Why can't I go pass 4 days w/o washing

[RODI]

I'm relaxed.Washed and deep condish my hair this past tue. Been mositerizing and sealing daily. By sat my hair is dry and shedding and if i dont wash quickly, it will shed away. I see ladies on here that can go 2 weeks without washing.erplexed

 

[AryaStarr258]

I honestly don't understand how those ladies do it either. I have to wash every three days or there are serious scent/shedding issues. Inquiring minds would like to know...

 

[candy626]

After 4 days I definitely need to wash. Sometimes I will resist the urge and wait 7 days but my hair is very dry and my scalp very oily at this point.

I also don't like the way my hair smells if I wait too long.

 

[leona2025]

Maybe you are having product build up from too much product. I can take my hair 2 weeks, but I never do because I like the way the water feels on my scalp and washing and conditioning is therapeutic for me. When I want my hair to last longer I use less product.

 

[Pompous Blue]

OP, I don’t try to go past 4 days before washing or co-washing my hair. I lead an active life-style and exercise daily (sweating in my head). I, also, have a job where I work in and outside of the office all year ‘round. So, my goal is to keep clean hair and scalp. I do a rhassoul or bentonite clay treatment once a week where I don’t have build-up on my hair or scalp.

I cannot stand to smell dirty hair on anyone and I smell it quite often coming in contact with people who don’t wash their hair on the regular. Their choice. I don’t think they notice the smell but others do. I live in the deep south and it is obvious.

Do you, OP. If your hair needs washing or co-washing, go ahead and do it. Everything isn’t for everyone and if you can’t go 7 – 14 days w/o washing your hair, it’s not for you to do it. I won’t give up exercising or an active lifestyle so I can wash or co-wash less.

Whether I’ve been relaxed or natural, the minimum I can go without washing my hair is 3 – 4 days. This past Summer I was washing/co-washing daily ‘til the temps were below 85 – 90 degrees.

I believe the constant scratching and itching may lead to increased shedding; so, wash more frequently to stem that. And to keep your scalp clean do a rhassoul or bentonite clay treatment once a week. I don’t like using clarifying shampoos ‘cause they dry my hair out but the clay treatments clarifies and detoxes my hair and scalp. I’m left with moisturized hair and a healthy scalp.

Sorry ‘bout the novel but hope I helped.

 

[RarityFluttershy]

I Wash My Hair Every Day. Do What Works For You.

 

[CurlyMoo]

You don't want to go 2 weeks without washing hun.

 

[Nonie]

I'm relaxed.Washed and deep condish my hair this past tue. Been mositerizing and sealing daily. By sat my hair is dry and shedding and if i dont wash quickly, it will shed away. I see ladies on here that can go 2 weeks without washing.erplexed

LADI I don't know what you're moisturizing with, but if it's something with cones in it, it seals the hair so that you cannot add anymore moisturizer to it so hair will feel dry if it gets buildup of the products.

As for shedding, that's not a bad thing. It's supposed to happen unless you're not normal. You are supposed to shed 50-100 hairs PER DAY. When you don't see it, it just cause it's caught in your hair but nature has determined that follicles will spit out hair when it reaches the end of the growth cycle so new hairs can be born. So whenever people panic about shedding, I always wonder whether they really think they'd be better off if no hair shed. I personally would panic if that's the case coz it'd mean my hair isn't growing or something is wrong with my follicles and I'd worry that I might get bald soon.

The only shedding that should worry you is the sort that makes your hair appear thinner or that is accompanied by a sore or itchy scalp...or where clumps of hair come out all from one spot and leave a bald patch.

 

[RoseTintedCheeks]

Do what works for your hair/lifestyle. During the summer I was washing every 2 days, now I try to wash just twice a week. I co-sign with just wanting the feeling of clean hair.

 

[Napp]

some peoples scalp secretes oils and sweat at a different level which allows them to wash less frequently.its just like how a friend and i can do the same workout at the same intensity,with a similar fitness level and i never break a sweat and she is dripping in sweat after 15 minutes.if you feel you need to wash 1x a day,1x a week or 1x a month than do so, according to your comfort level.

personally i noticed ever since i relaxed my hair i cannot go past 4 days either.(well i can but my hair style seems to look crappy and it stops smelling pleasant) this also happened to me when i Big chopped my hair. i had to wash it every 4 days. I wear my hair loose everyday so smell is important to me now compared to being in a bun for weeks on end.

i find it weird that when i was a pressed haired natural my scalp was very dry for some reason. i wouldn't feel oily or smell like anything until about 3 weeks after washing.(i would check my scalp all of the time)it seems that my scalp in a healthy state gets oily quickly. also I sweat in my head easily.due to manageability issues, i dont think i could wash that frequently and not be relaxed or have short hair.

