The big question every woman asks at least 3 times a week: “Do I have to wash my hair now, or can I just use dry shampoo this time?”
Before we begin its important to mention one thing:
Our scalp is very similar to our skin. It releases natural oil (sebum) as it aims to nourish the roots of the hair and, at the same time, prevent dryness. Without sebum, the hair would not be able to grow, as it acts as a lubricant for the hair follicles.
When we wash our hair (especially with strong shampoos containing sulfates), we get rid of all the oils on our scalp. As a result, the sebaceous glands on our scalp detect that they have to moisturize the hair follicles and start producing oils to compensate for the dryness.
In that sense, when we wash our hair too often, the scalp gets used to producing sebum intensively on a daily basis, in order to prevent excessive dryness and stimulate healthy hair growth. In that case, the best thing to do is to increase the intervals between the hair wash sessions, even if your hair looks too oily.
I know that can be very unpleasant, but hey.. that is what the dry shampoo is for.
The more often you wash your hair, the more sebum the scalp will produce daily
Well, washing hair is a whole science!
It depends on hair type, oiliness, thickness, damage, and lifestyle. And this article will give you some hints on how often to wash your hair, according to its type!
How often to wash dry hair?
Dry hair naturally gets oily slower than the other types.
You have probably noticed that even when the roots become oily, the ends are as dry as they were after you washed the hair. And too often washing with harsh shampoos is drying the hair ends even more, together with thinning them out and damaging them.
So ideally, dry hair should be washed 1-2 times a week maximum.
There is even a paradox situation: when the hair gets so dry, that the scalp tries to compensate for the lack of moisture at the ends of the hair (which are usually split already). In this case, people experience that their hair needs washing in the roots more often than usual. But what to do if that happens to you?
Washing often can only damage your ends more. So cutting is the best way to go, as of course, you have to undergo a nourishing treatment in a salon to bring life back to your ends.
Should you wash curly hair every day?
The curlier your hair, the drier it is. That is a rule with some exceptions, of course, but compared to straight and wavy hair types, curly and coily hair need less frequent washing and a lot of moisturizing.
The optimal interval for wash is once a week, or even once every 10 days.
Keep in mind that the same paradox may happen: The hair ends may get so dry that the scalp will try to compensate by producing more sebum. In that case, follow the advice for dry hair washing.
Identify your hair type according its texture in our dedicated article!
How often should you wash oily hair?
The main issue with oily hair is that it loses its volume and freshness really quickly. As a result, people with oily hair tend to wash it more frequently than they are supposed to.
The ideal case is washing it 2 to 3 times a week. This way, the scalp is cleansed, and the ends are not processed too often (with blow-drier, straightening iron, curler, or styling products).
Washing your oily hair more often than needed will only make your scalp produce sebum quickly.
How to wash thin vs. thick hair?
Thick hair can handle more frequent washing than thin hair. The reason for this is the fact that thin hair is more prone to damage, drying, splitting, and breaking. In that sense, washing your hair once or twice a week will ensure that you don’t over-wash your hair and keep its health.
Thick hair, on the other hand, can handle more frequent washing sessions. However, up to 3 times a week is optimal, as otherwise, you bear the risk of drying your hair in the long run.
Find out if your hair is thick or thin in our dedicated article!