For some hair types, skipping the periodic wash can include some serious benefits– when you surpass the oily phase, that is. The very best way to beat the grease? Oil training, or the practice of “training” your hair to produce less oil with time, the much better to permit your strands more time to soak up useful natural oils between washings.
The switch-up is something to think about, specifically as your routine washing regimen may be leading to an uncontrollable quantity of oil. “Depending on your hair type, washing your hair more often could in fact be the factor you are experiencing oily hair more often,” states celeb colorist Rita Hazan. Contradictory, yes, but overproduction is what we want to avoid, the sort of grease levels that demand too-frequent cleansing, therefore robbing our lengths of the opportunity to absorb advantageous oils between washes. “When you allow more time to pass in between washes, your hair keeps its natural oils,” explains celebrity hair stylist Andrew Fitzsimons. “Over time, your sebaceous glands will adapt and learn not to overproduce oil.”
Oil Training and Hair Type
While oil training is a beneficial option for some, the effectiveness (or lack thereof) is completely depending on hair texture and type. “Oil training is certainly not for everybody,” says Fitzsimons. “While one person’s seven-day hair may look salon-styled, another individual’s seven-day hair may be stringy or greasy.”
Finer hair types will find their hair more prone to oily hair, making avoiding even one wash a non-starter. Conversely, thicker hair can thrive with a pared-down hair shampoo schedule. “Those with thicker or curlier hairs and textures might benefit from cleaning as soon as a week since their natural oils and styling items will not permeate or move down the hair shaft as easily as straighter hair types,” says Fitzsimons.
Hairdresser Weena of Harlem’s Renaissance Curls notes that oil training tighter curls can actually dry hair with time– the opposite of the desired outcome. “What we’ve noticed with our customers is that the ones that clean their hair consistently are seeing incredible results with their curls,” she states. “Their curls are normally more hydrated and easier to manage.”
Hair Training Techniques
Hair training comes down to reimaging your wash schedule. “Try to go as long as possible without a wash. Seriously– style your hair in updos,” says Hazan. “Just trust the process and see how your hair will alter with time.” Fitzsimons advises reducing into your new routine and welcoming trial and error. “Start sluggish. If you’re used to cleaning your hair every day, waiting a week may seem complicated,” he says. “Try waiting a few days initially, and work your method up to it.”