Hi Johnny!
How are you? You didn't order this cold front, did you??
Let's break your query into two parts, and start with your question
about showering twice a day:
*Occasionally* showering more than once a day isn't particularly bad
for your skin - sometimes, you just *need* to. *Habitually* showering
more than once a day can be, though!
"The skin needs moisture to protect itself. The best way to relieve
dry skin is to use a moisturizer. Too much water can actually cause
the skin to dry out. Therefore, habitually showering or bathing more
than once a day should be avoided to prevent dry skin.
Causes
Xerosis can be caused by a variety factors, including:
* washing with excessively hot water,
* using nonmoisturizing soap,
* showering or bathing more than once a day, and
* bathing for long periods of time."
Xerosis
http://www.podiatrychannel.com/xerosis/
"Water is the most drying influence on the human skin! Although it
sounds like it should help dry skin, it really washes off the
necessary skin oils that retain the skin's water. This natural
moisture makes the skin supple and soft. Television and other
commercial advertisements have made us all too conscious of constant
cleansing of the skin.
Repeated cleansing removes the skin's natural oil layer. This allows
evaporation of the skin's water, which, in turn, leaves the very
substance of the skin dry. In other words, water and bathing are
extremely drying to the skin."
Articles: Dry Skin
http://www.dermconsultants.com/articles/dry_skin.htm
If you find you *need* to shower or bathe more than once a day (for
instance, if you've been gardening or if you have a sweaty, physical
job like construction worker, fitness instructor...super-hero ;) ),
it's important to make sure that you avoid harsh soaps and use a good
moisturizer the second you step out of the shower.
Some soaps to avoid if you need to shower more than once a day,
because they are drying:
-- Dial
-- Zest
-- Safeguard
-- Lifebouy
-- Irish Spring
-- Coast
-- Ivory (!)
-- Lava (especially bad for repeated use, as it contains ground
pumice)
-- Shield
-- All liquid soaps
Some soaps known to be mild and gentle:
-- Dr. Bronner's All-One Castille Soap (contains hemp oil, which is
very moisturizing)
-- Aveeno
-- Dove
-- Neutrogena Dry Skin
-- Tone
-- Basis
-- Cetaphil (a non-soap liquid skin cleanser, often used in hospitals)
-- Phisoderm
Good moisturizers for keeping your skin happy and healthy after a bath
or shower:
-- Neutrogena
-- Eucerin
-- Curel
-- Keri
-- Nivea
-- Aveeno Cream
-- Burt's Bees Carrot Nutritive (my favorite!)
-- Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Healing (if your skin is very dry)
For more about bathing, showering and dry skin, I've gathered a list
of articles that may interest you:
Preventing & Managing Dry Skin
http://www.classiccare.on.ca/dryskin.htm
Answers to frequently asked questions - Dry skin
http://www.narmc.amedd.army.mil/dilorenzo/talk/talk2.htm
Dry skin
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/bill54/dryskin.htm
Dry Skin Weather is Just Around the Corner
http://www.drhull.com/practice/eczema.html
Bathing.org
http://www.bathing.org/
Now, with respect to your shampooing question:
Given your other hair concerns, which we've discussed previously, it's
not a good idea to wash your hair more than once a day. In fact,
washing your hair more than once a day or even once every other day
can be very drying to your hair.
If you wash and condition your hair in the morning, that should be
sufficient. If you find that you've worked up a sweat later (say, at
the gym or at work), rinsing with plain water is fine, there's no need
to shampoo again. With your hair concerns - particularly the concerns
about drying, brittleness and loss - you should consider switching to
shampooing and conditioning every other day, to allow your hair's own
natural protective oils time to do their own work, unless your hair is
very oily.
(I don't know if you've ever seen my picture - there's one floating
around the site somewhere - but I have very long hair that falls past
my waist. You might think that I'd want to wash it every day, but the
fact is, I've found that doing so dries my hair out, causes split ends
and breakage, and generally makes my hair unhappy. All this *before*
I'm mean to it and go after it with the hair dye! So my own mop gets
washed only every other day and *never* *ever* blown dry or attacked
with any heat appliance. )
Some interesting facts about shampooing:
"It is only necessary to lather your hair once under normal
conditions. Also, the amount of lather and foam generated by a shampoo
does not affect its ability to clean hair."
[...]
