HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU SHAMPOO YOUR HAIR?

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU SHAMPOO YOUR HAIR?

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Maybe you’ve heard shampooing less often is better for your hair. Or perhaps you’re thinking of ditching shampoo and joining the “no ‘poo” movement in search of healthier, better looking hair.

Experts say there's no single answer to how often people should shampoo. You may not need to do it as often as you think. It usually comes down to personal preference. For guidance, take a look at your hair type and styling choices.

It’s fine to go a few days without shampooing. For hair that’s normal in terms of oiliness and medium weight, you can go as long as you want within reason without shampooing. The reason behind this is that Shampooing too often may lead to hair becoming less lush and healthy looking.

How Shampoo Works

First off, the basics: what does shampoo do?

Shampoo traps oils, so if you do it too frequently, you may dry your hair out, leaving it prone to breakage. Hair produces natural oil called sebum, and shampoo is an emulsifier that captures and traps excess oil, dirt, and product residue, which you then rinse out to clean the hair.

For the most part, some dirt is OK and natural -- and you definitely want some oils to remain in your hair. They provide moisturizing and a protection barrier for the skin and hair.

Who Should Shampoo Daily?

The experts agree: Only a small group needs to shampoo daily, like those with very fine hair, someone who exercises a lot (and sweats), or someone living in very humid place.

If you have oily scalp, then daily washing is needed. Sometimes, people think they have dry scalp because they have dandruff, but in those situations, more frequent washing is also helpful.

Who Can Go a Few Days Without Washing?

The thicker your hair and the less oil you have, the less you need to shampoo.

Some people with dry hair or curly thick hair can wash much less frequently without problems.

How Much Should You Wash?

For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine.

There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there’s flaking due to dirt, then those are signs it’s time to shampoo.

How Long Is Too Long?

If your hair is styled, you may be able to get away with going longer without lathering up.

If you’re doing a blowout or using heated styling tools on it, the most important thing is to make sure your hair is super-clean when you start. Hair will last longer, look better, and you’ll need to use those stressors less often overall.

There’s a lot of variation, and you should think about a style’s overall prep work. Some of it is cultural, the natural texture and thickness of your hair, how much you sweat and exercise, and how it’s styled. If it’s styled with keratin treatment or you have a blow-out, you may not need to or want to wash more than once a week and put more stress on your hair.

From a medical perspective, most dermatologists will say as long as you don’t have scalp problems then washing your hair less frequently is perfectly ok and a good practice. 

Go with your gut and preference, with one caveat. Regardless of how your hair feels, though, don’t go longer than 14 days and  please do not buy in to the total ‘no poo’ movement, as that is kind of gross.

How to Go Longer Between Washes

In recent years, more and more products have become available to extend how long you can go between washes. And people are coming up with different methods to keep hair looking good.

Powders actually work well to absorb oil, so it doesn’t sit on the scalp as much. 

A dry shampoo can freshen your hair, giving you a burst of volume at the roots. To re-energize your style, you can spray dry shampoo where oil and dirt tend to accumulate: roots only. Spray at the hairline and nape of the neck, and then lift and spritz small sections of hair. Spray about 3 to 4 inches from your head.

You can also use dry shampoo as a sort of preventive step and spray it on perfectly fresh blowout. You can also spray before you go to bed, and it will absorb some of the excess oil overnight. It’s like being proactive about preserving your style.

If you still need to style, leave-in conditioners can help. You can also re-wet your hair and condition it more often, too. This is sometimes called "co-poo" for using conditioner only and no shampoo.

For the most part, it’s somewhat of a personal preference for just how clean you want your strands to be. Everyone has a different threshold for how oily or texturized they want their hair to feel.

So how do you know when it’s time to shampoo?

If it’s Day Five and your style is falling apart, then definitely wash your hair. Otherwise, do something fun to change it up. Part your hair in a different place, go for a side braid, go for a bun. Use dry shampoo. If you can camouflage, great, and often you get the most compliments when you do something different.

The Trend and the Stigma

In recent years, it has become trendier to let hair go longer without shampooing, with more and more people going a week or more between washes.

Washing you less frequently can be totally acceptable.  Less-frequent shampooing can improve the quality of your hair, because you are not damaging it or drying it out with shampoo, and then with styling tools like blow dryers and flat irons and curlers, etc. It also saves money, so you can buy higher-quality shampoo and conditioner since you will use them less frequently. 

People who wash their hair less frequently might not readily admit to this for fear of being perceived as being dirty. Sadly, there is still a great deal of stigma attached to not washing your hair frequently. 

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