This weekend a friend told me that she washes her hair almost every single day, and I was kind of stunned. I started making the calculations: If you wash and condition everyday, that’s around 10 extra minutes per day spent in the shower. Plus, if you blow it dry, let’s tack another 30 minutes on to that and we’re talking almost five hours per week spent on fussing with your hair. (This is a frugal estimate too, since I’m not really factoring in the kind of days where you bust out a complicated hairstyle that involves braids, a perfectly polished blowout or a fancy updo.) Of course, if you have thick monster hair like me, maybe you can get away with less shampooing—and most stylists warn that overwashing is ultimately bad for your scalp and hair since you need to let those natural oils do their job. Then again, if you have fine or thin hair like my friend does, the grease factor can get really unattractive really fast. I prescribed her a regimen of cutting down to four times a week bolstered by Bumble and Bumble hair powder, a talc-like starch you can work into greasy roots to absorb some of the oil. Will keep you posted on how that works out. But now I’m curious: How often are you washing your hair? Do you resent the time it takes or is it just a way of life?

For the last couple months, we’ve been in a hair rut. Our hair wasn’t working no matter what goop we added or how we styled it. In fact, it was being downright uncooperative. Then we started using Aveeno’s new Nourish+ Hair Care Collection. It may sound unbelievable, but now our ‘do does exactly what we want it to do. Seriously, after our first shower with the stuff, we had tamed the beast into bouncy, shiny submission. [$6.99, Drugstore.com]

We’re giving away products from Aveeno’s Nourish+ Hair Care line, but you have to work if you want your hair to look good. The five best commenters for this coming week—from today, Friday, May 15 through Thursday, May 21—will be awarded with a shampoo and conditioner set. So be as clever, smart, and original as you can! Click HERE to read the official rules.

Making use of shampoo can really change you. Not only does it make you look so fresh and so clean, but it also makes you feel better (especially if you went to the beach and didn’t wash your hair all weekend). This site, which I cannot read because it’s in Russian, shows pics of people “before shower” and “after shower.” Most people just look wet, but others went through some big changes. Soap and a razor can change everything. [Hairwash Project via Notcot.org]

Last night I was watching Blades of Glory and a big joke in the movie was that Will Ferrell’s ice-skating character, who is obsessed with his hair, uses Mane & Tail horse shampoo. It’s actually not funny. Fashion and beauty editors have lauded the powerful conditioning skills of the brand—Lucky has included it in the magazine several times. So maybe people should stop knocking Chazz Michael Michaels and go out and buy some Mane & Tail themselves. I’m going to. [Medicice]