Washing My Natural Hair More Often

This year my main focus for my hair is going to be length retention, and the key to this goal is moisture moisture moisture. (Hair breaks when its dry!)

The best source of moisture for your hair will always be water. I decided to try an experiment of washing my hair more often and not trying to stretch out the time in between wash days. I usually wash my hair once a week, and sometimes I even stretch it to two weeks by refreshing my hair with a spray bottle and restyling on damp hair. At my busiest I wait till my hair is so dry I can no longer style it.

I went from washing my hair once a week to washing my hair every four days. This would allow my hair to have more moisture more often and benefit from deep conditioning more consistently. (Why did I pick four days? I heard someone with natural hair say it in their Youtube video and it stuck. Aka no real reason at all.)

Before starting this I took a poll on my Instagram, (@HonestHairDiary) about whether or not washing your hair every four days is excessive. I was surprised to see the results, as many people voted yes it was! I thought about possible cons I could experience. I know it’s possible to over moisturize your hair – making it limp and lifeless. Is it also possible to over wash your hair and dry it out, just like your skin? I do struggle with dry scalp and I did not want to make that problem any worse. I also tend to lose a lot of hair during wash day due to improper detangling prior to washing. I didn’t want to start this in efforts to grow my hair but cause an adverse effect by ripping out my hair.

During this experiment I kept my wash day routine simple and used some staple products. I used the Creme of Nature Argan Oil shampoo and alternated between hair mayonnaise and the TGIN honey deep conditioner. I did my best to detangle prior to washing as well as finger detangle carefully while deep conditioning. I stuck to braid outs and twist outs during the time, sticking to a routine. I was also determined to not let wash day to become a burden so I could keep this up.

You’d be surprised at how quickly 4 days comes around. However, I immediately noticed how much easier it was to deal with my hair. I was no longer fighting with dry tangled hair. My hair was also very very soft. It was also easier to detangle. And yes of course my hair was more moisturized and stayed that way right up until I had to wash again. Sometimes I felt bad washing hair that was still moisturized and defined (and cute. But I remembered I don’t have to wait till my hair becomes super dry and unstyleable to wash it.

I kept this washing schedule up for about a month. I couldn’t stay consistent with it because my school and work schedule got crazy. However, I would say I liked the results of this experiment! More moisturized hair, easier to manage, and less shedding. I would definitely say this method contributes to length retention.

How often do you wash your hair? Do you think washing your hair more often would make it more moisturized?