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There is a trend these days of not washing your hair. Letting your hair stay in a natural state is linked to healthier and stronger hair. This doesn’t mean you should forgo washing your hair completely. There are certainly benefits to not washing your hair every week. The key is to follow a healthy hair routine and to skip washing in intervals. When you are smart about washing and not washing, your hair can benefit naturally.
Benefits of Not Washing Your Hair For a Week
When you give up washing your hair for a week, there are several benefits.
You Avoid Chemicals
Many shampoos and conditioners contain chemicals and many are a safety concern. When you wash your hair less, you save your hair from harmful sulfates. Many hair products also contain a carcinogen called DEP (diethyl phthalate). It is designed to help your hair hold in the fragrance but it disrupts hormones and can cause cancer. Sodium lauryl sulfate is also a dangerous shampoo product that allows the shampoo to foam. It also irritates the scalp and can cause cancer.
You Use Less Water
Only washing your hair once a week saves water. This is a huge benefit in light of today’s growing environmental concerns. You can still shower if needed, or give yourself some version of a sponge bath. It takes longer to wash your hair and this uses more water than just showering alone. Water also causes color to fade, so if you use hair color, it will last longer, the less often you wash.
You Save Time
It takes a long time to shampoo, condition, and style your hair. When you don’t wash it for a week, you will have more time in your day. Spend time in your morning sleeping or getting a workout in. When you are not washing your hair, you also need to avoid products and too much styling as they will weaken the natural condition of the hair. It may force you to wash it sooner than you want. With no need to wash or style, you have more time for you.
You Get Healthier Hair
Not washing your hair for a week causes your hair to slow production of sebum, which is the hair’s natural oil. Less oil over time means your hair looks less greasy. Sebum will still be produced, but at a lower rate, so your hair is moisturized naturally without getting overly oily. Because these oils are natural conditioners, your hair ends up healthier.
Leaving the natural oils in your hair for a week hydrates your hair. This is a good thing for those with overly dry hair. These oils will serve better than any hair mask when allowed time to moisturize your hair. Your hair will also be shinier as a result of the natural oils not being stripped away. No need to spend money on fancy hair shine products, just go a week without washing to restore a natural shine.
You Get to Know Your Hair
When you give up washing for a week, you get to know your hair. You get a chance to see how frequently it produces oils. Your scalp also gets a break from products which reduce build-up and dandruff. Your hair is more natural the longer you leave it without washing. Some people find that it looks healthier and has more volume. Which is the look you want when you buy all those products. Not washing for a week lets you find out what your hair can do all by itself.
Only Washing Once a Week
Since there are benefits to limiting how often you wash your hair, try only washing once a week. There are several tips to try to make this easier and a regular part of your beauty routine. Try this weekly plan below to develop a healthy habit of washing your hair once a week.
Day 1: Wash your hair with a cleansing shampoo. Wash it twice this time. The first time will remove all impurities and build up from the scalp and hair. The second run will cleanse down into the hair follicles as it is designed to. You get a deeper clean this way, which means you will not need to wash as often. Comb your hair before you wash to make sure as much oil as possible is removed. Combing removes oils from the scalp so they are easier to wash away.
Day 2: With the double wash the day before, you get to sleep in a little the next day. Your hair will be easy to style any way you like. Get yourself a shower cap if you plan on only washing once a week, so you can still shower. This also protects your hair from moisture which will inflate your hair. Just tying it up before a shower will not protect it from moisture. A light mist with a conditioning spray can help keep your hair from being too frizzy, but do not use much. Too many products will build up and interfere with the natural process you are trying to start.
Day 3: Need a little more volume today? Try this trick. Make four ponytails or six if you have very thick hair. Take tongs and with it facing down, wrap each ponytail and hold for 10 seconds. When you release your hair, it will have more volume. Use the tongs with the wider part at your scalp to give lift and reduce the greasy appearance. This style will last for another day if you sleep with a wrap at night.
Day 4: Using the same style from the previous day, you will look great without too much effort. And your hair is still wash-free. When you need to roll your hair up, make a loose bun on the top of your head. Bring a wrap around your head and tighten it. In the morning you can add some moisture with a non-greasy lightweight cream.
