What is the cutoff point for waiting to wash your hair?

[kimmy89]

omg before joining and going natural, i washed every two weeks. Since I came on here and learned about cowashing and DCing, it was over, every other day
but now im trying to wash every 1.5 weeks ands its sooo hard.
to answer your question, i think its depends on the individual, but when it gets into the months rather than weeks, thats just nasty...all that sweat.

 

[cutenss]

OK I have dumb question:
Is it the low manipulation or something else that would cause an increase of hair growth from not washing hair for months at a time? Are these people not using any products?

 

[Ganjababy]

Before joining this site the most I could go was a week because after one week I would experience extra hair shedding with bulbs and all (don't know why- maybe the build-up of dead tissues clogging the pores and pushing the follicles out or making tthem weak- just a guess). Now I do not go longer than 4 days, 5 the most but rarely. I do not use shampoo regularly and if I do it is sulfate free so washing for me is co-washing

 

[PinkSkates]

^^^Cuteness, it's the very low to no manipulation. If you are not compromising your hair growth potential with constant styling, rough handling, combing, brushing, etc...then you can't help but retain all of your growth.

 

[pri]

I remember Sherrylove saying that, at one time, she had gone months without washing her hair and it grew at a very fast rate during that time.

I'm starting to really think that this is true myself...I remember back in the days my mom and all her sisters use to wash their hair every month and their hair grew very fast and long. My two cousins also wash their hair one every 3 wks and the other every month and their hair is long as well. I would like to try this b/c I use to be able to go long but since finding the hair boards I can't seem to go past 3-5days now.
ETA: even my DD's hair grew fast from SL-BSL in about 6 months and she like my mom/aunts/cousins use nothing on their scalp and she washes every 2-3 weeks. Hmmm....I guess it just depends on the person.

 

[Ballerina_Bun]

i remeber too..maaan her hair grew soo long.
someone else said thy went a couple months and thy had really looong hair too.
i wish i could go. the longest was almost a month.

I wonder how long it will be before someone starts a "No Washing Your Hair Challenge" ...

 

[Aggie]

A week is like torture for me, but the absolute cutoff would be two weeks. That would be when I would reach the brink of insanity

I just love feeling water on my scalp

yeah what she said. I tried leaving my flat rowed hair alone and I promised myself faithfull that I won't be washing it for as long as it was done. Well let me tell yawl something...I lasted all of 4 days and I was washing my hair every 4 days after that, flat rows and all. Surprisingly it ain't even about my hair - I love a clean scalp.

But for real yawl, if I have to go 2 weeks I can, hmmm, maybe.

ETA: It doesn't help me much having a truck load of hair products that I am just eager to use up either.

 

[Aggie]

I wonder how long it will be before someone starts a "No Washing Your Hair Challenge" ...

Now see, this would be a MAJOR challenge for me and one I might need to join just to leave my hair alone for a while, but it can't be a long one though, I mean maybe every 2 or 3 weeks at a time would be a good measure to go with for people like me for about 6 months.

Of course that would mean no MT, OCT, MN, BT, MTG and all those other hair growth aids out there during the challenge...okay yawl, don't throw rocks at me for this. Just wondering how that would go. We can't have product buildup to deal with and make others around us sick from the stench you know. Anyhoo, it was a good thought but a reality I can't be sure of.

 

[msa]

I can go a month with just rinsing with water everyday.

Before the hair boards, I would go 3 months if I had braids in.

Generally I try to wash with baking soda or soap or something once a week.

 

[Kellum]

I wash my hair with shampoo only when I need to clarify/chelate. That is usually once a month. I co-wash nightly to every other night.

 

[Starronda]

I can't go longer than 2 weeks or my scalp starts itching something fierce!

LOL..I feel ya..Same here.

 

[winterinatl]

My hair and scalp will actually begin to smell after a while.....I sweat a lot up there and produce a lot of sebum. I can't go past ten days without feeling selfconcious, with no water on my head.

I usually go 7 days when I'm busy but i prefer a shampoo every five days. My scalp doesn't flake and isn't itchy then, and my hair seems to like the moisture.

 

[CAPlush]

I have found that if I don't have time to do my hair right, meaning my full regimen routine, I am much better off waiting, so at times I have waited 3 weeks or so to get around to washing my hair. I don't find that my hair is "dirty" at that time, I don't put products on my scalp and my scalp doesn't sweat much at all. But it is often very dry and very tangled, sometimes even matted up, by 3 weeks, so if two weeks go by I let the DH know that I need to do my hair and try to make arrangements to get 30 min under the dryer.

