If you have been following me for a while now, you know about the saga that is my hair. I have super thick, very straight hair that has been a source of angst for most of my life…from the days when my mom and grandmother made me get perms as a child that looked like a bush on my head to my recent allergic reactions to hair dye. It is just a disaster. About a year and half ago I began trying to stretch out the time between washing my hair. Because my hair is so thick, it takes me forever to dry it with a hair dryer, and I absolutely hated having to do it every day. My hair definitely isn’t the type that can air dry either. Anyway, I have friends that can go for a week without washing their hair with it still looking great, so I figured I could probably train my hair to go a little longer. Plus, I know that it is healthier for my hair to not wash and dry it every day like I have done for the majority of my life. Anyway, I eased into it by starting out trying to wash it every other day. It took a while to get used to it and for my hair to adjust. I wasn’t sure at first that I was going to be able to stand it. There were a lot of hat days in the beginning. My hair seemed to be in a state of shock, and it did not like the fact that I wasn’t washing it daily. I was determined, though, and kept at it. I found a great dry shampoo that I love (read more about it here) and was eventually able to spread it out to 2 days between washes after a few months. I was never able to go any longer than 2 days without it looking too flat and gross. I was totally ok with that because I was at least not having to dry it every single day. It is amazing how much time I saved both in the shower and getting ready in the mornings. It was definitely a win for me. I honestly now think my hair looks best on the day after washing it because sleeping on it flattens it out a bit and it doesn’t look as full, thick, and wiry as it does on the days I wash it. My hair even felt softer when I was not blasting it with all that heat every day.
Overall, I would say that my journey to less washes has been a success…until now. For some reason in the last month or so, my hair has decided that it doesn’t like me not washing it every day. It has developed a mind of its own and has started doing crazy things. It is suddenly oilier and more resistant to the dry shampoo. It has started flipping out in random spots that I cannot for the life of me get to flip the right way. Some days I even look like I stuck my finger in an electric socket between the short new hairs sticking straight up all around my face and the static electricity. Other days it looks like I glued all my hair down to my head. My hair is a hot mess, and I can’t stand it. I don’t know if it is hormone related or what, but I don’t like it. I am beginning to think that I am going to have to go back to washing it every day again. I tried going back to just washing it every other day instead of going 2 days between washes, but that doesn’t seem to be helping either. I have even suddenly noticed more grey hair too! I know that has nothing to do with how often I wash it, but it just adds to the disaster that is my hair right now. The worst part, though, is that it doesn’t even look good on the days that I wash it anymore either. What is going on? Do I need to switch up my shampoos? Am I starting menopause? I’ve heard of hair loss during menopause, but does it make your hair go wacko too? Am I going to be forced to wear a hat every single day of the week for the foreseeable future? I sure hope this is a very short phase that my hair is going through and that it will go back to normal soon. Otherwise, I might be forced to shave it all off and start over!
Anchored and Rambling,
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