We have all heard that the best way to wash our hair and keep it squeaky clean is to lather, rinse and then repeat. But how many of us do that? And is it really necessary? Well, as it is often the case, there isn’t a clear answer that suits everyone. It really depends on your hair type and how many products you use on your hair.
Most people don’t need to lather, rinse and repeat
Most people don’t need to repeat the lather and rinse step twice and if they do, it might cause more damage to their hair! Shampoos contain cleansing agents that are designed to remove dirt, product buildup and other impurities from your hair but they usually work too well and remove too much natural oil as well, which is what keeps hair naturally moisturized. If you strip too much of it, hair becomes dry and that’s why it is recommended you use a conditioner after shampooing: to replenish what’s been removed.
Who should repeat the lather and rinse step then?
Sometimes though your regular shampoo just isn’t enough to remove all the dirt in your locks and so lathering more than once may be necessary. That’s true for people with very oily hair and for those that have a lot of product buildup in their hair. Even in this case though, using a clarifiying shampoo, which contain a higher concentrations of detergents than regular shampoos, once a week may be a better option.
What I do
I have very oily hair and the day after I wash them they are already dirty and greasy but I have never lathered and rinsed more than once. Instead, washing it every other day with regular shampoo and using a clarifying one once every 10 days seems to be enough to keep my hair clean. Granted, apart from shampoo and conditioner, I hardly use any other product on my hair so I hardly have any buildup to remove. If I did use a lot of products on my oily hair, I think every now and then I would have had to repeat the lather and rinse step though!
What about you? Do you lather, rinse and repeat?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve always heard the repeat part was just a marketing ploy by shampoo companies so we would buy twice as much.
Michelle´s last [type] ..Tag Ivy League
Michelle, that wouldn’t surprise me at all. I always thought that repeating this step was only a waste of product and money for the vast majority of people.
I don’t rather rinse and repeat. But I do use a dandruff shampoo (I’m not ashamed to say it) and then a regular shampoo right afteward. So it’s LIKE I’m rinsing and repeating.
But I agree with Michelle. It does seem like a ploy.
Trisha´s last [type] ..Improving My Lips With the Mary Kay Satin Lips Set
Trisha, yeah that’s like rinsing twice but the shampoos are for different purposes. I use a dandruff shampoo at the moment but I think it’d be too harsh on my hair if I followed with another shampoo. But then I wash my hair very often.
It could well be a ploy, I agree.
I do shampoo twice since my hair is oily and I don’t wash it everyday. Also, I alternate between a sulfate-free shampoo and a regular one to keep my hair shiny.
Dao´s last [type] ..Belly at Large- Food!
Dao, in that case shampooing twice may be helpful to hair, especially since sulafte-free shampoos are gentler and won’t strip as much natural oil as regular shampoos.
Sometimes I lather, rinse and repeat… but my hair gets dirty real quick. I can never put spray, mousse or gel in it. I cant even put leave in conditioners, dry schampoo or hair masks in it. My hair is strange
I use a sulfate free schampoo and conditioner. The schampoo is funny cause at first when you put it in it doesnt lather, rinse away the schampoo a bit and then aply a bit more and your head looks like a white muschroom 
It smells heavenly 
I think my hair is a mess cause of all the years that Ive colored it :/
hugs
Anna´s last [type] ..Some new things- Make-up
Anna, that’s too bad your hair gets dirty so quickly, better avoid using lots of products then or their buildup will make it even worse.
That’s kinda funny about the shampoo though, I didn’t think sulfate-free ones could lather that much. 
My hair was a mess when I finally stopped coloring it as well, but at least with time it’ll grow back healthy again.
If I wash my hair everyday (which is what I do most of the time) I only wash it once, if I skip a day it gets very oily, so I have to wash, rinse and repeat!
xxx
Stavroula Plag´s last [type] ..Blogging Dos and Donts !
Stavroula, your hair must be much oilier than mine then but I’m glad you find a routine that works for you and keeps your hair clean without drying it out.
Very interesting discussion! I have very oily hair too and I wash them only once, but every day. I use moroccan clay to wash my hair if i use it twice at once i wont think it will damage my hair
Victoria Lewy´s last [type] ..How do you moisturize
Victoria, I never thought of using moroccan clay to wash my hair. I’m glad it works well for you and you can use it daily without it drying out your hair.
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