How to Wash Your Hair Less Often

Not going to lie, it can be tough to go from washing your hair daily to every second day or less, but the benefits are worth it! Here’s a helpful guide for what to expect along the way. You’ve got this!

Benefits of skipping wash day

Once you make the switch, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.

Saves time. Your getting ready routine is shortened if you don’t have hair drying and styling time anymore.

Saves money. You’ll buy hair products less often. Think about it—you’re cutting your shampoo and conditioner use/cost in half if you wash every second day.

Saves water, electricity, and heat. It may not seem like it’s making that much of a difference, but you’re shortening your shower time and hairstyling time. Heat styling tools use a lot of energy to dry and curl/straighten your hair. And every minute of showering you spare saves litres of water, along with the energy used to heat that shower water. Cost savings and planet savings!

Healthier hair. Shampoo and heat styling dries out your hair and scalp. Oil from your scalp is a natural moisturizer, so it’s good to leave it in place (more on this below). Again, by skipping wash day, you cut these drying effects in half and your hair will be noticeably healthier over time.

Preserves hair colour. If you colour your hair, washing it less will help maintain its brilliance. Reds, violets, ashy blonde tones, and trendy brights like to slip out of hair quickly, so the less shampooing and heat styling you do, the longer they will last.

Add these all up: you’re saving costs on energy, water, hair products, and potentially stretching your hair appointments longer.

What to expect when you’re washing your hair less

Okay, so how do you actually make the transition to washing your hair less? Take it one day at a time.

Skip wash day once. When you shower, don’t shampoo or condition your hair. Some people tie or clip their hair up and avoid splashes. Others don’t mind splashes then touch up hair afterwards or let it air dry.

Our super obvious recommendation: use a shower cap so you don’t get your hair wet and need to re-style it!

At first, you may feel like your hair is really greasy. It might be, or it might not, depending on how much oil your scalp produces. Oil is naturally produced by your scalp in an attempt to moisturize it. If you’re exercising or wearing warm hats, sweat can add to the greasy feel. So, you can imagine that when you’re washing away these natural oils with daily washing, your scalp is drying out so it produces oil (moisturizer) to make up for that. As you begin to wash your hair less, your scalp’s natural oil production will adjust over time. Honestly, it may take a while… even months. But it’s worth it!

When it is wash day again, you may find that you want to shampoo your hair as normal, then again a second time with a smaller amount of shampoo to get it squeaky clean again. Then condition as usual.

Something to keep in mind: your hair likely does not look as dirty as it may feel, so don’t worry about embarrassing yourself.

Use dry shampoo to get you through

If you’re finding that your hair feels/looks/smells dirty when you skip wash day, a lot of people find some relief with dry shampoo. Dry shampoo is basically an oil-absorbing powder that is applied to your hair. If you haven’t used it before, know that it can feel gritty and takes some getting used to.

To apply it, lift up horizontal sections of your hair and apply the dry shampoo to the scalp/root area. Avoid the very top part of your hair so the powdery product doesn’t show (it may look flakey). Continue this lifting and spraying process around the sides and back of your hair, then use a brush to distribute the dry shampoo through the midsections of your hair. Most people only need a bit of dry shampoo around the root area. You can add more in future days as needed.

There are so many different dry shampoos on the market, each varying in weight, application (aerosol spray, loose powder, wet spray that dries quickly, etc), fragrance, and effectiveness. What works for one person’s thick oily hair may not work as well for finer, dry hair. The key is to try a few different ones until you find one that works for you.

Remind yourself of all the benefits of skipping wash day, and don’t give up in the process! We’re here to answer your questions if you have any: hello@skipperhair.com

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