To wash or not to wash?...my hair

This is one of the most common questions we are asked!

...and unfortunately there is no one exact answer for it.

Not everyone has the exact same texture and therefore not every washing schedule will work for everyone.  Grease will build up differently in everyones head based on loads of different conditions e.g Excercise, hormones, shampoo and conditioner, different hair products, seasonal effects, air-conditioning and even how often you are brushing or running your hands through your hair...there you have it...we are all different!

People of different races and ethnicities may have different hair care needs e.g people with hair that is tightly coiled or coarse may find that they are able to simply wash just once a week.  This is because oils produced by the scalp take a lot longer to travel down the hair strand from the follicle. 

Whereas people with straight, fine hair may notice a much faster oil build up and find they wash their hair every day or every second day.  Sometimes hair can look dull, even though you wash it daily or every second day.  This may be due to 'over-washing' which causes the natural oils to be stripped.  Most standard shampoos on the market contain water, foaming agents, fragrances, and various amounts of detergents. Shampoos that are designed for oily hair have more detergent than shampoos for non-oily hair. Detergents while useful for washing away dirt, dead skin and excess oil, can make hair less manageable and cause it to become dry, brittle and lose body.

GAAAAHHHH - I hear you! 

                                                   So what 'should' I do?

Well...Some of us in the salon have been self testing the washing process. We washed as normal with professional shampoo and conditioner suitable to our hair type, then we left it for a couple of days (as per usual) then when it came to wash time we just washed it with water...a good old rub and rinse and then put some conditioner just on the ends of the hair strands (to eliminate any smells that may have built up from cafes/houses/work etc) and then washed this out. 

The results: ... the first few days were the hardest as you could feel a bit of an oil build up in the hair, but washing with water seemed to take that feeling away and hair came out looking clean.  Some of us 

found our hair was easier to style, and once you are over the hump of about 5 days (this is for people who tend to wash every 2nd day) hair looked really great. It styled easily and stayed in place, it is almost as if the natural oil process has slowed down, as its not over working to make up for detergent and soap stripping it away.    So now, half of us have left our hair for longer and it still looks great (but it is being rinsed everyday to freshen it up) but the other half have decided to wash just once a week, and continue on with the water rinse and conditioning act in between.

Now, we are most certainly not suggesting everyone goes around with smelly, oily hair, just to save on washing time...but hey, maybe give it a try, see what happens...all it's going to take is some time and will power. 

As usual, the best individual advice we can give you would be to pop in and next time you are having your hair done ask us what we would recommend for your hair type.

Here are a few tips for those of you who just don't have the time one morning to wash your hair:

• Some people recommend using baby powder if you cannot wash your hair (it will stretch it out for one more day most of the time) and one of our clients even swears by cornstarch!
• A matte bronzer will also work well for brunettes.
• Remember to also eat a healthy range of food to keep your skin and hair naturally glowing...diet plays a huge role in hair health and we can touch more on this in the next blog if you would like us to?

Love always, the girls at Alice 03 443 5678