hair shampoo question

[faithinkarma]

This is something I have wondered about for a long time. And if the answer is so simple it is a DAH, please be kind.

When I was younger, decades ago, we washed our hair once a week. If you had a hot date on Saturday night, you washed your hair either Thursday or Friday, beause it did not look its best on the day you washed it.

Then along came a marketing strategy that instantly doubled shampoo sales. They simply printed lather, rinse, REPEAT on all the bottles. And like good little lemmings we obliged.

And now today, we shampoo our hair and it only stays clean for hours.

I have been told it is the pollution in the air. But it seems to me that enough pollution to dirty up my hair in hours would have killed me off years ago.

So what is it? Is our hair so different ? Or is shampoo simply made to have limited cleaning ability? Does anyone know? Does everyone know, and I am the only dummy?

 

[Disney Doll]

I don't know...I do know that if I happen to skip a day washing my hair once in a while, by the next day, it's itchy.

When I was a kid, in the 60's, we washed our hair once a week...Saturday night was bath night. When I think about it now, it was gross, but I don't ever remember smelling or anything. Maybe your hair makes more oil as you get older?????

 

[Lisa F]

I wasn't even born yet in the 60's and I have always had to wash my hair daily. By around 9-10pm, I already look greasy and I look and feel disgusting first thing in the morning. I can't even skip a day, let alone a whole week. I would LOVE to be able to skip a day (or even not have to wash my hair sometime after 3pm if I am going to any event that goes later than 10pm). I'm really curious to hear if anyone has a reason for this!

 

[bananiem]

I think some of it might have soemthing to do with hairstyles too. My Mom's in her 80's and when looking at her aunts pictures she commented on how long their hair must have been. It was ALWAYS up in a bun. They probably brushed it out every night but it got "bunned" again the next morning. Then the teasing and ratting of the 60's. Yikes! I can remember my Mom had this scarf thing to wear while she slept so she wouldn't ruin her new 'do. I suppose once it got ratted up like that you didn't want to mess with it!
Now people have more carefree styles, I think. Gone are the days when you had to sit under a hood dryer for what seemed like forever. Curling irons and such have made it easier for people to re-do tehir 'do's at home.

 

[minniecarousel]

I cannot go a day w/o washing my hair! (I still get my hair permed - so waiting those 3 days to wash it is really hard.) But I well remember washing my hair once a week, and towel-drying it over the heater vent!

 

[Hillbeans]

I wash my hair everyday. It's highlighted blond and if I skip a day, it looks oily and very flat.

I'll only skip washing it on the occasional saturday i'm just doing things in the yard.

 

[Christine]

I agree that this has more to do with styles and "hairdo's" that we just don't have now. Back in the day, most women had long hair that was put up or in a ponytail. Now we have all these layered styles, bobs, etc., and they do not do well if they are not washed and styled daily. Not to mention all the styling products we use. My hair is usually not oily when I wake up the next day, it is just a disgusting mess from the products I used the day before.

 

[leahannpen]

Well, I think that after we sleep on our hair, we get it wet to do it again, ya know? I know that my hair looks funky after being slept on, so I kind of have to wash and re-do it. Plus, I shower before work every day, and, well, it's just easier to wash the hair and re-do it..you kind of have to once it's wet. Make sense?

 

[Aimeedyan]

Interesting thought! I didn't know people haven't always washed their hair everyday, LOL.

My hair looks like it needs washed by mid afternoon. I have the greasiest hair in the world! Its so gross! =)

 

[powellrj]

I think it has something to do with the shampoo we use too. Now I think its a lot more gentle on the hair so it gets dirty faster. I saw Prell in the store the other day and thats what we always used when I was growing up and bought some and it was much more drying on my hair than what I use now. And that is true that we all have wash and wear hair, not the beehives of the sixties!!!

 

[Tea Please]

I vividly remember my mother going to the hairdresser every saturday morning for a teased updo and she would keep that do all week Just add a little more aquanet each morning.

 

[Sleepy]

Originally posted by powellrj
I saw Prell in the store the other day and thats what we always used when I was growing up and bought some and it was much more drying on my hair than what I use now.

Pert, Prell and Head and Shoulders are the worst shampoos to use. They are the wrong PH. My hairdresser told me this about 10 years ago. Not sure if it is true or not. Just what she said.

 

[faithinkarma]

Well, at least the answer wasn't some obvious thing I should have thought of.

I am strongly leaning towards a big conspiracy on the part of the shampoo manufaturers. Even though I know if that were true, one company would break ranks and put a once a week shampoo on the market for 10 times the price and I for one would buy it.

 

[pjlla]

I have very long hair and I stopped washing it daily about 18 years ago (in my very early 20s). I average every two/three days, trying to plan to wash it on the days I go out (I'm a SAHM). I usually wash Sunday morning before church and then sometimes on Tuesday and then always Thursday morning (I volunteer at my kids school classes on THurs and Fri and attend Weight Watchers on Friday). Saturday I look a bit grungy, but usually I'm just staying home any how! I do shower on the other days, but usually just twist my hair up in a bun and pull my bangs back with a headband. I have the least hair maintenance of anyone I know! I also use the cheapest shampoo around most days. (Got a great deal on Suave .25/bottle a few months ago.... still got around 15 bottles of shampoo left!), but about once every other week I use the John Frieda Sheer Blonde shampoo and conditioner. It really does remove residue and make my hair look lighter and brighter. But for $6/bottle I can't see the point in using it every day!! Anyhow..... sorry to be so "chatty"........P

 

[jipsy]

Years ago too, people used to brush their hair alot before bed (remember the 100 strokes?) which distributes the natural oils from your scalp to the ends.

When I kept a hairstyle that required alot of maintenance, I got into the habit of washing my hair every morning, blowdrying, curling, etc. Now that my hair is one length, I still do that, but sometimes on the weekend, I might clean my house first before I take my shower in the afternoon. My hair does feel oily by then.

Some people have oilier hair than others also.

But I agree with the conspiracy on the shampoo companies idea

And if you really followed the directions (lather, rinse, repeat) you'd never get out of the shower...

 

[doxdogy]

I had a hairdresser tell the same thing about Prell years ago. They use to have commercial about how the shampoo was so thick even a pearl didn't make it to the bottom of the bottle. She told me that the reason the pearl didn't make it to the bottom, was that the shampoo dissolved it on the way down.

Originally posted by Sleepy
Pert, Prell and Head and Shoulders are the worst shampoos to use. They are the wrong PH. My hairdresser told me this about 10 years ago. Not sure if it is true or not. Just what she said.

 

[Keli]

I wash my long hair every other day. I usually wash it and roll it and wear it curly and the next day I brush it out and have gentle waves and small curls.

 

[Serena]

I wash my hair every day. I don't put a bunch of products in it, so if I had to, I could skip a day of washing and it would look fine. But taking a shower and not washing my hair just feels weird. I do skip when I go camping though.

Some shampoos are more conditioning than others. Prell is very drying. Suave has some drying ingredients too. Finesse is moisturizing and it will look oily the next morning.

 

[wishuponastarforever]

Originally posted by jipsy
And if you really followed the directions (lather, rinse, repeat) you'd never get out of the shower... [/B]

 

[KPmom]

When I was in beauty school they told us that the more you wash your hair the more you are going to need to. When you wash your hair you remove the natural oil from the scalp. Your body replaces that oil. Then the next day you wash it again and it removes the natural oil again. Then you miss a day of washing the body is still used to producing the extra oil to replenish the "missing" oil, thus oily hair. Make sense?~KPmom