Your Hair Grooming Regimen

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Your Hair Grooming Regimen

— by Angie

on April 16, 2018

Hair grooming regimens differ based on the texture of your hair, the way it’s styled, how long it takes to style, the time you have available to style it, your workout routine, and whether your hair is a statement component of your look.

I view my “pixie and specs” combination as an important part of my style. So I have it cut and highlighted every six weeks, and invest time in styling it every day. When my hair feels off, my outfit feels off, so it’s worth the investment to me.

My hair is fine, wispy, soft and wavy. It looks best when it’s very clean. It is easiest to style when it’s just been washed, so I shampoo and condition my hair daily. It’s especially necessary because I do hot yoga regularly. There’s no way my hair could look fab unwashed on the morning after an evening yoga class. Another reason to wash daily is that I use styling products, and I don’t like the look or feel of day-old-product in my hair. It’s also harder to style.

My hair is in good condition because it’s cut regularly, and I use salon shampoo and conditioner that is gentle and moisturizing.

I wear my pixie straight, wavy, or slicked back. I blow and straighten my hair for the straight and slicked-back looks, but leave it to dry naturally with product for the wavy look. Although I wash and style my hair every day, this is quick thanks to a good cut, and willing hair that is easy to style and quick to dry.

Greg has gorgeous salt and pepper hair that’s very different to mine. It’s also an integral part of his look with a pair of statement specs. His hair is extremely thick and quite curly. It’s coarser and drier than my hair, and absorbs product much better. It grows fast and he has it cut every four to five weeks. It works well for him to shampoo his hair twice a week and use conditioner one of those times. He does wet and style it with product daily to keep it looking neat and polished. Greg’s hair air dries, never looks dirty, and is always in place. The curls work beautifully with the cut and moisturizing product, and he never has a bad hair day. When his hair gets wet in the Seattle rain, it flounces perfectly back into place as it dries. I want to patent Greg’s hair.

Greg and I both have very short statement hair, but our hair washing frequency and grooming regimens are different. Over to you. What’s your hair washing frequency and is your hairstyle an integral part of your look? Do you put in the time to style it every day?

Grooming

68 comments · Add a comment

Sterling

My hair is very fine and very straight. It looks absolutely best when washed daily. In fact, washing less frequently is not even an option with my hair.

I do not condition my hair. The absence of a conditioner “roughs up the cuticule” and gives my hair some body. My hair stylist always dies a little when I tell her I forego the conditioner.

April 16, 2018 at 4:29 am

gryffin

Veteran

Angie – like you I get my hair cut and colored every 4 weeks. Hair day is sacrosanct. I also wash my hair and condition daily. I have fine slightly wavy hair, since I wear it in a sleek chin length inverted bob, I blow dry it daily. Wet wear is the death of wavy hair, cow licks, frizz…shivers. Me wantsies Greg’s hair! But because of the excellent cut and that it is healthy and never over processed by hair is generally obedient (except in unprotected drizzle and super high humidity – the bangs do their own thing). I do use Liss Ultime products, professional products and dryer make a huge difference IMHO in hair health and manageability. But I agree, bad hair day equals bad day, great hair day makes any day better. Hair and specs are exceedingly important to my style, so I agree it’s totally worth the effort!!

April 16, 2018 at 4:40 am

Lesley

Veteran

Yes! Hair is a real learning process and completely changes your look!

I have wavy hair with plenty of gray that I’m not coloring. In the spring, I often get an ombre highlight job that gives it a little depth to help with my spring/summer regimen (more on that in a sec). I only need it once a year and it looks cool enough as it grows out. I made a vow when I decided to let myself go gray I always had to keep my hair in great shape and have an excellent haircut so that it looked deliberate rather than unkempt.

I wash just about every day for the reasons you state above. In the cool months, I use a curl-enhancing paste and blow dry with a diffuser—it takes about 3 minutes. In the summer, I spray with salt spray and let it air-dry—no time at all. The former look is more puffed up and voluminous, which somehow works better with winter fabrics (and besides I don’t have to go out with cold wet head). My summer routine leaves my hair a little flatter, but it’s worth it because my curls look like more like beachy waves as a result of being left alone. But my hair is so dark and glossy that without those highlights air-drying can leave even freshly-washed hair looking a little greasy.

This whole shebang took me pretty much my whole lifetime to perfect—I straightened daily until I was around 27. It took forever and was easily ruined with a hint of humidity in the air. Now my hair looks how I want it most of the time—although finding a good hairdresser is its own challenge! Can’t wait to return to my beloved one after a year of being abroad and getting dicey cuts…

April 16, 2018 at 4:40 am

Eliza

Veteran

I wash my thick, high volume, wavy in humidity, 3 inches above the shoulder-length hair, 2-3 times a week. As it can get dry, I try to minimize washings while using salon products without sulfates. Do a monthly cut, color and gloss, with occasional moisturizing treatment. Keeping up with my hair is a priority. I sometimes scrunch and dry parts of it naturally, otherwise air it a bit and blow dry at low temps for a straighter look. By appointment time, I am more than ready to be there.

April 16, 2018 at 4:52 am

RobinF

Veteran

So true that I feel best when my hair is looking good! I used to wash and condition every day, then style and straighten. As I have gotten older and let my curly hair be curly, I don’t need to wash often, only once or twice a week. I do wet and style it every day or if doesn’t feel good to me, but I dry with a diffuser until just damp since I don’t have the patience to spend more than 5 or 10 minutes drying it.

April 16, 2018 at 4:59 am

jussie

Veteran

Hmm hair is a challenge for me.
My hair is quite long and straight, with heavy blonde highlighting with a bit of silver coming in too.
I try hard to keep the blonde on the cooler, ashier side… purple toning treatment each week or two is helping. However the bottom part of my hair is much too golden for my liking and I may either get those sections lightened further or cut the lower part off so the colour is overall ashier rather than golden.
I wash once per week, as my hair is fairly dry. Then I blow dry.
I don’t use any styling product.
I’m envious of those with funky shorter haircuts but I’m not sure if I could handle the styling required.

