what is the real reason?

[Connie]

This is an interesting take on the topic; especially since many Black women still use harsh chemicals and grease to do their hair, so please excuse me for being retarded, but I don't get your point.
Are you saying segregation is the vehicle to which we owe thanks for better hair care practices among black women??
Again, sorry to be so slow

I was only saying desegregation allowed black and white/others to attend same school and use same products leading to the use of products that are not as harsh, most of your black products are coming from korea and you don't what if they follow the practice of balancing the P.H. How many of you still use GREASE(petroleum Jelly) to close off the pores of your scalp, slick down your hair?

I still use a very light grease and would LOVE to hear about alternatives to keep my scalp from being dry.

My Momma, being forever old-school, still uses PJ.

 

[NYAmicas]

I used to Co-Wash almost daily when my hair was shorter but that just aint happening now.
I dont wash as often because my hair post wash is something to be reckoned with and it's very timely for me to straighten it or find some other style. Plus I really dont like manipulating and dealing with my wet, ultra-tangly hair.

 

[Mahalialee4]

Because so many black women feel the need to 'adapt white hairstyles' that can only be achieved with 'straight' looking hair. They are willing to make the sacrifice of cleanliness and add artificial moisture to achieve and maintain those looks. They also resort to "odor ' coverups to hide the odors that may arise form not washing their hair and scalps on a reasonable schedule. Other wise, we would have to conclude that Black women do not care as much about the cleanliness of their scalps as women of other cultures or are just doing what they learned to do because they do not know any better.

 

[foxieroxienyc]

Because so many black women feel the need to 'adapt white hairstyles' that can only be achieved with 'straight' looking hair. They are willing to make the sacrifice of cleanliness and add artificial moisture to achieve and maintain those looks. They also resort to "odor ' coverups to hide the odors that may arise form not washing their hair and scalps on a reasonable schedule. Other wise, we would have to conclude that Black women do not care as much about the cleanliness of their scalps as women of other cultures or are just doing what they learned to do because they do not know any better.

I totally agree with this!

And as someone else had mentioned earlier, because of the structure of most other race's hair (particularly those in teh 1's catagory) the oils from the scalp travel down their hair shaft a heck of a lot easier which is why they NEED to wash their hair daily because otherwise it gets really oily - or at most a lot of my white friends resort to every other day/every 2 days because THEY TOO say they cannot be bothered... We've all got issues and hurdles when it comes to hair lol.

 

[loulou82]

I still use a very light grease and would LOVE to hear about alternatives to keep my scalp from being dry.

My Momma, being forever old-school, still uses PJ.

How about natural oils like Sweet Almond Oil or Jojoba Oil (which is very similar properties to the the serum product by the body). I know that Oyin Homemade has a Burnt Sugar Pomade that bills itself as a "natural" grease. HairVeda.net also has a "grease" but uses natural products like almond butter and oil.

 

[Ms Lala]

I end up w/knots and tangles when I wash and go often and I'm not about to put that much heat on my hair each week. Not to mention it takes atleast 3 hours for me to wash, dry, and style my hair. Shrunken puffs I can do quickly but my hair ends up w/a ton of knots when I wear it often.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I think a lot of us don't wash our hair as often out of habit. You know back in the days of mama'nem it use to be told that you couldn't wash your hair and go right outside because you would get sick and catch a death of cold. You also were told not to wash your hair and go to bed with wet hair or you would catch a death of cold. Then there was the proclamation that you couldn't wash your hair around TOM because, again, you would catch a death of cold. So hair washing became a strategic time investment. But then, like you said, styling our hair, whether natural or relaxed or even texlaxed, can be very time consuming because our hair is naturally so dry that we have to add so much to it, just to get it back on an even playing field so that we can begin to style it. Plus you have to consider that as black women, we have often been robbed of the time that we need to take care of ourselves. For generations we have been raising kids on our own, both our own kids and other peoples, we have had to work full time, we have been active in church, we have been the cooks for our families and extended families. We just haven't had time to fit in washing our hair everyday.

