Most people thought when people shower (daily) it follows they shampoo as well. Wrong! Some people don't shampoo/wash their scalp hair daily. Some every other day, some weekly, some (corn row braids/ dreadlocks) monthly.
It could be inflation, it could be for the lack/ thinning hair, it could be for the emo look, it could be for the environment, or something else.
So, what's your shampoo regime? I have short hair so I can afford to wash daily.
Change shampoo and try to push to every other day. Oily hair gets over stimulated by excessive washing and becomes more oily.
I have the same problem, but use dry shampoo every other day. Batiste is a good brand.
100%. I switched to just conditioner and the oil levels in the hair plummeted
How long before you noticed a difference? Also, how do you know hair oil levels going down?
My pillowcase gets a slight yellow tinge after a few weeks (washed monthly) so I might try using just conditioner for a week to see how that goes.
@Member 0230: It's important not to confuse oil and sweat. Our heads sweat a lot. In my house, I pop hand towels on the pillows to save them between washes. Try the dry shampoo recommended above.
For me, my hair feels like it's getting super oily (it's not), then after about a fortnight of washing max twice a week, it settles down.
@Benoffie: Which makes me wonder if the yellowing comes from oils as I suspect, or sweat, or product, or some combo. 🤔
(Quickly searches) Yep, it's usually a combo.
@Member 0230: Thanks for the link, I have some sheets that are getting a bit much (and I wash much more than monthly!). I was close to giving up and buying dark coloured sheets!
@Member 0230: An honest question, curious why the downvotes? Or is it a case of hair oilism (looking down on those of us suffering from excess oil)? 🤔
@Member 0230: I'll admit to being many things, but please I'm not an oilist and it's not my downvote!
@Member 0230: I didn't downvote you, but mate, you need to change pillowcases every week, if not multiple times a week. That yellow tinge is inevitable if you're only changing it monthly.
@lainey13: Weekly? Oh wow, that’s… maybe a worthwhile suggestion. I think we need a new poll, I’m curious if the whole planet does this except for me 😂
Are bedsheets weekly for you too?
Your hair gets oily easily BECAUSE you constantly strip it of it's oils.
I wet my head when I shower daily, but only shampoo Wed and Sat.
I'm mostly the same except don't have days planned out, it's just 1-2 times a week with an extra one if I do something that gets dirt in the hair (lawn mowing, leaf blowing, etc.) as it seems to catch the dirt a lot better. No issues at all with oily hair or anything like that - I do have flaking skin but that's from psoriasis and no amount of washing will fix that.
I do find that on the days I wash it, it's often quite hard to manage and gets in the way a lot. Conditioner makes this problem even worse so I avoid this one altogether.
For reference, I'm a 33yo male with shoulder length hair - trying to hang onto it while I can!
I like routine, so its Wed/Sat unless something happens - like swimming or sandy work which throws things out.
After I wash my hair I always use an anti-frizz product to tone down the fluff.
50+ and still got plenty of hair thank goodness.
I'm more a Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Saturday guy myself, 3 times a week is more than enough.
I shampoo weekly. There's no need to do it more frequently than that.
When my kids were born, we never washed their hair and their hair stayed beautifully soft and supple. Our forefathers didn't wash their hair and survived.
Respectfully disagree and individual circumstances vary greatly. Our forefathers didn't have many things we have today and they survived but may not have the same level of quality of life.
Forefathers: Ah I wish I had something to get rid of this grease and bad smell from my hair from all that mammoth blood, sleeping in caves where lions pooped, random organic material getting in my hair! I would use it every single day!
Lazy people today: Our forefathers didnt wash their hair and survived!
Why were your forefathers sleeping in caves where lions pooped. It's amazing you are here at all.
Unfortunately your forefathers slept outside in the cold winter and should have perished, yet here you are.
Our forefathers also had a life expectancy of 25 years. So using your correlation between washing hair and survival of our forefathers, I'd say washing your hair is important 😅
They still lived to a reasonable age once they made it to puberty, the low life expectancy is due to the huge risk of infant and childhood mortality back then
You have to take those "life expectancy" figures with a grain of salt. Plenty of people lived into their 70s and 80s, but the average gets dragged down because of all the infant/child mortality.