April 16, 2018 at 5:06 am

cindysmith

Veteran

I do the cowashing thing. My hair is significantly white, so it’s a bit dry and coarse, and shampoo makes it really dry to the point of uncontrollable. I use a hair dressing cream with purple in it to help it stay white instead of brassy, and if I’m using a hairdryer (winter only) or iron, I’ll add an antifrizz serum and a heat protection spray. If I’m going for texture, sea salt spray.

I long ago gave up on any sort of hairspray/gel/mouse, because my hair is thick and heavy. Like, so thick and heavy that even the superglue type spiking products don’t hold volume in my hair, even it’s short. short.

I resort to a ponytail many days because I want long hair (much more low maintenance for me), yet I don’t want hair in my eyes or mouth when I’m doing stuffs. I’m lazy when it comes to my hair; it’s so thick that any blow drying or hot ironing takes forever and my arms get a bit tired.

April 16, 2018 at 5:10 am

Staysfit

Veteran

My silver thick wavy pixie is a signature look along with an array of colorful glasses frames. I end up washing my hair daily because I work out, and my hair frizzes easily when it’s wet or sweaty. I don’t blow it dry or do anything to it other than wash using gentle shampoo, and conditioner, then I add a very small amount of product designed for wavy/curly hair in order to tame any frizz, and I comb it while wet. It air dries however it wants. My hair has a mind of its own, and I learned long ago to live with it rather than fight it.

April 16, 2018 at 5:12 am

Liesbeth

Veteran

My hair is probably my biggest frustration since my teenage years :). I don’t have a lot of patience for styling. But I also don’t have a lot of volume and oily roots easily make my already flat hair even limper. A ponytail does not look very good on me, neither does short hair I’m afraid. So I stick to a medium bob which I tend to grow out a bit too long out of laziness and because once my hair is long enough for a ponytail I get addicted to the convenience. I wash every other day, though my hair would probably look better if I washed it every day. I got it permed about 6 months ago, hence the waves now. I get a lot of compliments on that style, though I have to say there are still a lot of bad hair days and I’m totally inexperienced on how to handle those now I’m curly. So still not sure whether I should re-perm…

April 16, 2018 at 5:33 am

Style Fan

Veteran

My hair is fine and medium thickness. It can be straight or wavy depending on the humidity. I wear it to my shoulders or even as long as mid back. I usually have bangs. There are long layers on the bottom.
I don’t colour my hair. Currently, it is a very light golden blonde with some grey/white hairs in it. The grey doesn’t really show up until you get close. When I was younger my hair was a richer strawberry blonde.
I wash my hair about every 3 days. I alternate between a conditioning shampoo and conditioner and normal shampoo and conditioner. I let it air dry unless I am going somewhere special. I sometimes use a flat iron to fancy it up.
I get it cut about every 3 months. I trim my bangs myself. I would cut it more often but my hair stylist is 3 hours away. Fortunately, my hair is very healthy and behaves itself.
I consider my hair part of my signature look. Even though I don’t spend a lot of time on it I am happy with the way it looks.

April 16, 2018 at 5:35 am

Bijou

Veteran

Keeping my hair in good condition is worth the effort because if I don’t it has a tendency to really misbehave. I have foils put in my hair every 6 weeks and also have it cut. I wash it every second day, generally after a work out. I like having it long enough to put in a pony tail, as when exercising I like it tied up and out of my face and like the option of wearing it tied up, although most days I wear it out.

April 16, 2018 at 5:41 am

Aurore

Veteran

My hair is challenging. It’s naturally dry and wavy, and very prone to frizzing. It looks better long.
I wash it three times a week or more depending on workout, then condition, make a mask once a week, and dry with a low-temp hair straghtening brush. If the weather is dry, my hair then looks good for around one day, then frizzes. If the weather is damp, my hair looks good for around five minutes before frizzing…
I probably have not found the best haircare routine.

April 16, 2018 at 5:41 am

Ginger

Veteran

Yay! Hair talk!

My hair is fine, on the thick side, and very slightly wavy. Baby hairs around my hairline form corkscrew curls in humidity. Its natural texture is fluffy, but it holds curl extremely well. I stopped using heat on it because of the damage some years ago.

I wash once every 5-6 days (sometimes 7 if my schedule is that crazy), with a climate protection shampoo and conditioner. I shampoo only the scalp and condition only the length. After I towel dry my hair, I apply setting lotion and some smoothing cream, and then set it in curls. As my hair gets longer the setting pattern has changed. Currently I do flat pin curls in back, and standing pin curls on top and sides. I have a side swept bang that I set smoothly as well. I sit under a bonnet dryer for about an hour, then sleep on it. It’s always dry in the morning, even on early work days. Over the 5-6 days until I wash again, the curls gradually relax from time, weather, and brushing, but there’s always definition and bounce to it. I’ve been doing this routine for 2-3 years now and am perfectly happy with it.

I’m currently growing my hair out. I trim my bangs when it gets too long, and go in for regular trims to keep the long ends and layers neat. My immediate goal is waist length, which I should reach in a year and a half. I’ve never colored my hair; it’s naturally a big mix of colors and I like the natural variation.

April 16, 2018 at 5:55 am

Helena

Veteran

I couldn’t agree more that when my hair is off, my whole appearance feels off. I love the look of long hair, but it takes way too long to style because I have a lot of hair and drying it takes forever. So my preference these days is a shoulder-length bob, which is quicker to dry, style, and keep looking polished.
I touch up the color every 6 weeks or so, and get a cut every three months (the length allows me to go longer between cuts). I shampoo and condition daily, deep condition once a week, and skip washing on Sundays to give it a break from product. I use a heat protectant when I flat iron or curl, and often will put some oil in the ends to keep them from looking dry. I sometimes spritz on a hair gloss to add shine and smoothness, especially when the weather threatens with frizz.
It sounds like a lot when I write it out, but actually I don’t spend long on my hair every day – maybe ten minutes max, plus touch-ups with a brush through the day to keep it neat.