 

[Mahalialee4]

I think a lot of us don't wash our hair as often out of habit. You know back in the days of mama'nem it use to be told that you couldn't wash your hair and go right outside because you would get sick and catch a death of cold. You also were told not to wash your hair and go to bed with wet hair or you would catch a death of cold. Then there was the proclamation that you couldn't wash your hair around TOM because, again, you would catch a death of cold. So hair washing became a strategic time investment. But then, like you said, styling our hair, whether natural or relaxed or even texlaxed, can be very time consuming because our hair is naturally so dry that we have to add so much to it, just to get it back on an even playing field so that we can begin to style it. Plus you have to consider that as black women, we have often been robbed of the time that we need to take care of ourselves. For generations we have been raising kids on our own, both our own kids and other peoples, we have had to work full time, we have been active in church, we have been the cooks for our families and extended families. We just haven't had time to fit in washing our hair everyday.

Considering what you said about the "You'll catch your death of cold..." Girl that is the truth, they still say that!...I think it taught us to be AFRAID OF OUR HAIR, and at the same time a Slave to our hair and Obsessive Compulsive about our hair. bonjour

 

[MysteryMe]

I honestly didn't know that it was possible to wash my hair everyday. Just like alot of you mentioned, I was always told that we couldn't do that. When I was natural, I tried to wash my hair atleast every three days. Now that I'm relaxed, I've cowashed daily, every two days and so on (with a braidout, wet bun or single braid). I can't honestly say that I've noticed any negative changes in my hair with cowashing or spanning my washing out more.

 

[divya]

I wash my hair every day or every other day. Some of us do wash our hair often. Even when I used to texlax/texturize, I washed my hair the next day.

Because so many black women feel the need to 'adapt white hairstyles' that can only be achieved with 'straight' looking hair. They are willing to make the sacrifice of cleanliness and add artificial moisture to achieve and maintain those looks. They also resort to "odor ' coverups to hide the odors that may arise form not washing their hair and scalps on a reasonable schedule. Other wise, we would have to conclude that Black women do not care as much about the cleanliness of their scalps as women of other cultures or are just doing what they learned to do because they do not know any better.

Well said...

 

[MizAvalon]

Well, I CW every day and then just put it into a boring bun. But even before I started CW I only washed my hair once a week or every 2 weeks because washing my hair is a process. For me there is no shampoo, let it air dry, and go.

I'd be in heaven if i could just wash it and it dried perfectly nice without having to manipulate it in any way.

 

[MizAvalon]

Exactly!!! ITA

I have fine hair too, but washing daily doesn't mean that I detangle daily, b/c I don't, I just like how my hair feels after cowashing.

Same here. I CW daily but I only detangle once a week.

 

[hairmaster]

It can be done once a day, week, and still have hair grow, If you take the time to learn how to do it.

 

[january noir]

I used to get my hair done 1x a week by a professional hairstylist.

When I started doing my own hair when I joined LHCF, I washed 2-3x a week. Now, after many setbacks and gaining more knowledge about my hair and the products that work for me, I wash/rinse everyday. I am relaxed; but more on the texlaxed side because I have fine/thin hair naturally, this method helps keep my hair from being stressed, but flexible enough to wear straight styles if I choose.

Washing/rinsing everyday requires me to wear protective styles and I don't mind at all. When I go to work or out , I've learned to create styles that are work-appropriate and pretty. I use pins and clips (no ponytail holders) to create my updos and faux-ponytails.

When I go back to my stylist for touch-ups are the times when I get my hair blowed, flatironed or curled. That takes place every othe month.

There are many reasons why "we" don't wash our hair. The reason ignorance (self-inflicted or inflicted by others), choice, lifestyle and incovenience. The Hairmaster does raise interesting points.

When anyone brings this subject up around me, I say (especially since I know better), some people wash their hair everyday and some people don't, just like other races. It's a personal choice for the most part.

 

[KAT25]

Well for like the first 3 weeks after the perm I wash maybe twice a week because I want my perm to last and after that I am washing every day or every other day, I love for my hair to smell clean and fresh and before the only reason that I didn't wash my hair was just basically out of laziness and plus I was using heat everyday and I didn't want to have to dry then curl everyday just curling was enough for me.

 

[ebonylocs]

I used to Co-Wash almost daily when my hair was shorter but that just aint happening now.
I dont wash as often because my hair post wash is something to be reckoned with and it's very timely for me to straighten it or find some other style. Plus I really dont like manipulating and dealing with my wet, ultra-tangly hair.

That's me too. After a wash my BSL, 4b, relaxed with lots of new growth hair is a tangly hell to deal with. I lose a lot of hair trying to detangle. So i've decided to try to go 2 weeks if I can, rather than once / twice a week.