 

[Bublin]

Question; are you all doing a full detangle at every wash (if you wear your hair loose/in braidouts/bun)

 

[Zaz]

Question; are you all doing a full detangle at every wash (if you wear your hair loose/in braidouts/bun)

I only detangle twice a week but I cowash daily and shampoo once a week.
Also I NEVER detangle on wash days. When I shampoo my hair I have to DC, and if it's a protein DC like 2 step, then I have to double DC, if I had to add detangling on top

 

[Evolving78]

i wash/cowash every 3-4 days as well. just like clean hair and scalp. i love the way the water feels on my scalp. plus i can be heavy handed with product.

 

[tiffjust2002]

I am natural and I have to wash or cowashevery 3-4 days so I usually wash and deep condition on sat and I cowash on wed and then that will hold me till wash day on sat but my scalp gets dry itchy and flaky

 

[Bublin]

I've asked this question on another thread but maybe you ladies can answer.....

For those with a young family and go out to work, how are you finding the time to wash and set your hair for airdrying midweek? I need to add another wash-day but i know i'd be up until past midnight and my hair would not be dry in the morning.

 

[Evolving78]

Bublin
do it on your non-work days in the morning as well as picking a weekday. if you gotta make runs, throw your hat on. i got a hat on with my conditioner and plastic cap under as we speak. i plan on setting my hair when i get my kids to bed by 8pm. this gives me 45-60 mins to set my hair on rollers and let it airdry. if you need to, sit under the dryer for 15-20 mins to cut down on the drying time. this way you still have time to spend relaxing before bed.

let your weekday be a cowash day and the weekend be wash day.

I've asked this question on another thread but maybe you ladies can answer.....

For those with a young family and go out to work, how are you finding the time to wash and set your hair for airdrying midweek? I need to add another wash-day but i know i'd be up until past midnight and my hair would not be dry in the morning.

 

[tiffjust2002]

I've asked this question on another thread but maybe you ladies can answer.....

For those with a young family and go out to work, how are you finding the time to wash and set your hair for airdrying midweek? I need to add another wash-day but i know i'd be up until past midnight and my hair would not be dry in the morning.

I wear mine in a bun after I cowash mid week

 

[Pompous Blue]

I've asked this question on another thread but maybe you ladies can answer.....

For those with a young family and go out to work, how are you finding the time to wash and set your hair for airdrying midweek? I need to add another wash-day but i know i'd be up until past midnight and my hair would not be dry in the morning.

@Bublin
do it on your non-work days in the morning as well as picking a weekday. if you gotta make runs, throw your hat on. i got a hat on with my conditioner and plastic cap under as we speak. i plan on setting my hair when i get my kids to bed by 8pm. this gives me 45-60 mins to set my hair on rollers and let it airdry. if you need to, sit under the dryer for 15-20 mins to cut down on the drying time. this way you still have time to spend relaxing before bed.

let your weekday be a cowash day and the weekend be wash day.

Bublin Whether I wash or co-wash, my hair never dries overnight. 8 or 9 hours later when I get up in the morning, it's still slightly damp. So, I bought a Pibbs dryer and sit under it for 45 min to an hour. Hair is dry. Undoing my twists in the morning while they're still damp would ruin the style and leave me with shrunken hair.

 

[RarityFluttershy]

Question; are you all doing a full detangle at every wash (if you wear your hair loose/in braidouts/bun)

I Sure Do Detangle With Every Wash And Put My Hair Right Back In A Bun.
If I Did Not Detangle Every Night My Hair Would Be A Matted Mess.

 

[Bublin]

Thanks for all the replies ladies - much appreciated.
My days off are Fri-Sun, i wash on Sat, so i was wanting to do another wash/dc on a Wed. I'm just going to have to do what i can after after work and the rest when my toddler has gone to bed. My hair is shoulder length stretched and i only set my hair in twists or braids to airdry. If they're not dry by morning i'm not sure how i'll style my hair in the morning.
I don't like the way my hair dries when sat under a hairdryer - my hair frizzes if not tied down with a durag.
To answer the bun idea - my hair is much shorter at the front so i can't do a simple bun and if i were to do that in the evening, i'd wake up with a tangled mess.

