i would have never guessed. looks good. i may have to try this approach. i have wavy hair, which is horrible, and it gets greasy if i don't wash it at least every other day...day two is good though.

Okay, being Kathleen's sister, I also have naturally curly hair... but mine is much longer, and much finer in texture. (Yes, I am the one that made the horse hair comment about Kathleen... like, repeatedly... since she was like, 7.)

Because my hair is finer, I can only get away with not washing my hair on a 4-day cycle. Big sexy Carrie Bradshaw hair day one, half-up Boticelli style day two, side bun or side braid day three, and then either a full on bun or "heidi" swiss-miss braids on day four.

I NEVER brush my hair. I finger-comb it with Kevin Murphy Angel conditioner in the shower to get out the rats, but still keep it "piecey."

One of the shocks of my adult life was realizing how seldom you curly-headed gals have to wash your hair. Mine has a strict 24 hour freshness expiration.

i also have some wavy/ curly hair: http://www.mylittlebuffaloblog.com/2010/03/hair.html

what works for me is this stuff called "curlz rock" silly name but it does the job!

I recently just chopped it off and its so much easier!

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one that admits they don't wash their hair but once a week. Sometimes I washed it twice a week.

But I have hair very similar to yours. My stylist told me to not wash my hair unless it is obviously dirty or one a week. Everyone I told would respond with "GROSS!" The truth is, your hair DOES NOT GET DIRTY EVERYDAY. And shampoo is very damaging to your hair, especially to curly/wavy hair. Even my shampoo was sulfate free - I used DevaCurl (this stuff rocks!)

My hair routine was very similar to yours, except I used a different brand (all devacurl products). But now that has changed since I've cut it super super short. I can now do some crazy punky spiking or some faux-hawk on the weekends. When it's this short, it looks straight, but when it starts to grow out, it flips out a little - too cute. But now it's about time for another hair cut!

a pic of when i had longer hair:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs159.snc1/5932_589984529498_38704697_34904067_5540676_n.jpg

OH here is a good crazy pic of my awesome curly hair from only washing once a week and using DevaCurl products.

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/113104/20090603/081602.jpg

I'm going to have to try out DevaCurl. Thanks for the tip. Love your hair!

I also use DevaCurl gel, as well. I think perhaps it is a line created by the author of that book we love, Kathleen, Curly Girl. Because there is a little snipe on the side label of my gel bottle about it.

I'm so jealous! My hair is so flat and fine...blah. I have to wash it every other day. Sigh.

I have uber thick and course curly hair (granted I straighten it since it now) but I used to use Aveda's curly products. Love! I have tried EVERY product out there for curly hair and that one worked the best for me. I too only washed it every once in awhile and conditioned like crazy since it is so dry. I didn't rub dry with a towel and if I used a dryer it was with a diffuser. I always used a light mousse like Suave for curly hair. And as always, don't touch it once it is set!

I pay good money for my curls (perm!), my natural hair being limp and fine, not-quite-straight, and not-quite-wavy, and unable to hold ANY style. (The key to a holding perm for us fine-haired girls, BTW, is LOTS of perm rods, and setting it under the dryer at the salon in the middle of the process.)

Since my hair IS so fine, the dirty/gritty approach doesn't work so well for me. I wash once or twice a week, use a generic form of Bed Head curling stuff I get at Sally's, scrunch, and air-dry. If it needs a little lift, I spritz it with plain water and re-scrunch each morning. Easy, and I get tons of compliments on it. I could easily get more lift and a cooler style with a little extra effort, I think. (Hairspray, etc.)

Oh my, as a curly-haired girl, "Do you have any tips or products that work for you?" is a loaded question! I'm have long, crazy thick, wavy-curly hair. Each tendril seems to have a mind of its own. I overheat in the summer because of this mess of hair on my head but I can't seem to chop it off. Here's how I handle it:
a) I only wash it about every three days. I feel really on top of my game if I wash it every other day, but that's a rarity.
b) Before I wash my hair, I brush it out. I used to comb it while I was in the shower but then I learned that wet hair is more fragile than dry hair, so I take care of the tangles/dreads beforehand. Immediately before taking a shower is the ONLY time a brush gets near my head.
c) I use big bottles of Pantene shampoo and conditioner for curly hair because I'd go broke buying the good stuff.
d) If I really want my hair to look good, I'll blast it with frigid water after rinsing out conditioner. I heard it helps seal the cuticle and I swear it makes it shinier and less frizzy.
e) After I get out of the shower, I squeeze as much water out of my hair as I can with my hands, then with a towel (don't rub the towel around on your head unless you want frizz).
f) Here come the products: Catwalk by Tigi curls rock amplifier (can't live without it) goes on the lower 2/3rds of my hair, I spray Tigi Catwalk root boost on the roots and use my fingers to rub it in, and then Garnier Fructis anti-frizz serum goes on the bottom half. It's important to apply product pretty quickly after getting out of the shower, otherwise it will frizz as it dries.
g) Then I let my hair air-dry as much as possible, and I'll get out the blow dryer for 5-10 minutes to speed it up. I flip my head over and use a big diffuser. High heat and air (I'm impatient).
h) Once completely dry, if I really want my hair to look good, I'll get out the 1.25" curling iron and wrap the frizzy pieces around it. Hold the curling iron vertically, don't use the clamp, just twist hair around it, hold for 10 seconds, and let it go.
i) If my roots start looking greasy in between showers (and they will), I spray some dry shampoo called Pssssst... (seriously that's what it's called) near the roots. I like Psssst... because it's $6 at Walgreens and easier to control than baby powder.

