How often should you wash your hair? Are you doing it wrong?

Oh, the always wondered question. I mean, how often should you wash your hair? Some people wash every day, while some people wash only once a week. Which is right?

A few things can determine this.

The texture of your hair will play a part in how often you wash your hair.

First, you want to determine what texture of hair you have. Is it fine, coarse, or curly?

Need help determining if it’s fine or coarse? Remember, you can have fine hair, but a lot of it.

Now I want you to grab a strand of hair and rub it between 2 fingers. If you can’t really feel it, it’s a fine strand. If you can feel it, it’s a coarse strand.  

Great, now you have determined that. A lot of fine-haired ladies will wash their hair more frequently than coarse-haired ladies. Fine hair gets weighed down more.

Curly hair should not wash every day because it is prone to becoming dry. The strand of hair has “S” shape patterns. Each round of the “S” is a weak spot in the hair. That is where the hair can release moisture and color, which causes it to be dry.

The condition of your hair will also determine how often you wash your hair.

Is your hair healthy or damaged? If it is healthy, then you will go off of the texture of your hair. If your hair is damaged, then you want to wash less.  

Damaged hair needs repair. The natural oil that your body produces called sebum is super moisturizing. So by not washing as frequently, you are allowing the natural oil to help repair.

You wash your hair more because it gets oily?

Girl, I hear ya!! I used to wash my hair every day because it felt greasy halfway through the second day. Now I have fine hair, but a lot of it and it’s wavy.

But did you know that by washing it more frequently, you may be why it gets so oily? When you wash your hair, you wash away the natural oil, sebum. This tells your body that it needs to produce more oil. Which, in return, is causing it to be more greasy.

You can train your hair not to get so greasy. There will be an awkward period in there where you will want to wear a hat. That’s when you make a new best friend, dry shampoo. Dry shampoo will absorb the oil and give your hair a fresh scent.

So with washing less, your body will produce less oil.

Here are a few tips when you do wash your hair.

Oh, the day has come to wash your hair. Yay!

It makes me think of back in the day when you didn’t want to go out with a guy. The excuse was you have to stay home to wash your hair. HAHA.

If you have gone a few days between washes, you want to shampoo twice. The first wash will be the surface clean. I find that you don’t get a lot of lather in this wash. The second wash will be the final clean and the benefit of the shampoo.

When shampooing your hair, your main focus should be at the root of the hair and the scalp. I want you to give a good scrub to your scalp. Don’t use your nails because you don’t want to scrape your scalp. Use your fingertips or pads.

When you go, days between washing, your scalp can have product build-up, dead skin cells, oil, and dirt on it. You want to give a good scrub to remove this. A healthy scalp grows healthy hair.

If you aren’t giving a good scrub and really cleaning your scalp, you may get itchy. You could also have what appears to look like dandruff. Even a worst-case scenario have hair loss.

Now how to choose a shampoo to wash your hair with?

The first one that everyone needs to own is a clarifying shampoo. A clarifying shampoo removes product build-up, chlorine, mineral deposit, and free radicals. You want to use this one every 3-5 washes.

Next up, what does your hair need? You want an even balance of moisture and protein for your hair. Take a strand of hair, and wrap it around your index fingers, and give a gentle tug. If the hair snaps right away, you need moisture. If the hair stretches about 50% but doesn’t go back to normal, you need protein. When the hair stretches and returns, you have a healthy balance.

I like to have a couple of different types of shampoos in my shower. Then I can use a protein-based and moisture-based rotation. Sometimes a deep conditioner is what you need. I recommend these 1-2 times a month.

If you color your hair, you need a color-safe shampoo.  

When you are choosing your shampoo, make sure it is a clean, non-toxic shampoo.

Not all shampoos are created equal.  

First off, I like to make sure my products are vegan and cruelty-free. Secondly, I read the ingredients to make sure they are not harmful. Click here to grab your list of 10 ingredients that you want to avoid in your beauty products.

Some ingredients that are in your shampoo are drying, irritating, and are harmful to you.  

Here are a few common ingredients that you may find in your shampoo that you want to AVOID:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)- skin irritating, and drying

• Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)- skin irritating, and drying

• DMDMD Hydantoin- formaldehyde, cancer-causing

• Frangrance- allergies, pollutant, a hormone disruptor

I also want to note that just because a shampoo is “clean” or “green” does not mean that it has to be expensive. There are options for each budget. To learn more about Clean Beauty, click here.

So when it comes to determining how often you should wash your hair, it comes down to the texture, the quality, the lifestyle, and above all, your personal preference. 

That’s right; there isn’t really a right or wrong with how often you should wash your hair. Genetics play a role. If you workout extreme and get really sweaty, you are more likely going to wash after each workout.

In my personal opinion, I like to suggest to my clients to wash at least every other day. On the days that my hair is feeling dirty, and I don’t want to wash it, I spray dry shampoo in it and wear it up and maybe use a bandana or a scarf.

Have fun, and try out some new styles on those dirty days. Here are some styles you can try.