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It is crazy to think that I used to shower every day!
Now I have to make time to shower twice a week
I wash my body more often, but I don’t get my hair wet for those showers
For a long time, my hair looked greasy all. the. time
But after a few months, I noticed a change
How long does it take to train your hair to be washed less?
It takes anywhere from a few weeks to even a few years
For me, it took about 5 months to train my hair
I was busy with twin babies so I didn’t care
Showering every day was just not something I could do anymore
We lived in a nice RV, but we didn’t have enough hot water for two showers within a couple of hours of each other
My kids played in mud so they needed a bath every night, and my husband showered before work in the morning
Training my hair just needed to happen!
Can you train your hair to need less washing?
Healthy hair naturally produces oil to protect the scalp and the hair
The amount of oil produced depends on the person, their genes, and their habits
The more you wash your hair, the more oil your hair will produce to replace what you washed away
This trains your hair to produce oil quickly, which makes it look dirty and makes you want to shower again
The good news is that it goes the other way too!
If you wash your hair less often, your hair will adjust and produce less oil
The oil that it is producing isn’t getting washed away so your hair will slow down oil production
It is a fairly slow process
When you wash your hair less, you teach your hair that it doesn’t get washed as often as it used to
Personally, I like doing it slowly
There are ways to appear less greasy without washing your hair, but they are temporary
I have known people that accidentally trained their hair to need washing twice a day
Every morning and every night!
I have met others that only wash their hair once a week
They shower more to care for their skin and body odor, but they do not wash their hair every time
Can you train your hair to be less greasy?
Your hair gets greasy by producing oil
So you train your hair to be less greasy and to need less washing at the same time!
The body is amazing
It adjusts the amounts of everything produced until its just right for our lifestyle
If people take melatonin pills every day, their body will start creating less naturally to compensate
Grease and oil in the hair are the same
When we lose fewer oils in our hair, daily production goes does because it is not needed
If the oil is stripped all the time, the hair increases production to compensate
With this in mind, we can train our hair to be less greasy by training it so that it doesn’t need to make a lot of greasy
The grease protects the scalp and hair
Find ways to make that less necessary
Maybe you can spend less time in direct sun or use a curling iron less often
But mainly, you can teach your hair that it doesn’t need to make extra in order to counteract shampoo every day
Shampoo strips hair of those oils and makes it panic
It needs some protection so it creates more oil
Do that less often, and your hair will produce grease less often
Now I am not saying to stop using shampoo!
Cleaning your hair is required for most people!
Just remember that you don’t need to do it daily
11 ways to train your hair to be less greasy
There are many things that you can do to train your hair to be less greasy
The first one is the most important but the other 11 will help and add up
See what works well for you, your hair, and your lifestyle!
1. Wash your hair less often
We have already discussed this and why this helps
If you want to train your hair to need less washing, you need to just start washing it less often
2. Use dry shampoo between washes
Dry shampoo can help you survive spacing out your hair washes
Greasy hair can be uncomfortable and gross
Dry shampoo absorbs the oil and grease without washing it
So it is a good option
But don’t overdo it!
3. Use a sulfate-free shampoo
Sulfates are harsh and can strip hair of too much moisture
When that happens, hair gets into hyperdrive to replace that oil
By using a gentler shampoo, hair is less stressed after washing and produces less oil as a result
4. Remember to brush your hair
Brushing your hair is amazing for the health of your scalp
I always thought it was just to make hair look nice, but it also distributes oils
This makes your hair happier, healthier, and produce less greasy for protection
5. Wear your hair up
When you are training your hair to need less washing, you can wear your hair up more to fight the greasy look
There are so many hairstyles options for busy moms that help you survive the training period
6. Apple cider vinegar rinses
Apple cider vinegar is safe for all hair types, but still needs to be diluted
All you do is mix 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of warm water
Then add the mixture to your hair after washing
Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing with cold water
There are many benefits and it can help a lot with greasy hair!
7. Reduce styling products
Remember that grease is the natural protection your hair makes
If you use a lot of styling products, your hair will produce more grease to protect itself from those products
If more protection isn’t needed, the hair will start lowering production again
8. Exfoliate your scalp
Just like for your skin, exfoliating your scalp can be amazing!
It is great for your skin and feels soooo good!
But once again…
If you take action to make your scalp healthier, less grease is needed to protect it
So your hair will produce less
Exfoliate your scalp after every washing so your hair will be less worried!
9. Let your hair air dry
Heat can also increase grease production
So letting your hair air dry can help train your hair to need less washing
But a word of caution…
Don’t mess with your hair too much when it is wet
Hair is way more fragile when it is wet so just be careful
10. Take more vitamin B
Vitamin B deficiency is connected to oily skin and hair
If your greasy arrives is caused by a hormonal imbalance, vitamin B will help!
Start taking a supplement or add more foods with vitamin B to your diet
11. Only put conditioner on your ends
Conditioner rehydrates the hair after cleaning it with shampoo
That means that you are replacing oils before you even step out of the shower
Only put conditioner on your ends to extend how long it takes for your hair to get greasy
How long does it take to train your hair to be washed less?
It can take anywhere from 3 weeks to several months for most people to train their hair to be washed less. It depends on your skin, how much you do to prevent the grease, and your hair type.
Something important to realize is that some people are naturally very oily
Just like how it is difficult to reduce skin oil for those people, it is also difficult to reduce hair oil
This is not super common, but it is something to keep in mind when you start training your hair
How long it takes also depends on where you start
Are you starting like my friend that takes a shower twice a day?
Or are you starting at showering three times a week and the goal is showering twice a week?
The time that it will take is drastically different between the two scenarios
If you have to shower twice a day now to avoid looking greasy, then it could take months or a couple of years to train your hair to be washed less
But if you start at three times a week, it may only take a few weeks to train your hair to be washed less
Even if grease continues to be an issue, there are many hairstyles for moms that are just too busy to shower sometimes!
Do the best you can and remember that you are doing amazing!