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How often do you wash your hair?

(129 Posts)
LaCrepescule Sun 06-Aug-23 09:03:51

I’m almost 66 and am lucky to have a head of thick hair (I have a chin-length bob with a fringe.) But I HATE the process of washing, drying and styling; it takes me the best part of an hour. I’ve started leaving 4 days between washes as it doesn’t seem dirty but I know frequent washing is the norm these days. When I was young I only washed it once a week! How often do you wash your hair?

Shizam Mon 07-Aug-23 21:11:37

Depends on your hair type. Mine is thick, dry, wavy and happier with once a week wash. Gentle products and no harsh heat help, too. Although I do love an occasional treat of a blow-dry at hairdressers!

TwinLolly Mon 07-Aug-23 21:30:01

I've got long straightish hair, not thick. I wash it once a week and let it air dry. I've started using a detangling spay, during the drying process to help detangle knots when dry.

When I had short hair I would wash it every 2nd or 3rd day.

Maggiemaybe Mon 07-Aug-23 21:50:49

Usually every three days. Mine’s short and baby fine. I can wash it (with a kind bar shampoo) and dry it in 3 or 4 minutes, but have to use mousse with a quick blast from the hairdryer or it’s completely flat. Dry shampoo in between washes gives it a bit of a volume boost.

I can’t stand water on my face and have the shower head fixed at neck height, so my hair doesn’t get wet from my daily shower.

jaybee66 Mon 07-Aug-23 22:19:02

I have waist length thick hair and wash it once a week.

ruthie2 Mon 07-Aug-23 22:30:55

I have long, greasy hair and since moving to a flat with level access bathing (our housing association erroneously thinks it's what OAP's want) it has been a nightmare to wash. I envy the correspondent who showers separately and washes her hair over the bath. That used to be me, and still is in a way, but without a bath I just have to bend almost double and it's doing my back in. And pity my poor hairdresser who, when washing out my tint, has to wrap polythene bags round her boots! Ideal frequency of washing; twice weekly. Actual frequency, more like 6 days. Abolish wet rooms!!!

Daisydaisydaisy Mon 07-Aug-23 23:55:02

Twice a week and I use a dry shampoo in between for body .😀

Eirlys Tue 08-Aug-23 11:02:01

I have medium-length fine hair but still quite a lot and it's its original colour even though I am ancient. I have it washed and set twice a week. Used to wash it more regularly when I was younger but it seems fine with my present arrangement.
( Actually think longer hair is easier to manage and style than short. Latter needs more frequent washing and styling.)

Juggernaut Tue 08-Aug-23 12:45:18

My hair's been washed every day except one (when I was a bit busy giving birth) for the past 55 years!
I developed greasy hair when I was eleven, so started washing it every morning in the shower, and even though the grease is long gone, it's still my routine!
How on earth anyone can bear leaving more than a day between washes is beyond me, it must feel horrible.
I have it down to a fine art now, it takes literally moments to wash, condition and rinse, and if I'm not planning on leaving the house I just put in back in a headband to dry naturally. It only gets blow dried and styled if I'm going to be on show!
Before anyone tells me how stripped of natural oils my hair must be, it's in perfect condition, thick, bouncy, shiny and with only a very few grey hairs showing through, I'm still naturally dark honey blonde!

AreWeThereYet Tue 08-Aug-23 16:19:58

How on earth anyone can bear leaving more than a day between washes is beyond me, it must feel horrible.

Why must it?

Grandmama Tue 08-Aug-23 18:22:51

Thank you MerylStreep. It looks a complicated tap - not sure what my plumber will say when he comes back to fix the hot tap drip. I use a hose attachment on the taps that works fairly well.

TwiceAsNice Tue 08-Aug-23 19:00:47

I wash it every day in the shower. Cut very short just towel dry, comb quickly , dry on 5 minutes. Cut every 6 weeks to keep it manageable . Have never used a hairdryer

Shantygirly Wed 09-Aug-23 09:34:32

My hair is very fine and thin on top. My scalp is covered with seborrhoeic warts. It's shoulder length with a fringe and parted in the middle but I have to part it on the side for a while occasionally as the parting tends to widen😢. I never go outside without a hat and it's usually tied back, and if the wind blows it around it hurts my scalp. I always wash and blow dry it if I am going out in the evening and not wearing my hat, but other than that twice a week is enough. I hate my hair.

