Dirt makes my hair grow?!?!

[chebaby]

i co wash my hair everyday and wash with shampoo once maybe twice a week. i used to wash every two weeks because that was all i knew but now i cant imagine going that long

 

[Geminigirl]

i voted two or more although i have been a lil lazy lately.

 

[Solitude]

I agree with this. I lose the most hair on wash days and once during a period of excessive shedding went 6 weeks without washing until I got through the worst of it.

Since then Indian herbs, have helped to reduce winter shedding, so I don't anticipate having to go so long without washing my hair again.

I agree with this. I was kind of shocked when I joined this board and saw that people with Afro-texture hair are washing their hair 2x or more per week. I never thought that was necessary for "our" hair, but I guess everyone's hair is different. I wash every 1-2 weeks, I have often gone longer and it makes no difference. I would really like to hear the frequent washers explain how a clean scalp helps dead skin cells/protein come out of your head faster. lol

And yes, the amount of handling, combing, and stress (and in my case, heat styling) caused by frequent washing is probably slows down progress IMO.

BTW, I heard "dirt makes my hair grow faster" a thousand times, so I'm not surprised at this.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I have heard many people say this....

I beleive in many ways it is an idea that was passed on to us through the ages..............

I will not go for long stretches without washing my hair.....
ICK.

 

[TexturedTresses]

I wash my hair once a week despite my mother telling me I'm "washing the perm out" . I just do my thing and keep it moving. Even before joining this site I made sure to wash my hair once every two weeks (salon/pay day) and I had people look at me like I was stupid for even doing that .

lol, i've had someone tell that the reason i had so much new growth was not because my hair was growing but because i was washing my hair so much that i was washing the relaxer out. could it be that frequent washing and cowashing was actually help my hair grow?

 

[SoSweet08]

I didn't read thru this thread but I think people believe dirt makes their hair grow because of the low manipulation that they might have towards their hair and people who don't wash their hair a lot usually wear their hair up, right? So they might be hanging on to some length right there.

Also, what do you do when you don't wash your hair for a while?

You itch it like crazy or should I say scritch...

 

[2themax]

I wash once every two weeks and my hair really like it. I tried the once a week and daily co wash and that dried my hair out to bad no matter what products I used.

Same.............

 

[Hair Iam]

Thanks Hair Iam! its not a wig it's my hair indeed lol i just found that the less i manipulate it, the more it remains thick.

But i won't lie all that not washing plus the vits make my head itch a lot!!!!! (i scratch, massage my scalp every second)i really keep a low maintenance now as everyday i just put the serum and grease the ends, i know my hair must be dirty (even in the house i leave the hair loose under the satin bonnet) and i make sure i grease well the ends, it s dirty but i think i may leave it like that for 3 weeks (dare i say a month lol)

It itches too much because of the vits but i dont apply nothing to the scalp, the dominican stylist told me to make sure my silkener serum does not touch the scalp ( i dont know why though) and just grease on the ends. so between salon visits nothing else gets applied.

It s funny my other girlfriend who's below brastrap and keeps twists for like months and grew it that way told me the same thing that dirt makes her hair grow. at first i used to look at her puzzled but i now understands what she meant and what i apply: " i noticed the less i wash my hair, the less i manipulate it all i need is to clip it in between hair salons. i dont recommend it cause it s gross but each time i go back to the salon i m pleasantly surprised specially when i think that if u look at my sig pix and this one below there is actually 2 months and 2 weeks between them!!! i love leaving the hair alone now, no manipulation no nothing i just feel each time i see the hair it gets thicker and i dont plan on trimming anymore either



i dont know why i m soooo lazy with my hair these days. i so dread washing it lol but i m pleased by the fact that it seems it grows longer and thicker. i think i just retain more this way not handling the hair too much.

You may be on to something ..I'l have to keep my eys on you

 

[graceunderfire]

My mother whose hair grows like bamboo, washes her hair whenever she can. If she has braids in it could be a two three months before water touches her head. She may take a rag and wipe her scalp then grease it up with some Dax and call it a day.

I am serious, her hair can go from 2inches to 6-7 inches in a three months. My hair grow to about 2 inches 4 inches in that same amount of time.

And, the worst part she keeps cutting it off. She never lets her hair go past her shoulders before she takes a scissor to it.