April 16, 2018 at 5:55 am

Laura

(website)

Veteran

My hair is fine and dry, so I wash and style every few days. A touch-up in the morning, and I’m good to go. Hot yoga would for sure change my routine!

April 16, 2018 at 6:05 am

lisa p

Like you, my hair is a major part of my style. I get it cut every 4 – 41/2 weeks and coloured less often (depending on what colour I have at any given time). I wash mine every day during the week – working out necessitates that – but try to give it a break from heat styling on the weekends if possible. My hair is starting to thin, especially around my forehead, and my stylist tells me that I absolutely have to minimize heat tools . Hard to do -air drying produces laughable results. I’m full of cowlicks, have a double crown, and my hair is generally finicky. I use a mixture of salon and drugstore products – I have my favourites in each category.

April 16, 2018 at 6:27 am

anchie

Veteran

Oh, my hair grooming regime could be improved. My hair is fine, without much volume, limpy and gets greasy very quickly. It looks best when it is freshly washed, just barely passable on the second day and a real mess after that. Unfortunately I don’t always have enough energy in the evening and enough time in the morning to wash and style it every day, so I resort to dry shampoo and pony tail or bun. And on those days I don’t feel so good. I was happiest with my grooming when I had a very short pixie cut, it took minutes to wash and dry and required minimal styling, so I was washing it daily.

April 16, 2018 at 6:27 am

smittie

I cut once a year and have long, coarse, thick hair.

Around 3x a week, I shampoo/condition, blow dry and flat iron (often I don’t flat iron). I leave a lot of conditioner in my hair. That is my “product” .

April 16, 2018 at 6:30 am

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Angie, your hair and specs are always fab!

I’ve experimented with bobs, shags, or slightly longer layered looks, but my hair looks best short and I’ve worn it in some version of a pixie for most of my life. I try to get it cut every 4-6 weeks, depending on the precise style, weather I’m growing it into a new shape or not, and hairdresser availability.

My hair is fine, but very, very thick, with a slight natural wave that is emphasized in humidity and/or with layers that bring it out. It’s now its natural silver grey, lighter at the front and darker at the back. It’s in excellent condition—not oily, not too dry.

My hairdresser *always* thins my hair. We try to avoid thinning with a razor as that seems to make the ends frizz a bit. Typically she uses old-fashioned thinning shears and nips into the hair with regular shears for added texture. Without thinning, I’d have a bubble head with short hair.

I wash it twice to three times per week, depending on weather conditions and other factors. Once a week I use a silver-enhancing shampoo. I use conditioner each time I wash. If I’m exercising vigorously outdoors in summer I might wash a bit more often but often a rinse with water is enough.

Typically, I finger comb it into place, let it air dry, and apply a bit of shine serum and/or styling paste to tips and/or roots (depending on the style I’m after.) If I’m wearing a long asymmetrical bang, I might flat iron the bang portion (especially in humid weather). Rarely, in winter if I’m going out immediately after washing, I’ll blow dry.

It literally takes five minutes to style and I never think about it during the day at all. Totally worth the investment at the hairdresser’s each month.

April 16, 2018 at 6:55 am

Echo

Veteran

My hair is thick, mostly straight and barely past the shoulder with fringe, and I wash and style it daily. I cannot stand it if I don’t. DH has very fine and wavy hair, which he also washes daily. though his is quite short. But both of us can see the difference and feel the difference if we don’t wash daily.

April 16, 2018 at 7:11 am

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I think that you are very lucky to have found a hairstyle that suits you and works as an integral part of your style.I think that for a lot of women this would constitute the holy grail of hairstyles!
I have “bad”hair,thin and fine.when I was younger the colour ,a dark blonde was it’s strong point but now it’s salt and pepper mouse,not pretty.I have foils done once every 10weeks to counter act this and have it cut to my shoulders with a few face framing layers.like you I m active so tend to wash and condition my hair daily,usually blow drying it with some mousse for volume or balm if I m straightening it.I keep it shoulder length as I find it versatile ,I can wear it up or down.

April 16, 2018 at 7:22 am

Scarlet

Veteran

Interesting read. I have thick, heavy, wavy, dry hair. I wear it long so that it collapses under its own weight to control the volume. Putting my hair up for more than a couple of hours gives me a headache because of the weight, so I mostly wear it down. I actually dread showers because drying my hair is such a bear. From the way my hair looks, I could easily go several days without washing it, but if I don’t wash it every two days my scalp bothers me, so every two days it is. My hair looks best when I blow-dry it with a styling brush, but I only do that for special occasions because it just takes too long. I usually blow dry only the hair around my face and let the rest air dry or rough blow dry the rest. I use a hair oil in my wet hair after I wash, and that helps a lot. After sleeping on it, I have to attend to my cowlicks with some kind of heat (iron or dryer).

April 16, 2018 at 7:25 am

Ryce

Your distinctive pixie and glasses are such an integral part of your look, Angie. Your example really encouraged me to think more about the details of those items as part of my style. My fine reasonably thick hair is cut in a conventional slightly layered bob. Because the style itself isn’t attention-getting, I have to rely on keeping it perfectly styled and maintained to make my “statement”. I get a cut and color every 6 weeks on Friday afternoon, so that I go into the weekend with a professional blow out. (My hairdresser schedules regular clients for the entire year at one go – I get a card with all my appointments for the coming year around Thanksgiving time every year, so I never miss my times.) At the 3 week mark, I get a quick bangs trim, and apply color touch up to my part line and temples. We use a demi-permanent color, which is slightly lighter on my gray hair, leading to a “natural” highlighting effect. (Also, less toxic, which was the original reason for the switch). I like Davines products for their effectiveness and low environmental impact. I usually wash every other day and style by blowing dry. On day two, I occasionally need to straighten a spot of two that got kinked in my sleep, and I wear a few non-heated curlers while I shower and groom, to add a little body. My favorite hair “hack” is to use rice flour as a dry shampoo – it turns translucent as it absorbs oil and doesn’t show in my dark hair as many commercial products do.

