Tuesday, October 4, 2016

beauty tuesday: how I only wash my hair twice a week

I used to be one of those girls who had to wash their hair every day - I just didn't know how to get my hair to not look greasy the next day! I feel like maybe five years ago or so, the movement towards not washing your hair as often kind of kicked in. Dry shampoo became a lot more mainstream, and nowadays, just about every hair product company out there makes some version of it. I have tried a ton of them - I've really liked quite a few of them, and others have not been as impressive. Ones I've really enjoyed, on the cheap to expensive scale, are Dove's, Amika's, and Bumble & Bumble's versions.

I had heard about Living Proof's PhD Dry Shampoo for a while, but was hesitant to initially try a $22 dry shampoo since the $10 versions (or the $1 baby powder when desperate) I had been using were doing alright. I finally tried it when I had a Sephora gift card, and I haven't looked back yet - I'm on my third or fourth bottle now! The thing I like the most about it is that it really does feel like my hair is cleaner, instead of just covered up grease with powder. I now wash my hair about once every 4-5 days, depending on what service I'm currently on - on months where I'm in the OR, I wash my hair less just because it's up every day and usually covered by a headband (and a bonnet). This is my basic plan:

Living Proof 'Perfect Hair Day' Dry Shampoo


Day 1: I wash my hair using L'oreal's EverPure shampoo. I like that it doesn't have sulfates but still gets a good foam going (I feel like if my hair doesn't get foamy, I don't feel like it's really washed). Then I use Aveda's Damage Remedy around my hairline (because that's where I have all my breakage - I'm pretty sure it's hereditary as my mom and sisters all have breakage at the same spot) and then Aussie's 3 minute miracle on the rest of my hair. After my hair has half dried, I use Kiehl's smoothing cream and then spray in Aveda's Hair potion. I dry it with a blow drier and round brush, and pretty much leave it alone for the rest of the day as it's had enough heat for one day!

Day 2: I'll start off using the Living Proof dry shampoo around the top of my head, wait the suggested 30 seconds, and then rub my hair to really get it in every where. Then I use a texturizing spray before I curl my hair (I've been using T3's 1.25 inch iron) and Verb's hairspray after. 

Day 3: Today is typically the day that needs a bit more help on the dry shampoo side of things. It's also the day I'll start getting really sick of my hair being down, so I tease my crown (more than usual) and pin it back with a clip. 

Day 4: Most times when I get to this point in the hair washing cycle, I either braid my hair or throw it up on topknot after a good spray of dry shampoo. I just loosely french braid my hair and then pull out the sides to make it a bit looser and messier. 

Day 5: start over! 

I feel since I've started this process of "training" my hair to be okay with not washing it every day, I have noticed a big change in the health of my hair - I can go longer without getting hair cuts because I use less heat on it, and it is overall just shinier and healthier. I know many people still feel the need to wash their hair every day, but I highly recommend looking into trying out various forms of dry shampoo to start the process of washing it less. I've also heard that a good spray of dry shampoo before working out helps with the post-work out hair!