And for how long we have had statistics for that? Maybe the forefathers of time before statistics, census and documentation were invented, really lived a long life? Who knows!
You don't swim in pools do you? Chlorine needs washing out
I had to shampoo virtually daily last couple of weeks during moving (all the dirt, cant go to bed like that). It's destroyed my hair. Im back to 2 times a week max, letting the natural oils do their work.
There is no nature in virtual reality, it's just programming
Your scalp gets used to whatever regime you do. So if you wash every day, it will be oily by the end of the day. If you wash every week, it will take a lot longer to get oily. That's probably why everyone has their own routine and it 'works for them'.
The smell though if I or wife goes anything more than 3 days. It might otherwise look OK.
I personally probably end up with every second day or so
I shampoo my hair twice daily, am I not meant too?
I shampoo day and night, and condition just day.
I think you’re overdoing it.
After reading this thread I'm getting that idea.
Maybe once every five days. I use a very strong shampoo and if I washed more often it would dry my hair out too much. I rinse it under hot water every day though, so I guess I technically wash it every day.
Where is our Need2pee?
In the toilet
Less chemicals better
Shampoo daily - wow. How much time does that add to the length of the shower? How much water consumption does that add to the shower?
With short hair, I find it takes me < 20 s, from initial rinse to lather to final rinse. Cold water too.
I brush my teeth in the shower too. That takes way longer than washing my hair.
I shampoo daily and my showers are 3-4 minutes (very short hair though)
I use shampoo only after I had haircut. I wash my short hair with water daily, rub dry with a towel so that the oils/dirt get soaked in the towel. And this for about 10 years now. I don't suffer dandruff or itchy scalp any longer and I don't wake up in the middle of the night to scratch my head. I have probably tried every shampoo you can buy during my 15 odd year ordeal with dandruff but nothing helped long term. Then I came across a website where some nutcases claimed that shampoo is nasty, you shouldn't use it at all because it's full of chemicals that ruin your scalp and so on. I was desperate enough to try it of course. It was a bit strange and it took a few weeks getting used to it, but it was the only thing that rid me of my terrible case of dandruff/itchy scalp. My hair greasiness normalised too.
I might give this a shot too.
Depends on your hair, length, genetics etc. My partner has long hair and shampoos it once a week and that's fine. I think if you're doing it every day that's probably not good for your scalp and hair unless you get particularly dirty.
every second day.
My dermatologist says two to three times a week is plenty! You don’t want to wash out the natural oils from your hair/scalp to much otherwise it will dry and cause dandruff
This is correct.
Daily use of shampoo is excessive and unnecessary.
It's probably also helpful to point out that the idea you need to shampoo daily was an invention by marketers at American shampoo companies to sell more shampoo.
It's never been about hygiene, health, smell, feel, or anything like that.
In the 90s most people I knew shampooed once a week, no matter what the ads or directions on the bottle said, but when I visited the USA I was surprised to find that everyone said they shampooed daily.
Perhaps it's just genetics, but, I was also amazed to see that a huge number of the men my age (only 19) were already badly balding…
I have long hair and do about 3 times / week as anymore is too much work. I prefer shampoos without sodium laurel sulphate so it needs less washing. I also use tapioca starch with a powder brush combed through to keep the oil down in between (some use dry shampoo but it’s expensive and the packaging often isn’t recyclable).
For people with short hair I don’t see the issue with washing daily, especially if you use product which will end up on your pillow if you don’t wash.
With coloured hair, it fades out so much quicker if I wash more than twice a week, even with shampoo for coloured hair. Before I needed to colour it, my hair got washed every day, no matter how long it was - I'm female with long hair, if that matters.
we are conditioned (pun intended) to use shampoo, and that you need to shampoo your hair regularly.
i watched some youtube film about people who don't shampoo their hair. they wet it and wash it but don't use shampoo, and their hair is fine/normal.
I have short hair and thought I'd try it out to see how my hair went.
it's been over 6 months now and my hair is fine. it's not oily. I wet wash it 3 or 4 times a week. I don't have dandruff any more.
