Daily Washing and Long Hair?

[HERicane10]

ITA! Making it to APL just to find that the middle (french roll area) of my hair has been 'over-protected" My nape is about 2-3 inches shorter in that section. And I can't figure out for the life of me how to style it in a protective style during the day without breakage! I just ordered the GRO-AUT hair oil and some 100% natural bhringraj hair wash, so that I can start daily wash and condition. I'm NOT going to cut because I think the short area can catch up. But until that arrives, I'll use my CON & Queen Helene Ginseng CHolesterol.

Isn't it a horrible experience. It's like it just hits you at once, you don't notice that over time you are breaking off hair in one spot until it's gone. This week I've started wearing my hair in a low braid to have some change for the daily bun. I'm afraid to put any clips in the hair at this point. I did try just making the turtle shell clips looser but I don't want to take any changes. How were you styling your hair?

 

[kitkat3ny]

That's exactly my problem. Only solution I can see for regrowth with little pressure to the area is daily CW, moisturizing then perhaps a low braid? I say low braid because I notice when I do a high braid, the hair on tops takes longer to dry. This is seriously depressing. I was at my goal lenth as well. How did your hair in that area thin out, from a french roll? Having a chunk of hair gone from the back is so noticable. I think if your hair isn't damaged than you should wait it out. This has happened to me once before and I didn't realize what was happening. I waited it out and the hair caught up. I swear this is the last time this is going to happen to me. I get it now. lol

ITA! Making it to APL just to find that the middle (french roll area) of my hair has been 'over-protected" My nape is about 2-3 inches shorter in that section. And I can't figure out for the life of me how to style it in a protective style during the day without breakage! I just ordered the GRO-AUT hair oil and some 100% natural bhringraj hair wash, so that I can start daily wash and condition. I'm NOT going to cut because I think the short area can catch up. But until that arrives, I'll use my CON & Queen Helene Ginseng CHolesterol.

 

[Fine 4s]

Well, I wear a hat with a silk lining in it to cover my head from freezing temps. I just moisturize more than usual but I hardly ever leave the house with dripping wet hair. I always towel dry a tad, then put moisturizer on. In the summer, I just walk straight out the shower (moisturize) and out the door, lol.

Do your hats come with silk lining in it?

Since I twist my hair and keep them in for some time, I use the ayurvedic brew and focus on my scalp mostly on wash day. I follow-up with deep condition and moisturize each braid. I need to decide on a scalp/growth treatment though. I'm so happy I've learned NOT to be afraid of water because every morning is quick and painless. I apply a dollop of Giovanni leave-in on the hairline and in the middle of my hair avoiding the scalp but focusing on the hair and ends of my twists. I spritz with water and tie it down with a scarf. It seems like that's mostly all I need to lay my hair down, water and some kind of leave in and a scarf. Without the last weapon my hair will not lay flat around the front edges.

Here's the part I'm not too proud of but...I walk out the house with my silk (pretty and colorful) scarf. If my coat has a hood than I hide under it but if not...And yes, I take public transportation. When I get close to work, I remove the scarf and my front hair lays down nicely and my ponytail twists swangs.

 

[Neesha]

I need to step up my co-washes to daily. I think this would help because I definately see a difference when doing it 3 times a week. Only thing is I do braidouts while I'm stretching and that seems to be waaayyy to much manipulation if done daily. Plus my temples are really sensitive which is why I don't do buns. I might have to just get twists or something because I really do think washing and scalp massages have contributed to my growth.

 

[cmw45]

The thought of using shampoo daily makes my hair and scalp go - but more power to those it DOES work for....

Are you considering starting to do this, Tenacious?

Aaaa yea! My hair, usually a fan of LHCF looked at me like , "If you even think about trying that ish..." :buttkick:

 

[anon123]

I voted: Very Often

For the past month I have been doing daily Prolonged Warm Water Rinses + Herbal Tea Rinses and I would not have it any other way! I also do weekly Herbal Tea Washes (using ayurvedic cleansing herbs) + deep conditioning treatments + ACV rinses...

I learned about the prolonged rinses from sisters w/ Locs, a lot of them do this daily to retain moisture and to ensure that there is no buidup stuck in their Locs...

Since I am wearing natural box braids all Winter which resemble Locs due to my 4b texture, I decided to give it a try.
NappyRina

Hey Rina This sounds sooo nice. I did my hair in the braided roots fashion for a few weeks in summer and I was rinsing/cowashing/washing 5-6 times a week then. But when I took the braided roots out, they had gotten soo matted. How do you avoid this? Do you think it's because only my roots were braided (my loose hair was not matted after this).