OP, our hair is different. It's drier, more porous, more fragile and more prone to tangling. So it can get dried out easily. And it doesn't get as oily asthe hair of other races. I too have had the experience of a white friend telling me that her hair gets oily if she didn't wash everyday, and thinking she was exaggerating, until one day I asked her if she had gotten caught in the rain (because her hair looked damp and slicked down) - but it was because it was oily from not being washed that day. !!! I could not wash my hair for a year, and if I added no product to it, it would not get oily. It would probably get dry!! (My scalp of course would be a yucky mess)

 

[AfroKink]

I cant speak for other women, but I really thought it dried your hair out. Also if our strong, yet fragile hair can break with the smallest thing(hence look at ALL the things we have to do to retain length), then shampooing everyday with harsh shampoo, can do some damage. I think! Our hair is just different, no apologies here!

However, I think whites, and Asians probably wash everyday because...well they have to. Yes they have natural oils that help them grow out their hair, but those same oils have a tendency to build up real quick. One night a friend of mine (white) invited me over to her house, but warned me that her hair was greasy because she hadn't washed it that day. I just laughed it off thinking she was exaggerating. Turns out she wasn't. Her hair was really greasy! She had only missed one day of washing and her hair looked like she'd gone a week without washing. I can wash my hair tonight, and if I don't use a lot of products or curl it, I can still smell the shampoo tomorrow. They can't do that.

I totally agree with this!

And as someone else had mentioned earlier, because of the structure of most other race's hair (particularly those in teh 1's catagory) the oils from the scalp travel down their hair shaft a heck of a lot easier which is why they NEED to wash their hair daily because otherwise it gets really oily - or at most a lot of my white friends resort to every other day/every 2 days because THEY TOO say they cannot be bothered... We've all got issues and hurdles when it comes to hair lol.

Black women do not wash their hair every day because they don't need to, and sometimes shouldn't. With the structure of our hair, the natural oils that comes out of our scalp does not make its way all the way down the hair shaft. This is part of the reason that many of us have naturally drier hair. Washing our hair everyday removes the little natural oils that we do have. We need to add moisture not take it away.

Sulphates found in shampoos strip away the natural (and added) oils, leaving the hair dried out. Something we are not trying to achieve. Sulphates are irritants and actually have a greater drying effect on the skin of people of African decent in comparison to those of European decent. So you have natural oils that are not making there way down the shaft, then you put sulphates on your scalp which will irritate the skin and dry it our, further interfering with its ability to produce its natural oil, which ends up starving the hair! This is probably why people's scalp gets itchy and dry and we think we need grease to moisturize the scalp.

This chain can be broken by cutting out the sulphate shampoos. Many of the black women I see here that wash daily or every other day use sulphate-free shampoos or do conditioner washes. Some of them then use shampoo once in a while.

So really, why would a black woman use shampoo every day? Why strip of natural oils only to go and compensate with other moisturizers? Why not just clean the scalp (without sulphates) regularly and conserve the oils that are on the hair shaft, and do an all out wash less frequently?

People of European and Asian decent need to wash their hair more often. The sebum that their scalp produces does make it down the shaft and will cause it to be greasy. The irritating and drying effects of sulphates are less severe on their skin so they don't feel the negative effects that those of African decent would. Notice how they never got with the greasing of the scalp thing? The sulphates aren't drying out their scalp like it does ours. Commercial hair products, and most products really, are tested on white people. They are scientifically formulated to be "okay" for their hair and scalp. Sulphates have gotten the "okay" to be in shampoos because they generally don't bother white people's head. This is a problem because they and their skin and hair do not represent those of other races and ethnicities. We need to get away from a "one size fits all" attitude to hair and skin care.

I would have told my coworkers that^

Lys

 

[Inches411]

Black women do not wash their hair every day because they don't need to, and sometimes shouldn't. With the structure of our hair, the natural oils that comes out of our scalp does not make its way all the way down the hair shaft. This is part of the reason that many of us have naturally drier hair. Washing our hair everyday removes the little natural oils that we do have. We need to add moisture not take it away.

