I think as we age, just like our skin changes, so does our hair, not only in texture but volume. I dont think there is any magic shampoo out there, but one thing that helps me is alternating my shampoos instead of always using the same one (not sure why that helps but it seems to). I also use a clarifying shampoo.

the key is to go as long as you can w/o shampooing your hair. Since I began doing that, my hair actually is like it was when I was younger. I have thick wavy-to-curly hair, though, so I can get away with going a very long time between shampoos (hairdresser also concurred that is a very smart thing to do when I told her).

Also, only use no-sulphates shampoos.

Tib, I'm intrigued about this concept of large gaps between shampoos.. Wouldn't one risk infections from bacteria thriving in pollution/dirt/sweat in scalp? am I misunderstanding or misinformed

Okay, I know you don't mean to imply this, but let me be clear that I shower daily! Lol.

As far as I know, though, there is no risk or increase of infections from not showering or shampooing. The risk occurs when there is a wound and the bacteria can get into the skin. But when someone gets a cut, they don't hop into the shower, they wash the wound itself, right? Cuts and scrapes to the scalp are certainly rare and again, the oils you are allowing to remain longer not he scalp protect the scalp and keep it lubricated and healthier. And don't forget that fab-yoo immune system we were all so brilliantly provided with!

I don't think there is any health risk to going a long time between shampoos, but presumably a physician can answer that better than can I.

Might be social/marital risk if your head stinks, though!

It's between shampoos, not between showering and rinsing your hair. I'll even put some conditioner on the end of my hair (not on the hair on my scalp) when I do these rinses. But shampooing is maybe a once-a-month thing now, and oo-la-la, what a difference in my hair!

Shampoo/conditioner can build up on your hair. There are rinses one can by to strip this heavy build up. One can also switch shampoos every bottle. Use a different one for awhile..that makes a difference for me.

I have stick-straight hair, and because it's colored, I only wash it every other day. It always has more body, and looks better, on the day I don't wash it!

Also, I know this might sound crazy, but ever since I started having my hair colored (to cover gray, not changing the original color), it has more body -- I guess just enough "damage" from the coloring adds some extra oomph. I do have to blow-dry every day with a round brush, though, so it's not effortless oomph!

Like Sueb my hair always seems to have more life the week after coloring.

Tib, correct. I didn't mean to imply you don't shower, just merely using it as a parallel to not shampooing. you are also right that most wouldn't or don't shower after a scrape, they just rinse the wound. It must be the germophobe in me that makes me overreact.

eta: I don't condition scalp either--just the ends

2nd ETA:. Deleted shower comment to avoid further confusion. My concern seems clear w/o the shower/shampoo comparison

This concept works for some people. Give it a try. It can't work for me because of how difficult my hair is to style. Also, humidity for me plays a big factor.

Tibb, just curious. How long is your hair? Do you rinse it with plain water in between shampoos?

Thinking about my once bouncy hair. My best hair was back in my late teens, early twenties, when I used Prell shampoo. But it was at its very shiniest and bounciest when I took my tube of Prell to the dock on the lake and rinsed with lake water.

I run and I sweat so I wash my hair every day with Shampure by Aveda. No sulphates. My hair has no body and is fine and thin. We've discussed products for that in another thread. But I do find that if I use a volumizing conditioner now and then it helps. Currently I am using a very tiny bit of John Freida volumizing conditioner on the ends, mostly in the back and sides. It seems to help with the few tangles I get and tame the ends a bit when it's almost time for a haircut.

Coloring your hair does add body.

I have fine thin hair, and I like Kerastase products and also Kielhs

I can go 2-3 days in the winter between shampoos, but not in the summer. It's extremely humid down here.

When I get hot and sweaty in the summer and my head is dripping sweat there is no way I would forego washing my hair and scalp any more than I would forego showering under those conditions. In cooler weather I probably wash it twice a week and wet it down completely once or twice in between depending on how malformed it is when I get up in the morning. When I'm out in the woods and the yard during tick season it would also give me the creeps not to thoroughly wash my head and hair.

Linelle, right now my hair is right at my shoulders. I grow it in the spring so that I can put it up on my head in the hot summer months. In the fall, I cut it to about chin length.

The only time I actually rinse it between shampoos is if I need to blow it dry or want it tame. Fortunately, I don't have an office job or anything I need to be spankin' spectacular for most of the time - I work at home, and both of my livelihoods are "messy" ones. If I did have an office job, though, I would rinse it every day when showering. My hair being thick and wavy gets untame very quickly.

I've been hearing more about training your hair not to be washed every day. I have oily skin and an oily scalp, so I don't know if I could struggle through the training or if it would even work for me.

