I have long, curly hair that I shampoo every other day, with Redken products (which have been a godsend). Condition every day (sometimes twice) plus a Nexxus leave in conditioner and LA Looks gel.
Being a girl is expensive. :rolleyes:
I haven’t used shampoo or conditioner in three months. I do the baking soda thing, but I use lemon juice instead of vinegar. Works great! My scalp is healthier, my hair softer and it isn’t as limp and lifeless as it’s always been, and after the first couple weeks, my scalp stopped producing as much oil, so no more greasiness. I also use a detangler to make combing it out a bit easier.
Well, I tried the baking soda this morning, followed by a vinegar rinse (with some rose essential oil added, since I didn’t want to smell like salad dressing). It didn’t dry my hair out like shampoo, but it did get rid of the excess grease. I was really impressed! My hair is quite bouncy and curly and you’d never guess I haven’t used shampoo in over a week now.
I think I’ll be continuing this experiment for a bit longer to see how it goes longterm. Thanks for the advice, everyone!
I have very lightly wavy hair, and I only shampoo about once a week. If I get sweaty or stinky, I’ll rinse it thoroughly but won’t shampoo it. And if I’m feeling mega uber lazy, I actually have been known to wash my hair with the foaming hand soap from Bath & Body Works (works fantastic and leaves my hair smelling great). My hair looks a little dry the day I shampoo it, but otherwise looks nice and shiny.
Thick curly hair as well . . . I have found that John Frieda’s Frizz Ease (particularly the extra strength serum) products are better than Redken, at half the price, and more easily available.
I shampoo regularly, but that’s cause I would get dandruff if I didn’t . . . so maybe every other day? I have a dry scalp, so less frequent shampooing isn’t so much an option for me.
Gestalt
I haven’t used shampoo in my hair for over ten years…
… of course, I haven’t had hair to wash in over ten years…
I figured I’d try this thing out. My question is: will the baking soda bleach dyed hair? After all, people use it for whitening teeth. In other words, does it whiten teeth because of the scrubbing action, or does it actually bleach stuff? I don’t want to ruin my dye job.
I have fine, wavy hair, and a lot of it, and the last time I got my hair cut (trying out a well-reviewed local salon), the stylist told me I was washing it too often, so I’ve been trying to cut back. (I was on an every-other-day washing schedule, conditioning on the off days, and I’m trying to go to twice a week or less. I knew my hair’s condition was eroding, but I was trying to ignore it.) Making sure I rinse it well and massage my scalp or “washcloth brush” it seems to be helping.
I don’t have curly hair, but I do have an issue with washing my hair all the damn time (chalk it up to laziness because washing my hair then requires blow-drying and flat-ironing if it’s going to behave) so I generally only wash mine about every 4/6 days.
When it gets a little greasy I sprinkle baby powder on the roots, flip my head over, and run my fingers through it.
Bam. No more greasiness and my hair looks quite full and healthy.
They make colored hair-powders (“dry shampoo”) for this purpose, which might be worth trying if you have dark hair (baby powder could show up) but if your hair is on the lighter spectrum, I recommend a 99 cent bottle of baby powder to stretch out time between shampoos.
My hair is dyed dark brown with lighter highlights, and I haven’t noticed any bleaching. My hair may have lightened subtly, but that may have more to do with the lemon juice and/or being out in the sun, and it’s probably not noticeable to anyone besides myself, if it really is lighter, and if it is, it’s subtle enough that I’m not entirely sure.
Thanks!
I have very thick wavy hair. My daughter Missy has thick curly hair. I’ve found shampooing twice a week sufficient. Anymore and my head is just a frizzball. I can brush it as much as I want between shampoos.
Missy on the the hand, shampoos then lets it air dry. When it’s barely damp she applies gel or similar product then DOES NOT BRUSH IT until the next time it’s wet. This treatment produces perfect ringlet curls, just like when she was a baby.
I really don’t think daily shampooing is necessary unless you are using a ton of product, which isn’t good for your hair either.