What's with the trend of not washing hair everyday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wash mine once a week and it looks great. Used to wash every day but it’s bad for your hair and scalp.

Ok, but what about the smell? People around you can smell the grossness.

Don’t know what to tell you, but my head doesn’t smell bad. I guess my scalp doesn’t overproduce oils. Tbf if I didn’t wash my face every day it wouldn’t develop a smell either. So it’s a weird question.

maybe you can't smell it? but others can.

No, you really cannot. Sorry but it’s simply not true. I worked as a shampooer at a hairdresser and many women came in with hair that had not been washed for days. They were fine; they did not smell. And I am super sensitive to perfumes, room sprays, candles, etc. This is in your head and you are not regularly close enough to random people to know one way or the other.

Ridiculous, you are telling: it's in my head. I can tell you the same; you are being ridiculous because you can't smell it. Plus the comment you answered is not mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wash mine once a week and it looks great. Used to wash every day but it’s bad for your hair and scalp.

Ok, but what about the smell? People around you can smell the grossness.

Don’t know what to tell you, but my head doesn’t smell bad. I guess my scalp doesn’t overproduce oils. Tbf if I didn’t wash my face every day it wouldn’t develop a smell either. So it’s a weird question.

maybe you can't smell it? but others can.

No, you really cannot. Sorry but it’s simply not true. I worked as a shampooer at a hairdresser and many women came in with hair that had not been washed for days. They were fine; they did not smell. And I am super sensitive to perfumes, room sprays, candles, etc. This is in your head and you are not regularly close enough to random people to know one way or the other.

Ridiculous, you are telling: it's in my head. I can tell you the same; you are being ridiculous because you can't smell it. Plus the comment you answered is not mine.

Ok cool. Tell me the exact scenario where you are physically close to scalps (arms length) on multiple occasions where you could smell it and also knew enough about the person to know the cause was not washing their hair once a day.

[Anonymous]

OP, the pandemic did a number on people’s habits and mental health. Also, lots of other countries don’t value people being super clean all the time. I travel to Europe often for corporate work, and in elevators and trains you can smell exactly what you describe- the 2nd or 3rd day hair smell. It’s gross, so I am, unlike you, judging. And for people who have other type of ethnic hair, there are other ways to clean your hair that don’t require shampoo, so I’m not talking about those people (or the “good” dry shampoo people who are essentially brushing out the oil from their scalp).

People who don’t brush and clean their hair every day in some form need to realize it smells. I don’t every day, but I’m not under some nose-blind mis-impression that it smells great.

[Anonymous]

So is this only a white people problem? Seriously. I'm black and can go weeks without washing my hair and it does not smell. My Asian best friend can go at least a week without washing her hair and even at that duration, I've never smelled it.

Just seriously interested in what ethnic groups have this as an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, the pandemic did a number on people’s habits and mental health. Also, lots of other countries don’t value people being super clean all the time. I travel to Europe often for corporate work, and in elevators and trains you can smell exactly what you describe- the 2nd or 3rd day hair smell. It’s gross, so I am, unlike you, judging. And for people who have other type of ethnic hair, there are other ways to clean your hair that don’t require shampoo, so I’m not talking about those people (or the “good” dry shampoo people who are essentially brushing out the oil from their scalp).

People who don’t brush and clean their hair every day in some form need to realize it smells. I don’t every day, but I’m not under some nose-blind mis-impression that it smells great.

Wait, so you know it’s a smell from their hair and not somewhere else? How can you tell? What does unclear hair, specifically, smell like?

For that matter, what does clean hair, without heavily perfumed shampoo smell like?

Also lol that we’ve now added brushing hair to the list!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the pandemic did a number on people’s habits and mental health. Also, lots of other countries don’t value people being super clean all the time. I travel to Europe often for corporate work, and in elevators and trains you can smell exactly what you describe- the 2nd or 3rd day hair smell. It’s gross, so I am, unlike you, judging. And for people who have other type of ethnic hair, there are other ways to clean your hair that don’t require shampoo, so I’m not talking about those people (or the “good” dry shampoo people who are essentially brushing out the oil from their scalp).

People who don’t brush and clean their hair every day in some form need to realize it smells. I don’t every day, but I’m not under some nose-blind mis-impression that it smells great.

Wait, so you know it’s a smell from their hair and not somewhere else? How can you tell? What does unclear hair, specifically, smell like?

For that matter, what does clean hair, without heavily perfumed shampoo smell like?

Also lol that we’ve now added brushing hair to the list!

I really don’t know why this would surprise you. Yes, there is a specific smell of dirty hair, just like there’s the DCUM famous “outside smell”.

Regarding brushing hair, I was talking about spraying dry shampoo in your hair, letting it sit, and brushing it out. Some cultures do something similar with oil (rub oil on and then scrape/comb it out). Whatever way, people who have good grooming tend to keep their hair from being dirty and smelling bad every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So is this only a white people problem? Seriously. I'm black and can go weeks without washing my hair and it does not smell. My Asian best friend can go at least a week without washing her hair and even at that duration, I've never smelled it.

Just seriously interested in what ethnic groups have this as an issue.

I think this is really what it gets down to. I am a very white person with very fine hair and a few years ago I TRIED to stop washing it every day. And I gave it the REAL college try like really got devoted. I waited months for my scalp to 'adjust' like everyone said. And no I just looked gross for months.