Until this last year I didn't shampoo my hair for well over 10 years, probably closer to 15.
I had a shampoo last year while treated to a salon cut for my birthday. It sorta hurt killing the streak but I thought let me see what comes of it. Meh, not shampood since.
Another over ten years without shampoo here. I have one of the spiky round brush things, use that and wash the water through. Hair smells great, is healthy and looks good.
I think the last time I washed was back when people smoked in pubs and clubs. You needed to shampoo then.
Same here! Only with water never shampoo or use conditioner. It can’t be good for your hair using those chemicals every day
you forgot that you still need to shampoo when you just went to a Korean BBQ
I've not been using shampoo or conditioner for years. My hair is perfectly fine, I've even had hairdresser's compliment it and ask what shampoo I use.
An allergy to common shampoo ingredients (cocamide and cocamidopropyl) means I've been my washing hair with just water for the last couple of years - at first it went pretty greasy but now it's a good as when I was daily shampooing and haven't looked back
I get the same reaction from when getting my hair cut too
What was their reaction to your answer?
I don’t know about this. I’ve heard of this ‘no poo’ movement and I’m not convinced. You see people then using vinegar and bicarbonate and things which is still washing the hair, Just not with shampoo.
There’s also a few people I work with whose hair never looks clean (or nice for that matter). It looks straight up greasy and stuck to their head all the time. I don’t know if they wash it or not, but I wonder if they think they look fine. Not saying any of you above don’t have nice hair, but I’m pretty skeptical. There’s a difference between hair looking nice and being in good condition - it can be the later without being the former.
The other thing is hygiene. Just like we wash our hands and body, stuff gets into our hair. Probably not as much as hands but there’d be stuff in it just from living life, sweat (especially if you exercise), tiny bits of peoples sneezes, pollen, dust, just like anything else. I wouldn’t consider washing my hands with water only so I feel hair needs something.
why don't you just try it for 2 months?
just use water.
it does take a few weeks for your hair to adjust from the affects of shampoo but it comes good.
you have 3 accounts here of people not shampooing and happy to continue doing so, but none from people who have tried it (for at least a few months) and then gone back to shampooing.
Definitely not for me. I couldn’t go for 2 months or whatever it is is whilst my hair ‘adjusts’. Irrespective of how it looks, for hygiene reasons I will continue to wash my hair with shampoo. Water alone won’t get rid of viruses, bacteria and fungus from the environment in general (not to mention whatever transfers from my 3yos grubby fingers), especially as my hair is quite long (below shoulder blades)
@morse: You and your environment are constantly covered in viruses, bacteria, and funguses. Don't think that washing your hair with shampoo gets rid of those for more than a couple of minutes.
@macrocephalic: I wash my hands, face, feet and body with soap at various intervals (proportional to how much they touch things) - to me it only make sense to wash my hair and scalp too.
Hi, I'm someone who tried 'no poo' and went back to shampoo/conditioner. I'd wanted to try it for years and lockdown was the perfect opportunity. I tried using nothing, then after a couple of weeks the smell was like wet dog so I tried just using bicarb/apple cider vinegar. Managed a couple more weeks, but I just couldn't get past the smell. I live in QLD so maybe the heat/sweat makes it harder to go without proper washing, or maybe it's my skin type. On the upside, I didn't need to wash my hair as often once I started again.
@PurpleHat: I'm in Bris. mine has been fine. I play sports ball twice a week so sweat profusely then but give a good rinse afterwards.yeah, possibly your skin type.
@PurpleHat: Yeah, I wonder how the smell would be. Some people are lucky their scalp doesn't produce too much oil. But for me, 1.5 days not washing, even if I can stand the oil, people around me complain about the smell already!
I tried it for 4 months and it didn’t work and my hair still felt gross. I guess genetics failed me?
Yes well they are companies that have a product to sell and the more you wash, the more you buy.
So they're gonna want to make us believe you NEED to wash frequently.
I've wanted to try this but never found a convenient time (I didn't have a lockdown at all). I read an interesting article ages ago https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.smh.com.au/opinion/richard-…. I think I might start after my next hairdresser appointment.
Does it make a difference if you use hair product daily?
