Odd question-probably overthinking

I shower every day but definitely don't wash my hair every day. My head doesn't smell.

I have oily skin and hair, so sometimes I have to wash it every day, sometimes every other day. I go by whether it needs it.

Unwashed hair doesn't really smell of BO because the same bacteria that cause that smell don't live in your hair. If you've ever been around people who are unable to take showers for a while, it takes a week or more for unwashed hair to smell like much of anything, and when it does, the smell is different from body odor.

If you don't like sweaty hair, though, just rinsing your hair with water won't hurt it. It's the shampoo which strips natural oils, and the drying process can also be bad for it.

It's normal for a few hairs to come out but "chunks" sounds alarming, my hair does not come out in chunks when I wash it.

I have fine hair as well. Every day I run (5-6 days/week), I give my hair one wash with a shampoo/conditioner in one. It takes about a minute. I don't think it makes my hair fall out more than it would otherwise. Every once in a while I give it a good conditioning. I figure it's better for the hair to be clean than covered with salt. Days that I don't run, but do walk/hike I'll usually just rinse it unless I sweat a lot.

I condition my hair daily but only wash a couple of times a week.

Frequent shampooing might cause dryness but not hair loss. If it's falling out more than normal make sure you're not under eating and that you're hitting your protein and fat goals. If your macros are all good talk to your doctor.

I shampooed daily for decades, I only cut back because it got hard to find shampoos I'm not allergic to and they are pricey. I currently usually just use shampoo twice a week, I use conditioner daily (including scalp). If I get really sweaty I shampoo more often. Anything less than that and I end up with pimples on my scalp. ouch.

I do, but I mostly just do that because I can't stand the idea of having my face touch something that's been coated in all kinds of germs all day long when I go to sleep at night.

ashleep423 wrote: »

Dif I were to shower but just not wash my hair, that my head would smell of BO from letting sweat stay in it.

yeah, probably not. the kind of bacteria that generate b.o. tend to thrive more in warmth and dark places where air doesn't circulate much. so unless you're wearing a batting helmet most of the time, should be fine.

at least as far as i know. i do know that my kid was a fanatical ballplayer up to 18, and while the kid himself was mostly okay to be near even on an extremely hot day, the shock-absorbent padding inside his helmet got a bit awe-inspiring after a while.

I am another one who washes my hair daily. I have fine, thin hair that gets very oily if I don't wash it.

I have heard so much about daily washing being bad for your hair and that it causes an overproduction of oil. So I tried a two month experiment earlier this year...I tried washing it every other day (I still had to rinse it every time I showered though), and every other day my hair loooked like an oil slick. Dry shampoo does not work for me. My hair is very dark brown/almost black and dry shampoo (even the kind that claims not to leave any white residue) gives me "witch hair" (grey and dull looking).

So I am back to daily washing and much happier for it. I don't know why I believed the overproduction of oil theory. It's not like we tell people with oily skin to only wash their face once or twice a week.

Your hair is really damaged? Are you sure it's falling out not breaking?

Just rinse your hair. DONT use shampoo everyday. It will strip your hair of all those good oils. But a rinse and conditioner would be good. Or even use a gentle cleansing/sulfate free shampoo will help.

What I can recommend for you, I've studied a lot about the whole beauty and hygiene aspect. My sister in law is a hair stylist and she gave me advice not to wash everyday which I was doing but to use cold water when you wash your hair and for the days you don't shampoo try just conditioning. Most conditioners have some of the same ingredients for cleansing as shampoo but not as harsh.
I wash my other every other day or every two days it depends. But when I don't wash it I do condition it.

It really depends on your hair/type and sweating. I used to wash my hair every day because it was really oily but then I finally found the right shampoo and now I only wash every other day, sometimes every two days. I always wash it when I use gym equipment that my hair touches (laying down on a bench for example). On non wash days I work out, I let it dry afterwards by loosening it up and I run some Whip it Up mousse through it and any possible smell/flatness is gone. Good to go till the next day when I wash it after my workout.