Washing less seems the way to go...

[inthepink]

It depends, I wash on thursday night so around Monday or Tuesday, Ill put on some diluted leave-in conditioner, gently pull the roots taunt and zap with the blowdryer on medium. I then just moisturize with KC creme headdress on the ends and wrap. Its kinda like a fake wash I havent had any adverse effects so far and Ive been doing it since high school.

Macherie-This is awesome! I will have to try this mid-week!

 

[Lucia]

Usually, I wash (shampoo & conditioner or CO) my hair 2 - 3 times a week. Lately, I've been washing it, everyday and my hair looks and feels great! I have less shedding and my hair is growing faster. The texture of my hair seems to be changing and I just can't go w/o washing it, often. I hope that I'll be able to continue daily washing during colder months w/o getting sick.

BTW, I airdry, only and I'm a little over 6 1/2 months into my transition to natural and my hair is nearing hip bone length.

I do know some people who wash their hair very infrequently, and it still continues to grow long.

Wow I didn't know you were transitioning to natural, that's something, good luck girlie I know you can do it, I just hopw your not going to do the big chop (trauma) and just trimm off the relaxed ends.

 

[dreamer26]

I wash once a week, Saturday

I use surge and a leave in during the week for moisture.

My hair seem to like it so I'll stick with.

 

[blackbarbie]

When I first joined the board last August, I started co-washing and my hair thrived or shall I say, I had no adverse affects. (Before that I had washed once a week) I had planned to co-wash again this summer but my schedule has been crazy so I have been shampooing, dc'ing (using Macherie's method) once a week and just pulling it back (using sylver's scarf method) and not manipulating it again until wash day.....

It's been been 8 weeks since my last relaxer and my hair hadn't suffered by going once weekly). Because of time constraints, I'm just trying to keep it simple.

 

[macherieamour]

Macherie-This is awesome! I will have to try this mid-week!

hahha really??? I thought it would be a big no-no

 

[inthepink]

hahha really??? I thought it would be a big no-no

lol...Well, I was thinking if I used the blowdryer on cool and only did the top portion of hair (where my part is), it would be ok. Only out of desperation though!

OT: By the way, thanks for your rollerset tutorial. I am going to be doing them weekly now!

 

[plove]

It depends, I wash on thursday night so around Monday or Tuesday, Ill put on some diluted leave-in conditioner, gently pull the roots taunt and zap with the blowdryer on medium. I then just moisturize with KC creme headdress on the ends and wrap. Its kinda like a fake wash I havent had any adverse effects so far and Ive been doing it since high school.

I love your hair I wish my hair was as long as yours
you should come show a short hair sister love


Oh wow I have never used the world sister before with someone that is not my real sister

 

[queenbee8687]

Glad to know i'm not the only one with the itchy scalp. Was beginning to get worried...i also wash once a week...thinking about pushing to once every two weeks but the itchyiness by the end of the week is too much for that...

 

[Mestiza]

Wow I didn't know you were transitioning to natural, that's something, good luck girlie I know you can do it, I just hopw your not going to do the big chop (trauma) and just trimm off the relaxed ends.

Thanks, Lucia!

Your post reminds me that I need to change my siggy. I figured since I had been "lightly" relaxing my hair about every 6 months, I might as well go ahead and transition to natural. I wish that I had done it, sooner. I definitely will not be doing a big chop. It did cross my mind very briefly and then, I started feeling naked from the thought of getting rid of all of this hair.

Plus, my family and friends would put me in a choke hold if I did that. I'm going to cut a little at a time.

I can't express just how much I'm loving the natural portion of my hair.

 

[shawniegee]

I started washing once a week at the beginning of the year. I use to co wash every other day. I did get more newgrowth, but I had problems retaining it. Plus it's a good way to make your products last longer. Most of the products my hair likes are pretty pricey. I miss washing it all the time though, I was a washaholic.

 

[TrulyBlessed]

I also wanted to point out a few ladies here at LHCF with waist length hair who wash every 2-3 weeks: Sherrylove and unlvgirl.

I"m hoping this schedule will carry me near waist length one day. I've been washing every 2.5 to 3 weeks now for about 4-5 months and I've certainly retained more length and have seen more growth due to less manipulation. I also don't have to worry about oiling my scalp since it produces more sebum on it's own over this span of time. I don't workout often or use too many pomades and gels, so I don't have to worry about excessive build up. I too agree that it makes your products last longer.

 

[DragonPearl]

I definitely believe daily CW is not for everyone. Just last month, I tried daily CW for 2 weeks, and I had to give it up. Way too much manipulation, my hair always looked and acted stressed. I have fine hair, and my hair was breaking and shedding, and I ended up cutting off inches to even my hair out. I am now back to washing my hair once a week, twice a week at the most.

 

[dannie]

I wash w/ shampoo, once a week, and CW every 2 days. I CW not because my hair feels dry, but because it looks nasty after a day or two. I just put it in a braid and let it dry after so there's lil manipulation.

