: Style it to hide it! We are talking messy buns, high pony tails, braids, and hats! There are so many hairstyles that easily cover a little oil, nobody will ever have to know!

My must-have hair products: 

When it comes to shampoo, hairspray, and other things along those lines I am not super picky. However, these few items have won my heart!

1. Baby Powder…do we need to review why?

2. Argon Oil has seriously changed my hair! I apply a few drops from my ears down every night before I go to bed and it has made my hair so much softer! Personally I find other oils too heavy for my hair, but this works great for me!

3. Powder grip adds texture and TONS of volume when added to your roots! I also like adding it to braids before I pull them apart to hold everything in place. Warning: this adds a weird feeling to your hair, making it gritty.

I hope these tips are able to keep your hair healthy and save you some time in the morning!