Okay, so I’m about to tell y’all something that may sound ridiculous to some of you. And I’m sure that others of you will relate.
I am a “get it done” kind of person. I don’t like to put things off. I want to tidy up right that second. Or run that errand before it slips my mind. But there is one thing that turns me into a procrastinator. And that’s washing my hair.
I will plan my week around the days that I need to wash my hair. And I typically don’t wash it more than twice a week. (I do use dry shampoo. Don’t worry!)
It’s not so much the washing that is a big deal, but it’s the drying. I have a whole lot of hair. Long or short, it still takes the same amount of time to dry it.
Going to sleep with it wet doesn’t work because of it’s wild unruly ways. I’d have to start over the next morning. Air drying takes 4-5 hours. It’s just thick and coarse and needs time to be tamed.
But I feel so much better when I wash my hair. So I kind of plan workouts and my day around what it takes to wash hair. My hair routine isn’t even complicated!
I know. Are you rolling your eyes yet? Or are you nodding your head in agreement because you completely understand?
Before I had kids, I washed it every single day before school and then every day before work. But that all changed when I had kids. My excuse has always been that I shouldn’t take 30-45 minutes away from them to properly get ready. But the truth is that I need that daily physical refreshment to feel productive. Because doesn’t a blowout just make you feel more human?
Now my boys are old enough to entertain themselves in the mornings while I dry my hair. They can play together and watch a TV show while I hustle to tame the beast.
So here’s to 2014 being the year when washing my hair becomes a priority. I’m going to allow myself those extra minutes in the morning to focus on feeling a little more human and refreshed.
And, just for reference, these are my favorite hair products for every day styling. I dry my hair with a round brush to avoid that “wild mountain girl” look, and then curl it to smooth it rather than flatiron it.
1. Aveda Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner– I will try a new shampoo every few months because I’ll get bored with Color Conserve, and then I always come back to Color Conserve. I love it!
2. Olivia Garden Bamboo Brush
3. Remington Tstudio Hair Dryer
4. Phyto Phytomist Leave in Conditioner
5. Aquage Uplifting Foam
6. Hot Tools Big Bumper Spring Curling Iron, 1-1/2″
SO understand all of this! I have a ton of really thin, annoyingly wavy hair – so it takes forever to air dry, and when it does, it looks funky. And blow drying my hair is one of my least favorite things ever! Dry shampoo has become my best friend in the past few months. 😉
This made me laugh! I HAAAAAATE washing and drying and styling my hair, but I HAVE to do it daily or I feel disgusting.
Oh girl! We all have our issues with our hair. Mine is the opposite of yours in that I HAVE to wash mine every day or I look like an oil refinery. I have lots of oil in my skin (one day when I’m 70 I will thank my genetics) and so I cannot go even one day without washing it. But my hair is finer too. I think I know exactly what kind of hair you have because my sister-in-law has the same kind and it takes her forever to get ready when she has to do her hair. But it’s always so beautiful when she does it. I totally don’t blame you for wanting to do that to feel better and you deserve it! I hope all your hair washing, drying and styling goals come true in 2014!!
You are preaching to the choir, friend! I have the SAME hair as you…right down to the blonde highlights. ;-). I feel your pain.
I ALWAYS washed and dried my hair- every day for years. Even after my first child. But when I became a Mom of two I all of a sudden convinced myself I could rock the look of not washing my hair. It held a curl better, it didn’t have as much frizz…or I was just too sleep deprived to notice. I’m hoping in 2014 to go back to being able to shower daily again 🙂
I do the same! I have naturally curly thick hair and doing it is an event in it self! my priorities have always been kids firat and me last. There’s either not enough time or not enough energy. Here’s to a year of beautifully blown out hair on the daily!!
I’m actually doing the opposite for one of my NY resolutions, by trying to wash my hair less! Hopefully to make it stronger. What kind of dry shampoo do you use?
I have super fine hair but I still feel like drying and styling my hair is the worst!
