The Case For Not Washing Your Hair

Today, as textured locks and full hair begin to eclipse the ironed and Japanese-straightened styles that were previously in vogue, weekly visits to salons are more common among women who were born since the Eisenhower administration. Women say it cuts down on bathroom time by eliminating daily blow-drying and is an excuse for more pampering when everything else has been polished and waxed.

Read the entire New York Times story here.

Experts have been advising that we skip the shampooing since... uh, probably since the invention of shampoo. Read more arguments here and here and here.

And, really, not washing your hair is so on-trend because blogger Verena von Pfetten just recently declared frizzy the new fabulous.

Check out a woman who has not washed her hair in 11 years.

Tell us in comments below: how often do you shampoo? And, please, be honest. We're not here to judge.

Comments

[jeruddy]

I wash and condition my hair every other day and on occasion only every third day. My main problem is my scalp and if I don't wash it then it looks like it snowed on my shoulders. So, I smell good and am able to wear black whenever I want. As far as keeping it in condition I only use a comb when my hair is wet and try to lightly brush it several times a day to remove loose hair and distribute the natural oils that make it shiny.

[Phaedrusnyc]

That is simply disgusting. Hari holds dirt, germs, and aromas just like every other part of a person's body.

[Bright Creature]

that's what brushing does.. it removes the dirt. What they are saying is that the hair naturally maintains itself if left to itself.

I always wondered how women got away without washign their hair. they used to just brush it out every night and braid it back up.

[javaman]

Here's a better idea.

Shave your head.

[nyobserver]

Condition every day; wash with a "no detergent" type of substance once every 7 to 10 days. Constant compliments on my hair, which since it's curly, leans towards the dry side (if I'm not careful).

[anelder]

bathe and wash my hair thrice a week.

Some of my children are horrified. A few of these nutso's bathe twice a day, most days. I use baby powder stead of deoderant, and yes I'm willing to let others judge the smell factor.

It's going to be fun trying some of these hints. I'll start with the rinsing - conditioner hints. I'd love to attempt the 6 week nothing test.

What's good about aging is all the things one has the time to research and try out.

[skeeto]

I wash my hair every day. I think I will try to wash it every other day and just rinse in between. Who knows? I can always quick jump into the shower and wash it if I don't like the results. Once I told a friend that puting salt and pepper in your beer looked disgusting. He told me I had no right to judge if I hadn't tried it, so I tried it to be able to tell him it was awful. It wasn't. Be careful what you try though. Think, "If I try this could it hurt me?" first.

[icemama]

OMG! I live in a Southern state where the weather is unusually warm year round. Bathing and washing my hair is a daily ritual.

There is nothing more disgusting in my office, than to look over a co-worker's shoulder and be blasted by the dirty hair stench. It is revolting. Don't kid yourself----dirty hair smells really bad and is downright offensive.

[Theda]

Dirty hair does have a disgusting smell to it. Especially when the grease sets in.
When I was a little kid, elderly ladies went to the "beauty parlor" once a week for a wash and "set." Then the excessive hair spray they used kept every hair in place for seven days.
Yuck!

[marysandra]

I have fine and rather thin hair, it breaks easily and is dry...are you jealous yet?
Anyhow, a couple of years ago a European stylist told me to just wash every couple of weeks with a pea sized amount of shampoo, and rinse with hot,followed by cold water every few days in between,or as needed. Works for me. but for "normal" people my observation is that most use way too much shampoo and conditioner and then have to waste tons of water trying to rinse it all out..Our grandmothers believed in brushing a hundred strokes a day, maybe that works, but with soft bristle brushes, they didn't use the plastic crap we have today.

[USAFree1]

Hi all. If you don't want to use shampoo on your hair, try this. Mix 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid in a pint of water. Massage the mix in your hair until you use all of the pint and rinse well with warm water. The citric acid releases excess oil and dirt in your hair.

[sparkandy]

It probably depends on your hair. Mine is longish and very thick and wavy. I have to wash it every two days or it gets tangled no matter how much I brush it. I have to brush conditioner through it in the shower to keep it from snarling and then I have to brush it several times a day. Otherwise, I'll end up with a huge knot of tangles. My friend Toni, who is black, goes once a week and her hair is always perfectly clean and pretty.

[RayEvansHarrell]

Once when opera student Nellie Melba went to her teacher with a slight cold, the teacher told her never to wash her hair since her career depended upon the durability of her voice and colds were a bad idea. She was to use natural oils and powder and a fine toothed comb to clean the hair. It must have worked since she had one of the more illustrious and durable careers in the history of opera. Her teacher Mathilde Marchesi was the greatest teacher of opera singers of her day and a student of the vocal giant Manual Garcia.

It would also help to explore how often those dogs in the Westminster Kennel show get blow dry jobs. Certain breeds closely resemble human hair. Too much washing is not good for these champions. But I'm told a good clean brush is a daily requirement. REH

[cannante]

months on end when i am not working dont need to see people or take pictures

and nobody can tell..i keep on asking my friends to make sure and they say no, they keep asking me to spend time with them... but then again, i am a vegan and got groovy hair.

i wash it as little as possible. and when i do it is with only non-detergent shampoo. i think my hair as similar to a varnish on a table. wash only when necessary. i am a male 37 yo and got a thick full head of curly statue of david hair. i treat my hair and their follicles gently: hair, teeth gums and skin, the minute you screw with them, you lose them.....

all this harsh chemical and soap treatment of it makes it lose its luster and sheen. if you keep it up, all your hair entirely.

[Sharon1]

I have locks and have my hair washed about every 3 months. My hair does not smell nor do I have dandruff because I don't use oils of any kind and sleep with a hair net, not a scarf. Oils develop a rancid smell if they are not washed out and sleeping with a scarf promotes perspiration which will also give an odor.
I stopped shampooing because I believed it was washing away the nutrients my hair needs to grow and made my scalf dry - which caused dandruff.

[djg55555]

This is nothing new. My maternal grandfather never washed his hair because he believed that it made your hair fall out. Instead he used an ultra-fine tooth comb and combed it out frequently, I don't know how often though. Of course he kept it businessman short. However, since I was small, I never remember him having a full head of hair. It was always thin, but he was never completely bald. He died at about 86 years old with the same thin looking hair. I am now 52 years old and I wash every day in the morning before I start my day. I have a full head of hair. Of course, I think I got it from his wife, who was a full-blooded Italian. If I don't wash everyday, my hair is a greasy mess.

[queertodaydotcom]

if dont wash and use crap in it it will be a frizzy nightmare and i like to style my hair.