Hair Care
How to Refresh Your Hair in Between Washes
Jul
It’s no secret that over-washing your hair can soon lead to dry, dull, and brittle locks. Each time you shampoo your hair, you strip the sebum that coats your strands. While this is a good thing when your hair is overly greasy, doing it too often prevents your scalp from sending its protective oils down your lengths, which leaves hair prone to damage.
With that said, extending the amount of time in between wash days isn’t always easy. Some people find second-day hair hard to work with, let alone third- or fourth-day hair!
The good news is that there are plenty of steps that you can take to refresh hair in between washes, allowing you to properly space out your shampoo days and achieve a healthier-looking mane as a result. Keep reading as Nubi shares some top tips!
Use a Dry Shampoo
Let’s start with the most obvious way to refresh hair without shampooing it: using a dry shampoo. This is exactly what these products have been designed for. They soak up excess oil while adding texture, which will quickly revive the look of dull and limp strands.
While some people detest dry shampoos because of how they leave a white cast behind, there are ways to get around this. Try applying a dry shampoo to your roots before bed, and then brushing it out in the morning.
Choosing the right form of dry shampoo for your hair type will make a big difference too. Dry shampoo powders are the most common, especially for naturally oily hair. However, they can be difficult to distribute evenly through your strands. A mist is much easier and faster to apply, but they often have longer ingredient lists and could potentially weigh fine strands down. Meanwhile, a paste allows for precise application, but shouldn’t be used as sparingly as a powder or a mist.
Re-Comb and Tousle Your Parting
One of the easiest ways to refresh hair between washes is to re-comb your parting. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to change your parting, although that can be another good way to revive your look.
Instead, simply comb your parting backward, toward the nape of your neck. Then, allow it to fall back into place naturally, using your fingers to give it a quick tousle as it does so. This pro trick will instantly lift your roots, add volume to your mane, and separate your strands, making your hair look much fresher.
Blast With Cold Air
While you likely only turn to your hair dryer when your hair is wet, the cold shot function that it comes with can work wonders on dirty hair too. Give your roots a blast with cold air, and they’ll immediately appear lifted and less greasy. The way in which cold closes the hair cuticles will also provide a glossier finish.
If your hair dryer’s cool shot function leaves much to be desired, check out the Nubi Blow Me Away hair dryer. This versatile, pro-level tool has two adjustable speed settings, which are vital when you’re using a blow dryer on dry hair. If your hair is thin or fine, go with the lower speed setting so that you don’t end up ruffling your hair cuticles.
Refresh Curls With a Curling Wand
If your hair is curly, you might notice that your curls start to look flat and limp in between washes. One way to refresh hair that’s naturally curly is to use a curling wand to reshape your curls and give them some extra bounce.
While heated styling tools shouldn’t be used on overly greasy hair (heating that oil up could lead to damage), slightly dirty hair can actually hold a curl much better than freshly washed hair. It has more texture and grip, resulting in a more voluminous finish.
If you’d like to give this trick a try, make sure that you’ve applied a heat protectant first. This should, ideally, have been applied after you washed your hair, while your locks are still damp. However, applying one to dry hair can work too, so long as you give your heat protectant enough time to fully dry before moving in with your curling wand.
Try a New Hairstyle
Do you often find yourself relying on the same hairstyles? While there’s nothing wrong with this, switching up your style can be a great way to refresh hair. Some hairstyles are much better than others at hiding oily roots and distributing excess oil.
Need some inspiration? Here are some of the best hairstyles to try when you’re in between washes:
- Braids – French or Dutch braids are particularly good at distributing oil. The fact that they’re styled near to the scalp also leaves the hair looking cleaner.
- Buns – try a high bun to keep your hair off your face and conceal oily roots.
- French twist – a polished way to hide oily hair.
- Half up, half down – this style enables you to still rock some length while minimizing greasy roots.
Use Natural Oil to Your Advantage
While the hairstyles that we mentioned above are great for masking oily roots, you could also opt to embrace that oil and use it to your advantage. How? Certain hairstyles can actually look much better when there’s some oil on your strands.
A slicked-back ponytail is the perfect example. The natural oil on your hair will enable you to achieve a much sleeker finish. If you’re struggling with flyaways, spritz some hairspray onto a clean toothbrush and brush that frizz down to enhance the smoothness of your ponytail.
Use a Shower Cap When Showering
Humidity and moisture will quickly affect how smooth and polished your hair looks. Not only can it lead to frizz, but it could also make your unwashed hair look oilier.
While tying your hair back when you’re showering helps to keep your locks from getting soaked, your strands will still end up splashed with water and exposed to humidity. To prevent this, seal your locks in with a shower cap when showering. Pick one that comes all the way down over your hairline, so that every strand is protected. If your hairline still gets damp, give it a quick blow-dry once you’re done showering.
Blot Away Excess Oil
Blotting papers are a godsend for people with oily skin. Just a few quick dabs on your face and you’ll be able to soak up excess shine to reveal clearer and brighter skin.
However, blotting papers are more versatile than many realize. In addition to using them on your face, they can also be used to blot away excess oil from the scalp and hairline. Simply press a piece of blotting paper against an oily area of your scalp, and you’ll quickly de-grease that section. Focus on your parting, as well as your hairline – these are the areas that tend to look oiliest!
Brush With a Soft-Bristle Brush
If you’ve noticed that your scalp tends to get very oily in between washes, but the ends of your hair still seem dry, one way to refresh hair is to spend more time distributing those natural oils. It can sometimes be difficult for the scalp to send its sebum all the way down to the ends of the hair, especially if your hair is curly.
If you can relate, it’s time to invest in a soft-bristle brush. They’re great for distributing oil, much more so than a regular hairbrush or comb. Use one daily, and those oily roots/dry ends should soon become a problem of the past.
Apply a Hair Oil to Your Ends
Another way to deal with dry ends in between washes is to hydrate them with a hair oil. You’ll only need a few drops applied to the ends of your strands to quickly refresh hair and leave your locks looking healthier.
Make sure that you don’t let any of that oil make its way to your roots/scalp. This area will already be oily enough in between washes, so you don’t want to add to that!
Try a Hair Perfume
If you’ve been trying to space out your wash days more but don’t like how your hair starts to smell a little musty in between shampoos, a hair perfume could be exactly what you need. Unlike regular perfumes, these products are designed to be lighter. They tend to have a subtle, rather than an overpowering, scent, with minimal amounts of alcohol so that they don’t dry the hair out.
Some hair perfumes offer additional benefits too. Many contain conditioning ingredients, while some also boast UV filters. Find a formula that not only appeals to you scent-wise, but also meets your hair’s needs, and you’ll be able to refresh hair with just a couple of spritzes.
Don’t Panic If Your Hair Feels Oily to Start With
Concerned about how oily your hair seems to feel when you leave it an extra day between washes? This is absolutely normal, especially if you’ve been over-washing your hair up until now. The more you wash your hair, the more oil your scalp produces in an attempt to compensate for the oil that it keeps losing. It’s a vicious cycle that, at first, can be difficult to break.
However, with time, this will all change. Your hair will soon adapt to having fewer wash days. This will stimulate it to slow down sebum production, saving your locks from looking quite so oily in between shampoos.
Summary
Have you been thinking about washing your hair less frequently, but aren’t sure how to deal with your locks in between washes? As you can see, there are plenty of options available to you. Cutting back on how much you wash your hair can be extremely beneficial in the long run. While this may mean some extra work to start with to keep your mane looking fresh in between washes, your hair will soon adjust to your new routine, making it easier to manage and style your strands.
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