Tips for Washing your Hair the Least Amount Possible
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Overall, my hair receives the most questions I get BY FAR. It's even something people who are at the gym notice it and it's not because of its hue. If I had a dime for every time they say they can't believe how little it takes for me to get ready, I would never see them again, because I would have enough dough to build a home gym. Part of this is my make-up routine, but part if it is my hair. I'll save the make-up for later...
Anyway, back to hair. If you want to know my hair routine, you can read that here. As far as my other best practice that allows me to get ready super fast at the gym, that involves washing my hair the least amount possible. On a normal week, I wash my hair 2, maybe 3 times a week. BUT HOW?! I know, I know.
First of all, let me start by saying that I have thick hair. If you have thin hair, this probably may or may not work for you. Second of all, if you're going to tell me that I'm gross, not washing my hair has nothing to do with whether I shower or not. I grew up washing my hair every other day - my dad would actually bring us back shower caps from wherever he traveled! :) As I got older, I realized I could actually wait a longer amount of time, thus saving me time. My hair takes FOREVER to dry, so if I can spend less time doing that, I've won! Also, your hair creates natural oils on it and your scalp. These natural oils actually make your hair healthier and shinier!
So ready to try and wash your hair the least amount possible? Here's my suggestions:
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Hair Care Tips:
1) Air dry when possible. When I wash my hair, 98% of the time it is at night and I sleep on it wet. I will say that my hair dries straight, so it's not really an issue. If your hair dries curly, know how it dries best. I know my sister has curly hair and will sleep with it bunned, to keep the curls.
2) Use after wash products. If you read my hair care post, you know that I use oil and a keratin treatment. This helps my hair look pretty and make the washes last longer.
3) Choose a shampoo that doesn't make your hair look oily. I've tried the "amazing" shampoos and a lot of them don't work for me. They make oils appear a lot faster than less expensive shampoos. See my hair routine post to see what works for me shampoo-wise.
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Tips for Washing your Hair the Least Amount Possible:
1) Wear a headband to work out. If you don't wear a headband, your hair will probably be in your face for at least one part of your work out. Even if it's not large chunks, the little wispies will absorb sweat, which makes your hair look greasier faster. My current favorite is this flyaway tamer II headband - it isn't too thick (which will push the sweat onto your hair) or too skinny, and it stays on your head!
2) Use a sweat towel. Again, another work out tip, because I think that's where most people have the issue with washing their hair less. By using the sweat towel, less sweat will absorb up and into your hair line! Seems obvious, but every little bit counts!
3) Use a seamless hair tie. I love using Emi-Jay hair ties or something similar. Traditional hair ties leave a crease...you can get them out with a straightener, but this shows greasiness faster.
4) Put your hair in a clip when you are putting it up when you can. This also means don't sleep with a hair tie in...But yeah, use a clip when you can! This keeps hair out of your face, so you aren't touching it (touching it leads to more oils!) and doesn't leave a crease. Whenever I work out I obviously use a hair tie, but when I go to the locker room, I immediately transition it to a hair clip, so it isn't touching my sweaty neck, and even less of a crease is made. This is also how I shower and not get my hair wet!
5) Use dry shampoo when necessary. Duh. The key is to not use it too soon though. Use it when you actually need it! If you use it too soon, then you build up this weird dirty texture. My current favorite one to use is R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo! It doesn't spray a color and has a great scent! I also love the volume it gives. I don't use this until the 2nd or 3rd day I go w/o washing. I would never use it the 1st day.
6) If you need to, wash the oil prone parts only. My mom used to wash my hair in the sink as a kid;) This is similar, but not my whole head of hair. The oily prone parts are typically just the front, but be aware of the back of your head, as the part near the crown of your head can show oil sooner too.
7) Figure out how your hair styles the best. What makes your hair style last the best? These photos were actually taken on my second day hair! I pretty much just woke up and ran a brush over the top and smoothed the curls. My hair teases (think volume) best when it is clean and 100% dry. You can see that this looks like 1st day hair so, I already gained a day that way;) Treat your hair how it styles best and go from there!
8) Calendar your washes. I used to do hot yoga on Mondays, so it never made sense to wash my hair Sunday night. Think about your week and when it makes sense to wash your hair. This week, I'm headed to New York on Thursday morning, so I'm going to wash my hair Wednesday night. Typically I won't put any hairspray or anything in it this day either, which makes it last longer too!
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Do you wash your hair every day or do you like to let the natural oils have a chance;) Tell me your best practices, so I can incorporate them too!
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