 

[HERicane10]

That's exactly my problem. Only solution I can see for regrowth with little pressure to the area is daily CW, moisturizing then perhaps a low braid? I say low braid because I notice when I do a high braid, the hair on tops takes longer to dry. This is seriously depressing. I was at my goal lenth as well. How did your hair in that area thin out, from a french roll? Well, my protective style was just grabbing my hair into a ponytail and twisting it from the nape up, then sticking a french comb in it. My hair is wispy & fine; so it seems that even a loose french roll in the same direction and place consistently is tooo much! I'll start daily washing today and DC 2-3 times per week with heat.Having a chunk of hair gone from the back is so noticable. I think if your hair isn't damaged than you should wait it out. This has happened to me once before and I didn't realize what was happening. I waited it out and the hair caught up. I swear this is the last time this is going to happen to me. I get it now. lol

My hair is very healthy, no splits! So I'll just wait for those few inches to fill in. I'd like to get some more weight to my hair though! I'm definitely gonna try the low braid or two-strand twist. I played with 'looser' styles this evening-I think I can just roll the back up like a big pin curl and then run a clamp through the inside of the curl to hold. NO TWISTING! NO PONYTAIL HOLDERS! NO TENSION!

 

[caribeandiva]

Isn't it a horrible experience. It's like it just hits you at once, you don't notice that over time you are breaking off hair in one spot until it's gone. This week I've started wearing my hair in a low braid to have some change for the daily bun. I'm afraid to put any clips in the hair at this point. I did try just making the turtle shell clips looser but I don't want to take any changes. How were you styling your hair?

I just washed it and put it up in the claw as it airdried. I've been trying to wear more regular ponytails now.

 

[Wandabee]

idk... but i'm not sure if this frequent co-washing/shampoo thing is good for those who are transitioning/relaxed. I would be afraid of excessive manipulation and breakage. BTW, only one of the girls in the group had relaxed hair, and she washed weekly to retain length....

Any relaxed ladies co-washing daily? If so, how is it doing??? (I remember somebody co-washed daily with great results.... idk who...)

Also, is this clean scalp trend similar to those who use MTG? I think if frequent washing is too much of a hassle, MTG will keep the scalp clean.... i suppose... just my theory...

When I was at Ft Gordon we exercised twice a day so I washed my hair twice a day with cream of nature and I experienced a lot of growth with my relaxed hair. I think that I will start back doing this. My hair was really healthy and I reached APL for the first time.

 

[Vshanell]

I just thought about this. I've just flashed back to all the ladies I've ever known with exceptionally long, gorgeous hair. These friends of mine have WSL length hair, and so I've always asked how they care for it. About 6-7 of these people have the same hair care habits, one in particular being washing the hair OFTEN... one girl washed her hair twice a day and went from shoulder-length to MBL in 8 months. Anywho, these girls are from a wide array of racial backgrounds such as white, black, biracial, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic with hair-types ranging from 1a-4b. This is what these girls had in common:

1. 6 out of 7 washed their hair daily (I kid you not)
2. 4 out of 7 exercised 4-5 days/week
3. 7 out of 7 wore their hair down or clipped up, no fancy styles
4. 5 out of 7 barely used hair products (one girl used BB Castor Oil only)
5. 6 out of 7 used NO CHEMICALS
6. 6 out of 7 used NO HEAT
7. 6 out of 7 did not go to salons
8. 6 out of 7 had NO TRIMS

And what I found interesting; the two girls that were biracial and black were natural and had the longest hair out of the group.

So, now I'm wondering if I co-wash/wash my hair more often, will I produce these same results? Has anyone else benefitted from washing more often? If so, let me know what you do and how you replenish the moisture in your hair afterwards. Thanks.

IMO it is a combination of all of those things (no heat, chemicals, stylists) not just co-washing. I do most of the other stuff but I'll never co-wash daily and I think I'm doing ok retaining length.

 

[CocoGlow]

Hey Rina This sounds sooo nice. I did my hair in the braided roots fashion for a few weeks in summer and I was rinsing/cowashing/washing 5-6 times a week then. But when I took the braided roots out, they had gotten soo matted. How do you avoid this? Do you think it's because only my roots were braided (my loose hair was not matted after this).

Hey Mwedzi!

Yeah, I definitely think that the matting issue was a result of the braided roots....I too did the braided roots last summer for about a month and had the same problem when taking them out!

But if you have in regular twists or braids, your hair will not matt up at all w/ daily rinsing....

 

[girlyprincess23]

The OP must have read my mind. I went from a very cute short cut to chin length while in basic training (ex-military) without trying! All I did was wash daily, use an instant conditioner, put some moisturizer on it, and pull it back in a ponytail.
I know alot more about hair care now. Plus, other women (especially other races) wash at least daily without any problems. If all hair is composed of the same elements why would my hair be any different. I told a friend that I am going to wash daily for 30 days to see if it grows faste. Her reply was I would wash my relaxer out WTH! If that's the case wouldn't my hair be natural by now? LETS STOP BELIEVING THE MYTHS. I'm going to try it and post the pics of my results.

i think im going to try this too. b/c im fully relaxed now and my hair is wet about 4/7 of the week as it is now from d/c so i may as well co-wash my scalp in the evening and see how it does!!