I tried it about 15 years ago. Haven’t used any products since. It took months to properly settle down but I just rinse it when I shower now. My hair is not greasy and I’ve never had anything but positive comments.
My wife also tried but couldn’t get it to work for her before she went back to shampoo.
Legit question. Does one have to shampoo their scalp if they're bald? I'm bald and always shave (use shaver) the hair on the sides and the back, so I don't shampoo at all. I use liquid body wash for my head only when I shave, and that's it.
I shave every other day (close shave) and shampoo daily. My scalp gets oily pretty quickly, so I wipe it a couple of times a day too.
use h&s every day, don't have dandruff and never had, i just like it.
everyone's different, i feel like i need to shampoo daily.
If I don't anti-dandruff daily it's winterfest.
with water everyday, shampoo* 2, maybe 3 times a week. Natural oils are good for your hair, chemicals are not.
*actually Bi-Carb soda mixed with water, shampoo was killing my hair, it took 6+ months but it totally fixed my hair.
Shout out to people with dried out plasticised hair, stop using so many chemicals, you look funny.
Depends on a lot of factors genetics, job, short hair, time of year etc. But i shower every day sometimes twice (ive got my place hooked up to both tank and malns water now). I may only shampoo once a fortnight if that but i cut my own hair fairly short.
Once a week with a very small amount of shampoo to loosen dirt at roots only
Then rinse in apple cider vinegar 50% strength
Hair has never looked so good or been so healthy and soft
I have long hair down my back
None on your head. Just all the way down your back.
Do you use different shampoo for your long back hair?
I've never seen a homeless man who was bald. The grubbier they are the thicker the hair.
Most bald men are successful, it's what drives them. They have to work extra hard to get results.
For example, in the dating world, they're forced to shave their heads, grow goatees, and go to the gym everyday, just so they have a chance.
Homeless people have magnitudes worse problems which they can't overcome, presumably due to mental health and other reasons. There's no reason being bald would make them be able to fix it all and lead to no bald homeless people.
We don't even know if there really aren't any bald homeless people. They may exist at the same rate as the general population.
For example, in the dating world, they're forced to shave their heads, grow goatees, and go to the gym everyday, just so they have a chance.
This is BS.
Whoosh!
You do not need to wash your hair daily
I use organic shampoo soap.. Hair doesn't get oily at all..
You should wash your hair when it's dirty.
As others have said, your scalp makes more oil when you rip all the oil out of it regularly.
I wash my hair when i get dirt, grease, salt, chlorine or sweat in it. So if i'm getting muddy, go for a swim, get under the car, do an afternoon of gardening, etc, i wash it. Otherwise, it simply doesn't need washing.
TL;DR Hair washed every 2 days.
In high school I had oily hair despite showering regularly. Then my friend told me that it was because I was washing my hair excessively. I grew up thinking it was a daily necessity.
It's been over a decade now but she was right. My hair isn't excessively oily anymore, that I can even add hair oils every few days without looking greasy. I have a days break in between each wash; every 2 days. Sometimes even longer.
Recently, the same friend - who lives with me now - taught me that I had been shampooing and conditioning my hair incorrectly.
T_T { sighs )
Never. Only run under hot water and then brush. Hair is never oily and always fresh. Stopped shampooing years ago
Shampoo weekdays (work dirt) and just water on weekends.
I don't know how you could do that. Surely shampooing 5 days a week would cause your scalp to produce loads of oil forcing you to wash it on the other two days???
I use shampoo lightly and water+towel drying is enough to keep oil in check on weekends.
Shampooing daily is horrible for hair.
I play soccer, indoor cricket and badminton so need to shower every alternate day. But i only wet my hairs/shampoo 2 times a week, 3 days apart.
Have farily long hairs and yes they do get oily depending on weather, level of activity etc. But 2 times a week shampooing works just okay for me.
End of the day it comes down to your preference but to me even everyday showering sounds excessive let alone shampooing.
I always tell myself moderation is key and try to apply everywhere possible in my life.
Discovered this my mid 20's. I always though it was the norm to shampoo daily.
But I still shampoo daily. My hair gets oily if I don't, and I have short hair.