As the darker nights and colder weather starts drawing in, let’s be honest, the last thing we want to do is lose precious time cosy under the covers to get up and wash our hair each morning. For many of us, this laborious task has been a ritual since our school days, and we can’t imagine not washing our hair each and every morning. The fear of greasy hair, smelly hair or visible dandruff is enough to get us up and in the shower. Well, what if we told you that you don’t actually need to wash your hair every day, and many professionals advise against every day or excessive washing?
Game changer, we know! Although the opinions between the experts can be divided on this topic and have been for some time, the overwhelming advice tends to be to avoid overzealous washing. Washing your hair too often can be both drying and damaging, and the chemicals found in many shampoos can strip your hair of its natural oils and dull your hair colour.
How often you need to wash your hair is of course down to the individual and many contributing factors such as your hair type, texture and colour, as well as your lifestyle. However, if you want to know the secret to washing your hair less, just keep reading for our top tips!
Slowly start extending your washes
If you’ve been committed to the daily hair wash for years, we don’t expect you to switch to once or twice a week straight away! Why don’t you try every other day instead and slowly increase the time between washes?
Did you know that when you shampoo daily, you strip your scalp and hair of the oil you naturally produce, and over time, this can cause your sebaceous glands to start producing more oil to compensate? As you extend the time between washes, your hair will gradually produce less and less oil as you are no longer stripping your strands of the natural and essential oils your scalp produces. If you continue to do this for the first few weeks, eventually you’ll notice that you will be able to last days until the next hair wash.
Use a sulfate free shampoo
Most shampoos contain detergents called sulfates that can over-cleanse and dry out your scalp. To keep the greasiness to a minimum, opt for gentle, sulfate-free shampoo formulas to cleanse your strands without stripping your scalp or hair of the oils that are necessary for strong, healthy hair. Check out the Insight range, as all of the shampoos are sulfate-free to lock in hydration and moisture whilst leaving a refreshed and smooth finish.
Dry shampoo is your best friend between washes
The go-to hair saviour, dry shampoos like the Foamie Dry Shampoo can be used daily to keep your hair looking fresh, and will soak up any excess oil, whilst adding enviable texture and volume. To make the dry shampoo even more effective, try spraying it before you go to bed to stop greasy hair in its tracks and prevent oil build-up overnight (when your scalp produces the most oil) rather than trying to counter it.
Let your hair air dry or dry smart
Air drying is, of course, the most damage-free way to dry your hair. However, it can be time-consuming so using a leave-in conditioner on the ends of your hair after washing, can actually keep your hair looking smooth and sleek, whilst reducing your drying time. We recommend Matrix Total Results Brass Off Leave In Crème, particularly for blondes struggling with brassy tones, as it helps to seal the hair cuticles and safeguards the hair strands against heat damage.
For those days you need to blow dry your hair, just make sure to use a protectant such as the NOW Styling – Up to 230′ Heat Protect Spray, a protective and conditioning spray with excellent antistatic and film-forming properties that offers complete heat protection. It also ensures a faster blow-dry which means there’s less heat on your hair. Less heat equals healthier hair.
Embrace the updo
If you’ve made it to day 3 or 4 without a wash and are struggling to resist the temptation, extend for 1 more day by rocking a ponytail, sleek low bun or messy side braid. At this point you’ll likely have a good bit of both product build-up and oil in your hair but not to worry, the build-up will actually help your hair stay in place and pulling it back will disguise the dirty factor. Secure your do with an Invsibobble, which will lock it firmly in place and protect your hair from damage, whilst the range of styles and colours will add a pop of fun to your look.
Give our top tips a go and see for yourself how easy it can be to wash your hair less! As we said, everyone’s hair and lifestyle’s are different so it’s all about seeing what works for you. But if there’s a chance of having healthier and more manageable hair, and a few extra precious minutes in bed each morning, then we are definitely giving it a go! For more information or more handy hips, get in touch with our friendly team today.
