Hair that is "too clean" won't grow??

[Crystalicequeen123]

This is what one of the stylists at a beauty salon said to me about a week ago. We were talking about hair care and I mentioned how I wash my hair every week, and she said something like: "well you know, if your hair is too clean, then it can't grow. You need some dirt on your scalp for the hair to grow".

Now, this didn't sound right to me, and I know that I have ALWAYS read in hair care books that it is preferable to wash your hair once every week. I'm not a daily washer by any means, but I feel like I'm doing GOOD things for my hair when I wash my hair once a week (sometimes 2x a week with CO washes). But what the stylist said got me to thinking. Is she right?? Is TOO much washing of your hair a BAD thing?? How much is washing your hair TOO much?
Is what she's telling me just another "myth" about black people's hair?

 

[Belle Du Jour]

she said something like: "well you know, if your hair is too clean, then it can't grow. You need some dirt on your scalp for the hair to grow".

Is she supposed to be a licensed stylist?? That doesn't sound very scientific to me. . .

 

[KAddy]

I don't know what hte *filth flarn filth* that stylist was talking about. A clean scalp encourages growth. A dirth scalp hinders it. Whoever heard of a "needing dirt to grow hair"

 

[UmSumayyah]

myth.

and a smelly one at that.

my hair took off growing after I discovered hairboards and started washing 3x a week.

 

[Dolapo]

wtf? that's gross. Since i started washing every 2 to 3 days, my hair has grown and it will continue to grow fast

 

[brownhaired_bonanza]

I dunno, sounds a little to me.

 

[Poohbear]

Your hair will grow whether you wash it or not!

Your hair will be cleaner if you wash it more, and if your hair will be dirty if you don't wash it as much. It won't affect the growth.

As far as what I think about how often to wash your hair... for me, it's too much manipulation to wash hair everyday and will cause stress on my fine textured hair. I prefer to wash every 2 weeks with my busy schedule. I will only wash earlier than that if my scalp starts to itch or if I feel like my hair is dirty or needs to be washed.

So your stylist doesn't know what she's talking about when she says dirt makes your hair grow. The dirt we accumulate on our hair from everyday wear isn't like the dirt that fertilizes the ground. The stuff that accumulates in our hair is particles from the air, product build up, and even sweat. So what she's telling you is definitely a myth.

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

Hahaha...thanks for your input guys.

Yeah, I thought that sounded kind of fishy to me too. Man, it just pains me to hear all of the MYTHS and beliefs some of us black women have about our hair!! I mean, the black women I'm around actually REALLY believe this stuff too! The women were just shaking their heads "yes" too when the stylist said this comment. They almost looked at me like I was silly for washing my hair once a week. hahah... It really makes me want to educate people on the difference between what's TRUE and what's simply MYTH about hair. Even my mom and sister believe such black hair myths. They FIRMLY believe it too, and look @ me like I'm crazy when I tell them otherwise. They even said that if their scalp is itching, then that means it's growing. Now, I don't believe this, but maybe they're right. I don't know. Is that true? Itchy scalp=growing hair? I just thought it meant that your scalp/hair was dirty and needed to be washed. LOL*

All I know is that even if washing my hair once a week doesn't promote hair growth per se, I know that just for HYGIENIC reasons, I would definitely want to wash my hair at least once a week. I know some women (like myself BEFORE I read books on AA hair care) who only wash their hair once a month, or maybe once every time they get their hair done or relaxed at the hair salon. But if you think about it, would you only take a a bath or a shower ONCE a month?? OMG!! That would be sooo gross!! So, why give your hair any LESS consideration?

Hahah..thanks for your input ladies. I just wanted to make sure that maybe she wasn't actually hitting on some "newfound" truth about black hair.

 

[dreemssold]

The only logical connotation I can think of is that maybe she is referring to the hair's oils? A dirty scalp is never a good idea, imo, though. If we shampoo washed everyday, I wonder if our hair would grow, becuase we'd be stripping it of any oils and not adding moisture. On the other hand, a conditioner wash a day is fine. Never mind...I just saw that she was referring to you washing weekly. I don't get it--most stylists promote weekly washing for our hair...even the ones who think 2-3 times a week is excessive .

 

[Honi]

So what is your head a potted plant???? Throw some dirt on it and it will grow?

