Wondering how often should you wash your hair? Here’s the truth.
Actually, how often you should wash depends on a number of factors, including hair type, texture and your personal routine.
Keep reading and you will learn more about hair washing tips.
How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?
Dermatologists recommend washing your hair two to three times a week, but this suggestion really depends on your hair type.
While finer, straighter hair types typically require more frequent washing than coarser, curlier hair types, the frequency of your suds up should be determined by the signals your scalp and hair strands send you.
Example: If you’re experiencing any itching, flaking, product buildup, greasy strands, or unpleasant smells, you may want to consider cleansing.
Related Post: How Often Should You Wash Curly Hair?
How Long Can You Go Without Washing Your Hair?
How long you can go without washing your hair will depend on your hair type and oil levels.
You should only go a week without washing your hair if you have dry, thick, and/or coily hair—not because you can’t stretch your wash-day out even longer, but because you really shouldn’t if you’re trying to prevent breakage, dryness, and irritation. If you can, try to wash once a week to keep your scalp and hair strands moisturized.
You might need to suds up a few times per week, every other day, or even every day (if you’re, say, running a marathon in the heat every morning) if you have fine or thin hair or an oil-prone scalp.
Yes, your dry shampoo can help with some oil absorption, but it won’t magically remove all of the oil or leave your scalp clean. For best scalp and hair health, you’ll still need to wash your hair frequently.
Factors That Impact Your Wash Schedule
The hair on each person varies. These factors can affect when you should wash your hair.
Age
The activity level of your scalp’s oil glands will vary with age.
Androgens, or male sex hormones, are responsible for controlling the oil glands. The higher hormone levels of younger people are the reason why they typically have more active oil glands.
On the other hand, women who have gone through menopause have lower levels of androgens, which results in less oil production. Men’s gland activity declines over time as well.
Ethnic Background
Another major determinant in how often you should wash your hair is your ethnicity.
African Americans in particular have extremely dry hair, and over-washing can make it dry and brittle, which can cause breakage.
She advises against washing your hair every day in those circumstances.
Hair Length
Sebaceous glands, also known as oil glands, are found only in your scalp. For each hair strand to be moisturized, this oil (or sebum) must travel all the way to the ends.
Longer hair frequently becomes dry because it is harder to keep the ends moisturized.
The ends of hair are frequently drier the longer it is.
Hair Type
Similar reasons also explain why straight silky hair tends to be much drier than curly, coarse hair. To moisturize the ends of curly hair, the oil must travel along strands that resemble corkscrews.
Of course, if you have drier hair, you should wash less often.
Aside from being curly, straight, long, or short, hair can also be processed chemically, which often results in hair becoming more brittle.
Read More: Can I Wash My Hair With Just Water?
Activity Level
If you exercise and sweat heavily, you might wonder if you should always wash your hair afterward.
Even with daily exercise, you don’t need to wash your hair daily.
In general, regardless of level of activity, I counsel patients to adhere to a standard hair-washing schedule, whether it be three times per week, weekly, or once per month.
Read More: Should You Wash Your Hair Before a Haircut?
Is It Okay If I Wash My Hair Every Day?
It is okay to wash your hair every day if your scalp is very oily, but if you do, you’ll want to make sure to use a mix of gentle cleansers to prevent scalp dryness, irritation, and itch.
For instance: If you can’t stretch your washings to every other day, you can suds up daily with a mild, sulfate-free clarifying shampoo that’s packed with hydrating ingredients (like hyaluronic acid and aloe vera), then every other week (for one wash only!), swap in a sulfate-based clarifying shampoo to break down oils and hard water buildup.
And if you are washing every day, make sure you’re replenishing your hair’s moisture each time with deep conditioners, hair masks, leave-in conditioners, and/or hair creams to keep your hair from drying out from the water (yes, water itself can actually be drying!).
Additionally, you should try to limit the use of heat on your hair, which means no blow-drying after every shower. If you do, you risk stripping and damaging your strands over time, which will result in dull, brittle hair.
Read More: Are Cold Showers Good for Hair?
Conclusion: How Often Should You Wash Your Hair
If you’ve been thinking about scaling back how often you shampoo, give it a try.
Try extending the time between washes by a day or try cutting out one wash per week. Your scalp and hair may need some time to adapt.
Just remember that your hair has its own personality and needs based on different factors, which make it unique. You might not experience the same results as your friend.
Read More: Why is My Hair So Oily?
FAQs
ow Often to Wash Hair for Growth?
Those with oily, thin, or fine hair should wash every one to two days.
How Often Should You Condition Your Hair?
Try to use a conditioning treatment once a month at the very least to keep your hair healthy.
How Often Should You Shower?
To keep their health in check, many people find that two to three times per week is sufficient, and in some cases even preferable.
