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I Survive Dirty Hair Thanks to These Second-Day Hair Hacks

This piece has been syndicated from Her Campus at Purdue University. You can join a chapter at your school (or start your own!)

How often you are supposed to wash your hair has been debated by women for years. Some prefer to wash their hair every day, while others decide to wash every other day. I happen to be one of the ones who choose to wash my hair every other day. How frequent you choose to wash your hair totally depends on your hair type. It varies per person, and I think that’s why people debate about how long the right amount of time is. I find that washing my hair every day affects the texture of my hair and how fast it gets oily.  

Since I choose to do this, I face the challenge of second-day hair styles. It is always a struggle on those days trying to decide what to do with my hair. If you face this problem too, here are 3 ways to make your second-day hair look like you just washed it. 

Reach for the dry shampoo

Dry shampoo will be your best friend! Dry shampoo helps to give the illusion of freshly washed hair by absorbing oil. With excess oil gone thanks to the dry shampoo, your hair will look brighter and fresh and make everyone think that you totally wash your hair every day. Some of my favorites are the Detox Dry Shampoo by Dry Bar and any of the Batiste dry shampoos. 

Try an easy updo

With second-day hair, the best way to go is throwing it up. Whether it is in a bun or a ponytail, when your hair is put up it is harder to tell that you haven’t washed it in a day or two. I typically go with a ponytail or a bun, but it is also super easy to braid it and have your hair still look like you spent a lot of time styling it. 

Throw on an accessory

I can’t explain to you how happy I am that scrunchies are back in style. I wear one on my wrist every day. They have become a staple part of my outfit, and they are very convenient for when I want to put my hair up. Another accessory I have really been loving are hair scarfs. I like to put half of my hair up in these and have the tails of the scarf hang down the of the length of my hair. Some of my favorite shops to buy these from are Urban Outfitters and Francesca’s. Adding an accessory to second-day hair will spice it up enough that people will think that you tried hard on your hair that morning, when you totally didn’t. 

Happy styling, and cheers to sleeping in a little bit later. 

Andi Baker is a Campus Correspondent and Senior at Purdue University, majoring in Actuarial Science and Applied Statistics with minors in Management and Art and Studio Design. Originally from Manila, Arkansas, Andi loves to drink sweet tea, read, and make art. You can follow her on Instagram @andibaker
Rachel is the Senior Editor at Her Campus. She graduated from Elon University in 2015 where she wrote for Her Campus's Elon chapter as well as the national LGBTQ+ section, and has since held editorial positions at Hello Giggles and Brit + Co along with running social media for several publishers. Her work has been published in Teen Vogue, Glamour, StyleCaster, and SELF, and she can be found in North Carolina smearing face masks on in the name of content. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @RachelCharleneL.