 

[Liege4421]

I'm starting to really think that this is true myself...I remember back in the days my mom and all her sisters use to wash their hair every month and their hair grew very fast and long. My two cousins also wash their hair one every 3 wks and the other every month and their hair is long as well. I would like to try this b/c I use to be able to go long but since finding the hair boards I can't seem to go past 3-5days now.
ETA: even my DD's hair grew fast from SL-BSL in about 6 months and she like my mom/aunts/cousins use nothing on their scalp and she washes every 2-3 weeks. Hmmm....I guess it just depends on the person.

I completely agree...I had beyond APL hair when I was a little girl and my mom would wash my hair once a month (at best). I remember going like two months without washing. I don't think I could do that now because my scalp itches a lot (I think this is due to being relaxed, though) when I don't wash every few days. However, I don't think it is "nasty," even if you are exercising. People love calling other people "nasty;" I live in Europe, and for some people, once a month or two is the norm. Just because it's different from what I would do, I wouldn't say it's nasty. Sylver has gorgeous hair that is way longer than mine, so what kind of fool would I be to call her nasty when what she is doing is obviously working...

 

[fe6968]

The max for me i one week, i wish i could go longer without washing my hair, but my fine hair will start to break off
__________________________

 

[lilyofthevalley]

I can't go one week without washing my hair. Heck, I can't even last two days without washing my hair. I've always been this way. For other people, I'd say that 2 weeks should be the cutoff point. But to each his/her own.

 

[chelleyrock]

2 weeks at most. But I would have to be really lazy or sick in order for that to happen.

 

[misseyblue]

2 weeks is my max.. I can not go any longer than that.

 

[Nightingale]

I've never thought too much about how often others wash their hair, but a week is the longest I can stretch and thats only if I'm forced to. I prefer to get my hair wet everyday or at least every other day.

 

[Eisani]

Unless I'm ill, I can't go more than 5 days and even that's a stretch. I only shampoo as needed but cowash often and can say I've never had a problem w/growth or retention (over zealous scissors, maybe) w/frequent washes/cowashes. My hair grows quite well and my hair and scalp LOVE water. What better source of moisture is there? In addition, I like for my hair to smell fresh and clean.

 

[GodsGrace]

2 weeks is my max.. I can not go any longer than that.

Me too, plus my scalp would be on fire from itching and I'd rather not have a bloody scalp

 

[Ballerina_Bun]

....................

 

[JustKiya]

In the winter, I can go for 3 weeks, easy.
In the summer, ten days is stretching it, but I can make it to two weeks, and I'm excited to wash my hair at that point.
I'm trying to adjust to a two week cycle, again.

 

[mscocoface]

The longest I have ever gone was 6 weeks and that was because of major surgery.

Needless to say I was not the most congenial person in the family during that time. I am the cowash Queen in the family. It was a dark dark time in mscocoface's life! YUCK!

 

[DozenRoses99]

I prefer to wash or cowash at least twice a week. If I had to, I could probably go 2 weeks. During my relaxer days, I have gone 2 and 3 weeks without washing. Back then my hair would not smell too great after the first week. Probably because I would use motions moisturizer and various greases. Now that I am natural, I would probably spritz my hair every few days with a water/conditioner combination if I had to wait a few weeks to wash it.

 

[aprils13]

Apparently I'm must be the only one with serious scalp issues. I went two weeks with out washing my hair, I was on bedrest, my scalp wash white. When I say white, I mean white, full of build up and very itchy. Cowashing has helped alot.

Any one ever experience that?

 

[PGirl]

I can make it a week and 2 days and then I lose it. My mom can literally wait a month between washes. Lawd! In fact, I am the only one who washes her hair and I live 1.5 hours from her. Her hair is a beautiful full APL and growing...

 

[camilla]

wondering if u musta just read a comment on my youtube. somebody just wrote i was nasty and it was bad hygeine washing my hair every 2 weeks

MOST people do not have all that hair i think if mine was as long as yours AND i had all that New Growth i would wash once a month

but im a mere apl
so i need that water once a week wash or cowash. In the summer co wash mid week wash weekend

 

[MsEllie]

Before I got to the boards I would weave and not wash for 3 weeks.. now that I've practicing healthy hair its about every 4 days I have to wash, I mostly co wash then I use shampoo only when I feel the need.

 

[yuriko]

Everyone is different, I can go two weeks before my scalp begins to itch. I wait two weeks when I have a weave, but I usually cowash 3-4X a week.

I really think that it depends on the person and how oily/itchy their scalp is