Day 5: Try changing the part of your hair around today. This keeps it from looking flat or greasy. There will be noticeable oils in your hair by now. You can use a dry shampoo if needed for overly oily hair. Spray it directly at the roots so it soaks up excess oils. Dry shampoo spray is more effective when applied at night. You will prevent too much oil secretion rather than trying to fight it.
Day 6: You will need to start getting creative with the style by today. Try a French braid as it is the best way to hide any grease. Before you braid your hair, smooth it down to stray hairs and give you a sleek and shiny braid. This style helps to hide grease while giving your hair as it may start to look dull after not washing for 5 days.
Day 7: Time for the perfect ponytail. Try to schedule this week so days 6 and 7 fall on the weekend. If you are staying in all day, just wear your hair down. It will feel heavy after this week so it reduces pressure on your scalp. If you need to head out, the ponytail is the way to go. Use a plastic hair band to elevate your ponytail. Use a little hairspray if you need to. With a ponytail, you want a slick and tight look for style.
Does Not Washing your Hair Make it grow Faster?
This is not true. Washing your hair actually helps your hair to grow faster, so you don’t want to give it up too often. Washing removes DHT which is a chemical that can build up on the scalp between washes. DHT is the number one cause of baldness and hair loss. Not washing will work against growing your hair. Also a clean scalp prevents bacteria from accumulating which can irritate the scalp and interfere with hair growth.
Is It Okay to Only Wash your Hair Once a Week?
If you have normal hair (not super oily or super dry) you can wash it once a week and it will stay healthy. In fact, you really only need to wash your hair once or twice a week anyway. If, however, you have super oily hair, you will need to wash your hair more often than once a week. For overly dry hair, you need to keep it moisturized so only washing once a week is not a good idea.
How Long Should I Go Without Washing My Hair?
The length of time you leave between washes will vary by hair type. For most hair types you can wash once or twice a week without causing problems for your hair. When you wait longer than three days, your hair oils start to build up along with the products you use. As this build up continues, your hair gains weight, making it look oily and heavy. To avoid this, you should be washing your hair at least twice a week.
What Happens If I don’t Wash My Fair for 2 Weeks?
After a week of not washing your hair, moisture gets trapped against your scalp by the oils it produces. It does this naturally to protect the hair. These oils and your natural sweat invite bacteria to settle into your scalp which can cause skin irritation and odor. This build-up serves as food for bacteria, so the more there is the stinkier and dirty your hair will get. After two weeks of not washing, your hair will not look or be healthy.
Can I Just Wash My Hair with Water?
Only using water to wash hair has been around for centuries. Our ancestors did not have the products we have today and so did not have the chemicals. There is some benefit to washing with water only. Using a brush and hot water removes build up from your hair without removing the natural oils your hair produces. When you strip these oils with shampoo, your body goes into over-production resulting in excess oils. Only using water, prevents this and leaves your hair more naturally clean.
Does Not Washing Hair Make It Healthier?
Without washing, oils, products, and grime from the environment will collect on your scalp. This not only invites bacterial growth but it also clogs your hair follicles. You risk infection, odors, and hair thinning or loss. You want to avoid washing too often, but not washing your hair at all is not a healthy decision.
What Happens If You Don’t Wash Your Hair with Shampoo?
Not using shampoo will allow your hair to clean itself. Just as our ancestors did not have soaps and shampoo, you can clean your hair with just water. Shampoos strip the natural oils from your hair which only causes more oils to be produced. Washing without shampoo prevents this and leads to a healthier oil production cycle. You will need to use a brush and hot water to get any build up out of your hair.
You do not have to wash your hair everyday to keep it clean and healthy. You also do not want to go weeks without washing. The oils your hair produces naturally can be your friend and your enemy, so you need to get to know your hair. If you have oily hair, you will need to wash it more often than those with dry hair.
There are numerous benefits to not washing your hair but this does not mean avoiding washing all together. Ideally, your hair needs to be washed at least once or twice a week. Going a week without shampoo and using water only, every now and then, is the ideal way to give your hair a break.
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