 

[NaturalBeauty87]

As soon as I started washing at least every week my hair took off. I went from chin to collar bone in 3 months! and that was three years ago when I didn't have proper hair care knowledge!

 

[HarlemHoney84]

Wash or no wash, your hair will grow regardless, I think it is probably because of less manipulation that you retain more length that's probably why people think you hair grows more when you don't wash.

I wash my hair weekly but when in weave or braids I tend to go for 1 month or longer and I see the same growth rate. It's been about 3 weeks since I last washed (currently have a weave) but my scalp is still very clean.

ITA . I have also heard the myth about dirty scalp growing your hair more or faster. I prefer a clean scalp so i wash once a week. i haven't had braids or a weave in years but i do plan on getting a sewn-in weave this winter to aid me with my stretching (it'll be 5 weeks post relaxer this Friday... still got a long ways to go!) but I'll still get wash in sets at the salon bi-weekly just to keep the scalp clean and moisturized.

 

[Qetesh]

I did previously post about not washing my hair much in the past. but i used to always get my hair pressed.

currently i am usually natural (tho this winter i plan on getting blow outs mostly) I co wash my hair every 2-3 days my hair jus styles better from wetting it. I shampoo every 1-2 weeks and clarify with ACV when i do and deep condish.

when i get a blow out: I only wash my hair every 3-4 weeks then because i like to keep the blow out that long. previously i would keep it for a few months without washing so we will see how this winter goes. I am hoping for at least 4 weeks. i think my scalp is used to frequent washing now and itches.

so the planned regimen is DC blow out: 4-6 weeks no washing. wash break for 2-3 weeks natural CW every few days during DC or protein or whatever needed: and then same thing over.

anyway back to the mildewish comment I found for me when i go month(s) without if i am working out right after my scalp has a mildewish smell i wont lie. i usually massage it with oil tho and it goes away by the next day.. i never found my ends to get an odor tho. and my man never complained. (yes i have asked him b4 LOL)

 

[Chrissmiss]

Currently every 4-10 days.

 

[LadyPaniolo]

You know...I dont know of any other race/ethnicity of people that wait more than a week to wash their hair. I don't know about the "dirt makes hair grow" claim, but I mean, I don't know any other race of people that are able to go more than 1 week without some type of wash/cleansing of the scalp. Thinking about this makes me realize that this MUST be a myth. Just another reason why many Black women haven't been able to grow long hair for so long.

If you can wait 2 weeks to get your hair washed, more power to you, but I can't deal with the itchy scalp nor the idea that my hair is nasty on top of using products/oils and such. To me, it's a part of the body just like any other part of the body and should be cleaned as such. Long hair or not, I must wash my hair at least weekly. Besides, once I started washing my hair more often, my hair grew like a weed....

This lady came into Sally's one day and had her hair in a "bun" of some sort. She had it in this wet bun for days on in and eventually a patch of mold grew in her hair. This reminds me to keep my hair clean on a regular basis.

OMG!

I feel just reading that!

ETA: Many of you have pointed out that less washing = less manipulation = less breakage. That's why I love wearing my hair in cornrows, sometimes with wigs over top (but not anymore till my poor edges recover). I can wash my hair, get my scalp nice and clean, condition away, and not have to worry about detangling and losing hair to breakage. Even individual C&G braids allow you to wash your hair with diluted poo/con using a squeeze bottle. Since I've started washing my hair much more often, it's grown much much faster, and become much stronger, too.

 

[dany06]

I hate when people say that. To me it sounds like someone goes outside and puts dirt in their hair. I think that basically the whole thought process behind it is that if you dont mess with your hair including washing then it will become dirty yet it will grow.

For me, washing my hair is done based on how my hair or scalp feels. In general though the longest time I go without washing is 2 weeks.

 

[titan]

this thread makes my scalp itch:scratchch

 

[Amelia456]

I normally wash my hair weekly (I voted weekly) and wear my hair out in a fro. However, because I want growth, I have decided to go on a low maintenance regime. I am only going to wash my hair biweekly, braid, and wear fashion head wraps throughout the winter. However, I am still going to deep condition my hair weekly.

 

[CurliDiva]

Why would I want to chance anyone, especially a S0, having to tell me my hair smells?

I just don't get it! Every other part of your body needs to be washed regularly.

Why not your hair?