This has been working for me, but to each his own.

 

[Mizani_Mrs]

I faithfully wash once a week. When i am more than 2.5weeks post, i wash every 2 weeks to avoid manipulation. When i first joined LHCF, i did try the cowashing thing, but it didn't work for me. My scalp itched like crazy because i can't have anything on my scalp...so the conditioner sitting on my scalp (without washing it clean with poo) was not a good thing.

The only reason why i wash once a week instead of every 2 weeks is because I find that my hair is the strongest after it is freshly washed. I believe it is because the proteins/moisturizers in my conditioners/leave-ins, they only last for so long. The benefits of a conditioner only lasts about 4-7days (i guess).

btw, it was interesting to hear/see the white women talk about applying coconut oil to their hair. I didn't know that caucasians used oil in their hair. I thought it would give them the ratty look.

 

[shunta]

I definitely believe daily CW is not for everyone. Just last month, I tried daily CW for 2 weeks, and I had to give it up. Way too much manipulation, my hair always looked and acted stressed. I have fine hair, and my hair was breaking and shedding, and I ended up cutting off inches to even my hair out. I am now back to washing my hair once a week, twice a week at the most.

I thought I was the only one. Cowashing was terrible for me, especially using all those cheapie conditioners. My hair was shedding like crazy! Never again

 

[Mahalialee4]

Man I tried con washers. I tried leaving in conditioner. My hair snapped and shredded and acted like it was glued to gether and laid just flat with no body. Not me!!! It left build up on my scalp as well and my scalp felt icky. bonjour

 

[cocowhite]

I wash once a week and every now and then I may co-wash mid week, but not too often, which is just do to laziness. Before I came to hair boards it would be like once month.

 

[Firenza]

I also had the idea that too much washing was doing damage and cut down from once a week to every other.
Then decided that the bottle of surge that I bought was the ticket for daily moisture.
In the morning,and at night,and it keeps the hair together nicely in a bun after hair has been spritzed and styled.
This is a keeper,and less expensive than Cathy House's Dew mist!

 

[LadyJay114]

Washing 2x a week has been worked wonders for me. I used to wash every 2-3 weeks. My hair grew more when I wet/washed it more.

Since I just got my retouch, I'll probably wash once a week.
When the new growth starts kickin' in, I'll return to 2-3 times per week.

 

[Healthb4Length]

Different strokes for different folks. Some people can't handle frequent washings while others can. I feel that you should do what's best for your hair. I think that people with fine or thin hair should avoid too much manipulation because it can lead to breakage. For people with medium-course hair then I think that more frequent washings are okay. I wash 2-3 times a week, lately it's been 2 times a week. If I don't do some sort of washing every 4 days or so my scalp is on fire! I could never go weeks on end without washing, the most I could do is one week and that's it. Co-washing provides me with moisture and helps me detangle when I do my super-stretches. I co-wash once and week and shampoo w/ a moisturizing shampoo once a week. This seems to work for me so far.

 

[Mahalialee4]

I agree Alli77. I have baby fine hair. No way can it handle what some others I personally know can. bonjour

 

[KiniKakes]

I definitely believe daily CW is not for everyone. Just last month, I tried daily CW for 2 weeks, and I had to give it up. Way too much manipulation, my hair always looked and acted stressed. I have fine hair, and my hair was breaking and shedding, and I ended up cutting off inches to even my hair out. I am now back to washing my hair once a week, twice a week at the most.

Same here. I have very fine hair...... and I did the co-washing thing for a short time before realizing that it just wasnt for me. So now im back to washing/deep conditioning once a week, and that is plenty. If anything, I may pre-poo with a conditioner the night before the wash..... but that's about it.

The ONLY time I'll wash twice in a week is if I go swimming in chlorinated water or the ocean..... I do wash to rid my hair of that chlorine or salt. Other than that, I can wait to wash every 7 days.

 

[joyous]

bumpity bump

 

[Mahalialee4]

and bumpity bump bump

 

[Vshanell]

This technique is really sticking out at me this month. i've been browsing at LHC and alot of the ladies there with long hair, wash either weekly or every 2 weeks! believe it or not and these ladies are white (i was always led to believe their hair would 'ruin' without constant washing)...

i think washing less may be good for those with extra dry tresses, i think if we give our scalp a chance to excrete enough natural oils, maybe any hair woes we have will vanish...

i'm really enjoying my hair at the mo, and dont wanna co wash or shampoo. thursday will be a week since alot of water has touched my hair (i spritz daily and 'plop')...

my hairs growing very fast so far, minus 50% of my vits, and i think its due to my natural oils and the sun, plus water and finger combing to distribute. i know alot of peeps on here promote daily or washing 2-3 times per week, but even though i've had endless benefits, i wonder what benefits i'll have by washing less...i'm willing to find out!

does anybody wash weekly or bi-weekly? whats changes do you notice? if you have been a daily washer (co-wash, water only OR shampoo) before, isit better now that you wash less or do u think washing frequently is better (especialy for chemically treated hair)?

i've noticed near enough 2 split ends for a whole month and my hair feels so much stronger...

