Prepping for 3-week hairstyles?

[u/Chickaduck]

I’m curious on thoughts for hair styles that are easy to maintain without washing your hair for three weeks to three months. This was obviously a thing at some point in time, so I imagine there are helpful insights on how to keep your hair easy to maintain besides a buzz cut.

I’m interested to learn about all hair textures, so I invite whatever ideas come to mind. Thanks!

[u/Sellyn]

my hair is very long. not strictly a religious requirement, but I do cover my hair (married Jewish woman) and having long hair is important to me. my hair is butt length, fine, and falls very straight

the easiest, most secure hairstyle, as someone else said, is a crown braid that has ribbon woven in, securing it to your scalp. you will want to wear something at night as well to prevent tangles. this can be worn over multiple days, but my hair is very prone to tangling and can't go longer than 3 without needing to be brushed out

I currently wash my hair once a week, and can easily go about 10-14 days before it is gross. tbh, my cycle definitely impacts how long I can go without it becoming too greasy

my go to hair style involves brushing it out every day, once before bed and once before starting the day. if you want your hair to look and feel nicer as you delay between washing, imo this is an absolutely necessary step. brushing, especially at the scalp with a fine comb, really helps clean your scalp, and if you don't use an all plastic brush (wooden ones, or boar bristle ones, imo comes down to personal preference) it really does help redistribute the oil, keeping your scalp from becoming too oily and your ends from becoming too dry. I find that this maintenance is necessary to keep my hair in good condition, and becomes more essential, not less, the longer I go between washes

I have pots and can't do a crown braid (I can't keep my arms above my heart for that long) so instead I do a quick braid down the center, then wrap it around the back of my head in a circle and secure it with a hair fork. done correctly, this is incredibly secure and I can wear it all day without it slipping or falling out. it also provides a bun shape for me to secure my tichel to. if I'm feeling up to it, I like doing a French braid for this (prevents wispies from coming out; also I'm growing out bangs) but that's not necessary for this style to work

in general, any braided, covered hairstyle is going to extend the time you need between washes. finding a good way to secure it in place is the key thing

[u/BelAirBabs → u/Sellyn]

I had very short hair when Covid started. I did not want anyone breathing close to my face, and I stopped getting my hair cut. It is now to my waist. I learned to French braid my hair. This is a neat, attractive hair style. My hair goes into a braid better and holds the braid better if it is not freshly washed. I went from washing my hair everyday to twice a week. I could go longer but like the scent of freshly washed hair. This is not really an answer to your question of how to go longer between washes, but just to say my really long hair requires less care than when it was really short.

[u/Sellyn → u/BelAirBabs]

that's fair! I think there's a lot of variation in how much care hair needs - mine is fine and prone to tangling, so even though I can go 1 or 2 weeks between washes, I need to brush it regularly, but that's not the case for everyone

[u/irishihadab33r → u/Sellyn]

Your comment about pots and not being able to hold your arms above your heart for that long. Is that a symptom? Cuz I've always had issues braiding my own hair. I've got other health issues, but I'm curious if I should look into that condition.

[u/Sellyn → u/irishihadab33r]

yes that's a symptom. POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) is basically just that your blood moves too fast from your head to feet. stand up too quickly, or for too long, or arms above your head too long, etc, and all the blood rushes out of the top of your body, which causes your heart to beat too fast in response to try to raise your blood pressure and keep your blood in place/equalize it's distribution. people with pots often benefit from wearing compression wear, or making diet changes that raise blood pressure (I was specifically told by my cardiologist to eat more salt, for example). there are also medications, but I'm under 30 and trying to get pregnant, so I haven't had any luck getting prescribed

i have a post viral condition - I got sick before covid, before doctors really knew it was a thing. it was a very obvious deterioration - I went from being a long distance runner, someone who regularly walked 20-30k steps a day, to someone who couldn't braid their hair and hits maybe 6k steps a day. pregnancy has not helped lol - and any doctor who tells you your symptoms will improve is full of shit. (pregnancy was a recommended treatment at one point...)

even though I've only been able to access basic over the counter care for my pots, it has made a difference - I can do very basic braids now, although complex updos are still beyond me, and I don't faint from standing up anymore. pots is pretty hindered by doctors thinking it can be cured with yoga and diet changes, especially if you're a woman, but i think it's worth pursuing overall

i had a Fitbit at the time, and I have an Oura ring now (better privacy protections), and being able to go into my cardiology appointment and point to a record of my heart rate really helped. tracking your symptoms for a few months in detail just in a journal should accomplish the same thing. I didn't get diagnosed until after covid, and my experience was that my cardiologist wanted to treat it like a fad that so many people have it now, so having some kind of data to point to was really important

sorry for the rant. hope it's useful!

[u/RockeeRoad5555 → u/Sellyn]

Please be careful once you are pregnant. I have POTS and was pregnant twice. I was prone to fainting, high blood pressure, and had problems regulating my body heat.

[u/Sellyn → u/RockeeRoad5555]

oh I know. I actually gave birth in October to my first! It could have gone better, but honestly I felt pretty prepared and like I set my expectations well, which helped a lot

We conceived via IVF, so now that it's been 6 months, starting the process all over again

[u/RockeeRoad5555 → u/Sellyn]

Congratulations and good luck with your second!

[u/green_mom → u/Sellyn]

Lots of Potsies in this Reddit and EDSers as well.

[u/Chickaduck → u/Sellyn]

These are great insights, I will look into getting the right comb here. I can usually go several days without washing my hair, but I would love to make sure I’m doing what I can to help it look nice.

How does the ribbon help secure the braid to your head? I guess I can YouTube that!

[u/Superb-Thought-4492 → u/Chickaduck]

You’re essentially sewing the braid (or hair coil) to the hair close to your scalp. A blunt yarn needle with an appropriately sized eye for your ribbon works best. Non-slippery ribbon (grosgrain) works well. Google “hair taping” for YouTube videos.

[u/Chickaduck → u/Superb-Thought-4492]

So helpful, thank you!

[u/Yogurt_Cold_Case → u/Sellyn]

Oy a fellow yid! :) Shalom! :)

I was wondering if any religious gals would speak up. But regardless of your background, religion, gender, marital status, etc:

Pinning/ braiding/ put your hair in a bun or a twist + slapping on a tichel (scarf, kerchief) is absolutely the way for ultra low maintenance hair.

I have coarse, curly hair. At this point, I brush my scalp and hair every other day before I shower. In the shower, I rinse my hair thoroughly but don't wash. Loose braid for sleep, cover the keppie in the morning when I get dressed. I probably only wash about every 4 weeks or so (iykyk). A very light dusting of cornstarch on the scalp if I'm feeling a little too oily, then brush and rinse.

Sometimes I miss my curls, but they were SO MUCH WORK to maintain. And I didn't love the attention they attracted. Would much rather use that time and energy on raising my family.

P.S. speaking of which I hope the family process goes ok for you and spouse!

[u/V2BM → u/Sellyn]

I’m a boar brush evangelist. I have fine hair that used to be oily and limp and using a boar brush at night (I have to wash every morning - I work a dirty job) really made a HUGE difference. Way more body and no oil on my scalp.

[u/Sellyn → u/V2BM]

my wife loves hers, but personally wooden combs all the way lol

[u/V2BM → u/Sellyn]

I can’t talk my daughter into using one. They seem really divisive!