Discussing :: Hair washing

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How often do you wash your hair? I have heard washing it too much can be bad, especially with all the chemicals that are in shampoos these days! I have a brand called 'organic care' at the moment, it's one of the cheaper shampoo's and conditioners and smells naturally delicious!

I read somewhere that there is a natural way in washing hair which includes baking soda, a raw egg and lemon juice! - sounds gross to me. Has anyone ever tried this?

I also read that although you can wash your hair too much, washing it not enough can allow bacteria to build up, provoke an allergic reaction and cause your head to break out in acne!!

Frequent shampooing can also be a counterproductive. Because you're trying so hard to get rid of sebum, your body reacts by producing even more of it. This is interesting because I have found if you wash your hair heaps, it gets oily much quicker!! I remember they did a study and people didn't wash their hair for AGES, and it was interesting in what happened - one persons hair got VERY oily, but then went back to normal?!

I had a friend who use to wash their hair like twice daily - i personally think this is ridiculous - I also have another friend that washes their hair once a week! I guess it really depends on the individual?

eww i dont think id like to put that in my hair... just the thought of the texture is icky!! but yer i wash about every second day... my hair gets yucky and greasy if i wash every day!!

I've used dry shampoos. They have been around for many, many years. An alternative if you have strong arms, is to sprinkle talcum powder into your hair then brush your hair vigorously until it disappears. The chalk absorbs the oils. You will also get to see what you will look like when you are old! Hehehe! Sorry Anna. I hope you don't mind but I just couldn't resist using you as an example (below).

I wash my hair three or four times a week but I remember that when I was at school I only did it once or twice a week. I don't actually think I need to wash it so often nowadays as it stays pretty clean between washes. I just hate the 'flat' , slept in, look of hair a couple of days after washing.

A note about oiling your hair: Oiling your hair is an Indian tradition. I always thought this was done after washing your hair but it is done beforehand and deeply conditions the hair and scalp. What you do is massage a small amount of coconut oil into your scalp and then comb it through to the ends of your hair. You can put on a hot towel turban or leave it overnight but an hour is good. You then wash your hair till it i squeaky clean. I believe this conditioning really works and leaves your hair shiny and vibrant.

hmm.. i wish my skin will be that unwrinkly when im old and grey hehe!!

You really shouldn't tempt me Anna!

My hair gets so oily I can't bear to skip more than a day. I have also tried dry shampoo as well, I was always told corn flower was the way to go and it seems to work, much better than I thought it would.

There are some who use 'Baking Soda', as a shampoo... with no ill effects. Use 2 teaspoons to make a paste, rub well, then rinse thorough....... ok.

Here is wikihow's advice on how to use a dry shampoo which give quite a few more options:

1. Choose a dry shampoo. You can purchase a commercial spray-on product or improvise by looking in your kitchen cabinets. Mixing a fine ingredient with a coarse one can increase the shampoo's effectiveness. Some of your options are:
• ground grains - corn meal, ground oatmeal, semolina flour, cornstarch
• talc (talcum powder)
• orrisroot powder (popular fragrance preservative) - very fine, may be difficult to remove from hair completely
• large grain salt - can cling to very oily hair
• dry clay
• baking soda - to minimize any odors

2. Brush your hair. Make sure there are no tangles.

3. Apply the dry shampoo. This might get messy, so do it over the sink or be ready to sweep or vacuum when you're done. Add about a tablespoon of the shampoo to the top of your head and massage it throughout your scalp. Then brush your hair so the dry shampoo is distributed throughout your hair (as well as on the scalp), adding more as needed.

4. Wait. 5-10 minutes should be long enough for the dry shampoo to absorb the sebum in your hair. If you have particularly oily hair, it may take a little longer.

5. Brush the shampoo out of your hair. Turn your head upside down and brush out all of the powder. You can use a hair dryer to help the process along.

I had a friend who was personally trained by Vidal Sassoon. To wash her hair she used dish washing liquid and fabric conditioner to condition it.
Strangely enough her hair was just gorgeous.

I could imagine that dishwashing liquid could be very harsh and the detergent would definitely strip your hair and scalp of natural oils. It would be 'squeaky clean' but I'm not sure that that is particularly good for it. As for using fabric conditioners rather than hair conditions, this also seems a risky treatment to take as these products have not been made for hair and may cause allergic reactions. Readng further on the web, so far, I haven't been able to find anyone who has tried this who recommends it. Mostly it was tried to reduce static but the results were generally a thumbs down.