How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

How often should you wash your hair? Many of us have unwittingly fallen into a rigid routine, washing our hair not because our hair needs it, but because it’s what we’ve always done. However, some hair types and textures require much more frequent washing than others, and deviating from what’s optimal could be causing more harm than good.

But after years of messing up the natural oils in our scalp, how are we meant to know what our natural hair truly needs? How are we supposed to reset our hair and strip back our routines to reestablish what’s best?

Well, you could, or you could do what we did and take matters into our own strands and call upon Anabel Kingsley, trichologist at award-winning haircare brand Philip Kingsley, to give us all the answers.

Below, Anabel tells us exactly how often to wash hair, whether it’s fine, combination, coarse or otherwise. So, next time someone scoffs at you for staying in to wash your hair, send them this article and get back to dancing around to Beyonce in the shower.

Does your hair become more greasy the more you wash it?

Contrary to popular belief, your hair will not become less oily the less you wash it, nor will daily washing strip oils from your hair if you are using the correct shampoo and conditioner for your hair texture.

How often to wash fine hair

Fine hair often requires daily washing as it is the finest of all hair textures. This is because people with fine hair tend to have more hairs on their head than any other hair texture, and every hair follicle has an oil gland attached to it; thus, they have more oil glands on their head – hence the reason fine hair tends to get oily quickly. Think of a plate filled with five pence pieces vs ten pence pieces. You can fit many more five pence pieces on the plate. Because the strand diameter is the thinnest of all hair textures, it can become weighed down with the oils, so daily cleansing is often essential to remove sebum build-up from the scalp.

No external part of our body is self-cleansing, your scalp is an extension of the skin on your face and body, and just like that, it collects dirt, dead skin cells, sweat and sebum that should be cleansed away frequently to keep the scalp environment healthy. Always remember a clean, healthy scalp equals healthy hair.

Those with fine hair should look for a lightweight deep cleansing shampoo with volumising benefits, with thickening ingredients such as wheat protein, which will plump strands, making them look and feel thicker.

INSERT FINE HAIR SHAMPOOS GALLERY

OUAI Fine Hair Shampoo

Kérastase Resistance Bain Force Architecte

Beauty Pie Super Healthy Hair Strengthening Shampoo

How often to wash combination hair

Combination or medium hair tends to get oily at the roots and feel dryer towards the mid-lengths to ends but generally can achieve a good amount of body and volume. Those with medium texture hair should look for a moisture-balancing shampoo that will effectively cleanse at the root but still deliver enough moisture for the mid-lengths to ends. Medium textured hair will require washing every one-two days.

How often to wash thick hair

Thick hair is often the thickest of all hair textures due to having the widest strand diameter. It tends to have plenty of natural body. The wide strand diameter means that it is prone to moisture evaporation and dry ends; however, it tends to get oily less quickly (back to the plate analogy above). Thus, those with thick hair will find they can go for longer without their hair looking or feeling greasy. To care for your thick hair, look for products labelled ‘re-moisturizing’, ‘moisturising’ and ‘smoothing’ and those that tame frizz. Even if the hair does not feel oily, frequent shampooing is still essential to keep the scalp environment clean and healthy, so we wouldn’t recommend going any longer than three to four days without shampooing.