The secret to luxurious locks is more simple than students may think. Many women are now heeding what hair care professionals have been warning about for years – daily shampooing can be detrimental to your hair. Vicki Beechler, artistic team member at Lockworks on Highland Road, said the rise in women abstaining from daily shampooing can be attributed to the natural and environmental movements in society. “People are getting more into having a more holistic way of life,” Beechler said. “Your natural oils being part of your conditioning process is part of that. Obviously your body accepts your natural oil much more readily. It’s basically like free conditioner … It’s not as gross as everyone thinks it is.” Beechler said daily shampooing causes your body to overproduce oils, leading to the greasy look that people try to avoid. “If you over-cleanse, your body tries to reach this state of being where it’s equal,” Beechler said. “What will happen is your hair will get oilier and oilier the more you wash it. The body’s just trying to stay hydrated.” Alicia Allain, owner and partner of Londyn and Company in Towne Center, agreed that daily washing does more harm than good. “We have a tendency to over antibacterialize,” Allain said. “All these things actually deplete our natural ecosystem for our whole body. You actually produce less oil when you’re not constantly drying the hair out. Our challenge here in the U.S. is that … We’re so germophobic.” Both Beechler and Allain said they have seen a rise in the number of products marketed to make the most out of shampooing. “Aveda just came out with a reviving mist for hair,” Beechler said. “There are products coming out all over the place to prolong the washing process.” Allain said women have used talcum powder for hundreds of years to keep their hair looking clean. “In the 1600s, when women had their hair done, they would shampoo once every few months and use talc to keep it up,” Allain said. Allain said she learned how to use talc while working on a movie in the late 80s and has since seen a rise in dry shampoos and mass-marketed hair-cleansing powder. Beechler said people should wash their hair only as often as it looks dirty. “You really only have to wash for cosmetic purposes,” Beechler said. Allain said the recommended time between shampooing varies based on hair type. “If the hair is fine, [shampoo] every two or three days,” Allain said. “If your hair is normal or coarse, you can go a whole week. Curly hair can go even longer.” Women in Baton Rouge have also been going to the salons to get weekly blowouts as an alternative to washing and styling their hair at home daily. “In Los Angeles, that is the trend,” Allain said. “When I came back to Baton Rouge, one of the things I used to say to clients is, ‘Why not treat yourself?’ If you come in on a Thursday for a blowout, you can wear it [through the weekend] and then rewash again on Monday.” Beechler agreed that more women are coming in for weekly appointments, but it is not as popular in Baton Rouge as it is in bigger cities. “I’ve been here for six years, and we definitely have more women coming to do that than we did six years ago,” Beechler said Allain said weekly salon trips are part of the changing mindset of the new decade. “In the 1970s and 1980s, we all stopped taking care of ourselves,” Allain said. “It was uncouth to go to the hair salon. This new generation is more about wanting to look good. It’s a smarter generation.” Allain said the quality of the product line affects how often a person has to shampoo. “All natural doesn’t mean it’s all good,” Allain said. “It’s about finding a product line that is conditioning but doesn’t weigh the hair down. If you can get in sync with a good product line, you don’t have to shampoo as often as you think.” Allain said the benefits of using higher-end products make their high cost worth it. “I recommend higher-end products like Phyto and Bumble and Bumble,” Allain said. “You’re going to spend the same amount of money [as using a drugstore brand] because you’re using less product.” For a cheaper alternative, she recommended Castille soap for shampoo and anything containing shea butter for conditioner. Some University students said they can’t go with greasy hair long enough to reap the benefits of fewer shampooing per week. Rose Sharpe, history junior, said she tried going without washing her hair but got discouraged by the amount of oil her hair was producing. “I wash my hair every day,” Sharpe said. “I occasionally try to wash it every other day because if you persist then it stops getting greasy straight away, but I give up because it gets greasy and looks horrible.” Other students agreed with the benefits of going a day or two between shampoos. Anna Wagley, mass communication junior, said she used to wash her hair daily but has since changed her ways since discovering baby powder, similar to talcum powder. “I wash my hair at least once every two days,” Wagley said. “I used to wash every day, but if you use baby powder you can’t tell. I’m a huge advocate for blonde hair and baby powder.”
—-Contact Sarah Aycock at [email protected]