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I will openly admit that I am not an everyday hair washer; not even prior to the COVID-imposed restrictions of staying home. Actually, hair professionals encourage their clients to skip daily hair washings in order to improve the overall health of their hair. I don’t skip hair washings because it improves my hair health — although that is a nice benefit — I skip daily washings because my hair is thick, curly and long, requiring both a washing and a conditioning. Each step in the process takes a lot of time and uses a lot of product, resulting in my need to not only maintain a significant supply of shampoo and conditioner but also to carefully plan the necessary amount of “get ready” time if a hair wash is needed.
Given all of this, I am very confused by the hair washing instructions found on the bottle of shampoo; step one: Wash. Step two: Rinse. Step three: Repeat. Repeat?
If I hand wash my dishes (which I often do), I do not first wash them a little bit, making sure that I have left bits of dried on food or lipstick stained rims of glasses so that they can dry and I can wash them again. I wash them thoroughly, removing any traces of prior use.
I’m quite certain that I do not follow this protocol because my parents raised me to be an overachiever but rather because my intent in the dishwashing process is to, simply, yield clean dishes. When I wash my hair, rest assured, my intent is the same, lathering and sudsing my locks so that all traces of hair products and physical activity have been removed. If I have effectively followed steps one and two of the hair washing process, why then, do I need to do it all over again?
Repeating something you have already done well not only requires more time, something I have already established that I am unwilling to give more of when it comes to washing my hair, but also, more use of resources, resulting in … more money.
If washing my hair one time requires a lot of shampoo, can you imagine what I would spend on shampoo if I washed my hair twice in a row? It’s like going out to eat and paying full price for a shrimp cocktail appetizer but insisting on receiving only two shrimps at a time only to reorder it again.
The repeat instruction on a bottle of shampoo leads me to believe that the shampoo manufacturers are trying to recoup the profits they lose from the hair professionals who recommend against daily washings … Luckily, I have mastered hairstyles which work when my hair is beyond its last hair wash expiration date, like a messy bun or, in extreme circumstances, a hat.
Seriously, if I don’t have the time, nor the inclination to wash my hair more than 3 times (or maybe only twice) a week, why would I ever redo something I just did.
I recommend that the shampoo companies save themselves some ink and remove their third step! Rinse-Repeat.
Rinse-Repeat.
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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