April 16, 2018 at 7:32 am

Runcarla

Veteran

Curly red hair has been a part of my identity my entire life. Now my natural colour is about 50% white and not so flaming, but more ‘sandy’. Stylists tell me that it is medium-fine, and that I have a lot of it. They always comment on how long it takes to blow dry.

I have no luck growing it long (below shoulder length) and currently get it cut every 2-3 months. I use a salon shampoo formulated for dry hair, a leave in conditioner for curly hair, and air dry for the most part. I wash more frequently than I would like, but necessary due to fitness routine. I use a ‘fro pick or my fingers to style, though I will sometimes use a blow dryer to set my bangs around a round brush or swipe with a flat iron. I have limited success with all over straightening – it takes forever and results aren’t great. Frizz is the bane of my existence.

April 16, 2018 at 7:56 am

AndiB

Veteran

My hair has probably never looked better than it does now, and it’s taken me literally decades to get to this point. I currently wear my fine, straight, colored hair in an asymmetrical, angled bob, quite a bit longer in front and on one side than the other. My light brown hair is probably mostly grey now (I’ve been coloring for so long…) and my incredible stylist brightens it up to a dark blonde I guess. I think the color is good on my aging face. Product product product. Once I resigned myself to paying for premium hair products, I can’t tell you how much my hair has improved. I use Pureology shampoo and conditioner, and have recently discovered Living Proof, and I use a number of products from that line to give life, volume, shine and staying power to my style. I do wash almost daily (maybe a break on the weekend) since I workout pretty hard most days, and I have to blow dry; air drying leaves my hair thin, stringy, and frizzy. I wish it took less time to make my hair look good, but I will say I am happier with it than I have probably ever been in my life. Excellent cut and all over color (every 5 to 6 weeks) and good product is key.

April 16, 2018 at 8:02 am

krishnidoux

Veteran

Angie, I have hair similar to yours. And I too, just like you, used to shampoo every day – especially with daily exercise sessions. I’m convinced I fattened my share of hair products makers’ wallets in the course of my life. I came to realize in the past few years that I can really skip a wash or two; and this, even if I workout and sweat. Every other day, I will simply rinse my hair (rinse longer than usual). I then spray on a leave-in “tonic” (which acts as a detangler also). And voilà, hair looks just as clean, overall more shine, color lasts longer and scalp is happier too.

April 16, 2018 at 8:15 am

Diana

Veteran

I don’t care to spend time doing my hair in the morning and dislike using product in it (I don’t like the feeling or the smell of product) so it’s important to me to have a low maintenance hairstyle. It helps that my hair is straight, shiny, and thick, so it behaves pretty well on its own. The most I do in the morning most days is fix my part. I shampoo+condition every 2-3 days (this nicely coincides with my frequency of working out as well) in the evening, and air dry overnight.

I get it cut and colored probably once every 4-6 months. It should be a lot more frequent than that but frankly I find going to the hairdresser very, very tedious and time-consuming so I put it off for a long time.

April 16, 2018 at 8:17 am

Katerina

Veteran

Your hair is very beautiful Angie!

I wear my hair straight and long with a sharp short fringe. I shampoo my hair every second day, sometimes every third day. The days my hair is not washed and blow dried, I wear it i a bun or a low ponytail. I get my fringe trimmed every fourth week and the whole hair cut every tenth week. My hair is pretty low maintenance.

April 16, 2018 at 8:19 am

The Cat

Veteran

Interesting subject. Runcarla had a similar forum post around a week ago (“Talk to me about your hair style”), and as I am in a hurry now, I hope it’s OK that I just repost the comments I made there. Here they are:

My hair is grey, thick and wavy. I keep it relatively short, because that suits me best. In earlier years, I have tried many different hairstyles, lengths and colours. But I have always got most compliments when it is short, and especially after I let it go grey. I stopped colouring it when I was 41.

My hair grows fast, so I need a haircut every fourth or fifth week. I wash my hair once or twice a week, using shampoo and conditioner. (At present, I try some products made especially for grey hair. Can’t say that I notice any difference, so they may not be worth the extra money.) I use hair mousse, air and/or blow drying, and finish with a light spray. Once set, my hair looks great for several days. However, an excellent hair cut is a must.

Most days, I just brush my hair for a few seconds, and that’s it. If needed, I might use a little hairspray again. But in most cases, that will not be necessary.

When I want to look extra good, I use a shine spray. And for parties, I sometimes use a glitter spray.

April 16, 2018 at 8:20 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for sharing, ladies. I enjoy hearing about your hair grooming regimens. Lots of similarities AND differences.

Sterling, I condition my hair keep it moisturized. I hear you on it not being an option to NOT wash our hair daily.

Gryffin, HIGH FIVE. Your hair grows fast – like Greg. Mine not as fast, although your hair texture is more like mine. And obedient is a good word. I don’t get frizz – it goes limp and wavy in the rain when it gets wet, IYKWIM. Fine when I wear my hair wavy – not so fab when I wear it straight.

Lesley, what is salt spray? I like the look of your hair in your avatar.

Jussie, you get the hang of styling short hair quite fast.

Cindy and Bijou, yes. Ponytails come in handy.

Staysfit, your hair sounds like Greg’s.

Liesbeth, how interesting that you have a perm.

Style Fan, you have low maintenance hair. Lucky you.

Aurore, how do you prevent the frizz?

Ginger, you win most unique hair grooming regimen. And have you had waist length hair before?