Sulphates found in shampoos strip away the natural (and added) oils, leaving the hair dried out. Something we are not trying to achieve. Sulphates are irritants and actually have a greater drying effect on the skin of people of African decent in comparison to those of European decent. So you have natural oils that are not making there way down the shaft, then you put sulphates on your scalp which will irritate the skin and dry it our, further interfering with its ability to produce its natural oil, which ends up starving the hair! This is probably why people's scalp gets itchy and dry and we think we need grease to moisturize the scalp.

This chain can be broken by cutting out the sulphate shampoos. Many of the black women I see here that wash daily or every other day use sulphate-free shampoos or do conditioner washes. Some of them then use shampoo once in a while.

So really, why would a black woman use shampoo every day? Why strip of natural oils only to go and compensate with other moisturizers? Why not just clean the scalp (without sulphates) regularly and conserve the oils that are on the hair shaft, and do an all out wash less frequently?

People of European and Asian decent need to wash their hair more often. The sebum that their scalp produces does make it down the shaft and will cause it to be greasy. The irritating and drying effects of sulphates are less severe on their skin so they don't feel the negative effects that those of African decent would. Notice how they never got with the greasing of the scalp thing? The sulphates aren't drying out their scalp like it does ours. Commercial hair products, and most products really, are tested on white people. They are scientifically formulated to be "okay" for their hair and scalp. Sulphates have gotten the "okay" to be in shampoos because they generally don't bother white people's head. This is a problem because they and their skin and hair do not represent those of other races and ethnicities. We need to get away from a "one size fits all" attitude to hair and skin care.

I would have told my coworkers that^

Lys

great post... but i asked this question miloions of times and no one has answered me i think... if other hair textures scalp oil easily passes along the hair shaft adn ours doesnt... why do we still have dry scalp? a bit off topic but i need an answer lol

 

[AfroKink]

great post... but i asked this question miloions of times and no one has answered me i think... if other hair textures scalp oil easily passes along the hair shaft adn ours doesnt... why do we still have dry scalp? a bit off topic but i need an answer lol

I don't know exactly, but I think it's due to the drying and irritatint effects of sulphates on the skin.

Lys

 

[AfroKink]

I don't know exactly, but I think it's due to the drying and irritatint effects of sulphates on the skin.

Lys

From Chemical Safe Skincare Campaign

Frizzy hair is now being blamed on cheap foaming agent, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, found in many regular shampoo and conditioners.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES/SLS) is added to shampoos and conditioners to foam the product and help cleanse the hair and scalp. SLS has long been recognised as having a drying effect on the skin leaving skin feeling tight, itchy and dry after rinsing. In shampoos, this can result in itchy scalp, unsightly flaking and even increased frizz of the hair due to the harsh nature of SLS.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is also used in shaving creams, shower gels, bubble baths and even household cleaning products due to their highly effective cleansing properties. Many believe their cleansing properties are overly harsh and can aggravate sensitive skin, eczema and dermatitis conditions leaving them dry and itchy.

So to reduce frizz and irritation of your skin and scalp search out shampoos and conditioners, which are free from Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES/SLS).

 

[dicapr]

great post... but i asked this question miloions of times and no one has answered me i think... if other hair textures scalp oil easily passes along the hair shaft adn ours doesnt... why do we still have dry scalp? a bit off topic but i need an answer lol

I think it is all the stuff we put on our scalp because it is "dry". When I stopped oiling my scalp I found that after a few days my scalp had a slightly oiled feeling to it. I just CW on the regular basis and I no longer have dryness issues with my scalp. I think we train our hair to not produce the oils it needs by constantly adding extra oils.

 

[destiny616]

great post... but i asked this question miloions of times and no one has answered me i think... if other hair textures scalp oil easily passes along the hair shaft adn ours doesnt... why do we still have dry scalp? a bit off topic but i need an answer lol

not all black people have dry scalp. i have a naturally oily scalp and so does my daughter. if some people stop adding things to their scalp and give their scalp a chance to produce its own oil they may find that they do not have dry scalp.

 

[dicapr]

not all black people have dry scalp. i have a naturally oily scalp and so does my daughter. if some people stop adding things to their scalp and give their scalp a chance to produce its own oil they may find that they do not have dry scalp.

I agree! My scalp can become oily now without adding something to it. Before I stopped oiling and greasing I always had dry, itchy scalp. Now I just let it do its thing and no more dry scalp. Now trying to explain that to my mother is a whole other story!