It’s funny, my hair is the total opposite, very fine and very thin but yet I have to use about the same amount of products. I really should wash my hair daily but since becoming a mom, that doesn’t happen. I’ve only recently discovered the magical powers of dry shampoo. Also, I have that blow dryer and love it! Of course it only takes my hair about 3 minutes to dry.
I know this is crazy, but a few years ago for Christmas I asked for the same brand of hair dryer that my hair dresser uses. I have long, thick curly hair that takes an eternity to blow dry. This hair dryer has been AWESOME! It has literally cut my drying time in half. http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod1610041
I feel ya! I have super thick and super long hair that takes forever to dry. I use Bumble & Bumble Straight Cream and it works wonders! http://www.amazon.com/Bumble-Straight-Blow-Dry/dp/B005Q8QKLY/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389030182&sr=8-2&keywords=bumble+and+bumble+straight
Nodding my head in agreement!! My hair is more on the ‘fine’ side but there is just SO much of it! It takes forever to dry & I hate letting it air dry.. it’s so limp & blah. I’ll definitely be trying that root lifting cream!
You know I struggle with this process just as much as you do. Somedays I just can’t bring myself to do it, but boy does it make a difference! My days are better with freshly blown out hair. Great product recommendations for someone looking to learn how to do a blowout at home. I live by these products! Olivia Garden is a master at producing the best brushes on the market.
I’m not laughing at you for this post because it takes me an hour to get ready every day. Why? Because it takes SO LONG to dry/style my hair. I wish I could go every other day without washing it but can’t. I use a large/round brush every day but haven’t found one I love yet…going to look into the one you recommended!
I am completely the same way!! I dread washing and drying my hair, too. I’ll have to check out some of your favorite products!
I can completely relate! We have the same type of hair although different hues. I wash and dry 2-3x per week. I’d love to do it every day but the time and color fade keep me from doing it.
Ha! I could have written this and am convinced I would be 15lbs lighter if I had “wash and go” hair that would make working out so much easier! Would love to know what brand of dry shampoo you use. I have been on the hunt for a good one!
I’m with ya, girl! Blow-drying my hair takes so long! But it feels so much healthier afterwards! Thanks for sharing these great products! 🙂
http://sometimesgracefully.com
I am totally nodding in agreement! I wash my hair 2 times a week as well and DREAD when I have to do it. Yes, those are the days it looks the best, but it’s such a pain! Sounds like you and I have very similar hair, so I am going to need to check out these products.
Totally agree! My hair takes forever to dry. I just “invested” in a salon quality hair dryer by Elchim and it really makes a difference. It dries the hair so much faster. Totally worth it!
Girlfriend…dirty hair don’t care is my motto in life :).
Drying my hair is the task I dread the most, too! I try (and my stylist tells me every 6 weeks) to not wash my hair every day, but it’s so hard. If I could run and workout without my hair getting sweaty, I could manage to skip a day or two, but that’s not the case. I’ll sometimes skip washing on a rest day in favor of my Pureology Dry Shampoo, but inevitably, I just don’t feel ready to seize the day without washing my hair. I know that’s crazy, but I can’t stand for it to feel the least bit oily. My hair sounds like yours – it’s thick and takes a long time to dry properly (and I can’t use a round brush myself to save my life!). Have you ever tried Kenra Blow Dry Spray? It’s amazing and cuts down on the dry time.
I LOVE Aveda products and Olivia Garden brushes are my all time favorite! I also hate washing/styling my hair, it’s super curly and can be tricky to straighten. Loved this post! Thanks for sharing your tips !
I have hair just like you (except chin length) and I highly recommend Keratin treatments (from a salon). They smooth your hair without making it limp and literally cut drying time in half and, for me, eliminate the need to flat iron. They last around 6 months (there are “express” treatments that last about 6 weeks but they are not as effective). It is, by far, the best beauty money I spend.
I use those Aveda Products every single day and LOVE them. I, too, have tried others, mostly because Aveda is kind of expensive, but I ALWAYS come back!