Torontogirl, your new long bob is KILLER perfect for you. It suits your style to a tee.

Laura, I am unrecognizable after a hot vinyasa class. Drenched and as red and beetroot.

Lisa p, your hair grows fast. I wish mine did. YES. I give my hair lots of heat styling breaks when I wear it wavy – which I do quite regularly (like today). Still completely client appropriate. What is your natural colour hair at the moment? I’m an ash blonde, and have it highlighted platinum in front. The back of my head is natural and un-coloured.

Anchie, I like your hair long.

Smittie, do you have layers in your hair?

Suz, thank you for always being gracious. YOU have a KILLER amazing silver pixie, which looks very thick to my eye. I have my hair textured with a razor and thinning shears too. You have gorgeous and easy hair. Lucky you.

Echo, see and FEEL the difference is dead right.

Cardiff girl, you’re right. When I leave Seattle, I’m taking Teresa with me. I hope you have a fab hair stylist too.

Scarlet, you have a gorgeous thick mane.

Ryce, thanks for the kind words. Your sleek maintained hair is gorgeous.

RunCarla, very curly hair takes a long time to grow, doesn’t it.

AndiB, there is definitely something to it. It take ages to figure out the right products though.

April 16, 2018 at 8:20 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Krish, good for you. I can’t stand the feeling of an unwashed daily scalp.

Diana, you have a stunning and natural black bob. I love it.

Katerina, thank you.You have your hair grooming regimen down, and it looks fabulous. Suits your style perfectly.

The Cat, you have beautiful thick, bouncy, silver hair.

April 16, 2018 at 8:25 am

Robin

Active Member

My hair is an integral part of my look. It’s thick and curly, and about collar-length right now. I shampoo and condition it two or three times a week and wet it with a gentle leave-in conditioner daily. Daily styling usually comes down to wetting and lightly finger-fluffing. After washing I use a cocoa butter-based product to style and add extra moisture.

April 16, 2018 at 9:01 am

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I consider my hair a statement part of my look, but my routine is closer to Greg’s than yours. I wash a couple times a week, spritz with a sea salt spray, and air dry. I have a couple of other products I use occasionally on off-days, but mostly I just let it do its thing. When I find myself wearing messy topknots more often than anything else, I know it’s time for a cut.

April 16, 2018 at 9:13 am

lisa p

Not sure what my natural hair colour is in front, but it’s still a medium , neutral brown shot through with the odd grey bit. I’m not in love with my colour at the moment, but am letting it be until it grows out a bit more. I’m not at the stage yet where I want to or can let it go grey/natural.

April 16, 2018 at 9:13 am

Patricia

I have fine straight hair. After many years of pixie, I am growing it out to a short bob. The pixie was limited to shampoo, condition and finger fluff. The short bob is a little more work complicated by a broken R shoulder. I’m limited to left hand shampoo and I blow it dry one handed. Then I comb into shape and it’s as good as it’s gonna get until I can raise my right hand to head level. Luckily the cut is working with me and it looks pretty okay (not aiming high here).

I stopped coloring my hair about 10 years ago and am loving the current look. People think I have “champagne highlights”. Very nearsighted people.

April 16, 2018 at 9:18 am

Sisi

Veteran

I have very thick, wavy/curly, frizzy hair that has driven me crazy all my life. Because of course I wanted spaghetti-straight hair and I used to fight long exhausting battles against my curls, armed with round brush and hair-dryer. At some point I decided to let my hair do what they want. Life became immediately easier. For many years I have had a very short pixie that eliminated all the grooming problems. Now my hair is middle-length and I keep it in a messy bun. I wash every 3-4 days, whith a mild salon hampoo and no conditioner. . When I want a luxurious curly hairdo, I just go to my hairdresser.

April 16, 2018 at 9:21 am

MsMary

Veteran

My hair is naturally curly/wavy/very gray. So I fight against nature every step of the way! Color every three weeks, and Brazilian blowouts every couple of months. It’s expensive but it’s worth it because I roll out of bed, brush, and go. I wash every couple of days and blow-dry but even that doesn’t take much time when it’s straightened.

April 16, 2018 at 9:41 am

Janet

(website)

Veteran

My hair is an important part of my look, probably now more than ever because I’ve found a style I’m really liking, even as it evolves a bit each time I visit the salon.

My hair is wavy and tends to frizz in humidity. It’s traditionally been fine but abundant, and that is changing — it’s thinning and I’m trying to take better care of it as a result. Less heat styling specifically.

I go have it cut and colored roughly every two months. I’m stretching it out this time because my stylist is booked up, and I’m probably going to be freaking out wearing hats for the next couple of weeks to hide the roots. I’m starting to see a LOT of grey and it’s kind of bothering me. I’m not ready to embrace that yet — it doesn’t fit my image of myself to not have dark hair. So for now, it’s regular visits for color and cut, and a little Madison Reed touch up powder on the roots to get me through.

I don’t spend much time styling my hair. I wash every 2-3 days unless I’m in serious workout mode or really active in warm weather, and then it’s everyday. I can’t stand having a stinky scalp.

Styling consists of spraying “It’s a 10” after washing to help eliminate tangles and help make it more manageable. A little styling cream (B+B usually) and a quick blow dry, mainly focused on the bangs and crown — I’ll often let the back and ends air dry. Sometimes I’ll blow dry the whole thing to get it more straight, if I’m going somewhere where I want a bit more style (and weather permitting — no use doing that when it’s raining).

April 16, 2018 at 10:04 am

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

My hair is definitely closer to Greg’s than yours Angie, but more difficult. I co-wash (wash with conditioner) every day because I just don’t feel well without a thorough rinse. I use a curl product and then let it dry naturally. My hair has always been dry (although my skin was always the opposite until menopause changed all that). Never found blow drying etc. helped me, for lack of skill if no other reason.