Huh, my hair tends to either get flat or frizzy if I don't wash it regularly. I typically wash it nearly every day due to exercise, but in the winter, I often will go one day without washing. I have very very thick hair that is coarse and if I let it dry naturally, is wavy and frizzy. One thing I notice though if I don't wash my hair, by the third morning (so 48 hours of not washing), my hair tends to get kind of a "stale" smell. Not awful and I'm sure not noticeable by others, but I notice it and can't wait to wash it.

As far as color - I have a lot of gray so I color my roots and occasionally get highlights. As I get closer to my hair appointment, my hair gets much frizzier b/c the grays come in very wiry, so I have lots of short little curly hairs on the top of my head. After coloring, my hair gets much smoother.

No suggestions for adding bounce from me - I have plenty of that with my thick hair, especially if it's not too long.

Dove 'daily moisture' shampoo and conditioner. Seems to work : )

Oh, I wash my hair usually every other day...unless I get really messy gardening.

To those that do not want to wash their hair daily...2 words... Dry shampoo.

Love it. I wash my hair twice a week maybe, and it's more bouncy, and full of texture the days after I wash.

I use sulfate free Joico and the conditioner for colour treated hair. My hair has more body after I highlight it. If it's too long b/w highlights it looks flatter on top. Need the colour to 'rough up' the cuticle.

I will shower between hair washes then just spray some texturizer at the roots and quickly dry the roots. I do not rinse my hair or get it wet purposely. This would defeat the purpose as it's a pita to dry and straighten my hair.

One of the best things invented

Dry shampoo does not work for me. I have thick, wavy hair. DARK hair and it starts to look dull looking if I don't wash often. I wash every-other-day or every third day. Dry shampoo also dulls my hair. I have read/heard where people love dry shampoo for adding volume! A favorite blogger of mine uses it for that reason. But, my hair has alot of body and volume (sometimes too much volume LOL!), so I don't need help with that. I agree with using a good quality, sulfate free shampoo.

I wash daily and need more conditioning than I do shampooing so I use as little shampoo as possible on most days. I buy my shampoo from an organic grocery store because they have nice brands by small hair care companies for around $10 a bottle. The most recent one I bought is Acure. Everything is plant derived, and it lathers just as well as any other shampoo. It smells like almonds. I like their conditioner too. Recently I saw it at Target, but lots of places sell it online. I can't guarantee bounce but bounce was mentioned in the Amazon reviews. I think a cut at collar length is the best way to get bounce.

Ingredient list.

Organic euterpe oleracea (acai) berry juice, organic rubus fruticosus (blackberry) juice, organic rosa canina (rosehips), organic punica granatum (pomegranate), organic fair trade aspalanthus linearis (rooibos)(aqueous), organic aloe barbadensis vera leaf juice, sodium lauroyl methyl isethionate (from coconut), 100% naturally-derived betaine (from sugar beets), vegetable glycerin, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate (from coconut + amino acids), sodium cocoyl glutamate (from coconut + amino acids), cocoglucosides hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride (sugar conditioner), sodium levulinate (from corn), guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride (guar gum conditioner), potassium sorbate (food grade preservative), organic argania spinosa (argan) oil, organic olea europaea (olive) oil, d-alpha tocopherol acetate (natural vitamin E), hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) seed oil, organic curcubita pepo (pumpkin) seed oil, ubiquinone (CoQ10), argania spinosa (argan) stem cells, glycerophosphoinositol lysine (from sunflower), almond extract, cinnamomum aromaticum (cassia bark) oil.

Keratase Bain Chroma Captive is wonderful, it smells heavenly and my hair is looking better than it has in years. It is pricey but it has done amazing things for my hair. I am also using Keratase Oleo Relax after shampooing and before blow drying. I also have Fondant Nutrive Thermique. There are other Keratase products that I want to try. As soon as I know which products I like best and how quickly I will go through a bottle I am going to do auto replenish.

I saw a 6 oz. bottle of Keratase for $40 at Kroger's. I'm not sure what it was, but are all their products so expensive?

It probably is May. They have cheaper Keratase products on Amazon but I don't trust buying it there because some reviews say it definitely isn't the same product. The one thing I can say in defense is I probably use a third of the amount than regular drugstore brand. I started to see a difference with the first use and now a couple weeks out the difference is enough to convince me to keep using it.

I like products that come in tubes, especially conditioner. Less water.

Linelle, I don't like the smell of unwashed hair either. Smelled it too much on kids in the classroom and on adults in front of me in the grocery store. Many times I've rinsed my hair in the morning and can smell what I cooked the night before. I don't see that a little shampoo will hurt if you're in the shower anyway.

Maybe try a clarifying shampoo or at home clarifier to help get rid of any build up you might have..that might give your hair a little spring after being weighed down by product or shampoo and conditioner build up.

Coloring my hair added bounce but when I washed it the color degraded quickly and the roots were awful. If I washed it less frequently, to preserve the color a bit longer, it made me itchy. Going gray definitely ages you; it is not for the faint of heart. Now I put moisturizer (gold bond eczema formula) on my scalp as though it was just skin and it soaks in immediately and makes the hair seem fuller too.

