How I quit washing my hair every day.
This was a WHOLE thing.
And since I always bring you riveting content, I thought this might be a good day to leave you on the edge of your seat with anticipation for my deepest, darkest secrets. I no longer wash my hair every day. In fact, I only wash it once or twice a week. Gross, right? Hardly. My hair has never been healthier .. while I’m going blonde! It’s holding a curl like a badass.
Ew, but why? Turns out, my color last longer and my hair is healthier the less I shampoo. This is especially important to take care of my hair as I’m lightening to blonde from such a dark color. Now, I use the expensive salon shampoo and one bottle has lasted me nearly 6 months! Turns out, when I’m not using it every day, it lasts longer.
I have always washed my hair Every. Single. Day. I was the girl who had to start with wet hair in order to properly style it. When I was working out at the gym during the work day, it meant I was washing and drying my hair twice a day. I thought my hair couldn’t hold a curl. If I didn’t “do” my hair, it was under a ball cap, which wasn’t suitable for business casual workplaces. So, that meant shampoo, conditioner, and blow drying my hair every day.
Here’s what I held to be true:
My hair couldn’t hold a curl.
My fine hair was limp, lifeless and dull.
I couldn’t fix those weird morning lumps in my hair unless I started with wet hair.
The thing is … that’s all true of day one hair. Now, though, the first day I wash my hair, it’s so slippery and not my favorite at all. It’s clean and it feels amazing, but Day 2 or 3 is my jam. Wanna know how I got here? Quarantine actually helped. I wasn’t going anywhere, so who cares if my hair looked gross? I was working out again, but if I got sweaty and just let my hair dry again, it wasn’t terrible. So here are the steps I took …
I stopped washing my hair for about a week straight. It. Was. Disgusting.
I tried every single dry shampoo I could find.
I was patient. I’m never patient. I kept trying. I always do this.
What I learned… Hair needs to detox. It needs to settle in. So the not washing part was so nasty in the beginning, but each week, I could go a little bit longer than the week before. All in all, I think it took about a month for my hair to get where it is now. I wash my hair every 4 to 5 days, use a really good conditioner and I found a GREAT dry shampoo. A little bit goes a long way. Using it every day is too much for my hair. It tends to be on the dry side, so I use a leave in conditioner in between washes. I rinse every other day or so when product build up gets to be too much. While I try to avoid blow drying as much as possible, shampooing every day proved to be more drying than my blow dryer.
So here are my tips for you on how to stop washing your hair every day:
STOP washing your hair every day. Try 3 to 5 days the first time. Try 4 to 7 days the next time.
Buy some hats. Wear some scarves. Pull your hair back in a pony tail. It’ll get you through just one more day.
Try many, many different types of Dry Shampoo. Get the small sample bottles when possible. You won’t love most of them.
Find out what type of hair you have. Do you need dry shampoo and dry conditioner? Do you need to add moisture?
Don’t give up. Each week gets better. When it gets too gross - wash it or just rinse and try again.
Even if you have board straight hair like me - get a straightener. Lumps be gone!
Ready to take the plunge? Keep me posted! Can’t wait to hear all about it! Sharing a few of my favorite products below to help you along your way.
R+Co Death Valley - My all-time favorite Dry Shampoo. Do yourself a favor and start with this one first. Use a little and not every day.
Redken Color Extend Blondage - This is the best purple shampoo I’ve found so far. It’s great for my fine hair, not too drying and the conditioner is amazing, too.
Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray - I use this now on day one hair and it gives me some more control of super clean hair.