April 16, 2018 at 10:05 am

Greyscale

Veteran

My long curls are sort of a pain to manage, but low maintenance in other ways. Wash twice a week, comb out with detangling conditioner, then rinse and add a bit of light shea butter curl creme. Dry overnight in a high ponytail.

The problem is, they just discontinued my conditioner and everything I’ve tried in the past few weeks has been ten times harder to detangle. Hair crisis! Working through various recs from curly hair friends.

I cut it twice a year aside from the undercut which I do myself every few weeks. I should really get it cut more often. Haircut scheduled for this week and I’ll consider chopping off a few inches more than usual.

April 16, 2018 at 10:21 am

rachylou

Veteran

I used to have coarse, thick, stick straight hair and washed daily. When I turned 30 it got wavy – with a little product, I could have all day curls. When I became diabetic, it got thin, dry and fine (and I’ll probably be bald one day).

Right now it’s ‘parrot colour’ – yellow and green on the bottom half, natural black at the top. I guess that makes it a statement, lol.

I’m paranoid about my hair – despite deciding to risk the 7-hour colour process (got to do it while I still have hair!)… so heat styling and product are only for dress up. I only wash it now once a week also because of my paranoia (and the colour) and it looks terrible the first few days, dry and frizzy. I’ve used R+co products for colour treated hair for the past few of years. They’re a bit ‘heavy’.

Yeah, and I never work out. Lol.

April 16, 2018 at 10:21 am

Ginger

Veteran

Hi Angie, yes, my hair was very long into college. About 2″ below my waist, and that was with lots of breakage and split ends because I didn’t know any better. When I was younger I could almost sit on it. It’s making me happy to see it getting longer now, and know it’s healthy as well.

April 16, 2018 at 10:43 am

danusia

Currently growing out my pixie that I have had close to 20 years. I have fine hair and thought it was starting to thin out a bit. It has been 8 weeks since my last haircut and my hair on the side finally covers my ears (did I mention that my hair grows quickly?) My DD has been trimming the length in the back so I can go a couple more weeks before I go to the salon. It will be interesting to hear what my hairdresser will say when I tell him that I no longer want short, but will start with a bob and with his expertise will decide what type of bob.

Now the interesting part. Thought my hair was starting to thin, but interestingly enough I have more hair coming in. The only thing that I feel I can attribute this to is my working out very hard with a trainer twice a week and my increased intake of protein to help build muscle (along with eating more veggies and decreasing my carbs and fats a bit)

I wash my hair every other day in the evenings (never the night before my next morning’s workout). I use a shampoo for color treated hair (I use a demi perm color that I apply myself once a month that does a great job covering/blending my grays – I am almost 62). I use a conditioner once a week applying to my hair before I shampoo. I then let my hair air dry a bit and apply Rusk Radical Cream through my damp hair. I love this product! Then I blow dry and style. I have a silk pillow case that does not mat down my hair. The next morning I apply a bit more radical cream and use the hair dryer to style – takes less than 5 minutes.

April 16, 2018 at 11:42 am

Dianna

Veteran

My hair is fine and thin, slightly wavy, but it gets straighter as it grows. Right now, it is below my shoulders. I wash with shampoo and apply conditioner daily during the summer (which is 8 months of the year). The remaining 4 months, I wash daily during the week, and leave it unwashed on Saturdays, to give it a rest. There is no way I cannot wash daily otherwise, due to weather and workouts. I blow dry and straighten my hair very often for 4-6 months of the year. During the hottest months, there is no way it lasts straight more tan half an hour due to heat and humidity, so I try to emphasize its natural wave during the summer, and in the hottest days I just wear it on a ponytail or a bun. I cut it every 8 weeks or so, and at the same time I have it washed with a colored shampoo close to my natural color to cover a few gray hairs I have. I cover them because they are way thicker than my normal hair and it is hard to make them stay in place.

April 16, 2018 at 11:56 am

Kate

Veteran

I have thick, below shoulder length, somewhat dry, coarse light blonde hair that I have colored (a dark blonde for roots plus alternating high & low lights) every 8 to 10 weeks. My hair has long layers, and I often wear it pulled back to keep it out of my face. I wash it once a week or less—it looks better the longer I go without washing—using a gentle shampoo & conditioner. The only product I use is Alterna’s Kendi oil spray, which I spritz on before blow drying. Because my hair has lots of body, that blow dry will last until the next time I shampoo. If I don’t blow dry, which takes a long time, my hair will dry messily wavy—not a great look. Because my hair is totally out of control in humidity, I wear it longer in the spring and summer so its extra weight helps counteract the humidity’s dire effects.

April 16, 2018 at 12:02 pm

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

My hair is fine, fairly thick, and wavy-curly. And frizzy. Right now I’m wearing it long, for me, or what most people would view as medium-length, two to three inches past the shoulder. I have been enjoying wearing it long and sometimes putting it up, inspired by my style icon, Linda Rodin. My routine is to wash almost daily, because of sports. On days when I can go without washing it, I do, but it’s never more than a day between washings. I use curl-enhancing product and dry it with a diffuser. Second-day hair is always a hair-up day for me. Lately, though, I’ve been frustrated with the total frizz-fest that my hair has become when I wear it down, and I don’t want to wear it up all the time. So I have an appointment for next week to get layers cut, in a kind of long shag style. I’m excited for something new, and quite a while back, I wanted to get a long shag–but at the time I didn’t have enough length to do it!

April 16, 2018 at 12:10 pm

Dana

(website)

Veteran

Wow, am I late to the hair party today! My hair is fine. It’s not necessarily thick, but I have a lot of it, if that makes any sense. I keep it somewhere between a long bob length and shoulder length with layers.

For most of my life, I washed and styled it every day. But about 5 years ago I was introduced to the DevaCurl line. They had me at “all you need to do is mist and re-diffuse on the second day.” Some how my hair never looks quite as good on the second day when I wear it curly, but I get compliments on the 2nd day, so I’m good with it.