In preparation for my 500 mile walk in Spain this year I have been trying out several solid shampoos. I'm shocked that they leave my hair feeling and looking better than liquid shampoo! I don't think that I'll go back to conventional shampoo.

I haven't used the Lush shampoo bars because they contain sulfates. Instead, I've bought a couple on Etsy. This is the one that I have been using. I've also found a solid conditioner bar, that helps me comb through my wet hair, though it's not hard to comb if I don't use the conditioner. My normally frizzy hair is behaving very nicely without using any styling tools, other than a hair dryer. I don't use any styling products on my hair either.

I just recently heard about the lush bars. I like liquid body wash more than bar soap, so it just seems strange to use bar shampoo instead of liquid. I may have to try it though.

Holly-Kay - Is the Keratase you use the shampoo or conditioner? I see Bain Chroma Riche shampoo and Fondant Chroma Captive conditioner.

I didn't read all these, but agree with Roseabbey that I don't feel there's really any magic shampoo. I switch often (have done this for years) and am sure to use a clarifying one every so often. Coloring will add volume and styling products can also help. I use no sulfate shampoos, but honestly just do it because 'they' say to.

Dry shampoo in between washings will add volume. I can only go one day though. This four day in a row business would never work for my hair. I'm currently trying to find a dry shampoo I can tolerate the smell. It seems to stay with me all day. Of course, another bonus of dry shampoo is it will help color last longer.

I was looking at the shampoo bars terriks posted and they recommended a cider vinegar rinse. I looked at some before and after pics and it really seemed to smooth the hair. Anyone rinse with vinegar? One thing's for sure, by the time we get through all these hair threads, the GW ladies should have the most awesome hair!

I am using the Bain Chroma Captive shampoo. I shampoo first then squeeze the excess water out and add the Fondant Nutrive Thermique, and keep it in while I bathe and shave my legs. I rinse it before getting out of the shower and then add a pump or two of the Oleo Relax before blow drying. Myhair feels so soft and bouncy that I keep touching it. It's hard to believe that a shampoo and conditioner can work so quickly. On my next order I didn't order conditioner in the same line as it didn't"t get good reviews. The Nutrive Thermique conditioner is in a small container so I'm not sure how long it will last. I received a sample of the Fondant Fluidiste and I really liked it so I may order that as a conditioner next time. I do wish the products were available in bigger sizes. But I am a Keratase user for life because of the greatly improved condition of my hair.

I was looking at the shampoo bars terriks posted and they recommended a cider vinegar rinse.

Yes, most of them do, and the first couple of shampoo bars that I tried did get a bit of build up. I won't be able to use a vinegar rinse when I'm walking the Camino, so that's out for me. I asked the Etsy seller of the shampoo bar that I'm currently using about the vinegar rinse, and she said that most of her customers don't need it. I've been using it for a couple of weeks, and haven't needed to use a vinegar rinse. As I said, I'm just stunned at how nice my hair is using this solid shampoo.

I actually skipped washing my hair yesterday morning. It looked terrible, but the good thing is I work from home. I ordered terriks bar soap and conditioner. Terriks, what do you keep them in? I'm also going to order the Keratase in travel size. I want to find something I like, but a part of me is hoping I don't like the Keratase, because of the price. I already bought Dove Oxygen Moisture based on a recommendation by the Paula's Choice staff. I started using it in the winter when my hair was starting to seem more thin. Once summer hit and the frizzies started, I put it away until next winter. I'll have to see what the difference is between it and Dove Daily Moisture.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

To clarify my hair I use baking soda mixed with my shampoo once or twice a month. It gets rid of the build up and I don't need to buy a clarifying shampoo.

I'm curious now about solid shampoo and conditioner. Wondering how well it does if one uses products on hair. ? The ingredient list sounds like it would make my hair flat and possibly greasy. Off to search the net.

I don't use any products in my hair, so I couldn't say. You could send a message to the Etsy seller and ask her.

terriks - I meant to say how to you store the solid shampoo, not bar soap. Do you keep it in the shower in something or just in the soap dish?

Holly-Kay - This isn't the Kerastase you use, but I found an interesting video comparing one Kerastase product to a L'Oreal product.

Kerastase vs L'Oreal

I keep it in the shower, just as I would a bar if soap. I have actually made a sort of shower caddy out of tulle with pockets to hold the shampoo and conditioner bars so that they can drain and dry out. I can roll it up and put it in a Ziploc bag for traveling.

terriks: Am interested in trying the shampoo bars. Are you using the grapefruit scented one? If so, is it heavily scented?

I think I'm just going to purchase it and see what happens. I love how that pink grapefruit one looks! Of course I won't eat it, but it looks like some type of food!

I am using the grapefruit one, and it isn't heavily scented. And it is a pretty pink color. :D