Though our parents always told us growing up that we had to wash every day, it’s starting to seem like that might not be true. While hygiene is of course important, there has been a big movement away from store bought hair products or washing altogether. So what is going on? Why are people rocking dirty hair instead of clean? Creative Fashion Bloggers investigates.

Woman with dirty hair

The ‘no ‘poo’ movement, which has been catching steam of the past few years, centres around the idea that shampoo and conditioner actually do quite a bit of harm to your hair. This movement says that the secret to great hair is to let it get dirty! By avoiding washing your hair for not just a few days, but even weeks or months, you can apparently improve the look and health of your hair.

Some of the reason to ditch your store bought shampoo and conditioner are to avoid the harmful chemicals that some of these products contain. Parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), both of which are found in many hair products, have been linked to cancer, and diethyl phthalate (DEP) allegedly disrupts hormones. These products are obviously not only harmful to your hair, but your overall health! However, looking for products that don’t contain these chemicals is simple enough, so why do people insist on decreasing washing all together?

When you use shampoo to decrease the appearance of oil in your hair, you’re also stripping your hair of oils that it needs. This causes oil to over-produce, and that’s why less washing can actually lead to less oil. When you first start cutting out washing, it might be difficult at first, but eventually the oils will even out, leaving you with shinier and healthier hair that isn’t as dried out.

Aside from these benefits, dirtier hair is also much easier to style—when your hair is freshly washed, it just doesn’t stay like you want it to. So try cutting down your washing from every day or two to once or twice a week and see the results for yourself!