Frequency of hair washing...?

Like what ratio should the dilution be?

Hi Last Starfighter

It could be your shampoo. Not all shampoos are created equal. Shampoos with Sodium Laureth sulfate listed as the second ingredient (note the -ETH in Laureth) are much gentler than shampoos with Ammonium-something-something or something-lauryl-something. L'Oreal for Kids, Suave Color Care, and Garnier Fructis Fortifying all have sodium laureth sulfate and are appropriate for this kind of "scalp training"

(ETA: Washing every other day might not harm your hair, but it could cause dryness on the ends if the shampoo is harsh enough to strip away a lot of oils. The scalp will overcompensate by producing a lot of oil, but the ends might still stay dry. Other than that, long run wear and tear on hair usually results from washing and handling. )

I quit shampoo for awhile, but my hair never dried fast enough for my likes... so I went back to a gentle shampoo 1x a week. When I first started "training" my scalp, I'd simply switched shampoos to a gentle one. Then after a couple months, you'll notice that your hair and scalp get less greasy. That's when you gradually start cutting down. It's hard to explain, but trust your instincts.

Blessed be
Anais

me 2. I have dry skin and my scalp doesnt get oily until 4 days. I think it depends on your skin type and your activity, when you exercize it will get oily of course. I wash every 3 or 4 days, but make sure i get it really clean. if you give yourself scalp massages it can get oily too. Clean thoroughly but dont get obsessive about it, a little oil is always good. (kinda like food, just a little!) funny analogy

Susan W wrote: Some people can go a long time without any problem. I tried going 3 days and my scalp never adjusted even after 2 months. (It sort of adjusted to be less oily on the 2nd day, but the 3rd day was just nasty and I felt terrible!). So, I have to do it every other day, but I have had excellent results with diluting the shampoo as suggested by Dave. It doesn't over-clean.

A lot of people say that when they started shampooing less frequently, their hair became less oily. I am skeptical, as this was not my experience.

Now that I have less time to allow my hair to dry, I wash it twice a week instead of every other day. It's still just as oily on the third day, and by the fourth, the oily roots are about 3" long. But I've gotten used to having it that way, and I always wear it up on the fourth day, so nobody notices. That and the fact that nowadays people put so much obvious gunk in their hair that I could pass as being a product junkie.

Actually, many people use shampoos that are overly harsh to get their hair ultra-clean, and aren't used to normally clean hair. So some of them might just be getting used to this feeling, and never really had oily hair.

I wash my hair every 3 days.

You don't need to have a squeaky clean scalp all of the time. Just wash your hair regularly and use a clarifying shampoo once a month and you'll be fine. I feel that gunky scalp is only a problem when you actually put stuff directly on your scalp without washing it out.

I C-COW-C about 1-2 times a week and my hair is growing at a usual rate.

All I can tell you is my usual answer, whatever works for you.

I try to do my washes every 3-4 days but it doesn't always happen. I like 1-2 times per week.