Wow, I knew my hair was a lot of work but this is just ridiculous! Sigh.

Ha! Oh, I'm so glad you wrote this. I, too, work at home and barely ever wash my hair as a result.
Mine's also curly - when I last went for a cut, the stylist showed me how to style it, which sounds very much like the way you do it. But I'm seriously terrible at styling my own hair, so I was considering a perm when a friend of mine suggested I try pin curls.
And let me tell you, pin curls may be the best thing I've ever done. I LOVE my hair as a result, and it's really pretty easy once you get the hang of it. And you can sleep with the pins in straight after your evening shower (I hate morning showers!) and tie pretty scarves to cover when you take your dog for a walk. So fun! There are a ton of pin curl tutorials on youTube, that's how I figured it out :)

Sometimes it's a guessing game how the curls will turn out on days 2,3,4 so during the school year I straighten it with a flat iron. In the summer I'm a curly girl and using Aveda "be curly" at the moment but will be trying some products you mentioned, kathleen. And, just like you-- I can go for days without washing. My oldest son inherited the curls and no need for a shampoo for days but my daughter has to wash her thick, straight hair every other day. Same mom and same dad...just different hair textures!

hmmm...just curious...is it this:
Tigi Catwalk Curlesque Leave In Conditioner or this
TIGI Catwalk Curls Rock Leave-In Moisturizer--
geez; why do they have so many??

I have longer hair, but it is wavy/curly. I don't pay attention to my shampoo, but I use Herbal Essence's "Tussle Me Softly" conditioner. Then I use garnier fructis cream gel and blow dry my hair upside down with a diffuser. I let it cool off for about ten minutes, then spritz it with garnier fructis curl spray gel and scrunch my hair. It turns out great!

Benson - I use Curls Rock conditioner. Like I said, it can get crunchy so another product may work better - but since I'm a night washer and sleep on it the crunch is gone by the morning.

O&P:Melina - Oooh I'm going to have to try pin curls now.

Thanks everyone for your thorough responses. Curly girls unite!

Also, I forgot to mention but I totally flip my head upside down when I dry my hair with the diffuser. Sometimes I'll even do this on my dry hair to get it even bigger.

I absolutely adore your hair. I think your whole process sounds amazing. My hair is naturally curly, but it's also naturally pretty oily. I think I can go about 36 hours before it looks like crisco has run though it. Heh.

I'm so jealous of your horse hair. If I go a day without shampoo I look like a wet rat. My hair is impossible because it's wavy but extremely thin, so any product that defines the waves weighs it down. Bleh.

Awwwwwwwwww Kathleen, I'm missing my curly hair now! *Tear*...

My EX hair routine, I washed it every second or third day. I guess I could have washed it less but it was just habit.
I washed with aveda or TIGI (me too!) Curls Rock. when the conditioner was in, i would brush it in the shower to get the knots out. out of the shower, i would use a cotton T or towel if i was too lazy to just scrunch it a tiny bit so that it wouldnt leak all over my clothes.
I put in 2 aveda products for curly hair (cream and serum) and let it air dry. And for my bangs I would dry them naturally when they were short enough not to curl and then id try to straighten them the longer they got.
If I let my hair grow again I will definitely try out your technique!
Your hair rocks Kathleen, I'm always jealous!

You are lucky. If I don't want my hair at least every other day, I look like a homeless woman. Think of all the time in your life you have been able to do other things because you aren't spending time washing or styling your hair. Awesome.

Mrs. L - Ha! I may or may not look homeless myself half the time.

that's not gross at all...what IS gross however is what all those chemicals we think are necessary do to your body with everyday shampoo use. :D continue with the bedhead. It's awesome.

Yea for curly girls. My sis told me about the book a few years back and it changed my life. I went from battling the horse hair to having beachy hair every day. The key is never touching your hair as it dries.

Kathleen, this post is so timely... My hair is very similar to yours and I look at your clothes pics every day to see your hair! I took some of my faves when I went to get a hair cut last week and we are working on retraining my just-left-of-center part. My friends are amazed how infrequently I wash my hair - they like to guess to see who's closest. My record is about 6 days. I've read about the t-shirt drying technique and I'll be trying that asap. Thanks so much for the post and great comments from other readers!

oh, I'm SO jealous. My hair is an odd mix of straight and wavy, super thin, super fine... and super, super oily. I HAVE to wash it every day- even if I wash it at night & skip the morning shower it will look as though I've dipped it in vegetable oil by noon the next day.
I do use dry shampoo from time to time- (Tigi's "Dirty Secret" is my fave) but even then it's just when I absolutely don't have time to wash it- and even then I have to pull it up for it to look half-way presentable. :(

u rock. i wash my pixie MAYBE once a week. glad i'm not the only one.