How can I wash only my scalp and leave my ends dry?

January 5, 2023 12:17 PM

I have long, color treated hair that I blow dry and curl with a curling iron. I only wash my hair twice a week and have for years. My roots get pretty greasy. I use dry shampoo but I would like to start showering more frequently without destroying my ends. Inside is a list of things I have tried and deemed failures:

This $30 doodad gets good reviews but I don't want to pay that much..

I've tried to braid my hair and put it in a ziploc, secured with a hairtie, but the hair inside still got wet.

I've tried to coat my ends in coconut oil before shampooing but I really don't want to get them wet at all as they dry wavy/frizzy.

posted by pintapicasso to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

I think the hitch is that if you're shampooing your roots, the shampoo (and water) then need to travel the length of your hair in order for the shampoo to get rinsed out, so the ends are going to get wet?

You can definitely only rub the shampoo into your roots, not into the lengths - that's what I always do, even with undyed, fairly average hair. Most of the grease sits at the roots so you don't really need to rub shampoo into the ends. Don't know if that helps?
posted by penguin pie at 12:28 PM on January 5, 2023

Note that the doodad has mediocre reviews and they are decidedly boob-shaped. If it really qorked I would have argued "look, you wear your hair every single day. Not to make assumptions about your financial situation but $30 might be reasonable of you amortize it over the time you will have this hair-need. But it doesn't work so nevermind.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:31 PM on January 5, 2023

Best answer: Hair elastic + plastic grocery bag with no holes + hair elastic = the $30 gadget you linked to.
posted by amtho at 1:03 PM on January 5, 2023

Have you tried a Co-Wash? It's basically skipping harsh shampoo and using primarily conditioner. I buy products that are branded "co-wash" you can find them at the usual suspects like Ulta. You could limit an actual harsh shampoo to once a week.
posted by rdnnyc at 1:12 PM on January 5, 2023 [3 favorites]

Not an answer to your exact question (sorry!) but have you tried double shampooing your scalp when you cleanse? I started doing this recently and it's helped me go an extra day or two without having to shampoo my hair. I use a gentle shampoo (Shea Moisture curl and shine) so it's not unnecessarily stripping.

Alternatively, you could try an exfoliating scalp scrub that contains AHAs/BHAs. I use The Ordinary Glycolic Acid toning solution because it's already in the cupboard but you can get specialised scalp scrub products from Inkey List etc.
posted by BeeJiddy at 1:52 PM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I basically put my hair in a bun with a hair tie and claw for extra security, and focus the water directly onto my scalp. Shampoo directly onto scalp, then rinse with water directly on the scalp, avoiding the bun as much as possible (this involves trying to carefully position my head under the shower stream so the bun stays out of it). It's not perfect, sometimes my hair gets wet if I accidentally get the bun under the water. Using a handheld shower head helps with this a lot.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 3:05 PM on January 5, 2023

Best answer: Also I sometimes I find this process easier to do in the sink, since the faucet stream is a lot easier to keep track of = less chance of accidentally dunking my bun in it.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 3:11 PM on January 5, 2023

I have switched to the Curly Girl method (despite having pretty straight hair!) where you only cowash your hair, and I love it. It feels weird at first, because surely you need shampoo to have clean hair, but it totally works. I use Faith In Nature conditioner, liberally applied to my scalp and then scrub for a few minutes. My hair is too short and five to want a second dose of conditioner, but lots of people do. My hair has genuinely never looked nicer and my previously very oily scalp is calming right down.
posted by In Your Shell Like at 5:26 PM on January 5, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: My hair is so long that I can wash it 'upside down' .
I have never seen anyone else do this, so I'm kind of curious whether it would work for anyone else, or at what length it becomes feasible.

I tie a band around the very ends of my hair and then it's so long that I attach that to the *top* of the shower wall.

So my hair is being pulled directly up and angled away from the shower head.
Yes, this means I'm on a weird short leash while I wash my hair -
You might want to attach it to some kind of cord or rope going up if your hair isn't long enough for this to be feasible.
You also want to have washed everything else (no bending) and have everything you need for hair within fumbling reach.

Anyway, the dryest ends are up and *above* where the water and shampoo are.

Water, shampoo etc all gets washed off *down*.

The ends of my hair stay dry, and I immediately wrap my head in a dry towel after the shower so that soaking wet hair at my scalp doesn't drip down to the ends.

Most of the other 'wrap hair ends in waterproof bag' options didn't work as well for me before, because the bag would be down, and the water and shampoo would run down into it.
posted by Elysum at 3:22 PM on January 7, 2023

Best answer: I put my long hair into a loose braid at the back of my neck, tuck it down into my shirt, using a claw clip to anchor it to my shirt so it won't fall forward. Then I lean into the sink and use the tap to wash and rinse my scalp. Kitchen sink is easier than bathroom, because the faucet is taller. If you have a shower hose nozzle in the shower, that can work too. Stand outside the tub and lean in to do it, to help remind you to keep your head upside down at all times.

Always keep head upside down, so water is flowing off my scalp only, and would have to go uphill to get to my braid. (Mentally I imagine that the water is flowing "straight up in the air above my head").

Then when I'm done, with head still upside down, before I stand up, I tightly wrap my head in a towel, but leaving the braid on the outside, that keeps water from dripping down into the braid. Towel dry the scalp really well to ensure it's not wet enough for drips to get to the hair ends.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:36 PM on January 8, 2023