That said I dyed my hair blonde a couple years ago (I'm brunette) and the processing of my hair like, physically changed it in a way where I get it! I could not wash it every day without it looking crazy fried, it took me awhile to adjust but with that hair I really needed to be on a 2-3 day schedule or it would just look like totally fried out. The texture had changed. It was also easier to style and held curls for the first and only time in my life. Had more volume, it was just like, the hair everyone else seems to have!

Then I went back to brown because the upkeep was just a pain and I can literally like, see the line in my hair where what was blonde meets the hair that wasn't overly processed. All of a sudden I cannot in fact wait two days to wash it because it looks like, oily and clumpy. Especially my bangs I have to wash those. Sometimes if I don't have time for a shower i will wash just the bangs in the sink to look halfway decent.

Anyway long way of saying people with thicker hair yes I think its a literal different hair composition/texture and it works out for you but some of us have to wash every day and that is also ok. And don't feel bad if you are one of those people.

[Anonymous]

I have wavy/semi curly hair. It gets dry if i wash it too much.
I shower in the mornings, but only wash it every other day in teh summer and every 3-4 days in the winter. Sometimes i will wet it down with my hands to revive the curls, but i rarely need to actually wash it for it to look good.
I hated my hair in jr high/high school it was a dry frizzy mess because my mom made me wash it every morning or night. My hair just can't handle that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So is this only a white people problem? Seriously. I'm black and can go weeks without washing my hair and it does not smell. My Asian best friend can go at least a week without washing her hair and even at that duration, I've never smelled it.

Just seriously interested in what ethnic groups have this as an issue.

No. I promise I can smell your unwashed hair too. Unwashed hair/scalp of any race has a stench. It just does. Though it is variable how long it takes to develop it, but after a week, nearly all people have oils from their scalp giving off a smell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is this only a white people problem? Seriously. I'm black and can go weeks without washing my hair and it does not smell. My Asian best friend can go at least a week without washing her hair and even at that duration, I've never smelled it.

Just seriously interested in what ethnic groups have this as an issue.

No. I promise I can smell your unwashed hair too. Unwashed hair/scalp of any race has a stench. It just does. Though it is variable how long it takes to develop it, but after a week, nearly all people have oils from their scalp giving off a smell.

PP. I say this kindly. This kind of seems like a YOU problem. I'm sorry you find the normal smell of human to be this offensive. It is not reasonable to expect people to shampoo more than is healthy for their own hair in order to reduce a smell that seemingly only you are able to detect. Carry a scented handkerchief around with you if you are this sensitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is this only a white people problem? Seriously. I'm black and can go weeks without washing my hair and it does not smell. My Asian best friend can go at least a week without washing her hair and even at that duration, I've never smelled it.

Just seriously interested in what ethnic groups have this as an issue.

No. I promise I can smell your unwashed hair too. Unwashed hair/scalp of any race has a stench. It just does. Though it is variable how long it takes to develop it, but after a week, nearly all people have oils from their scalp giving off a smell.

PP. I say this kindly. This kind of seems like a YOU problem. I'm sorry you find the normal smell of human to be this offensive. It is not reasonable to expect people to shampoo more than is healthy for their own hair in order to reduce a smell that seemingly only you are able to detect. Carry a scented handkerchief around with you if you are this sensitive.

+1. I really think this PP is equating shampoo/hair product scent with a 'clean' hair smell, which is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wash mine once a week and it looks great. Used to wash every day but it’s bad for your hair and scalp.

Ok, but what about the smell? People around you can smell the grossness.

Don’t know what to tell you, but my head doesn’t smell bad. I guess my scalp doesn’t overproduce oils. Tbf if I didn’t wash my face every day it wouldn’t develop a smell either. So it’s a weird question.

maybe you can't smell it? but others can.

No, you really cannot. Sorry but it’s simply not true. I worked as a shampooer at a hairdresser and many women came in with hair that had not been washed for days. They were fine; they did not smell. And I am super sensitive to perfumes, room sprays, candles, etc. This is in your head and you are not regularly close enough to random people to know one way or the other.

Ridiculous, you are telling: it's in my head. I can tell you the same; you are being ridiculous because you can't smell it. Plus the comment you answered is not mine.

Ok cool. Tell me the exact scenario where you are physically close to scalps (arms length) on multiple occasions where you could smell it and also knew enough about the person to know the cause was not washing their hair once a day.

I am often very close and talk to three coworkers. They are shorter than me. When we talk later in the week about work, clients, and projects, I can smell it, and it is strong. They also told me they wash their hair once a week. One of them has long black hair, and by Wednesday, it is plastered by her forehead and not looking good at all.

[Anonymous]

My skin is very dry and so is my scalp. I just don't produce much oil/sebum. My hair doesn't get greasy for at least 4-5 days. More like a week. If you put your nose to my scalp it would smell like skin and hair, not shampoo, but not like old sebum. I know what dirty hair smells like and I do not smell like that.

[Anonymous]

I'm white though my hair is curly. I wash it once a week and frankly don't give a rat's ass if some of you can smell it as you claim (doubtful since my hair is super dry and never oily, so not sure what you'd be smelling). I find it super strange to wash your hair excessively. I had a coworker who washed her hair twice a day. Your hair doesn't need it and you are replacing natural oils with soaps and fragrances and think it's good or healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Horrible hard water around here and crappier more drying shampoo these days make it impossible to shampoo daily.

Interesting point. I have always had hard water and never been able (or willing) to wash my hair daily. The softener in soft water may affect how shampoo/scalp/hair feels