How often do you wash you hair?

lrobson555

What on earth has this got to do with exercise, you may ask!

I've been counting calories for a while now and have been exercising quite a lot too. I run or cycle 5 or 6 days a week and find that it works really well for me.

Not to gross anyone out, but when I workout I like to get my heart rate nice and high which means I sweat. A lot. When I get home I always take a shower and wash my hair meaning I wash my hair everyday - no one wants sweaty hair.

Anyway, last Saturday I went to the hairdressers for the first time in ages and she asked how often I washed my hair. I told her everyday and she looked horrified!! She said I should only wash it every 2-3 days MAXIMUM and that I should stop washing my hair everyday immediately!!

What on earth is that all about? Is washing my hair everyday really damaging it? Should I be putting up with the sweaty hair? How often do you wash your hair?!

dbah2012

I wash mine a few days a week and use dry shampoo on the other days. If it's a non-wash day, I will just rinse the sweat out of my hair and put some conditioner on the ends.

VioletRojo

It depends on what type of shampoo you use. If you're using a shampoo with sulfates in it, I wouldn't shampoo more than 2 or 3 times a week. Sulfate free shampoos are much more gentle on your hair. I conditioner wash most of the time, and even then I only wash about 4 days per week.

JustMissTracy

Every other day, unless there's something special going on, that requires me to be on top of my game. And I stopped using hair dryers and straighteners a few months ago.

sammyliftsandeats

You are stripping your hair of the natural oils that keep it from drying out if you wash it every day.

Use a dry shampoo.

I wash my hair 2-3x a week, condition the ends on a daily basis and use dry shampoo in between.

Chef_Barbell

I am a curly head and I wash once a week. Any more than that, for me, would be over manipulation and cause dryness.

TavistockToad

I washed mine Saturday and will wash it again tomorrow morning. Dry shampoo yesterday and this morning

AmandaRose919

I only wash mine twice a week. On the high activity, really sweaty days, I just rinse my hair thoroughly in the shower with warm water to get the dirt and salt out of it. I also use coconut oil 1-2 times per month as a deep conditioner.

deluxmary2000

Omg, absolutely every day. Sometimes twice a day. I would be a total greaseball if I skipped a day.

vespiquenn

Sweat is water soluble, so rinsing it should do the trick. I wash mine every other day.

jemhh

I have short (above the chin) curly hair. Once I sleep on it, it gets squashed and I have to get it wet to whip it back into shape. I use shampoo once every 7-10 days. On in between days I use conditioner. Sometimes I use the conditioner to wash it (meaning I do little scrubby motions on my scalp with it) and sometimes I just use it to help it rinse through neatly.

ChubRub93

I wash once a week with shampoo, and twice doing a co-wash (conditioner only). but I'm black so what works for my hair rarely works for nonblack people lol! And vice versa- I still have nightmares about the time my friend tried some weird mayo hair mask thing on me at a sleepover! I've never had a problem with my hair post workout (beyond the halo of babyhair lol) but if greasiness is a factor, my aunt swears by the lush shampoo bars. If sweat is the only concern, I'd just rinse it with cold water (or hot- none of this warm nonsense. Hot water opens the hair follicles and cold water tightens but both have significant benefits over plain warm water) and throw in a light leave in conditioner or hair oil to keep it nice and moisturused. Water will take care of the sweat without drying out your hair like most shampoos do.

SueInAz

dbah2012 wrote: »

I wash mine a few days a week and use dry shampoo on the other days. If it's a non-wash day, I will just rinse the sweat out of my hair and put some conditioner on the ends.

If you color your hair, and I do, it's especially important that you don't wash every day. It really dries out your hair and fades the color more quickly. I run every other day and I wash my hair when I shower after my runs. If I get sweaty enough that I think I need a shower on my non-running days I rinse my head with warm water and condition the ends.

When I was younger I don't know that I could have gotten away with every other day, my hair was very oily. I still can't go more than two days without washing at the age of 50. Dry shampoo is my go to if I feel like my scalp is oily on the day between washings.

lorrpb

That is a general guideline, that's why she said it. Does your hairdresser know your exercise & sweating routine? If not, her comment is meaningless. If she does, she's still nuts! Next time, don't wash your hair for 3 days before you go in to see her! LOL.
PS I have short hair & shampoo daily.