 

[Ms Lala]

I don't know exactly, but I think it's due to the drying and irritatint effects of sulphates on the skin.

Lys

I agree w/this. I stopped using poos w/SLS and now I don't put ANYTHING on my scalp and it is not dry. This has also gotten rid of my dandruff.

 

[sunshinebeautiful]

not all black people have dry scalp. i have a naturally oily scalp and so does my daughter. if some people stop adding things to their scalp and give their scalp a chance to produce its own oil they may find that they do not have dry scalp.

I don't have dry scalp at all. I stopped using grease, oils, and all that stuff on my scalp like 7 years ago. No adverse effects whatsoever. So I've come to the conclusion it was by habit - and what I've always been taught - and I was wasting my money on grease to oil my scalp all of those years.

 

[BillsBackerz67]

A lot of white girls I know wash their hair no more than 3 times a week.

 

[divya]

This is an interesting take on the topic; especially since many Black women still use harsh chemicals and grease to do their hair, so please excuse me for being retarded, but I don't get your point.
Are you saying segregation is the vehicle to which we owe thanks for better hair care practices among black women??
Again, sorry to be so slow

I was only saying desegregation allowed black and white/others to attend
same school and use same products leading to the use of products that are not as harsh, most of your black products are coming from korea and you don't what if they follow the practice of balancing the P.H. How many of you still use GREASE(petroleum Jelly) to close off the pores of your scalp, slick down your hair?

It's about using grease correctly. As some have pointed out here, it can be use to seal the moisture into your hair. I learned my hair care techniques from my mother who isn't from the U.S. (so not desegregation issues), and when I was small, my hair was virtually waistlength.

 

[MD_Lady]

that we dont wash our hair that often.. today at work the topic of hair came up and it was three blacks girls and one indian girls.. and the black girls were talking about their getting their relaxers done and the indian girl asked what does our hair look like naturally and i was like curly kinky wat have you and she asked why dont we wear it like that and then the other black girl said because its kinky and the indian girl said why dont you braid it.. and no one said anything. this topic all arised from the indian saying that she got a perm before and seh washed her hair a day later.. and another black girl said oh i heard ur not suppose to wash you hair after you get a perm( i thinks he was referring getting her hair curly) anyway the indian girl was like why wouldnt u wash it. what happens when you sweat thats digusting.. and then she pointed to the other girl who works out and she look at her she works out all the time what is she suppose to do and she basically said i dont wash it and i started laughing purposely because i didnt want to hear it arise to anything else cause this topic kinda bothers me. So im saying all this to say.. whats the real reason that some of us... dont wash our hair that often...as other hair textures.. is it because of the whole dry hair think... i doubt it cause many cowash...and that seems to work for them.. and just like when we take a shower if we have dry skin u put moisture back in afterwards...so i was wondering why cant i do that with my hair.. i know many of you will say you can but personally i feel it would be nice to be able to wash and style my hair within an hour instead of the whole long process of three hours or longer and to always be limited to protective styles annoys me sometimes..i would wash my hair everyday if styling wasnt such a big problem. My hair does not look the same if i just wash it and dry it. i have to do something to it... its not wash and go capable... and this goes for both relax and natural b/c i know some naturals dont even wash everyday either. so whats ur reason?

On a side note- I've always found it to be interesting when people of other races flipped out about (most) blacks not washing their hair daily, but don't say word one about the people who don't clean their bodies properly (and not washing hands after using the restroom is not the only item on this list), but who knew...

I don't wash my hair daily because it's too dry and fragile for all that handling. Because omitting heat isn't an option for me, I put water on my hair any more than twice a week (washing and co-washing).

 

[MD_Lady]

A lot of white girls I know wash their hair no more than 3 times a week.

Exactly. Unless someone has a super oily scalp, their hair really won't get "disgusting" if they don't wash it everyday (nevermind the fact that blacks aren't the only ones whose hair will get dry if they wash too frequently).

 

[lovedone_24]

I can't really understand where this girl was coming from. It takes only the eye to see that our hair does not have the same luster/texture as her own and I would think the assumption would be that maybe our hair is drier. Now I will say that I am done with the days of going 3 weeks without washing my hair. I grew up around black women who found no problem with that. I got tired of the smell, the oiliness, the breakouts. My hair can take a weekly wash/deep conditioning. If only I could find a decent moisturizer I'd be set.