Wyllow3 Wed 09-Aug-23 09:46:29

If I don't wash and dry its a untamed unruly mess: if I'm at home mostly then a good brushing - but if I want to look half decent then not a daily shower but hair wash and dry, takes 20 mins as I don't "style" as such.

Juggernaut Wed 09-Aug-23 14:39:34

@ AreWeThereYet,

'How on earth anyone can bear leaving more than a day between washes is beyond me, it must feel horrible.'

'Why must it?'

After a whole day and night, all sorts of things blowing onto hair, head on pillow getting hot, it's just not clean anymore!
I like my hair to look, feel, and be clean!

Dinahmo Wed 09-Aug-23 14:55:47

When I was young I went to a variety of very expensive hairdressers in the West End. I was ginger with thick hair and it used to take forever to cut and blow dry. It always looked good, so much so that I always watched myself in shop windows. One day, walking down towards Oxford Street, I walked into a lamppost. That ended my obsession with my hair.

As my colour faded I used to have henna, which stains hair and you have to keep having the roots dyed until the colour is cut out. Then I had 3 colour high/low lights. These had the desired affect of making my hair look pretty but without the stripes. That also took forever and was also expensive. And then I realised that the sun bleached the colour so that was the end of that phase.

Now, my DH and I have our hair cut by a French hair dresser who comes to the house and charges 45 euros for both of us. Recently my hair has changed. It's gone wiry and is now curly. I've been white at the temples for many years and I'm now a faded strawberry blonde (the nearest I can think). In the summer it gets a bit lighter and a bit darker in the winter.

I've been very lucky with my hair and used to wash it once a week but now I can leave longer - nearly 2 weeks sometimes. I just towel it briefly, comb and leave it. The hair dresser cuts it whilst wet and that's it. No styling and no product.

Callistemon21 Wed 09-Aug-23 15:55:53

It always looked good, so much so that I always watched myself in shop windows. One day, walking down towards Oxford Street, I walked into a lamppost. That ended my obsession with my hair.
Dinahmo 😂😂😂

Dinahmo Wed 09-Aug-23 17:19:49

Silly, aren't I?

Maggiemaybe Wed 09-Aug-23 17:25:27

I hate my hair.

Oh, I hate mine too, Shantygirly! smile I have hair envy for just about everyone else’s luscious (or even bog standard) locks. Mine has kept its colour, but that’s its only plus point.

I once read that we inherit our hair gene from our mother. Well my mam had lovely thick hair with a bit of a curl. My dad was practically bald in his early twenties. I know who I take after!

Kate1949 Wed 09-Aug-23 17:36:21

Shanty and Maggie I feel your pain. As whinged about many times on here, I have lost all my hair. It drove me to despair. It's horrible. I think my hair system looks OK but I may be deluded.

AreWeThereYet Wed 09-Aug-23 17:58:58

I once read that we inherit our hair gene from our mother. Well my mam had lovely thick hair with a bit of a curl. My dad was practically bald in his early twenties. I know who I take after!

maggiemaybe I have my DF's hair too. DM's hair is thick and wiry and she was grey at 30. Dad's hair was thick, auburn and very fine and he didn't go grey till in his sixties. At 67 I have a few white strands but nothing that's noticeable so far.

Maggiemaybe Wed 09-Aug-23 18:05:38

It looks great, Kate1949! smile I once complimented a young woman on her beautiful, long hair and was gobsmacked when she said it was a hair system. She had lost all her hair in her early teens.

Kate1949 Wed 09-Aug-23 18:07:23

Thanks Maggie. I'm not brave enough to walk about bald.

NotSpaghetti Wed 09-Aug-23 18:21:02

I did the same last week Maggie - I met my hairdresser and her friend (accidentally) at the gym and so of course talked about my hair! I completed her friend on her luscious locks - they weren't her own...

And I think yours looks great Kate - I'm certain nobody would guess!

Kate1949 Wed 09-Aug-23 18:26:18

Well nobody has yet Not Spaghetti. I've had it 14 years! People say 'Haven't you got lovely hair?' I say Thanks'. Well it is mine. I pay for it!.

JackyB Wed 09-Aug-23 20:43:33

TwiceAsNice

I wash it every day in the shower. Cut very short just towel dry, comb quickly , dry on 5 minutes. Cut every 6 weeks to keep it manageable . Have never used a hairdryer

* * **

Are you me?

I'm exactly the same in all details. I never use conditioner and, as I said above, never a hairdryer. All this separate washing sounds like so much faff. The thought of dry shampoo makes me cringe.

However, I accept that some people may have difficult hair which does need extra attention.