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This post needs to start with an admission: I ONLY WASH MY HAIR EVERY FIVE DAYS!!! Ekkkk…..are you grossed out yet?  Well, you shouldn’t be!  Washing your hair everyday damages and dries it!  How in the world did I end up being one of those hippies who doesn’t wash her hair….?  It all started when I heard and jumped on the “no-poo” wagon.  Yeah, I know, the name sounds gross!  There is TONS of information on the web and there are many people that have done a fine job of explaining the process thoroughly, so I will leave it to you to research it further if you wish.  The basic idea is that you wean off shampoo/detergent and use a baking soda scrub on your scalp (in place of your shampoo) and rinse with apple cider vinegar (in place of a conditioner).  I ended up doing no-poo for about 3 months.  My hair looked beautiful but there were a few things that drove me back to my regular hair care products (e.i. shampoo and conditioner). 

• One was the lack of lather. I liked the feeling of the soapy lather when I washed.  
• The second was the smell of the vinegar.  Granted, it completely went away when your hair dried (no hint at all leftover), but while you are showering you have to put up with the vinegar smell, which to me smells like dirty feet!  Not so refreshing.  
• The third thing (and one thing that sent me back to my shampoo) was the fragrance factor.  Yeah, I know, fragrance is BAD, BAD, BAD and super unnatural most of the time, but I really liked that smelly-good for my hair.  When I cooked bacon or sat around a bon fire or fried up pork chops the baking soda scrub didn’t entirely get the greasy and/or smoky scent out.  While I am all for a “woodsy” undertone I didn’t want to smell like I lived at a campground and ate fried food all the time! LOL!  This factor alone broke me to go back to my shampoo and conditioner routine. 
  

When I switched back though I noticed that my hair actually looked better the longer I went between washes!  Over the course of my no-poo months my scalp had adjusted to not being so dry from using a harsh detergent on it daily and responded by making less oil (that it usually made so that it could compensate for the oil that the shampoo stripped out daily).  I started out washing every 2 days, then my hair seemed to be able to go longer (and still look better) so I started going 3, then 4 and now I usually go between 4-6 days between washings. My hair usually looks best on days 3 and 4.  This, my friends, has saved me CONSITERABLE time getting ready for the day which is such a blessing!  Who has an extra 30-60 minutes to spend washing/conditioning/drying/straightening and fixing their hair? I sure don’t, nor do I wish to devote waste my time doing so daily!  I have better things to do, for sure.  

Now, even after hearing this I know that seeing is believing.  You’re in luck!  I decided to document my hair care routine in photos to share with you so that you all can see that not washing your hair won’t instantly turn you into a greasy-mess.  

Side note: I get my hair cut 2 times a year and I am over due now for one.  My ends are a bit ragged, but I could still get a month or two out of it if I choose (I need to call my salon!)

 

Day One: This was the morning after I washed and blow dried it.  Most of the time this is the day it looks the worst – dry and a bit frizzy. DAILY CARE: I usually shower in the morning with it in a high-pony-bun and then straighten any areas around my face where my colic gets a bit out of control. TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes. (Side note: I usually either wash my hair in the evening and either sleep on it wet {it ends up wavy} or blow dry it straight depending on how much time I have.)

{OPPS, FORGOT TO TAKE A PHOTO!}

Day Two: Totally bombed on taking a photo…. It really looked exactly like it did on day one minus the frizzy/dry ends. DAILY CARE: Passed a straightener once through 2 small sections of hair at my temples to tame my cowlick. TOTAL TIME: Maybe 2 minutes, probably more like 1.  I have an “instant heat” straighener and it took longer for it to heat up (while applying my make up) than it took to do my hair.

Day Three: Same as day two for everything.

 

Day Four: Slept in “sock curls”. These are an amazing way to get all day curl with no damage and absolutely no time.  Read my blog post on them if you have any questions.  DAILY CARE: Applied a little leave in conditioner to JUST THE ENDS and combed through with my fingers.  TOTAL TIME: 3 minutes the evening before and 1 minute in the morning

Day Five: Leftover waves from sock curl day.  DAILY CARE: Brushed the curls out and applied a little leave in conditioner or frizz serum to the bottom half.  TOTAL TIME: 2 minutes.  

And that is it.  I normally will wash and condition my hair that night or the next morning so that it is fresh the next day and start all over.  

In my next blog I will answer FAQ’s about this process and give some tips that I have learned on my own. Comment and let me know if you have any questions!