How to Keep Hair Smelling Fresh Between Washes

Learn how to keep your hair smelling fresh between washes! You don’t need to wash your hair every day to keep it smelling and looking great. 

If you work out every day at the gym like I do, you’ve probably found yourself asking the question, “Should I wash my hair everyday if I exercise?”

Washing my hair is the bane of my existence. Ok, that’s probably a bit strong. But here was my dilemma:

I exercise everyday, either at my local gym or my budget-friendly home gym. I have very long hair that takes a while to wash thoroughly and even longer to dry. And I hate the feeling of greasy, dirty hair.

Plus, washing your hair every day is not good for it – washing every day dries your hair out and strips the essential oils it needs to stay healthy. 

So essentially, I was caught between wanting to have clean hair and not wanting to spend forever washing and drying it. Consequently, I always found myself stuck on whether I should wash my hair everyday or just leave it.

So, there are a number of options to keep your hair looking and smelling fresh besides a thorough shampoo.

How to Keep Hair smelling Fresh between washes

1. Start With Your Shampoo

One of the best ways to keep your hair fresh in between washing is to make sure that you clean it thoroughly when you do shampoo.

You know when you go to the hairdresser and they take a good 10 minutes to shampoo your hair? I’m not saying that you have to do that (because really, who has the time to spend 10 minutes shampooing your hair?) But when you do wash, make sure you really get deep into the roots of your hair, lather and scrub your scalp.

Then rinse and apply conditioner only to the ends of your hair, which get drier than the roots. Rinse your hair thoroughly to make sure there is no shampoo or conditioner left, which will cause your hair to feel greasy and allow product to build up.

I also find the shampoo you use can make a difference. I love to use WOW shampoo and conditioner as it leaves my hair feeling ultra soft and clean, and feels like it stays clean longer. 

2. Use Dry Shampoo

I don’t know what I did before the invention of dry shampoo. Actually, I do know. I washed my hair every day, or just left it greasy (yes, there was a time in my life where hair washing was not a priority – that’s a story for another day). 

Anyway, if you haven’t tried dry shampoo before, then you’re missing out.

But not all dry shampoos are created equal. I’ve tried some pretty terrible dry shampoos over the years that basically did nothing besides leave my hair white.

Here are my top picks for dry shampoo:

• Blow Pro Faux Dry Shampoo – this comes in a powder form, unlike other dry shampoos which usually come in an aerosol can. Simply tap some powder into your roots and it absorbs the oil and adds some volume and texture.
• Batiste Dry Shampoo – this comes in an aerosol can and is one of the highest rated dry shampoos in the UK (where it’s made.) Be warned, it does leave your roots looking slightly white, but I’ve found that I just scrunch my roots a bit and/or brush them and the whiteness disappears pretty easily.

3. Avoid Styling Products

I try not to use too many styling products in my hair as a rule, besides a little Miracle 10 leave in conditioner to help with split ends, nourish my scalp and help control frizz.

But other than the leave in conditioner that I apply sparingly, I don’t use any hairspray or other styling products. Styling products build up on your hair and make daily washing almost essential, so if you’re trying to avoid washing your hair as often, try to avoid the use of styling products and stick with something light and natural.

4. Braid and Mist

Finally, braiding your hair into braids and spraying a scented mist like this one should tide you over for another day until you get the chance to give your hair a thorough wash.

Braids will help hide the greasiness and a scented mist will keep you hair smelling fresh! Check out these 10 braid tutorials for ideas!

5. clip hair back

I use bobby pins to clip the front part of my hair back. This section of hair tends to get the greasiest, making your hair look dirtiest, because of your forehead. You can even use these cute rhinestone bobby pins for a little pizzazz (yes, I said pizzazz). You may also want to spritz some of the above scent on it too if you’re hair is stinky!

So, you don’t need to wash your hair every day to keep it smelling fresh and clean. These tips can make your life much easier and save you a ton of time! 

How do you keep your hair smelling and looking fresh between washes? I’d love to hear your tips!