How often do you wash your natural hair Reddit

Q: How often should a person with natural hair wash their hair?

Natural hair doesnt need to be washed as often as straight hair textures but we do need to wash our hair consistently to keep it healthy. As a general rule, natural hair should be washed about every 7-10 days, however, everyones crown is different, so the frequency truly depends on the needs of your hair.

I wash my hair about every other day, sometimes every day, sometimes every 3 days. However I’m thinking that that may not be optimal? I keep reading everywhere that you should only wash your hair once a week or once a month even, if you have natural hair. When I wash my hair I go through my entire hair routine (which is very simple, takes about 15 minutes including the shower time? Could this be holding me back?

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About Community
How often should a person with natural hair wash their hair?
How often should an African American wash their hair?
How many times a month should you wash natural hair?

How often do you wash your hair? And how often do you think it should be washed optimally?

I wash about two or three times a week. Once a week shampoo, the other times cowashing. I use an actual cowash (currently Shea moisture cowash) that has cleansing ingredients, not just regular conditioner. Also when I wash with shampoo, I pre-poo by Either using a deep conditioner prior, or putting oil on my hair (I keep a bottle of olive oil in the bathroom just for this).

A coworker of mine was telling me how she was a week into her no poo (no shampoo) experiment and how dirty she felt going without shampoo. It was the longest time she went without washing her hair.

I definitely pokerface'd my way through that conversation - as there was no way I was going to admit how long I've went without water touching my scalp.

When I was growing up I heard nothing but to avoid washing my hair often because AA hair is more sensitive and fragile. Add that to a rather expensive salon visit...well, I can't be the only one. Right?

Natural ladies? Braids ladies? Weaves? Cornrows? Etc... What was/is your hair washing schedule like?

Twice a week with a post-and pre-wash added on separate days. If I don't wash every 3-4 days, the oils will seemigly buildup and turn my hair grey-ish.

edit: I live in a dry climate, btw, and still haven't styled it (at all).

I should clarify by adding this from another comment:

I used to use Bubble and Bee's Rosemary Mint Head-to-Toe Wash (Formerly Hard Water Shampoo) 12 oz for ~11 years, which worked very well for my 4C hair. Since I suspect the owner is/was anti-mask/lockdown, I'm now looking for a new one-and-done. Currently considering TheOrganiBrands.com. Always doing a vinegar rinse after, btw.

So I was just curious as to others hair care. I'm 21(f) and I have fine very light blonde hair that has never been treated or colored and goes down near my nips- for lack of better description lol. It isn't necessarily thin, average I think, but each strand is pretty fine. It's in between wavy and straight if that matters. Anyway seeing as it's blonde you can tell very easily when it's greasy and not freshly washed. I wash it daily as with my shower routine but I feel like it dries it out and I'm constantly getting trims. Anyone else have similar hair/texture- how do you deal with it?

Okay now to add: a lot of you are saying you do buns or pony tails on off days if you aren't washing. Anything cute you could send link examples for.. I want it to look professional for work, and I'm also picky.. I'm thin but I do not like the shape of my face. Just wanted some ideas :)

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level 1

I find the longer I wait, the longer it takes to wash (because it’s more tangled).

This summer I’ve been washing every 1 - 3 days. It takes between 30-45 minutes generally. In the winter I can stretch longer, but the summer humidity (I think) causes my hair to frizz up and tangle faster.

level 2

Yes I know i need to wash the tighter my curls become. It’s a gift and a curse because I love when they start to clump but that also means more tangles :(

level 1

I wash once a week and timing depends on what I decide to end with: If i want to put gel in my hair to define my curls it takes around 2 hours

If Im just gonna throw my hair back into a high puff , it takes an hour

if I want to LCO and do twists, it will take three hours maybe!

level 1

I aim for under an hour. But detangling before I shampoo seems to take the most time. Wash and gos take the least amount of time. When I stretch my hair to style it the next day, that also doesn't take long

level 1

Mehh, I'm lazy. Once a week, one hour, sometimes an extra 30mins on that. 7-8 inches atm.

level 1

I wash it every two weeks and after I sit under my hooded dryer for 40 minutes, I unroll my bantu knows and comb it out gently.

MG takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to do on wash weekends.

level 1

The image is funny as hell. That used to be me exactly.
I follow JenniferRoseNYC on Instagram and she frequently posts about washing one’s hair at least once a week to as frequently as everyday. That sounded insane to me but people left comments about how their hair flourished when they did it. Skeptical I gave it a try for two weeks and I loved it. I wash 3-5x a week and wear a wash & go. I have a bonnet dryer; dry on low heat. My hair is more moisturized and doesn’t take near as much work to detangle. The ends aren’t crispy! Lol No more long conditioning treatment routines. It’s great. I never imagined I’d be able to escape 6 hour wash days. My wash & go routine takes about 45 min start to finish including detangling, shampoo, condition and dry time (20 min). There is more to JenniferRose’s recommendations so get the details but I highly recommend it.

level 1

I wash every 7-8 days during fall/winter/spring, 12-15 days during the summer (I go to the beach often on the weekends and like to keep my buildup to protect my hair from sand/salt/sun). It take 1000 years and 1 day because I'm transitioning and taking care of 2 textures LOL

Realistically, it depends how many sections I create for shampooing/conditioning but around 1h for detangling/shampoo/conditioning, 40 minutes deep cond and another 40-60 minutes to style: 3 hours give and take

level 1

if we're not including the moisturizing and sealing or deep conditioning then about 40 minutes but I also usually wash my body when I wash and condition my hair. if I get out of the shower to deep condition then that obviously takes time, also it depends on how lazy I am and how much I want to sit around after I've deep-conditioned. Then I have to get back in the shower rinse it out then hop back out and all those things take time. and then I moisturize and seal which doesn't take that long in and of itself but twisting takes a while unless I only do 4 big chunky twists. depending on the style or what I'm doing that can take around 30 minutes.

level 1

I wash it every 2 to 3 weeks (unless I have a protective style in, then it's about a month). Detangling takes about 20 to 45 minutes, depending how tangled it is. Styling can range from 2 hours to 4 hours tbh, but that's because I'm slow lol.

About Community

How often should a person with natural hair wash their hair?

Natural hair doesn't need to be washed as often as straight hair textures but we do need to wash our hair consistently to keep it healthy. As a general rule, natural hair should be washed about every 7-10 days, however, everyone's crown is different, so the frequency truly depends on the needs of your hair.

How often should an African American wash their hair?

To help keep Black hair healthy, dermatologists recommend the following tips: Wash your hair once a week or every other week. This will help prevent build-up of hair care products, which can be drying to the hair. Use conditioner.

How many times a month should you wash natural hair?

You should only be washing your natural hair once every two weeks. Yes, once every two weeks unless you feel your hair is in desperate need of a wash. If this is the case, it's better to wash your hair with a shampoo that provides a gentle cleanse, or better yet, a cleansing conditioner.