Do you wash your hair more than you wash your body?!
How often do you wash your hair? How often SHOULD you wash your hair?! This is a popular topic and often times becomes a cultural one. Speaking of cultural topics, a hot one right now is on how often you bathe. Some women wash their hair every time they bathe and some don’t. I’m one of those who don’t. I was my hair every two weeks…. I bathe everyday though (with soap, a washcloth and an exfoliating glove 😅). Back on topic though, how much is too much?
Washing your hair using shampoo is definitely necessary, but for most people (like 99%) it is not necessary every day. The purpose washing your hair is to clarify your scalp and remove buildup and dirt. Over-washing your hair can lead to dryness, dry scalp, brittleness, breakage, and dullness to name a few things. Under-washing your hair can lead to clogged hair follicles, flaky scalp, product build up, overly greasy hair and stunted hair growth to name a few.
Great shampoos for natural hair
So how often should you wash your hair using shampoo? In short, it depends on a few factors. Hair thickness, hair type and amount of hair product applied are a few of factors that contribute to how often you should wash your hair using shampoo. If you have straighter and or thinner hair, it is easier for your hair to get weighed down with hair product or by natural scalp oils. That would require the need to wash your hair more often. So if you fall in this category, I would suggest to wash your hair with shampoo no more than once a week. If you have thicker and or coarser hair, washing your hair with shampoo every other week is suggested.
If you feel the need to wash your hair more often than suggested, try using an alternative washing option. Options such as a dry shampoo or a co-wash between your wash days are suggested. A dry shampoo is something that reduces hair greasiness without using water. It typically comes in a dry spray form. A co-wash is a cleansing conditioner or even a regular conditioner used in the place of shampoo. Both options remove the “dirty hair” feeling without the stripping effect of shampoo. So using either of these options could help give you the clean feeling you need without the negative effects of over-using shampoo. It should be mentioned that you should still not use conditioner everyday in place of shampoo as that can lead to moisture overload. We’ll cover moisture overload another time. Just know that too much of anything is bad for you. If you feel you need more guidance with your hair regimen, don’t hesitate to book a Virtual Hair Consultation or 1:1 Hair Coaching with me. Until next time!
XO,
Kat
