Happy Friday, everyone!  I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I only wash my hair 2-3 times per week.  *Gasp* I promise, it is not as disgusting and terrible as it sounds.  I wanted to write a brief post on why I wash my hair so infrequently and what the benefits are for me.  I will preface this post with this: I am not a hair expert nor was I educated in hair care by anything other than Pinterest and personal experience.

I understand that this practice may not be best for everyone.  It is the best thing I can do for myself in order to keep healthy hair on my head.  Of course, anytime you tell a guy that you only wash your hair a couple of times a week they automatically think that you just don’t shower.  That is not true.  I have just happened to master not only showering without washing my hair, but without a shower cap either.  This has taken me years of practice, I tell you.

I have a number of reasons why I do not wash my hair every day, or even every other day for that matter:

• My hair is C-U-R-L-Y.  I rarely wear it curly which means that I heat style it daily.  No matter what you shell out for heat protectant, it is still damaging for your hair.  Shampoo tends to be very drying on your hair and does not combine well with daily heat styling.  The last thing I want is a head full of peroxide straw, which brings me to my next point…
• I am not a natural blonde.  Which means that I have to basically bleach my hair in order to maintain my color.  The harshness of the hair color can leave my hair porous and damaged.  I let the natural oils in my hair take on some of the damage control on the days when I don’t wash my hair.
• As with any blonde hair, natural or not, brassiness becomes a problem with frequent washing.  Not washing my hair as often keeps my color fresh and bright!

I can provide some tips for those of you who would like to join the I Rarely Wash My Hair Club.  It is very easy to join!

• Dry shampoo and/or regular ole baby powder will become your best friend.  You can put this on when you don’t feel like washing your hair and you will be surprised how fresh your hair actually feels and looks.  I have started spritzing some on before bed if I know I am not planning on washing my hair the next morning.
• If you heat style your hair with a flat iron, go over your ends last while you are straightening a strand.  My ends typically take just one little swipe to smooth out while the rest of the strand may take 3.  Your ends will thank you.
• On day 2, try to restyle your bangs/the hair that frames your face as best as you can with a brush and a hair dryer.  I find that using a flat iron on day 2 tends to make this part of my hair stringy and flat.
• When you are shampooing your hair, keep it as close to your scalp as possible.  Not shampooing your ends is difficult with short hair, but do not go out of your way to lather up your ends.
• Only apply conditioner to your ends.  Your scalp doesn’t need it when you are using the right shampoo, I promise.

Tips for those of you who are unnaturally blonde:

• Make sure you invest in a shampoo that is formulated for blonde hair.  My stylist recommended the Pureology Perfect 4 Platinum Shampoo & Conditioner.  Y’all, I have never looked back.  It contains the proteins that color-treated blonde hair needs to rebuild itself.  Both the shampoo and conditioner are super hydrating and wonderful.  The shampoo is highly concentrated, so lathering up a tiny bit with water in your hands first will make it go a long way.  The blue tint of the shampoo helps to keep the brassiness away.  Bonus: smells amaze.

$40 for both on Amazon.com

• If you have some brassiness, or just like to periodically freshen up your color, invest in this miracle serum.  As my hair stylist explained it to me, yellow is on the opposite side of the color wheel as violet (and no, we are NOT talking about #dressgate).  Therefore, the violet helps to offset yellow, aka nasty brassiness.  The Davines Alchemic Silver Conditioner was likely concocted in heaven by the beautifully bleached blonde souls of Marilyn Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith (may they and their lovely locks rest in peace).  I swear, this stuff cannot be of this earth.  Even though it says it is for Silver hair, it is perfect for brightening up blonde hair as well.  It will last you forever since you do not have to use it every day.  Aside from the benefits for blondes, it also is just generally an absolutely incredible conditioner.  It is super duper purple, which makes it really fun to use.  Bonus: also smells amaze.  Like roses.

$26.44 on Amazon.com

An additional benefit to not washing your hair every day is saving time, water, and expensive products.  Also, sleep.  Think of how much more sleep you can get by not washing and styling your hair in the morning!  This may not be the case for all hair types, but oftentimes your hair does get used to not being washed.  Eventually, it will not get oily as quickly since it does not anticipate being cleaned.  Your scalp will learn and will love you for it!

Thanks for stopping by!  See y’all next time…

Marissa