 

[Muse]

Why would I want to chance anyone, especially a S0, having to tell me my hair smells?

I just donlt get it! Every other part of you're body needs to be washed regularly.

Why not your hair?

ITA. I have dry skin but I don't put off washing my body because of it, I find a way around it-LOTION. I think the hair needs to be washed regulary(however you choose to do it-poo or not) to stay healthy. I understand the no manipulation but at the same time why would you want a bunch of shed hair sitting in your head for weeks at a time?

 

[goldenchica]

I only co-wash. This is my second time natural. The first time (age 0-17, lol) I hated washing my hair (shrinkage) and avoided it like the plague. This time I co-wash everytime I shower and my hair is much better moisturized. I am retaining ALL my growth. Yep, yep. Between not washing and ripping combs through my hair back in the day, I had had no idea I was keeping myself STAGNANT. Now I'm like, haters? Oh, okay. See me next year-- you can't tell me NOTHING! lolol

 

[Black Hoya Chick]

i cowash every 3 days and shampoo every 9 days. so about once a week

 

[mahogany_horizons]

LOL...dag this thread takes a licking and keeps on ticking. SHE BACK lol (the thread). Seriously, I want this myth to die now. I wash my hair twice a week (with shampoo, I KNOW i SHOULD BE DILUTING IT LOL) and my hair is thriving and my scalp is clean. Just put back what you strip with the deep conditioners, and all should be well in the world LOL.

m.

 

[cmw45]

I think people mistake "dirt" for a build up of natural oils.

 

[DaDragonPrincess]

I heard this ALOT in the south, I use to wait a couple weeks at a time back in the day to wash my hair, it grew. I wash my hair ounce a week now, i'm loving the feeling of clean hair. I guess that why men hair grow so fast,because they don't wash there hair as much as us.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

Alot of cultures think this way.

I won't be doing this....As long as I have a shower.

 

[Latomian]

My mom still thinks this. She thinks I wet my hair too much (3x/week). But its sooo therapeutic!!!

My old roommate asked me once, "Why do you wash your hair so much?" and I just shrugged and she was like, "Cause black girls don't generally wash their hair that much (at this time, it was only 1x/week). But guess what? She started washing her hair more frequently and deep conditioning once she saw the benefits.

-Tomi

 

[BlkOnyx488]

I think that comes from bunning her hair when it's wet and then the gel keeps it from drying completely.
I use to work in a salon, women who did their own hair would come in with that smell it is gross

If dirt makes your hair grow then I'd rather have short hair .....I have a girlfriend that washes her hair ever 3 weeks...and I can not stand the way her hair smells....she keeps it gelled in a bun..one time she used my brush to do hair and my brush was stinking .I had to throw it away...I told her, her hair stinks and she was like I don't smell anything and if it did my husband would tell me....her hair has a sour mildew smell to it

 

[Mizz Diamonds]

I co wash twice a week and wash with shampoo once a week on a friday which envolvs

My hair is in braids right now so not much washing going on but i will spray my hair with shampoo diluted with water

 

[CandiedLipgloss]

A friend of mine who came to visit me for the holidays did this. She was about 8 mths pregnant, and told me she hadn't washed her hair in about 4 mths. She just kept it wrapped, and combed it out in the morning.

She ended up putting in a relaxer one day at my home, and when the process was complete it was long as heck, no breakage or anything. Funny, that her hair didn't stink at all.

But it seemed like she went from shoulder length to bra strap in just those few mths. Of course a mutual friend of ours called her nasty. but i guess it worked for her.

 

[Taina]

So I was getting my hair cornrowed last night and the chick who was braiding it keeps her hair really low like faded normally...but she decided she wanted to see how it would do if she just let it grow naturally twa. Anyhow she made the comment on not washing her hair because "dirt makes my hair grow"...I was like. I didn't care to comment because home chick was in my head and I didnt' care to upset her. I couldn't help but think about that the entire time she braided. So my question how often do you all wash your hair?

----Wow I didn't see the other poll from 06'...feel free to ignore the poll...---

I believe that clean hair make thehair grow faster, buuuuuuut this last week i didn't wash my hair at all (no co-wash, no shampoo) and i don't know, maybe is that i got used to see my curls very tight .. or i don't know what. But i feel my hair longer than the last week, Maybe is the normal growth rate, but is more difficult for me now, to reach my scalp.