 

[MizAvalon]

c/o washing definately is good for your hair. You can conditioner only wash either everyday or every other day depending on your hair.

I believe that no/low heat, c/o washes, and staying away from stylists has probably helped them ALOT. Everyone that I've met w/midback length to waist length hair did/does their own hair. Stylists set everyone back regardless of race IMHO. They always want to hack off your hair.

That's a great observation and one that I never even thought of. Most women with *very* long hair wouldn't dream of letting a stylist near them.

 

[Valerie]

I have been rinsing my hair daily and I have been getting some great results. I feel it helps with retention of my length.

 

[girlyprincess23]

I have been rinsing my hair daily and I have been getting some great results. I feel it helps with retention of my length.

when you say rinse do you mean no condish and no shampoo just water b/c i was thinking of this too....is the condish necesarry?

 

[atlien]

I am starting to wash at least twice a week and I am seeing some good results....My hair is looking alot thicker and longer. I use to wash daily years ago, but stopped because I thought it was drying my hair out. Now I don't think washing was the problem.
I think it was a combination of things I was doing that caused the dryness.
I am going to try this washing twice a week thing until my next relaxer and see how much length I've retained.

Oh just to clarify, I am not using shampoo twice a week. I am really co washing with a cheap suave conditioner.

 

[Tenacious]

I think the Idea is keeping a clean scalp, not so much co-washing/washing daily. I think that since my scalp does produce lots of oil due to working out, I absolutely have to. If you use a product on the scalp that promotes a cleaner scalp, daily washing isn't mandatory, but IMO, a clean scalp is almost guaranteed with daily co-washing/washing....oh yeah and clarifying once in a while....

 

[anon123]

Hey Mwedzi!

Yeah, I definitely think that the matting issue was a result of the braided roots....I too did the braided roots last summer for about a month and had the same problem when taking them out!

But if you have in regular twists or braids, your hair will not matt up at all w/ daily rinsing....

Oh, if only it were true. I've had my hair in twists for the past week. I know the part about twists is not true for me. I have pretty much a 2-3 wash maximum before my twists start to mat up. It's so frustrating. I feel like my nappy hair prevents me from washing my hair! I honestly cannot draw any other conclusion but that my hair is nappier than most people's. I've been trying to rinse my hair each day. I've been using a natural conditioner made with honey and almond oil, and washing/rinsing my hair with that. After each wash I've been redoing 1/3 of the twists in my hair to try to keep them from locking. And it's too much work. I'll redo a section I did just 3-4 days before and it will be matted up all over again. The ends will coil tight and not want to come apart and the roots will be tangled.

Sooo frustrating. I think I just have to give up on this frequent washing thing and go back to my once a week schedule.

 

[Cinnabuns]

Great thread!!!

I was thinking of doing this.

 

[Caramela]

I think the key is using a mild shampoo and only sudsing up once as opposed to twice.

 

[CocoGlow]

Oh, if only it were true. I've had my hair in twists for the past week. I know the part about twists is not true for me. I have pretty much a 2-3 wash maximum before my twists start to mat up. It's so frustrating. I feel like my nappy hair prevents me from washing my hair! I honestly cannot draw any other conclusion but that my hair is nappier than most people's. I've been trying to rinse my hair each day. I've been using a natural conditioner made with honey and almond oil, and washing/rinsing my hair with that. After each wash I've been redoing 1/3 of the twists in my hair to try to keep them from locking. And it's too much work. I'll redo a section I did just 3-4 days before and it will be matted up all over again. The ends will coil tight and not want to come apart and the roots will be tangled.

Sooo frustrating. I think I just have to give up on this frequent washing thing and go back to my once a week schedule.

Oh Mwedzi...I am so sorry, I should have just said BRAIDS won't matt up if you rinse them daily...twists are a whole 'nother story for me too...our hair is very similar so I know what you mean.....you may have more success w/ braiding the roots of your twists, but I honestly think the nature of regular individual braids (the tight weaving that is done to create them as oppposed to twists) are much less likely to matt & cause problems.....

 

[The Savvy Sistah]

Great Thread!!

I need to start back up with my co-washes. I got lazy and now my hair isn't thriving like it use to.

I did see better results from co-washing my hair at least 3x per week.

Clean scalp, massages and quality products helped me achieve APL hair last year, even with cutting off about 3.5 inches of damaged hair from color.

