The Double Wash

Almost a year ago, I was doing a long run with one of my running buddies and we got to talking about our skin care routine. I’m always in awe of this runner and basically worship the ground she walks on, so when I hear of her doing something differently than I am doing, I of course want to try it out for myself. Plus, she has beautiful skin and looks half her age, so I’ll do whatever I can to look like her when I grow up! 😝What she told me resonated with me so much and it was just so simple.She washes her face TWICE before going to bed.First of all, as your “shampoo girl,” you should know that I’ve already been washing my hair twice when I do wash it, so this concept wasn’t new to me. But, I had NEVER even thought about doing it with my SKIN CARE.I have combination skin, which means it’s both oily AND dry, and extremely prone to breakouts. I need something that helps clean out my oily pores but also doesn’t dry out my skin, which, let me tell you, is a hard combination to come by. My hair isn’t much different. Before switching my shampoo, I had to wash my hair Every. Single. Day. Which also meant blow drying + straightening it Every. Single. Day. And Mama just don’t have time for that.Enter the Double Wash…WHAT IS IT + WHY SHOULD YOU DO ITIt’s truly a simple concept. Instead of washing your hair or your face once, you are going to wash it, rinse, and repeat. (Sounds pretty familiar, right?!) The reason why this is so important - especially for those of us with oily skin or hair - is because we need to get all the dirt, bacteria, makeup, and buildup out of our hair and skin FIRST before washing it to get it squeaky CLEAN.As women, most of us our putting some sort of products on our face or our hair. For me, I put on makeup every single day - no shame here… makeup gives me LOADS of confidence. But, what I found was that only washing ONCE wasn’t truly cleaning out the dirt + makeup that was building up in my pores, which was causing me to break out… A LOT. And with hard water in our house, I was getting a ton of buildup in my hair (think about the soap scum on your shower door, but in your hair… 😵), which made it hard for me to go a day without having to wash my hair.Once I started washing my hair + face TWICE (hello, it says RINSE + REPEAT for a reason), my breakouts started to clear up, and I’ve been able to go 2 to 3 days without washing my hair (even after a hard, sweaty workout).After you’ve gotten all the dirt + grime out of your skin + hair, the second wash is to help get your skin + hair CLEAN and look like you want it to look. Ideally, if you put toner on after you wash your face (which you should, BTW), the cotton ball shouldn’t have anything on it. And ideally, with a double hair wash, you should be able to go a day or 2 in between washes.HOW TO DO ITThe concept is simple - wash twice, right?! Yes + No.Your first wash is meant to get all the dirt + grime off your hair + face, so you want to make sure you are using something clarifying that will remove that build-up. I’m OBSESSED with all things charcoal for my face and use a charcoal bar FIRST to get deep into my pores and remove the nasty stuff. And I swear by my Clarifying Shampoo to get any product or hard water build-up out of my hair.Your second wash should focus on what you NEED for your skin + hair. I have oily, acne prone skin, so I want something that is going to help me clear up my acne and remove oil from my skin. I love Rodan+Fields’ Unblemish system to keep my skin clear. (Side note: I tried to switch to more naturally-based products about 6 months ago, but it wasn’t strong enough for my skin, so I switched back and have already seen a huge difference. I’m planning to go the month of April without using foundation or concealer - fingers crossed - to really get it back to where it was at this time last year.)For my hair, I need VOLUME and something that won’t weigh it down. MONAT’s Volume System is my tried and true to keep my hair squeaky clean and give it volume for, well, DAYS! And I love that the conditioner doesn’t weigh it down either - key for those of us with fine, flat (and greasy) hair!Alrighty, girlfriend… go rinse + repeat and feel GOOD in your skin - and hair - again!Wanna try some shampoo for yourself - for FREE?! Take the FREE hair quiz and score a FREE hair spa delivered directly to your doorstep!