Alidecker

I shampoo daily, my hair is still oily. My hairdresser has never said a word about it. I have tried dry shampoo, still looks like I haven't showered and my hair looks greasy. I sweat a lot, I get that water would get the sweat out, but I also use hairspray...water and hairspray don't look so good

subakwa

Every day. Your hair is dead, it cannot be nourished, moisturised or stripped of anything.

MsAmandaNJ

I wash mine daily, I'm a sweaty beast when I workout. I don't find washing everyday has damaged my hair or scalp.

divcara

I know, I have the same problem!!! I take a HIIT class 3-4 days a week and heavy strength train 2 days a week and I am gross. I used to love dry shampoo to stretch out washing my hair, but that's before I worked out like this and was a sweaty mess. My hairdresser also says my hair is so damaged. I got a really good leave in conditioner, but no I haven't solved what to do about washing my hair every day. I try to just rinse it, but then it is so hard to style.

tcunbeliever

I condition every day, and only wash about once a week...the conditioner gets rid of the sweat, and my hair tends to be dry and brittle anyway, so washing a lot just seems to cause tons of tangles and split ends for me.

quiksylver296

I shampoo on Sunday and Thursday. The rest of the week, I rinse it well in the shower and condition. And I get really sweaty, use hair spray, etc, etc. At first, I could only do every other day, but as my scalp has adjusted I can shampoo less often.

TeaBea

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I shampoo on Sunday and Thursday. The rest of the week, I rinse it well in the shower and condition. And I get really sweaty, use hair spray, etc, etc. At first, I could only do every other day, but as my scalp has adjusted I can shampoo less often.

This^

It's definitely an adjustment process. The first couple times it felt weird. Now it's just normal.

Usually every other day for me, I can go 3 days if I don't use too much hairspray.

sarahkw04

I'm team dry shampoo. I wash my hair 3ish times a week with a sulfate-free shampoo/conditioner (Not Your Mother - Clean Freek is my favorite, along with their dry shampoo).

Honestly, I think my hair looks better on "dirty" days - ha!

jdhcm2006

Once a week or depending on how long I can stretch out a style once every 2 weeks.

BeeerRunner

I wash my hair pretty much every day. If I have a day where I don't need to be in public, I might skip a day. I do have oily skin so if i don't wash it, my hair looks pretty crazy. My hair stylist knows this about me so it could depend on your skin type. If you have dry skin, you probably don't need to wash every day.

Sarahb29

Most shampoo contains sulfates and alcohols which REALLY dry out and damage your hair. It's why they had to make conditioner, because the shampoo does it's job so well it strips out both the good and bad oils from your hair and scalp. And you don't want that!

You can try a low poo shampoo (I use devacurl personally) or a dry shampoo, or just freshen it up and use conditioner only. Some people do no-poo shampoos and create a mix of baking soda/water + an apple cider vinegar/water rinse instead. I did that for a few months or so and enjoyed it, I picked out my own scents and added it to my home made shampoo.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8953/diy-this-baking-soda-shampoo-saved-my-hair.html

peleroja

My hair is long, straight, and dry, so I normally just wash it a couple times a week, rinse near the scalp after I run and leave the length dry (or throw some conditioner in the ends if necessary...sometimes my hair just ends up feeling dryer instead of greasier after a day or two), or just use a little dry shampoo if I didn't sweat much.

Because of my hair's natural texture and my tendency to have dry, brittle hair and nails, dry skin and lips, etc etc, it feels so much better when I don't shampoo too much. I wear it pulled back every day anyway so I don't know i it looks better or worse though...

arditarose

I wash mine twice per week tops. Sometimes only once. I had to work up to that though. My hair is much nicer than when I washed it every day.

I use cocoa powder in my hair during the week when it gets a little oily. It doesn't show the white residue like dry shampoo and doesn't dry out the hair.

mablade18

I am also a curly head, but I wash mine every day. I sweat too much during my morning exercise and I'd just feel gross the rest of the day. My hair is as healthy as it's ever been, but I also use oil in it every day too.

Francl27

Every day after exercising.

MissusMoon

I wash my hair every day. I sweat a lot. That sweat brings all the natural oils from my scalp right back into my hair. I have soft, glorious hair in great shape and I think a lot of people believe silly things about products and hygiene.

You do you.

nowine4me

I shower every day after work out and rinse my hair and put in conditioner. I only use shampoo 2-3x per week.