Attempting to not wash your hair all the time is hard — having to do it while you go to a school with hard water is even harder. Hard water makes your hair feel and look greasier, even when you just washed it. But washing your hair all the time just makes your hair produce more oils while also drying your hair out. Seems like a lose-lose scenario, however, I have a few tips and tricks to help you go longer in between washes and make your hair, and you, happier.
The first and most obvious piece of advice that I would give — DRY SHAMPOO, DRY SHAMPOO, DRY SHAMPOO. It will take a little while for your hair to get used to not washing it as much, so dry shampoo will become your new best friend. Make sure to section your hair off and spray the dry shampoo in each section. I really recommend investing in a high-quality dry shampoo, this way you are not feeding your hair unnecessary toxins. My favorite is the Perk Up Amika dry shampoo. Try to go as long as possible without washing your hair — shoot for no more than twice a week.
Next, we have to take care of re-nourishing your hair, because after all, the worst part of hard water is that it dries your hair out leaving it weak and damaged. I have a few good solutions for this. First, and most easily, make sure that your shampoo and conditioner are moisturizing or hydrating or something along those lines, and it is best if they are sulfate free additionally.
After, the subtle switch out of the shampoos and conditioners, make sure to invest in a good hair mask. Again, the hair mask should be hydrating, moisturizing, or repairing. Use once every other week leaving it in for at least five minutes on wet or damp hair. This should begin to rehydrate your hair and mend some breakage you might have.
Furthermore, I would highly recommend getting a leave-in conditioner to use every time you wash your hair. Not only does a leave-in conditioner make your hair easier to brush through, but it also gives your hair that extra moisture that the hard water makes your hair so desperately needs.
Having hard water is tough because it causes your hair to become dry which causes breakage and also leads your scalp to produce more oils to try to compensate for the dryness of your hair. This can lead to that greasy feeling on your scalp. These are some tried and true methods that have allowed me to go a lot longer without washing my hair, but the key to success is to have patience. Your hair will need some time to readjust to moisture. Allow that to happen and during this time use your dry shampoo or do a slicked-back ponytail look or rock a hat. You can do it! Have fun on your new hair journey!
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