Strange question for those who exercise... how often do you wash your hair?

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I know this is a strange question, but I'm looking for some advice. I workout regularly since I started my weight loss journey and wash my hair after each workout. (Almost once a day or every second day).
I've realized over the last week that my hair is getting very oily/greasy, which is most likely from washing it too much. Do you wash your hair after each workout? I don't really like the idea of walking around with sweaty hair, so how do you get around washing your hair too much if you work out regularly?
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  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    For starters, I'm not drenched in sweat after every workout. And you probably shouldn't be, either, although I'll admit I could be wrong depending on your goals and current fitness level.

    I shower ever morning before I leave the house. Condition my hair every morning. Shampoo it maybe twice a week. A lot of people have been finding that if you shampoo your hair too frequently, you'll strip the oils away and your body will go into overdrive making more and more oil to compensate. If you don't shampoo it quite as often your body doesn't make nearly so much.

    Also I shower after some workouts, as needed, and before sex. If I go out and run 5 k, I'll need a shower; if I walk, I won't. Hill repeats on the bike require a shower, but an errands ride at a moderate pace where I don't work up a sweat doesn't require one.

    Moderate paced exercise burns calories, and does more to improve cardiovascular fitness than something like HIIT for most people.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
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    Different hair types require different shampoo needs. I'm very curly and I recently colored my hair so I only wash once a week or so. Anything more and I have a dry frizzy mop on my head.
  • Linseymout
    Linseymout Posts: 159 Member
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    I know it's bad for my hair but I wash it after every workout. So being once sometimes twice a day!
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
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    I wash my hair pretty much every day, unless it's a weekend and I have nothing going on and can just throw it up in a ponytail with a sweaty band. I tried the "no-poo" thing for three months and my hair never adjusted, it just kept making oil, plus after I worked out my head was stinky. So even if oil weren't an issue I'd still have to wash it after exercise, unless like I said I'm just working around the house or going to my parents'.
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
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    After every sport, so 6 times a week or more. Unlike North I 'glow' buckets, but most of the sports I do are high intensity (quite a few are technically hiits for 2+ hours). I also sweat in anything over 10 deg C though (height of summer NE scotland), so that might also have something to do with it as i now live in sunnier climes *shakes fist at sun* (SE england). I shampoo every time and condition, good conditioners replaces the oils you shampoo out ;) You could always shave your hair off? Works for the husband. ;)
  • Sarah_Shapes_Up
    Sarah_Shapes_Up Posts: 76 Member
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    I shower after every workout, but won't use shampoo. I'll rinse with water and add more conditioner and then style with what ever product I feel like. I tend to keep the product away from my roots to get more washes where I look presentable. I'll wash 1-3 times a week depending on how gross I get or how presentable I have to look.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    I shower after workouts, but either just wet my hair or just condition it to keep it clean.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    Coarse and curly here. I work out once or twice a day, wash hair about twice a week. Sometimes once, sometimes 3x. Usually wash and style twice a week and ponytail in between, sometimes can get a second good hair day out of a wash. It really never seems to stink, just sort of stretches out over the days I don't wash because it's pulled back.

    I think you are right that the overshampooing is overstimulating your scalp and causing the oil.

    Put your hair up when you work out, leave it up when you shower, take it down and see what you have. Maybe it will be fine.

    I ALWAYS have to wash it after beach or pool, but sweat just seems to dry and leave no trace. I'll note that my hair is extremely resistant though, it isn't really getting wet to the core, the water just sort of stays on the outside of the hairs.
  • Sara1791
    Sara1791 Posts: 760 Member
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    I rinse with water after every workout, wash about 3 times a week.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    I tried stretching washes to twice a week and ended up with a scalp fungus (similar to ringworm). It's just too humid where I live, I guess. Now I try to wash Mon, wed, Fri after my morning workout. I also do evening workout mon-thur and morning only fri-sun and sweat at each and every one. On weekdays that I don't shampoo, I might rinse the hairline or roots with hair bunned and then use dry shampoo before styling. Dry shampoo helps with the oil. Of course, sometimes I still have to do a full wash more often because I'm just too sweaty!
  • folgers86
    folgers86 Posts: 84 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Fine hair here. I shampoo and condition everyday if I'm going out in public regardless of gym time. Dry shampoo can't touch my hair after a workout (too much sweat) so I shower after the gym and usually plan my day so that I only shampoo my hair once every 24 hours. I usually go to the gym in the evening so a good rinse is all my hair needs, then wash in the morning. If I DO go to the gym in the morning then I'll forgo my morning shower and wait until after the gym and shampoo then.
  • Paiger816
    Paiger816 Posts: 129 Member
    edited October 2016
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    I just shower (and shampoo & condition) every morning. I workout at night but I only get a little damp with sweat. I just eat dinner and go to bed.

    One problem I had for awhile was feeling like I had gunk in my hair near the crown, even right after I shampooed. It wasn't grease, it was build up from shampoo, hairspray, etc. I use normal shampoo 6 days a week, and then use a "Clarifying Shampoo" once a week. It strips all the grease and build up out of my hair. You just don't want to use it every day or it will dry your hair out.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    I shampoo twice a week, but I shower daily. I rinse and condition my hair if it's not a shampoo day.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Thick & curly hair here, so I wash 1x a week or 1x every two weeks depending on how long I can make the style last and how lazy I'm feeling. I hate detangling my hair.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
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    Maybe once every 5-7 days. I just recently started doing this. I just rinse it in between washes.
  • LemeursKind
    LemeursKind Posts: 16 Member
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    owieprone wrote: »
    You could always shave your hair off? Works for the husband. ;)

    :D Hahaha... I thought about it for about half a minute. I actually did shave off my hair once in my early 20's, but back then I could wear just about any style... not so much anymore :(
  • DotBouget
    DotBouget Posts: 3 Member
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    I have curly hair. I sweat a lot but not always drenched. I workout inside my home so it's not like my hair get smelly. I have curly hair and just rinse it with conditioner to remove tangles before fixing it. If you have straight hair invest in dry shampoo.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Curly coarse hair here. I use shampoo once every 7-10 days. On in between days I rinse my hair and run conditioner through it, sometimes scrubbing my scalp and sometimes not.