How to Oil Train Your Hair & Go More Days Without Shampoo!

Oil Training 101 – Learn exactly how to oil train your hair so you are able to last longer between washes, avoid unwanted grease, & help your hair grow!

I feel like there is such a stigma out there that says you HAVE to wash your hair every single day of your life for it to look any sort of somewhat decent. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s not true. Over the past three years, I’ve successfully oil trained my hair to last longer between washes, which ultimately results in me only washing my hair a few times a month. I wanted to write this post to not only teach you how to oil train your hair but I also wanted to share my best tips for lasting longer between washes & what personally works for me!

Naturally, I have dirty blonde hair, but around my 15th birthday, I fell into the trap of many box dyes, bleach, & tons of color maintenance in order to keep me as blonde as I love being. Between all of the coloring & excessive daily use of hot tools, my hair was completely dead. My hair is also naturally very curly & extremely course & dry, so the combination of everything wasn’t too great. I hit a road block. I used to always joke, even in college, that I was still trying to outgrow my 7th grade hair cut.

Seriously though, my hair didn’t grow.

And since I do have really curly hair, any growth was nearly impossible to notice.

I started to oil train my hair, without even knowing I was doing it around the time I met Devin, which is now 3.5 years ago. Even though I was still playing college basketball, I would go days without washing my hair & it just seemed to work. Over the years I’ve slowly worked my way up to where I am now. I currently wash my hair on average, every 9 days. Which ultimately means I only have to do it 3-4 times a month.

Although that may sound absolutely repulsive to many people. (Believe me I get it.) Remember that I have worked my way up to this point & just because it works for me, something else might work even better for you! Oil training has done wonders for my hair & it finally grows! I broke the road block I had been facing for years by seriously cutting down on washes, limiting my use of styling tools, & learning how to properly use dry shampoo & products. And now my hair is the longest it’s ever been!

So let’s get in to how to oil train hair!

Oil Training 101

Here’s my best advice regarding how to oil train hair & how to train your hair to require less washing!

Q: What is Oil Training?

Oil training hair is a great way to make your hair last longer between washes. A simple definition of oil training means just not washing your hair every day. This ultimately results in teaching your hair to be less oily. Through oil training, you are able to give your hair a much needed break from shampoo & conditioner which when used in excess, weighs down your hair, dries it out, & actually makes your hair/scalp produce more grease. When you consistently oil train, you will most likely notice a change in your hair strength, hair growth, & your hair might even become thicker or fuller.

Q: How to Oil Train Your Hair?

Learning to oil train your hair can definitely be a process. You want to start out by letting your hair get greasy & going as long as possible before you wash. After a few times doing this, try to go from daily washing to every other day…then from every other day, to 2 times a week. When you oil train, you still shower as you normally would, you just don’t wet or wash your hair! A shower cap will become your new BFF, believe me!

Now just because I told you that I wash my hair about every 9 or so days, doesn’t mean that will automatically be your go-to amount of days as well. Everyone is different. And everyone has different hair texture that will also influence the amount of days they will be able to go between washes.

You magic number might be just 4 days & that’s amazing! Not only will you cut back on time spent washing/drying/styling, but I’m almost 100% sure you will notice that your hair will begin to grow longer & stronger! It’s all about finding what works for you!

Q: Can You Still Workout When Oil Training?

Yes, of course! I mean, I played my last two years of collegiate basketball without washing my hair daily! My best tips for this is to keep your hair off of your neck, fluff up your hair with your fingers after you’re done working out, use a blow-dryer on a cool setting to dry your roots, & use a good dry shampoo, if necessary!

Q: How Do You Avoid Looking Greasy?

Here’s the deal. You probably think you look way greasier than you do to a stranger’s eye. If even the slightest bit of grease bothers you, oil training honestly probably isn’t what’s best for you, & that’s okay! But if you want to give it a go in order to better assist the health of your hair or just to cut back on time, throw your hair up & rock it!

The grease will come & go. Sometimes I think my hair looks a little greasy on day 3 but then on day 7 it doesn’t look greasy at all! My best advice is to just go as long as you can, & if things get too out of control or if your scalp starts to itch or smell, please go shampoo, LOL!

Q: Can You Use Styling Products When Oil Training Your Hair?

I find the less styling products used, the better. Products can easily contribute to more grease so I only use a little heat protectant oil before I blow dry my hair after I wash it & dry shampoo when I need it. Even with dry shampoo, you should use it sparingly, because it can quickly build up around your hair follicles.

My Best Tips For Oil Training Hair

• Work your way up to it. Start with 2-3 days between washes & make a note into how your hair is responding.
• Avoid touching your hair excessively…especially your roots!
• Wear your hair in a bun, pony, or braid on the final days of your wash.
• Use a scrunchy to help avoid unwanted lines in your hair when you wear your hair up.
• Add a few drops of Rosemary essential oil to your scalp to help fight grease.
• Invest in a good dry shampoo & shower cap, because they will be necessary!
• Use as little product as possible!
• Switch to an all-natural shampoo & conditioner so when you are washing your hair, you aren’t stripping your hair of natural oils.
• On days when you aren’t washing your hair, keep your hair dry, don’t wet it & not shampoo because it will just spread the oils around making it look more greasy!
• Remember that you’re hair appears more greasy to you than it does a stranger!
• If all else fails or if your hair just looks funky…just go ahead & give it a good wash! 🙂

I hope this post inspires you to give oil training a try! For me, it’s really been beneficial for my hair. I’ve also saved so much time due to my lack of washing & therefore time spent having to re-style my hair. And wanna know the best part…I only have to buy shampoo like once a year LOL, so oil training also saves you a bit of money as well! Win win!

Have you ever tried oil training?