I have been following you on IG for a while now but am just now visiting your blog and now following it too with bloglovin. I am trying to get some of my IG friends added to my bloglovin and get some organization this year with combining those two. Love your blog so far and I have been recommended to try the Aquage stuff too! I am going to have to just bite the bullet and buy some!!!
Oh yes, you are NOT alone in this!!
I totally get it – my hair is thick and course and takes forever to dry too! Even a stylist made a comment one time! I usually wash mine every other day, but still don’t take the time to style it except on rare occasions. It’s sad really. I’m thinking about trying some rollers or something easy I can pop in and then do housework while they set. I’m tired of always wearing my hair in a knot on my head!!
Erin! I had to laugh reading this, because this is me too! (and sometimes I’m at once a week, gah!) What’s your favorite dry shampoo by the way? I love both the powder & the spray by Oscar Blandi and would you believe I found a whole armload of them at tjmaxx last year for 1/4 the price! xoxo
I definitely plan around my shower days too! And I don’t even have kids yet. I am pregnant with my first now- I worry how my shower routine will devolve once our little one is born.
Showering just takes a lot longer when you have long thick hair, and fixing my hair after I shower takes even longer- I just wish there was a way to shorten the whole process. Also showering every day makes dry skin worse, and that is already such an issue in the harsh upper-Midwest winters that I space my showers out too. I’ve found that my long showers tire me out quite a bit due to my asthma, so I started taking showers at night. This way my hair is half-way dry by morning and I can reduce heat damage from the blow dryer and save precious time in the morning. I also cut my hair into a long bob- that does wonders for helping the hair-routine go a LOT faster!
There is really nothing I hate worse than washing and blow drying my hair!!! I do it every other day. I will NEVER wash it every day! I hate it THAT MUCH!!!
I have the exact same type of hair – thick, coarse and naturally wavy and I ‘m going to second everyone’s comments that you need a higher quality hair dryer. You will notice a huge difference if you upgrade to a better one; your overall drying time will decrease and your ability to get it super straight with your round brush will be much better. I bought mine from my hair salon and it has made all the difference.
http://www.folica.com/tools/hair-dryers/turbo-power-twinturbo-2600-professional-hair-dryer
Reclaim your time! You work hard and you’re a great mom- you deserve to have that time for yourself! Having time for yourself makes you a better, more relaxed parent too!
I almost laughed out loud when I read the part about 4 sections of hair! Oh to have sections of hair! Can I borrow just one of your sections??
I totally love that you have this same problem, too. It makes me feel a little better. Since my son was born (almost 2 years ago) I have dried and straightened my hair a handful of times. I used to wash and dry EVERY SINGLE morning!!!! Now, I wash at night and let it air dry into a naturally wavy/curly do. I don’ t like it as much as when I wore it straight, but sleep wins out now. The interesting thing is I wore my hair straight a few months ago when I got I got a hair cut. I love a salon blow dry!!! I can’t tell you how many compliments I got on my hair the next day at my work. I wore it straight for a few days after that but then reverted back to my lazy ways.
This is one of my goals!! I have thick, curly hair (thank you Hispanic genes) and I really only like to wear it straight. I used to chemically straighten it, which I LOVED, but now that I have little babies and have been pregnant I don’t want to get it done (don’t want the chemicals while I’m pregnant). BUT, I did just treat myself to two awesome gifts for Christmas: the Kenra blow dry spray, which works wonders to cut down blow dry time, and the T3 blowdryer, which was Allure magazine’s best of beauty. This dryer also works to cut down frizz and cut down on blow dry time. And what’s awesome about it, is that it world crazy fast without putting out so much heat that I’m sweating and in need of another shower by the time I am finished! It retails for $250 at Sephora and Ulta, but I got it on amazon for $140 (much more realistic!). I absolutely love it. I went from taking an hour to an hour and 15 minutes to blow dry, down to about 30 minutes. You really should try it!!
