Let me just say up front that scientists and health experts all agree that washing your hair every day isn’t the best thing, health-wise. That said, you do probably want to make sure your kids, who get sweaty and dirty at a more frequent rate than adults, wash their hair fairly frequently.
But there’s just so much drama involved, right?
If you’re guilty of pushing the hair-washing limits because you just don’t want to deal with it, well, these 13 moms are going to make you feel a whole lot better about your choices.
13. This seems like a popular line to draw.
“We wash once a week.” – Wendy
12. That’s… a long time.
“Haha haha, so long (and such a regular occurrence) I can’t even tell you how long! One time when [my daughter] was around 2 she ended up with cradle cap again and I seriously couldn’t remember the last time I had put shampoo on her head.
It had to have been weeks. I did bathe her… just not shampoo. She washes hair about once a week now that she’s older.” – Amanda
11. Because it’s an ordeal.
“Up until this year, my kids (6 and 8) only bathed on Sunday nights. So I would say the longest they’ve gone without hair washing? Probably eight or nine days on a week where bath got thrown off. Now they have a ‘quick wash’ bath mid-week most of the time.
They love baths but won’t bathe alone yet and I hate baths. Bath time in our house can range from the entire bathroom soaked to a shattered glass shower door, so sorry if my kids are stinky.” – Alice
10. Boys just wanna be dirty.
“I think my son has gone almost a week. Both long-haired girls look like little dumpster scavengers if we go over two or three days so they get more frequent hair washings.” – Allison
9. To each their own!
“We are a family of slight hippies that believe that building up a little grime is good for the immune system. They bathe every two to three days unless they get extremely dirty and are washed that day, but hair can go a week. My rule is to adjust if they smell and if they don’t smell, it’s fine.” – Sandra
8. It’s to keep the lice away!
“Both of my kids have dry hair so we go about a week between washes, probably two to three times a week in the summer when they’re sweaty. I even put hair oil/leave in conditioner in it and it’s still dry. Also, lice do not like dirty hair so I convince myself it’s for the greater good!” – Melissa
7. Wait until his first poop-splosion.
“My youngest will be 2 months [soon]. The closest thing to a bath he’s ever had was his baptism (which was only a sprinkle not a dunk)!” – AJ
6. It’s a good rule to have.
“Mine wash their hair with shampoo once a week (and have for years) and it never looks greasy. They always bitch about having to take a shower — ‘It’s so inconvenient! It’s [sibling name]’s turn to go first! Why do we have to be clean!’ — and then linger there for 30 minutes talking about how great a shower feels…” – Elise
5. Activity level matters.
“As a mom with derm[atological] issues … I’ve tried not to “over-wash” my kids from birth to protect their skin. For hair, I would say the longest they have gone is five to seven days, but my son washes his hair much more frequently now that he plays sports almost daily and gets sweaty.” – Christy
4. Ethnicity can play a role in what’s normal.
“My daughter, who is black and wears her natural hair in box braids or cornrows, generally goes two weeks between washings. This is pretty typical. With white kids it’s different.” – Marisa
3. The weeks really do fly by.
“We aim for every two to three days, but lately life just seems too hectic to schedule baths and showers… plus come on, it’s cold, and we all have dry skin. So it’s been more like every four to six days, with occasional hose-downs if it’s warranted. I don’t think we’ve exceeded six days… but I wouldn’t put money on it.” – Liz
2. Same with my boys.
“[My son] washes his daily, but he is usually sweaty and nasty. [My daughter] washes with conditioner, so it’s been a while since she has used actual shampoo. Maybe last summer?” – Candy
1. Eh, life happens.
“Two and a half weeks. Definitely. She was sick and then we were busy and by the time the weeks passed, I had not even noticed. To be fair, we usually wash her hair every Sunday after swim — so it’s only once a week on the regular.” – Trish
I’m feeling like super mom already – mostly because showers and baths are my husband’s purview. Heh.
What’s the longest you’ve gone without making sure your child cleaned their hair?
Confess in the comments!