My hair is in the best condition it’s ever been in. I’ve found it is easier than ever to blow it straight, (I think b/c/ it’s in great condition due to DC,) so I mix it up between curly and straight usually just depending on my mood.

April 16, 2018 at 12:13 pm

Bonnie

Veteran

Greg and I have almost the same styling routine. My hair looks best a day or two after shampooing and my flat iron is my hair’s best friend. DH’s hair routine sounds like yours.

April 16, 2018 at 12:14 pm

Barbara Diane

Veteran

My hair is fine, curly, frizzy, mousy gray (not the beautiful silver or white I was expecting), dry and lacks shine. While I was reading this I got a call back from a hair stylist I left a message for 2 weeks ago and I have a consultation appointment scheduled for a week from Wednesday. Yay!
I wash and condition most days, put in my part, sometimes scrunch my hair to help with the curls, and then air dry. If I can I avoid washing on the wettest, most humid days as it will often look worse than when I woke up.

April 16, 2018 at 12:24 pm

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Oh, I don’t get it cut often. And I’ve been know to hack off a few inches myself.

April 16, 2018 at 12:25 pm

The Cat

Veteran

Angie, thank you so much for your lovely compliments here as well as in my recent forum post (“More Old Goodies From The Cat’s Closet”). Quoting Inge, ‘I’m blushing.’

I wholeheartedly agree that a person’s hair style is an important part of her or his style and is (or should be) an integral part of their look. You yourself are an EXCELLENT example.

Interesting that you use the expression “statement hair” (in connection with Greg and you as well as me). I haven’t heard that expression before, but thinking about it I agree that hair style can really be a statement.

A question: I remember to have read somewhere that the texture of your hair influences the degree of texture which suits you best when it comes to clothing. Are you familiar with this element of style, and if so, would you care to write about in a post?

April 16, 2018 at 12:39 pm

columbine(erin)

Veteran

I have waist length mostly straight blonde hair with red and many other natural variations of color in it. I like my color. I work out most days so I wash every night. Lately I’ve been putting my hair up in a very high bun with invisibobble hair bands, at night. I wait til it mostly air dries. I get volume and gentle waves in a low maintenance way. I don’t want damage from heat styling and super dislike the feel of product in my hair. If I want more curls I use aloe Vera in my hair when it’s wet and put it up. Mostly my hair does what I like, but wish I had a little more volume.

April 16, 2018 at 12:43 pm

Keix

Veteran

I have straight, coarse, fairly thick black hair. Recently I’ve started coloring it with blue/green balayage, which is a loooong salon visit but after jumping around between colorists/salons, I’ve finally found a formula with great staying power for my hair (Pulp Riot). I have fairly bleach-resistant hair, too, but that means that I can process it without getting brittleness. I use both regular conditioner and leave-in conditioner when I wash my hair ~twice a week, leaving it to air-dry. I’ve been complimented on how healthy my obviously-colored hair looks, but most of that is down to luck/genes in having resilient strands. It means that getting it to hold a curl/heat-style is a lot harder though!

April 16, 2018 at 2:55 pm

Gail

Veteran

After years of struggling/abusing my hair with perms hot rollers curling irons etc I am finally at peace with it. I have fine dirty blonde hair which I have cut into a longish straight bob. I have it highlighted and cut about every 3 months. I used to wash and condition every day then blow dry and torture it with several heated appliances when I wanted tons of volume.
Nowadays I wet my entire head and condition the ends every other day and wash it once a week. I sometimes use a straightner on a low heat . I like a smooth look but my hair left to air dry goes frizzy and looks horrid so I always use a hairdryer. If my hair is off I mostly definitely am too !

April 16, 2018 at 3:18 pm

DonnaF

Veteran

My hair is so coarse that it used to feel like a hairbrush hitting my skin whenever I have had my long enough to reach my shoulders or back. And so thick that it would take maybe an hour of blow drying when I had a bob. Age and gray hair has not made it softer or much thinner. I do not sweat as much since I developed and autoimmune condition, or maybe it is age that has made my skin and hair less oily. At any rate, I only need to wash my hair maybe twice a week and not the daily or every other day routine of my youth.

Amazon has revolutionized my access to hair products. I have never met a person with hair coarser or more stubborn than mine, but then, I don’t go around touching other people’s hair. And please don’t you, Products made for Caucasian hair, not to mention products for African hair, simply do not work for me. But now I can get stuff that works!!! True, the English translations can be a bit off, and I can’t read Japanese no matter how simple, but I figure as long as I don’t ingest the stuff I’m good to go. I can now get goop to hold my hair and take down the volume!

April 16, 2018 at 4:07 pm

Nancycs

I have extremely thick hair with natural waves. I wear it long, and get it highlighted every six weeks. My stylist recommended that I wash it only once every four or five days, since it is sort of dry. I use a lot of conditioner. After washing I let it dry naturally and then curl it. I have so much hair, I put the top part in a big clip and use hot rollers on the bottom at the back. Then I start on the front with a large size curling iron. I use the set of hot rollers three times on different sections while I curl the top and front with the curling iron. It’s time consuming, but it stays curled until I wash it again.