"Shampooing frequency for normal hair depends on whether hair is curly
or straight. Straight hair should be washed every day for a sleek,
radiant look. Curly hair, however, becomes too dry and fly away if
it’s washed too often, so it is better to shampoo and condition every
other day. At a minimum, hair should be washed twice a week."
Hair-Shampoo.com
http://www.hair-shampoo.com/
"If you have oily scalp it could actually be from shampooing to often.
Studies have shown that excess shampooing can cause oiliness, so
consult with a professional to decide what your frequency should be."
Does shampooing my hair too much make my hair too oily?
http://www.yourbeautynetwork.com/consumers/faq_subcategory.html?category=Retail&subcategory=Shampoo#124
"Excessive washing of the hair can disturb the natural protection of
the scalp, leaving it prone to itching and flaking."
Wella Chat
http://chat.wella.co.uk/Client108/WellaRocketContent.nsf/e4385d3acc1aaac78025697a00681ab6/9b2a44e9d48d6b6380256ca8005f92df?OpenDocument
It's best to condition immediately after shampooing, but there is no
harm in conditioning separately if you rinse your hair and scalp later
in the day.
I hope this helps, Johnny! If you need further assistance, just ask
for clarification, and I'll be glad to help you out!
--Missy
Search terms: [ bathing "dry skin" ] and [ shampoo frequency ] |
Clarification of Answer by
missy-ga
on
17 Apr 2003 18:35 PDT
Hello Johnny!
I'm so sorry! I did miss a part, didn't I? Please accept my
apologies. I plead hunger - it was very much time for dinner, and I'm
afraid I was thinking more with my tummy!
According to Let's Talk Hair, it's perfectly fine to condition your
hair between scheduled washings:
"Conditioners help replace lost oils and repair some of the damage
that takes place during the shampooing stage. They also provide
moisture, promote detangling and coat the hair's outer layer.
It is important that you condition your hair every time you shampoo.
However, it is not necessary to wash your hair before conditioning.
You can condition your hair in between scheduled washings. For
example, if you work out until your hair becomes moist with sweat,
rinse your hair with lukewarm water, apply conditioners, wait several
minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Always rinse out all conditioners unless they are leave-in
conditioners. If too much conditioner is left on the hair, it can
clog follicles, which causes hair to become brittle and leads to
premature breakage."
Let's Talk Hair - Conditioning
http://www.letstalkhair.freeservers.com/conditioning.html
If you're washing your hair three times a day, that alone is going to
cause some drying, even if you're only using plain water. To
counteract this, you can use conditioner between shampoos, but you
have to be careful and strike a balance between just enough
conditioner and too much conditioner. *Too much* conditioner will
make your hair limp and will attract dirt:
"Most clients use way too much conditioner resulting in a build up of
conditioner and styling products."
Linear Aveda - Condition of Hair
http://www.linearaveda.com/education/condition.html
"Go light on commercial brand conditioners. Commercial conditioners
do a good job of making hair look fuller, as long as you don't overuse
them. Most people use way too much conditioner, which makes hair limp
and more likely to nap together--and that makes it look even thinner.
Don't use more than a teaspoonful each time you wash--that's just a
dab in the palm of your hand. Anything more is wasted and can actually
make your hair look worse."
Hair Tips and Tricks
http://members.aol.com/EM02HA/hair_tips_and_tricks.htm
"Conditioners are designed to replace the sebum that is removed from
the hair shaft by shampooing. Too much conditioner will leave your
hair limp; too little may leave your hair unmanageable and subject to
static electricity during cold weather."
Hair Conditioners
http://www.amwa-doc.org/publications/WCHealthbook/skinamwa-ch35.html
If you're washing your hair several times a day, it's much kinder to
your hair to use a bit of conditioner after the plain water washings,
to help counteract the drying effect of the extra washings.
With respect to finding 10 hairs or so on your towel every time you
wash your hair - it's normal to lose a few hairs every time you brush,
comb or wash your hair. Hair has a finite growth cycle, and the
average human being loses up to 100 strands of hair *per day*, so you
needn't worry about those 10 or so on your towel:
"On average, about 100 hairs are lost from the head every day. The
average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs (blondes 140,000, brunettes
155,000 and redheads only 85,000)."
Hair Loss
http://www.thirdage.com/health/adam/ency/article/003246.htm
I hope this answers your question fully! Once again, I'm sorry I
missed a part. Please do let me know if there is anything else I can
help you with.
--Missy
|
