Everybody has a favorite way their hair feels. You know...the day you get the perfect style. You love the way it feels. You can feel the perfect weight of it. But it’s a short lived experience because you soon have to wash it...or if you don’t wash it soon enough, it becomes a lifeless mess.
So, how often should you be shampooing your hair?
Like everything with our individuality, determining how often you should be washing or shampooing your hair is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Do you tend to have oily or greasy hair? Or do you find yourself with a dry, itchy scalp, oftentimes leading you to have to deal with dandruff? Or choosing product type considerations based on what seems to work well for you. There are a lot of variables in finding what is best for you.
Let’s break down some items that might help…
Product selection
This may seem obvious, but the product you are shampooing with is going to have a lot to do with how your hair will feel and appear. Certain ingredients are included in different shampoo and conditioning products that help protect, add texture, nourish, moisturize, and many more. Additionally, any styling aids that you use will determine how often you’ll need to wash or not wash. For instance, some shampoo products are specifically meant to treat dry hair, but with a lesser degree than other products. With a product adding to the moisture of a hair strand, some people might find that the results that favor moisturizing their hair will need more washing maintenance than if they used different products. Results will vary from person to person, as well as how the product performs in different climates and seasons.
It is important to ask your stylist what products will best suit your hair type, and how often you prefer to shampoo.
Does your hair get oily often? Or are you prone to scalp dryness?
If you are prone to an oily scalp, you may feel shampooing daily or every other day is necessary. If you are shampooing daily and have color treated hair, a gentle sulfate free shampoo is recommended. If you prefer to go longer between shampoos, try a dry shampoo to soak up excess oil and restore volume. A great tip is to use the dry shampoo before you go to bed. This will allow the excess powder from the dry shampoo to soak into the hair, leaving a fresher look in the morning.
If you are prone to oily scalp, it is actually recommended that you use a shampoo that DOES contain sulfate. Sulfate can be an important ingredient for oily scalp because it has the capability to break up oil, and truly cleanse the scalp. If you are using a sulfate free shampoo, odds are your oil prone scalp is not getting clean enough and eventually this can cause damage to the hair follicle. The two main types of sulfate are sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. We recommend shampoos that contain sodium laureth sulfate as it is milder and less drying than sodium lauryl sulfate.
If a dry shampoo works to reduce the days per week you shampoo, the day your hair screams wash me, would be the day your scalp starts to itch. This is caused from yeast building up on the scalp.
Though this is perfectly natural, it is your scalp’s way of saying, “Today’s the day to scrub me clean!” (typically on the third through fifth day). When you shampoo, washing and rinsing two or three times is recommended, followed by a hydrating conditioner. A good way to tell if your hair and scalp are fully clean is when you get lots of lather from your shampoo.
If you are prone to dry scalp or eczema, shampooing too often can be one of the culprits. It is especially important to choose a gentle moisturizing shampoo and reduce washing to every third or fourth day. (In other words a shampoo that DOES NOT contain sulfates).
Be aware of any products that you may be spraying directly on your scalp. They may cause build up or contain high amounts of alcohol that can increase flakey skin. On the day you shampoo, wash and rinse twice. This will ensure all buildup is removed, and also help your hair feel clean, longer.
The foods in your diet may be lacking important nutrients to promote healthy skin and scalp. Increasing omega 3 found in salmon and avocado can help increase moisture in your skin.
Reducing the amount of shampooing, can help reduce dry scalp and increase the health of your hair. Blow drying and heat styling too often is one of the main causes of split ends and breakage. Going longer between shampooing has many benefits. Let your stylist know what type of scalp issues you may be experiencing and they can help recommend the right products and routine for you to achieve your desired results.