Hair training is the process of getting your hair and scalp used to going more days between washes. Washing hair too frequently can damage hair for many reasons, including humidity and the minerals in the water. There are a wealth of articles online arguing all sides of the issue-this one from WebMD does a good job of explaining the pros and cons of hair washing frequency.

The Story

If you’ve read my About description, you know that I have fine, blonde hair. Side note: my hair has gotten a lot darker with age, especially within the past year, to the point that it might not even be considered blonde anymore. This tends to happen to most natural blondes.

The other curse of blonde hair is that the strands tend to be finer. You may be surprised to learn that this means that people with fine hair actually have more individual hair strands. Unfortunately, this also means that we have more sebaceous glands. This is the gland that accompanies the hair follicle and produces the oil that keeps hair lubricated. Since they have more sebaceous glands, people with fine or thin hair tend to get oily more quickly.

Nothing compares to the feeling of freshly-washed hair. Unfortunately for me, this great feeling only lasts for one day. By day 2, my scalp is already starting to get greasy. In an effort to increase the time that the freshly-washed feeling lasts, and to try to keep my hair looking better for longer and also to work on scalp health, I did some research and learned about hair training.

The Theory of Hair Training

The goal of hair training is to go longer between shampooing, ideally progressing to washing only once a week. The theory is that if you shampoo every day, you end up making your scalp produce more oil since you’re constantly removing these oils and your body fights back by overproducing it. This triggers an endless cycle between you shampooing and your scalp producing oil to replenish what has been removed. The hope is that increasing the time between shampooing will get your scalp to produce less oil over time, thus breaking this cycle of shampoo-oil overproduction.

It’s important to understand that hair training will not produce results overnight. It’ll take a few months for your scalp to get used to the new routine, so it requires some commitment and patience.

Hair training works great for some and doesn’t work well or at all for others. It really depends on your hair type and other factors, such as if you have dyed or permed hair (which strips it of some natural oils), and even what minerals are in your shower water. Those who have naturally less oily scalps to begin with, who have normal or thicker hair, have the most success.

How to Wash Your Hair

When it is finally time to wash, you should always shampoo twice. Wash, rinse, repeat: “once for the rinse, twice for the shine.” Gently but thoroughly work the shampoo into your scalp. You don’t have to apply the shampoo directly to the ends; whatever product naturally flows down is enough. Then follow with conditioner. Those with fine hair should avoid using conditioner on the scalp; instead use it just on the ponytail part. The same applies to hair masks and other after-washing treatments. In general, avoid putting products on the scalp.

Other Tips When Hair Training

As much as possible, try to resist touching your hair-and especially your scalp! Your hands have natural oils on them as well, and these will be absorbed by the hair and scalp so touching your hair might make it get greasy faster.

My Experience With Hair Training

I started hair training in March 2021, six months ago. I think I’ve given it a fair trial. Before I would wash my hair every-other day. Now I am washing my hair every three days.

One of the things I find annoying about hair training is that people start using dry shampoo instead of normal washing. I think that kind of defeats the point since dry shampoo works by absorbing the oil. I only use dry shampoo if absolutely have to-like if I have something important coming up and I need to go an extra day before shampooing so that I have freshly washed hair for the event.

Using Dry Shampoo

If I use dry shampoo, I will usually apply it at night on day 2. My favorite is the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, although I haven’t tried too many so far. Spray short bursts to a few sections on the top of my head, wait a few minutes for it to absorb, then massage it into the scalp. Then I will use a comb instead of my normal brush to detangle and spread the product, because the brush will remove the dry shampoo. The goal is to let the dry shampoo stay on overnight so that it has enough time to absorb as much oil as possible. In the morning I will resume using my regular brush.

After using dry shampoo, I always will use a clarifying shampoo the next time I wash. Overusing dry shampoo can clog the hair follicle and cause problems. I’ve been using the Ouai Detox Shampoo for the first wash, then follow with whatever shampoo I feel like using, and conditioner, as normal.

The Verdict

Has hair training worked for me? Slightly.

I went from washing my hair every-other day to washing every three days, so a small improvement. On day 2 my hair is acceptable, marginally better than it used to be, although still nowhere near as nice as day 1. By day 3, boy am I ready for a wash! Day 3 is usually a bun day.

I’ve recently added Moroccan Oil Treatment Light to my routine (read my review of hair oils here). I focus the application to the lengths and ends and use whatever is left on my palms to gently massage my scalp. It’s counterintuitive, but it I’ve noticed that when I apply this on day 2, it tends to make my hair feel more fresh the next day. My guess is because oil breaks down oil, the clean Moroccan Oil is removing the oil produced by the scalp.

If you’ve been bothered by greasy hair and are willing to give hair training a few months, I’d say it’s worth a try. Don’t expect miraculous results, but even extending the time between washes by an extra day will help.

*feature image courtesy of pexels.com