healthy winter hair with T3. {and how I go 7 days between hair washing}

T3 Micro Blow Dryer.(c/o) T3 One-Pass Straightener.(c/o) Batiste Tinted Dry shampoo. DryBar Detox Dry conditioner. Sephora dual boar paddle brush. Tresemme Keratin Smooth hair spray.

Hey guys, happy Monday!  I hope you had an awesome weekend.  We were busy getting ready for the movers to show up this week, dejunking, doing laundry, packing suitcases, cleaning, and also fitting in one last fun Seattle outing.  This month I feel like I’ve been going a million miles a minute, trying to get all my work done, be mom to my kids and get everything ready for our move to the East Coast.  It’s times like this that I’m really glad I can go 7 days between hair washings because let’s be real, who has time for that right now?

I get asked questions about my hair a lot, but the one I get asked the very most is how I am able to go so long between hair washings without my head turning into grease city.

I have to admit that it took me a long time to figure out just how to go so long without washing my hair and have it actually look good.  I started washing my hair every other day in high school, when a hair stylist at a salon told me that with my thick hair, and frizzy texture the best thing I could do was to stop washing my hair everyday.  This was years before dry shampoo was available and it was revolutionary to me.

Most weeks I now go 5-7 days between washings and seriously, this is the healthiest my hair has ever been.  Winter is a rough time of year for hair and skin.  All that cold weather means the heat is blasting everywhere and it really dries everything out.  The less you wash your hair, the more the natural oils are able to protect it.  But who wants to look all flattened and greasy by day 3?

It took me a while to really crack the code on this, and I am always tweaking my approach to my hair, but I’ve figured out the best system for going several days between washings and still having may hair look fresh the whole time.  I’m going to share the whole thing with you today!

So let’s get started.

First let’s talk about what needs to happen on wash day.  I’m kind of always experimenting with different shampoos/conditioners, and honestly I don’t really have one that I swear hands-down by.  I always use a sulfur-free option, right now I’m using this set, but I’ve also tried this set in the past and really like it.  On wash day, you’ll want to wash your hair twice with shampoo.  Literally, lather, rinse, repeat.  The first wash removes all the product in your hair, and the second removes the oils.  If you go several days between washings but then don’t shampoo twice, you’ll feel like your hair is still greasy right after being washed.  Finish with conditioner, and keep it mostly on your ends.

After I wash I use a teeny-tiny bit of Moroccan oil in my hair to keep the frizz away.  Then fix your hair as normal.

Now lets talk about what happens on the rest of the days.  Starting with day two after washing your hair.  When I shower I pull my hair up into a loose bun on top of my head.  I don’t use a shower cap because I want the steam from the shower to get a little bit of moisture back into my hair.  Bone dry hair doesn’t style well and this gets a little bit of moisture back into it.

Next.  Dry shampoo.  I’ve tried tons of dry shampoos, seriously, every time someone suggests one, I try it out.  Some are super cheap, others are expensive.  I have a few favorites, but Batiste is the one I use everyday.  One, I love the way it smells and it’s nice and light and never itchy.  I also love that they have a tinted option, so I don’t have the gray roots problem.  And I also love the price.  It’s around $7-9.  I spray it into my roots only, and don’t go too heavy.  And the more days you go without washing, the less you want to use.

Next dry conditioner.  Yes, you read that right.  This is a new discovery and oh. my. goodness.  Game changer.

You spray it into your ends and it keeps them from drying out, keeps the static away, and smooths your hair.  It smells AMAZING.  Like my kids keep making comments about how good my hair smell, amazing.

I feel like this is my best hair product discovery in years.  It’s a little pricey, but a little goes a long way and the bottle lasts a long time.

Once the product is in I brush out my hair.  In the last couple years I’ve had a big problem with tangles and hair breakage and I finally found a brush that really works to smooth my hair without destroying it.  This dual boar bristle brush from Sephora is seriously amazing.  It’s a natural boar bristle brush but it also has paddle brush pins.  The boar bristles distribute the hairs natural oils to promote smooth healthy hair and the pins gently detangle. Plus it feels so nice brushing your hair.  I seriously have a crush on this brush.  My hair breakage has gone down exponentially.

Okay this part is my secret weapon.  After I comb through my hair I blow it out with my T3 micro.  I tried my sister’s T3 last summer and I knew I needed one.  These are amazing blow dryers.  It blows slow but hot, which gets the hair dry nice and fast but doesn’t tangle my hair.  On non-wash days, I still use my dryer, because it refreshes my hair, distributes and sets the dry shampoo and removes any kinks from sleeping the night before.  If you use a tinted dry shampoo, this is an important step because it sets the dry shampoo and keeps it from getting all over your hands every time you run your fingers through your hair.

I seriously love this dryer so much.  It’s super pretty, nice and compact, lightweight, folds up for travel convenience, and it works really, really well.

After I blow dry, I separate my hair and then I use my T3 one pass straightener to smooth out the roots.  Even if I’m wearing my hair curled, I always straighten out the roots.  This gets rid of all the kinks from the ponytails I put my hair in at night.

This straightener is really great.  Smoothes on the first pass, and is super lightweight.  Plus it’s so pretty!

I finish off with a spritz of my Tresemme keratin smooth hairspray.  It’s a very lightweight hairspray and it does a great job locking out moisture and keeping my hair from getting frizzy throughout the day.

So there you have it!  My system for going 7 days between washings.  If you have any questions, go ahead and ask them in the comments and I’ll make sure and answer them for you.

;-)

*in partnership with T3.