How old is this stylist anyway? This sounds like old school thinking.

 

[Poohbear]

Is that true? Itchy scalp=growing hair? I just thought it meant that your scalp/hair was dirty and needed to be washed. LOL*

I've heard this myth as well and have thought about whether this one is true or not too. When your skin itches, something is irritating it to cause it to itch. So I guess growing hair can irritate the scalp but also accumulation of dirt, particles, buildup, etc. can cause itching too so who knows.

But if you think about it, would you only take a a bath or a shower ONCE a month?? OMG!! That would be sooo gross!! So, why give your hair any LESS consideration?

I think it's totally different when it comes to the amount of times you wash your hair and your body. Of course, you should shower/bath daily, brush your teeth daily, etc. but I think it's different with hair. Washing your hair once a month isn't like washing your body once a month. Hair doesn't get as funky quickly as your body does!

 

[Enchantmt]

The only time frequent washings would be bad would be if you arent using proper products or techniques. If the shampoo you use is too harsh then you will have problems. Just make sure you use something for dry hair and watch the ingredients.

 

[Boadicea]

I think it sounds ridiculous. Of course, if you're healthy, your hair will grow whether you wash it or not but the rate may not be the same. With a dirty scalp, the hair has to push past all of the layers of oil and dirt and product build-up that's been sitting there for a long time.

With regards to stripping away your natural oil, your scalp produces that daily and you should moisturize your hair at least a little bit anyway, so I don't see how it's something to really get worried about when considering washing daily. Some stylist talk about it as if it's irreparable. You don't have to rely on just sebum for healthy, moisturized hair..

 

[DDTexlaxed]

Omg, what's next? A stylist will say... if u don't come to me more often, your hair will fall out.....lol! inocchio

 

[angelk316]

Ive been washing my hair 2 times a week for a month and my hair has not grown. I am going back to washing bi weekly

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

I don't know what hte *filth flarn filth* that stylist was talking about. A clean scalp encourages growth. A dirth scalp hinders it. Whoever heard of a "needing dirt to grow hair"

I agree.

 

[AngelicRose07]

i bet if you were going to her salon once a weke to pay her for a wash she wou;dnt be complaining. hell, shed probably try to encourage you to wash 2x a week!

 

[MizAvalon]

Hearing things like this makes me sad. It's a shame that a licensed professional doesn't know better.

 

[carletta]

So what is your head a potted plant???? Throw some dirt on it and it will grow?

How old is this stylist anyway? This sounds like old school thinking.

 

[Chinagem]

Maybe she heard somebody say something about having squeaky clean hair hinders growth but maybe the person that was saying it was talking about it in reference to natural oils being stripped away. Maybe she didn't listen to the entire conversation and so she interpreted a different way and now she's very very mixed up. I hope she doesn't really feel this way because I feel bad for her clients if this is the true case.

 

[CLASSYEBONYGIRL]

I guess my mother doesn't know better then. She is not a stylist but she would always say to me whenever she sees me washing my hair "you wash your hair too often how do you expect it to grow." Well, I have to wash my hair weekly because after a week my hair starts to itch. My mother doesn't wash her hair on a regular basis but she does have a nice head of hair .

 

[ChasingBliss]

Sounds to me like just another stylist bs line to keep your hair jacked up so you can keep on coming to them....puleeze .

 

[Stormy]

Oh my! She definitely sounds old school. I mean REAL old school. I remember when I was younger, my mother used to only wash her hair once a month saying the same thing. Silly myths!

 

[MAHOGNEY329]

Can someone please tell me about working out. When I work out, I don't have any choice but to go home and wash my hair. Last week I worked out every day, do you think washing my hair after strenious work outs is damaging.


BY THE WAY ONLY....................USING CREME OF NATURE SHAMPOO AND MOSTIRIZER


THANKS IN ADVANCE


PS. THE CONDITION WASH DOES NOT WORK FOR ME.

 

[songbyrd517]

Wow... I haven't heard that one in a long time . I hate that some people still think like that . They don't realize that it's not the washing in and of itself, but using too harsh of a shampoo, not conditioning properly with good conditioner, and handling the hair badly that causes problems. The hair will still grow under these conditions, however, but it will be breaking just about as fast as it is growing, which we all know is not good . Hair does grow regardless, but it has to fight the push past a bunch of nasty dirt and buildup, thus growing slower. Maybe dirty hair seems to grow faster because it is manipulated much less, and therefore, retains length?