April 16, 2018 at 6:26 pm

Lee

(website)

I am surprised that in a list this big no one has mentioned Deva or Curly Girl! After a lifetime of fighting I discovered the curly girl technique last summer and it is a game changer! There is a learning curve and I haven’t found a stylist yet who understands it, but I am sticking with it for the foreseeable future. Curls are now part of my signature look

April 16, 2018 at 6:32 pm

Joy

Veteran

Angie, you are an inspiration for a pixie cut. My hair needs some length to tame some stubborn cow licks. It is naturally nearly all white now, but not stiff. It is soft and straight. How often I wash it depends. It is very dry where I live, so in winter I wash it every other day. Most of the rest of the year it is daily. When I use our hot tub, it may get washed twice in a day.
Over the years, I have become very sensitive to any form of sulfur in product. Because foaming agent contains sulfur, I wash my hair with conditioner or just plain water, using Burt’s Bees baby shampoo once or twice a month. I’m on a constant hunt for a shampoo that does not result in giving me exema or painful flaking of the scalp, neck, and other skin. It takes months to recover from one use of shampoo so makes going to get a haircut an ordeal. I do use a hair gel most days for more volume.
My hair is cut in a blunt cut and super easy. If usually just wash, towel dry, add a little product, and blow dry for a few minutes. If I want a bit more polish, I use a hot curling brush or smooth and lift with a flat iron.
Sometimes I use a bit of hairspray or tiny bit of argon oil. The whole process is probably 5-8 minutes. Sleeping on a pillow in a silk pillowcase seems to prevent bed-head.

April 16, 2018 at 6:39 pm

Windchime

Veteran

For most of my adult life, my hair has been worn short and more or less “wash and wear”, with minimal time needed to style it. Until about 10 years ago, I washed and styled it every morning. Then I started being able to go longer between washes. Now I wash and style it two or three times a week. Styling consists of a bit of styling gel, and 5 minutes with the hair dryer and round brush. Rarely, I will wear hair spray to keep it in place; I don’t like the scent of most hair sprays, nor the idea of regularly applying chemicals to my scalp. I get my hair cut every six weeks or it gets too long for the style.

April 16, 2018 at 6:55 pm

DeeCee

Active Member

I have curly hair and for the most part follow the curly girl method and get my hair cut by stylist who were trained to do deva curly cuts. For many years I would wet set my hair on big rollers to smooth it out in the fall and winter and just let it air dry in the spring and summer since it was futile to fight my natural curls during rainy spring weather and humid summers. Now I don’t bother with the wet sets and go with the flow all year round. About a year ago I switched from chemical hair dye to using a mixture of henna and indigo to color my greying hair a nice auburn color. Now that I think about it I guess an auburn curly/wavy lob makes a statement.

April 16, 2018 at 7:42 pm

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for this post. It reminded me to schedule a hair cut.

I have baby fine hair that is wispy, limp and hard to style. I want your hair. I want Greg’s hair. I want anyone’s hair but my own. My hair has thinned in my 50s but it has stopped falling out for the time being.

Gratitude moment, I suppose — no gray hairs, at all, almost age 60.

I used to get perms to give my hair curls and more body. No one seems to be doing perms anymore.

I wash my hair every other day. When I am on vacation, I wash my hair every day because I am doing more and have more time. I will blow dry my hair after washing so I suppose I am giving it a little more style that way.

April 16, 2018 at 10:46 pm

Lesley

Veteran

To answer Angie’s question, salt spray (or sea salt spray) is this great stuff that’s supposed to mimic the effect of being at the beach all day—you get a lot of waves and lots of matte texture. I started with the Bumble & Bumble version—they may have invented it, or at least they popularized it, and it is terrific as all their products are, but I have moved to cheaper ones that are still good—John Masters Organics (smells like rosemary) and a nice cheap coconut one from Target!

April 16, 2018 at 11:30 pm

Inge

(website)

Moderator

My hair is very similar to Greg’s: dry, coarse and very thick, and like Greg, I need to have it trimmed (and thinned out a lot) every 4 to 5 weeks max. I wash it about every 3 days. If I have time, I let it air-dry for a bit, then blow-dry until dry and use a flat iron to straighten the top and fringe. Finish off with product.

April 17, 2018 at 12:12 am

kerry

Veteran

I have long, fine, straight hair but quite a bit of it. I have a few long layers. My hair colour is a bit drab so I have it partially highlighted. I usually have it cut and coloured every three months. Last year I ended up going 6 months for one reason or another. I’m trying that again but I’m not sure I’ll make it.

It’s always been my dream to wash my hair less frequently. To that end, after my daughter was born and time was limited in mornings, I went three days between washings and used dry shampoo on non-wash days. More recently I’ve worked out that I was using too much dry shampoo so I’ve returned to washing every other day. I mostly air dry but might give it a bit of a blow dry before leaving the house. For a bit of volume, I sometimes throw a few large Velcro rollers in, blast with some hot air for a few seconds and leave in as long as possible. I’m very fickle when it comes to using hair products but do have favourites – Living Proof Flex hairspray, Alterna CC Cream and Moroccanoil Treatment Light.

April 17, 2018 at 3:35 am

Adriana

Veteran

I have fine hair, but lots. Cut every four weeks. Wash, condition, quick blow dry daily.

April 17, 2018 at 3:54 am

Adriana

Veteran

Submit to fast. If I don’t wash daily I don’t feel clean. Even with longer hair (years ago) I washed daily.

April 17, 2018 at 3:57 am

Sara L.

Veteran

My hair is super thick but the texture is normal – not coarse, not fine. It’s normally straight and glossy. I wash it every other day. On the days I don’t wash, I run damp hands over it in the shower to flatten any bed head. I use the blow dryer to fluff it up and reactivate the old product and a round brush to fix any non-straight portions. It’s quick and easy. I get it cut every 6-8 weeks. My hair is generally easy to style because I make sure that whatever cut I get works with my hair’s texture. I use a round brush most mornings or a flat iron to flip it out. I also use a flat iron to crimp in waves when I want something a bit different. I’m growing it longer right now but I’m not sure what my end game is yet. I don’t have a goal hair style that I’m trying to get to. I just wanted something different than the short hair I’ve had for the last 5 years.

April 17, 2018 at 7:21 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for sharing, ladies. LOTS of different regimens and hair types. As expected.

Thanks for chiming back in to answer my questions, Ginger and Lisa p.

The Cat, that's a new "styling tool" to me. Could be a fun discussion. Thank you.

April 17, 2018 at 8:56 am

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