Did you know that it’s best not to wash your hair every day? I know what you’re thinking, “But my hair gets so oily if I don’t wash it daily!” I said that too when I was first learning about hair training but just trust me, this works!
When you wash your hair daily you are stripping it of its natural oils, thus making it think it needs to make more. This is why your hair gets oily. If you start washing it less, it’s going to produce less oils.
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What is hair training?
Hair training is training your hair to go longer in between washes. The goal is to wash your hair as little as you can (within reason).
I know some people go 4-5 days in between washes and some only wash 2-3 times a month. It all depends on your schedule and your preference. I wash my hair every 4-5 days but I’m trying to stretch it out longer.
As a busy mom it’s nice to not have to worry about washing, drying and styling my hair everyday. Now I know everyone’s first thought with this is, but do you still shower?! Yes! I’m not going 4-5 days between showers (EWW) I’m just not washing my hair every time I shower.
You can either put your hair in a shower cap or just put it in a bun which is what I do. I’m just careful not to get my head wet.
How to train your hair
So I suggest doing this during a time when you don’t have to go out a lot because your hair is going to be really greasy and oily for the first little bit. It takes time for it to adjust.
So basically there are two ways to do this, you can start off slow or you can just dive in. If you are starting off slow and you wash your hair every day currently then I would say start by washing it every other day, then every three days, etc. until you get to your desired time between washes.
If you are diving head first then you can just start with not washing it for your desired amount of time. Be prepared for greasy hair but it’ll be worth it in the end.
Let’s talk about washing
When you wash your hair you want to mainly focus on the scalp. You want to scrub shampoo into your scalp but don’t use your fingernails to scratch your head as you do it, this can damage your hair. Use the tips of your fingers and massage it in while making sure you are getting all the buildup out.
Shampoo is mainly for your scalp not for your actual hair so don’t worry about getting shampoo all the way down the length of your hair. If you are going longer than 5-6 days in between washes then I recommend washing twice to make sure you get all the build up out.
You can find all the products I use and recommend HERE
On to conditioning
Conditioner is mainly for the ends of your hair. I like to add mine in from the mid length to the ends of my hair. Then I let it sit for a little bit while I wash my body and such. This allows your hair to soak it all in.
Then you just rinse it out as normal. There isn’t much to know about this step that isn’t something you do already.
After the shower
Once you get out of the shower you want to let your hair dry some. Then brush through it and add any products that you might want to.
Some people add anti-frizz creams or smoothing creams. I just use my mermaid spray (you can find the recipe here) and spray it all through my hair and then brush it again.
It is best to let your hair air dry if you can. I let mine air dry some but sometimes I find that my hair gets instantly oily if I let it air dry.
I often just blow dry my roots and let the rest of my hair air dry, this keeps my roots from getting oily immediately. This step isn’t the most important so just do what works best for you even if that’s blow drying it every time.
On days that you don’t wash
So the day after I’ve washed my hair I don’t do anything special with it. That night however I will put dry shampoo in it.
I make my own dry shampoo but you can use whatever brand you like (you can find my recipe here). It’s better to add dry shampoo at night because it gives it time to absorb your hair’s oil and then in the morning you can’t even tell that you have dry shampoo in. Then I just do this every night until I wash my hair again.
helpful Tips
At first you are going to need more dry shampoo.
As your hair is adjusting, it is going to be more oily than normal. Use some extra dry shampoo and power through. Once your hair gets used to not washing so often then the oil production will calm down and you won’t need quite as much dry shampoo.
Brush your hair every morning and night
This is a tip I learned from Jasmine Rae Hair Co. Brush your hair at night before you put in dry shampoo. This helps release any buildup you have on your hair. It also stimulates your hair follicles. She says to put pressure on when brushing the scalp and get lighter as you go down your hair. Also brush like this in the morning before you style your hair.
Remember, this is a learning process. It’s going to be hard and it’s probably not going to be fun. I hate the feeling of “dirty” hair so it was hard for me when I first started but I’m so glad that I did it.
Have you done hair training? Do you have any tips to share with others?
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