If there's one thing I loathe more than anything else, it's washing my hair. All of the time spent in the shower, blow drying, and styling can really add up. Throw in my super thick "wow you have a lot of hair" hair and you can multiply the time it takes to complete that process by about a million. I used to be an every other day kind of girl, living for my blow dryer and flat iron. But then I was introduced to the wonderful world of dry shampoo by Chelcey and there's been no turning back ever since.
There are so many benefits to washing your hair less often, first and foremost being the health of your hair itself. It's a common myth that washing your every day or every other day is necessary, but in reality all you're doing is stripping your hair of its natural oils, causing more oil to be produced which will only increase your washing frequency. It's a vicious cycle. You'll also use less product, less water, your color won't fade as quickly and it will be subjected to less heat, which basically equates to more money in your pocket for other fun things!
I slowly started weaning myself off of my every other day addiction little by little. I would extend the time to every two days for a couple weeks, then three, then four, until I got to the point I'm at now. It definitely takes time and patience to train your hair so I don't recommend going straight to a week between washes, but it's so worth the wait. And I think it's important to point out, I have incredibly thick hair like I said and it's also somewhat dry, so seven days isn't all that crazy to me. However, if you have thinner hair it will probably look dirty quicker so it's perfectly fine to adapt my routine to a shorter time span. All that matters is that you find a routine that's comfortable for you and your personal preference that will still save you time.
Days 1 - 3: This is when I have fresh, clean hair and the world is pretty much my oyster. I use shampoo and conditioner specifically for colored hair, and alternate a clarifying shampoo every other week. I typically wear my hair down on these days since this is when it looks the best. Lately I've been letting my hair completely air dry (except for my bangs - I'll have a routine for that soon!) so I'm left with my natural waves. This way I don't have to do much to it other than comb through it with a wide-tooth comb. I'll just quickly comb out the ends morning and night to help keep it tangle-free and get rid of any loose hairs. I shed all over my apartment so anything I can do to help keep it contained is worth my time.
Day 4: On day four, I bring out the dry shampoo. When I first get up, I lift my hair in sections at the roots and apply it to the underside. That way the top of my head won't look powdery, like I obviously just applied dry shampoo. After my makeup is done and I'm dressed and ready, I'll flip my head upside down and work the dry shampoo into my roots with my hands and then comb out the ends. My tried and true favorite is the Dove Invigorating Dry Shampoo. The smell is the furthest thing from offensive - read, it smells amazing - and it pumps up the volume at my roots. It's important not to go overboard with dry shampoo daily though, or else you'll end up drying out your scalp, so this is the only day that I use it.
Days 5 - 7: At this point, it's all about concealing any any oil that may start to show. I could still totally wear my hair down if I wanted to and it would look just fine, but I usually incorporate side braids, pony tails and top knots to change things up a bit. I'm sure it also helps that my hair is dark, but I'll take any help I can get. I still continue to comb through the ends of my hair morning and night and avoid brushing at the roots so as not to distribute any oil through the rest of my hair, or even flatten it. The trick is to do as little as possible but just enough so that it looks like you spent a lot more time on your hair than you actually did. Don't worry, it'll be our little secret. Now return to step one, lather, rinse, and repeat.
I wanted to be sure to say that I still shower every day, I just don't get my hair wet! You would think that would be obvious, but you never know. I know some people will re-wet their hair and just not wash it, but to me that defeats the whole purpose. I have the cutest pink shower cap that I use to tuck all of my hair in and it stays nice and dry. I'm in and out in all of five minutes and it's the greatest feeling knowing that I don't have hours to go before I'm completely ready to walk out the door.
Also, I'll adjust when I start my seven days based on what I have going on. If I have a big meeting at work on Wednesday, I'll plan to wash my hair Tuesday night. At the same time, if I have a pool day planned, I most definitely will not wash my hair the night before that. I try my best to look ahead so that I'm not caught having to wash my hair sooner than I would like. It takes commitment, but once you've got the routine down it really does come second nature.
I feel like I could go on talking about this forever, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something but I'll spare you the boredom. If you have any other tips, I'd love to know what they are!
Products Used:
Matrix Biolage Color Care Shampoo
Pantene Pro-V Color Preserve Shine Conditioner
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xoxo,
Amanda