Well, luckily i have this Wed off work so i'll
make that my starting point for a mid week wash and stop being so lazy from then on.

 

[Nonie]

Question; are you all doing a full detangle at every wash (if you wear your hair loose/in braidouts/bun)

Bublin, I read your question earlier today but thought it was meant for OP.

I keep my hair free from tangles at all times so what I do on my wash day is comb it thoroughly to remove shed hair. I shared in my thread of how I wash in braids how I comb before I put the braids in. Then how I comb my hair in ever step of the wash rebraiding each braid before working on the next one. And I do this until the very end when I airdry in the last braids I just rebraided.

I never really detangle because when wearing my hair out, it gets combed daily so there's never a chance for it to tangle so that detangling would be necessary.

 

[prettypithy]

Interesting topic. I usually wash my hair weekly but it does no harm for me to go two weeks, if my hair is straight. My natural hair requires more frequent detangling and therefore more frequent washing (or at least co-washing. I sometimes go two weeks without shampoo even if I'm co-washing and DCing within that time frame). But I have never noticed increased shedding as a result of infrequent washing. To each their own, I suppose.

 

[Supergirl]

I've not read through the other responses, so someone may have said this already. But when moisture is short-lived like you describe, it usually means the hair needs clarifying, protein, or both.

 

[sunnieb]

I wash/co-wash every other day. My hair demands it. I tried to go longer and I was rewarded with matted newgrowth and hair that just didn't want to get styled.

@Bublin - I've been married with children pretty much my entire adult life, so I know it can be challenging. However, you have to carve out some time for YOU. I'd be a cranky son of a gun if I didn't get time for myself.

Planning ahead has alot to do with being successful. On wash/cowash days, I already know we are having a simple dinner that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. When I get home from work, I pre-heat the oven and change out of my work clothes. I talk with dh and the kiddos while I cook (give them some kitchen duties too!). We eat and then I immediately jump in the shower. Takes me about 30 minutes to shower, cowash, and set my hair for airdrying.

Now I go about my evening - homework help, laundry, pay bills, etc. while my hair is airdrying.

My hair airdries enough for me to go to bed in about an hour and it's completely dry in about 2 hours. If I sit in front of my little fan, it dries even faster.

ETA: I live in very simple styles (buns, ponytails, half-up/half-down) and this helps with my hair being wet so often.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

I Wash My Hair Every Day. Do What Works For You.

This right here.


I used to get the side eye because I moisturized daily. I thought I was doing something wrong so I stopped. MISTAKE. My hair thrives when I wash, co-wash, and/or moisturize often. When I get lazy, it gets dry.

You can't worry about what other people do.... just focus on your hair and what it needs.

 

[JeterCrazed]

I have the same problem, opposite reason. My scalp gets oily and itchy. One wee is the longest ever and that was a miracle.

 

[Shadiyah]

I'm relaxed.Washed and deep condish my hair this past tue. Been mositerizing and sealing daily. By sat my hair is dry and shedding and if i dont wash quickly, it will shed away. I see ladies on here that can go 2 weeks without washing.erplexed

LADI maybe you need to do a protein treatment.

 

[Bublin]

Nonie - i have actually started your comb through at every stage during washing routine and it works great for me. I mainly wear braidouts at so far have not attempted to comb my hair inbetween washes.
sunnieb I hear you and yes, i will find the time for me. As you say i should make it part of a schedule rather than an addition, plan ahead a little.

You have both helped/motivated me a great deal. x

 

[SerenavanderWoodsen]

I can't do two weeks either. After about 4 days my scalp is just icky. I try to do about a week but before then my scalp and hair and just so gross. My scalp oil turns into a dry thick buildup that's not easy to get off. It's disgusting. And let's not forget the itchies. My hair also becomes parched and dull. If you're hair and scalp are asking to be cleaned, clean them.

 

[RODI]

@LADI maybe you need to do a protein treatment.

I did a protein treatment Aphogee hardcore protein treatment a week before my relaxer. About 4 weeks ago