 

[BAILEYSCREAM]

This is what one of the stylists at a beauty salon said to me about a week ago. We were talking about hair care and I mentioned how I wash my hair every week, and she said something like: "well you know, if your hair is too clean, then it can't grow. You need some dirt on your scalp for the hair to grow".

Now, this didn't sound right to me, and I know that I have ALWAYS read in hair care books that it is preferable to wash your hair once every week. I'm not a daily washer by any means, but I feel like I'm doing GOOD things for my hair when I wash my hair once a week (sometimes 2x a week with CO washes). But what the stylist said got me to thinking. Is she right?? Is TOO much washing of your hair a BAD thing?? How much is washing your hair TOO much?
Is what she's telling me just another "myth" about black people's hair?

Keeping the scalp clean is essential to healthy hair growth in my opinion. How can dirt and pollution aid in hair growth?

I know someone who wears phony ponies most of the time. I had to relax her hair and she had the biggest dandruff flakes I had ever seen. She washes her hair about once a month. I told her that she needs to start washing here hair weekly. For the past month she has been washing her hair weekly and giving her scalp a good scrub with her fingers like I showed her and she no longer has those dandruff flakes on her scalp.

As far as I'm concerned washing the hair often eg once to twice a week or at least every two weeks as well as conditioning is the best thing you can do for your hair and scalp.

 

[songbyrd517]

Can someone please tell me about working out. When I work out, I don't have any choice but to go home and wash my hair. Last week I worked out every day, do you think washing my hair after strenious work outs is damaging.


BY THE WAY ONLY....................USING CREME OF NATURE SHAMPOO AND MOSTIRIZER


THANKS IN ADVANCE


PS. THE CONDITION WASH DOES NOT WORK FOR ME.

Hi Mahogney . How about just rinsing your hair with warm water in the shower, the after you get out and dry off, apply your leave in or a little of your regular conditioner watered down, then your moisturizer. It will cut down on using so much shampoo, which can be drying, and your hair will feel really soft too Also, try adding your favorite oil to your moisturizer .

 

[BAILEYSCREAM]

Can someone please tell me about working out. When I work out, I don't have any choice but to go home and wash my hair. Last week I worked out every day, do you think washing my hair after strenious work outs is damaging.


BY THE WAY ONLY....................USING CREME OF NATURE SHAMPOO AND MOSTIRIZER


THANKS IN ADVANCE


PS. THE CONDITION WASH DOES NOT WORK FOR ME.

I think it's a good idea to wash the sweat out of your hair after working out. the sweat can dry your hair out as I found out last week after working out at the gym and not washing or even rinsing my hair afterwards until 2 days later.

I personally will be shampooing my hair and conditioning after every workout

 

[Neroli]

Hi Mahogney . How about just rinsing your hair with warm water in the shower, the after you get out and dry off, apply your leave in or a little of your regular conditioner watered down, then your moisturizer. It will cut down on using so much shampoo, which can be drying, and your hair will feel really soft too Also, try adding your favorite oil to your moisturizer .

I agree with just rinsing rather than lathering up every day. After all, your hair is not really "dirty" after a workout, just sweaty and only need to rinse off that sweat.

 

[Mariaat40]

Can someone please tell me about working out. When I work out, I don't have any choice but to go home and wash my hair. Last week I worked out every day, do you think washing my hair after strenious work outs is damaging.


BY THE WAY ONLY....................USING CREME OF NATURE SHAMPOO AND MOSTIRIZER


THANKS IN ADVANCE


PS. THE CONDITION WASH DOES NOT WORK FOR ME.

I work out pretty vigorously 5 times a week. I conditioner wash after 4 of those workouts and use shampoo the fifth time. Like someone else said, the salt in your sweat is not good for your hair. But if the conditioner washes aren't working then rinsing your hair is a great idea. And regarding dirty hair growing faster, my hair has grown from the middle of my neck to brastrap. At first I heard the same thing, "All that washing isn't good for your hair!" Now my hair speaks for itself.