do you wash your hair every day?

[Fruit Sucker]

So this is a bit personal, but do you wash your hair every day after work? I can't help feeling like I have bacteria in my hair when I've been at the hospital, even though I avoid touching it. My hair is dry though and I dislike washing it every day.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I think my hair would dry out and break off if I washed it every day. I also have the type of hair that is not wash-and-wear, so a wash includes at least 45 min of drying and styling.

I don't touch my hair at work, and greasiness is not much of a problem.

There are people around who remember the weekly wash and set days. Your hair was only washed about once a week. It was set on rollers, dipped in setting lotion and sprayed with lots of hairspray to last all week. No wonder shampoos instructed you to wash, rinse and repeat. It took a lot of cleaning to wash out a week's worth of oil, pomades and spray.

My patients old enough to remember the weekly set are a generation disappearing.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I put my hair up in a ponytail which I actively pay attention to keeping behind my head, so I don't feel like it really gets all that dirty. If by washing your hair you mean taking shampoo to it, it's probably been two years since I've done that. I use the Wen cleansing conditioner, and I "wash" my hair usually about twice a week and just let it air dry - I don't use any creams/sprays/hair dryers/etc on it. I don't really think shampoo is that great for hair because it strips all of the natural oils out of it. I have naturally curly hair, though, so I can get away without doing anything to it at all for days. I imagine it's a little tougher if you have straight hair.

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

I put my hair up in a ponytail which I actively pay attention to keeping behind my head, so I don't feel like it really gets all that dirty. If by washing your hair you mean taking shampoo to it, it's probably been two years since I've done that. I use the Wen cleansing conditioner, and I "wash" my hair usually about twice a week and just let it air dry - I don't use any creams/sprays/hair dryers/etc on it. I don't really think shampoo is that great for hair because it strips all of the natural oils out of it. I have naturally curly hair, though, so I can get away without doing anything to it at all for days. I imagine it's a little tougher if you have straight hair.

I used to use Wen but it was so expensive...and I have a ton of hair. I actually started using a regular conditioner and got the same affect. I also tried DevaCurl products...OMG their stuff is wonderful. They have a NoPoo "shampoo" that is wonderful. I actually love all their products. So if Wen ever starts to break the bank like it did for me...there are alternatives.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I "wash" everyday with conditioner. I rarely use shampoo. This gets my hair clean without the drying aspects of the shampoo.

This is called 'co-washing,' and it is becoming a rapidly-growing trend. Conditioner is better for many peoples' grades of hair than shampoo.

Most shampoos on the market today contain sodium laurel sulfate, a culprit that causes many peoples' hair to become overly dry, brittle, flyaway and fall out.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I do not wash my hair daily. I belong to a racial-ethnic minority known for having a grade of hair that will dry out and become brittle of daily shampooing is attempted. If my hair needs 'refreshing' before I am ready to wash it, I will apply a dry waterless shampoo.

This.

Can't wash my hair everyday.

I have yet to feel the need to "refresh" my hair, and I worked in many areas where "grossness" would occur; like with little Petri dishes, ahem, I work in Peds and with trach/vented pts in a pediatric setting.

Even with seeping wounds, projective vomits, secretions and poo, maybe it's been my luck but, no instinct to go running to the shower to wash my hair-it also would be that instinctive chance of producing another headache-brittle hair.

[phuretrotr]

This is called 'co-washing,' and it is becoming a rapidly-growing trend. Conditioner is better for many peoples' grades of hair than shampoo.

Most shampoos on the market today contain sodium laurel sulfate, a culprit that causes many peoples' hair to become overly dry, brittle, flyaway and fall out.

I always wondered for people who do this, does it make their hair greasy at all? I use a normal amount of shampoo and kinda too much conditioner so my hair is not dry. However, I do notice my ends are brittle a lot if I don't style it... So I do wonder if I stopped using shampoo if my ends would not be brittle but then I worry about my hair being greasy.

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Yes, I wash my hair every day whether I've worked or not. My hair gets beyond greasy if I don't. I typically have my hair back in a ponytail or a bun when at work.

Thankfully my hair doesn't dry out or break with such frequent washing.

[SmilingBluEyes]

With very long, curly and very porous, red hair, washing every day would be an absolute disaster. I wash it with shampoo once a week. The other days, I will condition it if need be. Most days, I spritz it with water or conditioner, and let air dry.

Washing every day is bad for most everyone. Even people with oily hair because their scalp will respond by producing MORE oil, not less.

It's a tough habit to get out of if that is what you have always done; but for me, my hair has never looked better or grown fast/longer by not washing it all the time.

Oh and stay FAR away from shampoos with SULFATES. BAD stuff.

[kool-aide, RN]

I'm a man, and no offense to the other posters, but I can't imagine having long hair and not washing it everyday.

I'm positive that if I did have long hair, washing daily would become impractical, however, my hair is so oily that it would be super disgusting. Lol

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I'm positive that if I did have long hair, washing daily would become impractical, however, my hair is so oily that it would be super disgusting. Lol

Some peoples' grades of hair produces no natural oil whatsoever.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Um since you are a man, I will give you some leeway (LOL) :-). Here is the deal: IF I were to wash my hair everyday, it would fall apart. My scalp is neither oily nor dry, but it IS clean, even if washing it less often is the case. That is NOT being "Dirty" or poorly-groomed. I guaran-flippin-tee you may hair smells good. I use healthy oils to moisurize it that smell good.

Also there was a time showering every day was not an issue, or even possible, either. My relatives who came over from Europe showered weekly and smelled just fine. My grandmother smelled so amazing when she held me, and her tub baths were only a couple days a week.

Wasting tons of water to wash my hair everyday would do me no good.

[lovetosleep]

I have to wash my hair everyday or it gets so greasy that it looks like I have not washed it in a week. I am jealous of these people who can get away with washing it less often.