do you wash your hair every day?

calivianya, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2015

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.

Thanks for the heads up! I didn't even really think about alternatives for Wen. It's not too, too bad price wise for me so far - I look like I have a lot of hair since my hair is so long and has so much volume, but when I make it into a ponytail, it takes up the space of less than a quarter. It takes me a while to go through a bottle of Wen.

kool-aide - You would be surprised, I think. How oily your hair looks has a lot to do with how you brush it, IMO. I don't typically brush my hair unless I'm washing it. Oil is not going to just streak down your hair randomly - it has to get into your hair somehow. If you brush all the way from the scalp to the ends of your hair, it's going to distribute whatever oil is on your scalp. If I decide to brush my hair outside of the shower, I don't brush it all the way from my scalp, so oil does not travel and make my hair look dirty. So, by day four or five my scalp may be a little oily, but my hair generally does not have a ton of oil in it.

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Jan 19, 2015

I have thin, fine hair and I HAVE to wash it at least once a day or I feel disgusting. I don't slather it, though...just a light scrub at the roots and let the shampoo run across the rest as I rinse it out. Luckily I can dry it quickly and straighten it in about 2 minutes or less (and that's if I want to do a GOOD job).

Trauma Columnist · Jan 19, 2015

Wow - what an interesting topic everyone!

kool-aide, RN · Jan 19, 2015

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

Commuter, that would be so foreign to me, but I could get used to it I think! :)

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 19, 2015

I wash my hair daily even if I'm not working.

My hair is on the coard and rough side d/t coloring it, so I condition it very well.

Nurse Leigh · Jan 19, 2015

White girl with thin, fine, straight hair here. I also use Wen and don't wash daily. My hair use to be quite oily but this improved once I stopped washing so often. Like other posters mentioned, your hair may start producing less oil once you stop stripping the natural oils from it too much. Of course, different hair types have different "issues" and solutions. :)

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 19, 2015

For many oily types, the more you wash, the worse it gets.

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jan 19, 2015

I do but I have oily hair, less so as I've gotten older. But for dry hair you could try conditioning your hair first, then shampooing. My roots are oily, my ends are dry since I have to color my hair. Since conditioning ways it down, and skipping it dries it out, I condition first and then shampoo, although I don't condition every day, just as needed. I like olive oil replenishing conditioner and it has a packet that is orange scented very nice.

Sisyphus_01 · Jan 19, 2015

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.

Can I just say that my inner-nerd-girl squealed when I read all of the knowledge imparted about something as mundane as hair washing in your post? Love it! Information... knowledge... NOM NOM NOM!!!!

I NOM your post like this tree NOMMING this park bench...

brillohead, ADN, RN · Jan 19, 2015

I wash my hair with shampoo once a year whether it needs it or not.

I wash my hair with conditioner typically twice a week (I like Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut -- silicone free, cheap, smells good, and works wonderfully as a conditioner when diluted significantly with water).

Like SmilingBluEyes, I have naturally curly red hair that is long (down to my butt), and it's never been longer or healthier since I stopped using shampoo five years ago.

I can't post the link to another website due to TOS here, but if you're interested in learning more about how well Conditioner Only Washing (aka CO-washing) works, google the phrase "The CO (conditioner only) washing thread" and you'll find more information than you could possibly absorb (that thread alone is almost 9,000 posts long and still going strong). If the thought of reading that much is overwhelming, I recommend people read the first ten pages and the last ten pages -- that gives you a strong foundation in the subject from the first ten pages, and the last ten pages will usually mention current products that are available that work well for other people.

WellThatsOod · Jan 19, 2015

After all this I can't help but wonder, what about people with dandruff? I hate to admit it, but I have it pretty bad. If I don't use head and shoulders or something like that it gets bad, so I wash at least every other day. My hair is thick, coorifice, curly, and frizzy too :no:

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jan 19, 2015

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.

Not greasy at all. Actually, stripping the natural oils from your hair every single day is what will cause your hair to be more greasy. If you decide to toss the shampoo you may find the first few days to a week are tough as your body adjusts to being able to reduce the natural oil production. Once your body adjusts...it is all good. I will use an SLS free shampoo from time to time but I can go months.