Is it sad that I totally couldn’t remember when I washed my hair over break?!!! Don’t worry I know I did it at least 3 times…
Totally agree about feeling so much better when I do, but man it is a chore!
Have you tried the wen products? I’m considering them for my next shampoo purchase.
I am the same way about hair washing. I even do mine at night so I’m not up so early in the morning, and even then it’s about 2 times per week. I’m already worried about how I’ll get my hair washed during our Disney trip without waking everyone up early or keeping everyone up at night. Hair washing should not be a concern at Disney!
Here’s my question… if you wash twice a week, what about the days you workout? Do you just use dry-shampoo- is it enough? Asking for a friend, of course! 🙂
I am with you! I hate drying my hair..it is such a chore. Thanks for the ideas!
You NEED a 2000 watt hair dryer. It literally cut my drying time in half:
http://www.amazon.com/BaByliss-BAB2000-Ceramix-Xtreme-Dryer/dp/B000ASDGK8/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1389105311&sr=1-1&keywords=2000+watt+hair+dryer
I have Rusk, but I think they are all the same, it is about the wattage!
I am SO with you on the dreaded hair drying. I can honestly count on both hands the amount of times I’ve blown out my own hair in the last year. I developed De Quervain’s tendonitis (AKA mother’s wrist) while I was pregnant with my sweet girl and it still flares up – especially when I blow out my hair. So I have to twist it into a huge barrette while it’s damp. I can pretty up my long bangs, but it’s always pulled back. :(. That being said, I still would only do it as little as possible because I’m a bit lazy!
I can relate.
I finally purchased a dryer comb. I don’t really know what else to call it but it saves sooo much time. My hair is shiny smooth and I really don’t have to flat iron or curl it. It saves me so much time.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=84107&catid=183384&aid=338666&aparam=52386662392id84107&device=c&network=g&matchtype=
I adore this post! Mostly because I always think black women are the only one’s with hair issues and that I hate dealing with mine the MOST out of all of us. I love being reminded that white girls spend just as much time (and money!) getting their hair ‘right’! 🙂
Try the Kenra blow dry spray…it reduces drying time by 30-50%. It is a must have in my salon!!
I wish I could go this long without washing my hair! I have to wash and dry it every day, but it’s pretty fine so it doesn’t take too long. I used to have that blow dryer and it was fantastic! I’m also in the same boat with you on the curling irons, the next time mine breaks I’m ordering the one above.
I have a similar resolution – to shower before the kids get up instead of at naptime. I have more energy when I feel clean!
I can SOOOOO relate to this post. Glad I’m not the only one who feels this way!!!
Oh I can totally relate! I have thick, curly hair as well and dread washing it more than twice a week. The longer I can stretch, the better!!
Jessica over at howsweeteats.com does a favorites beauty post every month and repeatedly SWEARS by Kenra Blow Dry spray for cutting down drying time. I read the amazon reviews and just can’t decide if I want to take the chance. Some people love it, some people say they don’t notice much difference. Which will it be for me?
I have long curly hair and a 2 and 3 year old, and I’m doing good to get 1 shampoo per week. Forget a blow dry. Here’s my slacker works-in-a-pinch trick when I want to wear it straight/curling iron curled. I wash at night, then sliiiiiiick down my hair (parted the opposite way I usually wear it so it doesn’t get too flat) and pin it all down the sides of my head with multiple little triangle alligator clippies to keep it flat and smooth, then pull it in a low ponytail or bun or braid. sleep on it wet, and the top will dry fairly straight and flat, thanks to the clippies. then you can blow dry/curling iron the kinks in the bottom and any frizz up top much more quickly in the morning. it takes so long to describe that it seems ludicrous, but it saves me time so maybe it could help someobdy else! : )
I have thick hair as well. In the late spring/summer I just let it go curly. Fall and Winter I was it about twice a week and dry it straight. I have to let it air dry for a while first so I understand the pain of planning your evenings around your hair schedule ;-). I am down to just wash, condition & Moroccan oil to style though.