While indulging in my daily read of the always cutting-edge New York Times Style section last Friday I came across a rather astonishing new beauty "trend"-- it seems that regular shampooing is on its way out. Really? What ever happened to the days of lather-rinse-repeat? Remember when sudsing up just once per shower-- skipping the "repeat"-- was rebellious? I was deep in my disbelief when I stopped to examine my own recent dirty hair habits. Could it be that I was taking part in this new trend without even realizing it?
First, I stopped shampooing the day after blowing out my hair. The process was just too painful to repeat every day and dry shampoo was such an easy option. Then, even when I opted for wavy hair, I started to rinse and condition on odd days, finding that my waves were more manageable when I skipped sudsing. Now, examining my week, I find that I only actually use shampoo 2 or 3 times. Wow. Is dirty hair really the hottest new thing? I needed a second opinion. So, of course, I called in our wonderful contributing writers. So, ladies, is dirty hair a do, or a don't?
"I wash and condition my hair every day and would feel gross if I went without doing that," offers Po. "I like to use very fragrant products that have a great detangling conditioner since that makes my hair faster and easier to brush, style and then blow dry. Currently, I have no concern about damaging or stripping my hair because my need to feel refreshed from washing my hair outweighs that. Also, my hair is thick and unprocessed, making me believe I have room to do some damage to it.
I do not think that daily shampooing is on its way out; I refuse to believe that any significant percentage of women is interested in the blow-out look-- I certainly am not. Also, it seems that processing hair (coloring, perming, etc.) is more popular now more than ever, so I don't believe that women are becoming more concerned with stripping hair."
→ Buy the Drybar Happy Hour Weightless Conditioner, $23.00, at sephora.com.
"I have pretty thick, long straight hair. And I do have a confession: I think I have an unhealthy relationship with my locks. They are my safety net... no matter how I look, if I do my hair, my whole package goes up a few points on the hot scale. So, I do wash my hair every day," confesses Pearl. "If I don't, I notice that it gets oily around the roots. I also use a dandruff shampoo once a week-- Head and Shoulders right now-- and no, I'm not afraid to admit that either. Dandruff shampoos are fabulous for getting rid of protein build up and giving a really thorough wash.
Right now I have switched to using Redken brand shampoos and conditioners. Particularly the Redken Extreme line and also Redken Smooth Down. They both smell really good. Redken has a clean scent that isn't overwhelming and actually smells like shampoo instead of a bunch of overly sweet scented flowers. Love that. After my shower, I spray on this leave in conditioner by Frizz-Ease, followed by Redken Extreme Anti-Snap on my ends. If I leave out this step, my hair looks gross at the ends. After a blow dry, I use Biosilk Silk Therapy all over to tame flyaways and give my hair a little extra boost of moisture. And that's basically it!"
→ Buy the Frizz Ease Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioning Spray, $10.74 (was $11.98), at amazon.com.
"Dirty hair... ok, I am just not able to go a day without washing my hair," offers Tina. "I do the shampoo and conditioner thing every morning. The idea of skipping a day is just not something I can do and feel ok about it. I have hair that would not look good if I don't wash it daily. I know they say it isn't good to wash your hair every day, but it my personal preference is to wash it every day!"
→ Buy the Bumble and bumble Gentle Shampoo, $24.00, at sephora.com.
Well, it looks like my intuition was right: the majority of women still prefer to wash and condition every day. Despite my own slow transition towards dirty hair, it looks like it will be awhile before ditching the shampoo becomes a mainstream trend. Hey Stiletto Jungle readers: what about you? Do you still suds up every day, or have you started down the dirty hair path?