I think I'm just focused more on haircare when it's warm outside, and in the winter for some reason I get really lazy.

 

[Browndilocks]

I just thought about this. I've just flashed back to all the ladies I've ever known with exceptionally long, gorgeous hair. These friends of mine have WSL length hair, and so I've always asked how they care for it. About 6-7 of these people have the same hair care habits, one in particular being washing the hair OFTEN... one girl washed her hair twice a day and went from shoulder-length to MBL in 8 months. Anywho, these girls are from a wide array of racial backgrounds such as white, black, biracial, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic with hair-types ranging from 1a-4b. This is what these girls had in common:

1. 6 out of 7 washed their hair daily (I kid you not)
2. 4 out of 7 exercised 4-5 days/week
3. 7 out of 7 wore their hair down or clipped up, no fancy styles
4. 5 out of 7 barely used hair products (one girl used BB Castor Oil only)
5. 6 out of 7 used NO CHEMICALS
6. 6 out of 7 used NO HEAT
7. 6 out of 7 did not go to salons
8. 6 out of 7 had NO TRIMS

And what I found interesting; the two girls that were biracial and black were natural and had the longest hair out of the group.

So, now I'm wondering if I co-wash/wash my hair more often, will I produce these same results? Has anyone else benefitted from washing more often? If so, let me know what you do and how you replenish the moisture in your hair afterwards. Thanks.

I have to admit that even thought I'm a recovering (and sometimes relapsing) PJ, the people I know with the longest hair use VERY little hair products.

One person I know with tailbone length hair uses shampoo and oil on her hair - no conditioner. That's it.

One of my own stylists with WL hair shampoos & conditions her hair and uses no additional products. She says that when she wants to wear a pony tail, she'll use a little bit of olive oil and THAT's it.

I'd love to get to that level. I don't know if theres some kind of void in my life that makes me continue buying all these hair products . My hair is long already but when I look at my stash I feel some type of way because I konw that all of my products are unnecessary. I just have a problem parting with them.

 

[NinasLongAmbition]

I just started co-washing every other day last week actually, like feb. 22. and my hair does feel better already but I let you all know if it has sped up my growth, I took a wet pic of my hair to see.

 

[happylocks]

For some reason I just want to wash my hair, I do not really us shampoo it very rare, my hair gets really dry. But what I have done lately is alma/jasime on my scalp in hair. then a shower cap and I would let it on maybe the same day or next day. S8 put on another shower cap. leave it on for more then 1 hour the wash it out, most times no conditioner also. My hair has not been dry lately.

 

[silvergirl]

i dont really think my hair grows that fast.( based on my transition till the bc i calculated my growth seemed to only be 7.8 inches per year) and i dont think co washing made it grow any faster

BUT i do think co-washing daily has helped me RETAIN what ive grown

 

[hothair]

:scratchch Funny you should mention it- I think there's something to this when I co-washed every other day my hair was so full and lush looking even with me frying it with a flat iron, my sis has been dousing her hair in water the last 2 weeks and I swear it has grown noticeably- I asked her about it today and apparently that's the only thing she's been doing differently (from wash and DC once a week to everyday rinsing)...I'm going back to every other day co-washing till further notice

 

[Tenacious]

i dont really think my hair grows that fast.( based on my transition till the bc i calculated my growth seemed to only be 7.8 inches per year) and i dont think co washing made it grow any faster

BUT i do think co-washing daily has helped me RETAIN what ive grown

Huh? Slow??? 7.8 inches in a year is exceptional hair growth.... 6 inches is the norm (considering that one has retained all length). I would say that on average, 5-6 is relatively healthy. Slow hair growth is about 3-4 in or less. Only then would I be worried. But anywho, 7.8 is great progress! Whatever you're doing is great!

 

[bee]

I was reading a blog or something, where a woman who created her own hair care line for growth, stated that washing hair is like washing fabric. She claimed that just like with fabric, if you wash your hair often, it will get "worn". I wonder if washing the hair daily would have the same effect as washing a pair of jeans daily--will my hair fade?

Whatcha think about that?

 

[MissMasala5]

I was reading a blog or something, where a woman who created her own hair care line for growth, stated that washing hair is like washing fabric. She claimed that just like with fabric, if you wash your hair often, it will get "worn". I wonder if washing the hair daily would have the same effect as washing a pair of jeans daily--will my hair fade?

Whatcha think about that?

I disagree. This is not a good comparison. Strands of hair and strands of thread are not made the same. A strand of thread is made of of several smaller strands of fibers woven together, and a strand of hair is made of tiny scales overlapping one another on the outside, and an inner core or matrix on the inside. It is more likely that a strand of made up of smaller strands would fray easier with frequent washing. I think regular usage of heat on the hair does more damage than washing.