I wash every two weeks w/ no co-washes or rinses in-between. I've never washed anymore than that (except for during summer when I wear natural styles I wash weekly because of product build-up) so I can't really give a comparison to the effects of more frequent washing. I'm not a fan of the manipulation from shampooing, I'm a low manipulation kinda gal. Weekly washing is actually too much for me so I can't wait until summer is over so I can get back to my bi-weekly schedule. I don't think I'm retaining as much length doing this weekly thing.

 

[Lavendar]

I started on my hair "journey" in Dec 05, with my hair just to my shoulders. I was washing 3x/week for a few months then went to daily co-washing because I was working out really hard. I was also bunning everyday and my hair grew really fast. By May, my hair was about an inch past collarbone. I wasn't really totally happy with it though because I couldn't curl it with a curling iron, which I only tried twice in 6 months. The ends were very frizzy, but I was trying to do the "no trim" thing, plus I didn't know any stylists I could trust. Then after all the washing, bunning, and product junkie-ism my hair starting coming out like crazy. I thought maybe it was just shedding, but it wouldn't stop...just long strands coming out when washing, combing, whatever. I was crushed...after all my hard work and money spent on various products, scarfs, bone combs, etc., I couldn't figure out what was wrong...finally I broke down and went to a stylist for a trim/cut that was recommended to me by a relative. Thankfully, she was great and diagnosed me with extremely mushy hair from too much washing and co-washing. She did this strand test on my hair to show me how damaged it was. She pulled out a strand of my hair then held it between her fingers and stretched. It stretched like rubber, which she said was not good and was a sign of mushy hair...all this time I thought that meant it was healthy, but my hair had no tensile strength. Then, while she was stretching it, all of a sudden it broke, but it didn't break in half, it broke lengthwise in 3 or 4 different long strands. She said this is what is happening all over your head and that is where all your shedding is come from. My already fine hair was breaking up the shaft in several finer lengths and that's why my hair seemed like it was falling out like crazy. So she gave me a great cut...it was so nice I didn't mind losing the inch and a half or so. Then she recommended I do an aphogee treatment once every 4-6 weeks followed by an extremely moisturizing conditioner w/heat. I added the porosity control after reading a thread on LCHF..I was scared but thankfully it was the icing on the cake. She also said to only wash once a week with a deep conditioner and stop doing that "no trim" thing and just stop by every once in a while and she would analyze my ends to see if they were doing okay. She was great, didn't try to cut off all my hair, and wasn't trying to get me to come in every 2 weeks, which I refuse to do anyway. She was a blessing! So far with what she did and suggested my hair is in the best condition ever and it seems that 3 months will be the trim limit for me. She says this time there will be no cut, just a slight trim. After almost a year of floundering around trying to figure out what is right for my hair, I think I finally have a hold on things, but I digress....I did need professional help, which I had completely shunned. Even though I do my own relaxers and most of my hair care myself, I will continue to go to the stylist for the trims and diagnosis to keep me on the right track. I'm sorry this is so long, but I thought I should share my experience for some ladies who may have been struggling for a long time and still can't seem to get things right. One thing I have learned for sure....just because something works for someone else doesn't mean it will work for me and vice versa.

 

[remnant]

She did this strand test on my hair to show me how damaged it was. She pulled out a strand of my hair then held it between her fingers and stretched. It stretched like rubber, which she said was not good and was a sign of mushy hair...all this time I thought that meant it was healthy, but my hair had no tensile strength. Then, while she was stretching it, all of a sudden it broke, but it didn't break in half, it broke lengthwise in 3 or 4 different long strands. She said this is what is happening all over your head and that is where all your shedding is come from.

Thank you lady!
I've came to realise that this past two weeks my hair was shedding like crazy because I cowash two or three time by week and I moisturize every single day with my leave in....two days ago I streched my hair to check the length and had the same reaction=mushy hair +the weather here wasn't great.
So i'll back to my regimen which is cowash once per week and moisturize only when needed!

 

[shiningstar84]

i thought mushy hair just needed more protein. did u ever use a protein conditioner or were using cowashes and regular conditioners exclusively?

 

[kitchen_tician]

Less washing was the best thing for me when I was relaxed. Every 2 weeks, somtimes 3. Frequent manipulation was not good on my hair.

With my transition, I've been cw more frequently and it works well. I really don't have a system, sometimes I cw 2-3 tmes per week, sometimes once. It all depends on how I'm wearing my hair. My hair does seem to grow faster now, but I'm not sure if it's related to transitioning, cond washing, or the deep trims to get rid of relaxed ends. Either way, something's working.

 

[remnant]

i thought mushy hair just needed more protein. did u ever use a protein conditioner or were using cowashes and regular conditioners exclusively?

I do protein treatment every two weeks during summer time,so I'll continue with it too!