This is officially the number one question I get asked, once someone has worked out that I am a Hairdresser and my response ‘as often as you feel the need to’, it’s not that I am being flippant it’s just that it is a loaded question. Let me explain, we are all different, with different hair, different scalp/skin, different lifestyles, different expectations and beliefs so there is no one number that I can choose that would fit all. In this blog I will look at some of the considerations and influences when deciding how often you should wash your hair.
Hair thickness; from a hair fibre perspective there is no reason why a given texture or porosity would need a different amount of washing however there are some practical reasons that will influence.
- Fine to coarse hair; coarse hair types tend to ‘hold’ their look well whereas finer hair types will not. In order to keep control of their look, finer hair types will discover they need to wash and style their hair more frequently.
Hair Length;
- Long to short hair; longer lengths are blessed with the option of being able to grab a scrunchy or clip to ‘get it out of the way’ resulting in an extra day or two. In contrast shorter hair styles will need more frequent washing as they do not have anywhere to hide, are easily tossed about while sleeping and wearers will probably want to showcase their precision look, unless you can pull off an extra day with some clever styling. Personal opinion alter; for either length a dry-shampoo is a must have for those occasions when you need to freshen up in a hurry or just don’t have the opportunity; travelling, festivals and those wonderful last minute invites.
Hair Texture;
- Curly to straight; straight hair has a tendency to look better when it is freshly styled. As we go through our days hair will start to collect not only our own natural oils from hands and scalp, but also stuff from our environment such as pollen or pollution all making the hair appear duller and not so sleek. This means straight hair will need more washing and styling, if keeping its silken straight look is the aim. The opposite can be said for curly to wavy hair, this hair benefits from this collection of oils and atmosphere, any of you with, or working with curls and waves will know, when freshly washed they can look blown out and even frizzy. It is only after a day or two that the movement appears to form into manageable and defined locks, meaning waves and curls benefit from infrequent washing.
Hair Porosity
- Sensitised hair mechanically, environmentally or chemically; this is hair that is visibly damaged; frizzy from splitting and breakage due to heated appliances and rough treatment, overly lightened and thinner hair strands from UV damage and poorly applied or overly treated permed, straightened, relaxed coloured, or bleached hair. A long sentence and a long list! This hair can be very sensitive and delicate, washing the hair will sensitise it even more because, when wet the hair is in a weakened state and prone to damage. Try to keep washing to a minimum while addressing and protecting the hair from further damage is key to returning the hair to a healthy state.
- Colour Treated hair, every time we wash our colour treated hair some of the colour will come out. This is very obvious with direct-acting dyes such as semi-permanent colours and those great Vivids all in trend, you can literally see the colour running out with the water. But less obvious with demi-permanent or permanent colour as some dyes even though they are trapped deep in the hair’s cortex can still be affected by the changes in pH from the water and physical action of the washing; becoming dislodged and falling out. Tip, you can help to slow down the fading progress with a shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for colour treated hair.
Skin/scalp; will influence how often you should wash your hair.
- Oily to dry scalp; oily scalp whether it’s hormonal or just your skin type can for some, in a matter of hours after washing leave the hair looking limp and yes greasy. Here’s the catch, you should wash your hair less as the washing action only encourages more of the sebum within the sebaceous glandes to work its way out onto the scalp. Tip, to reduce stimulating sebum glandes: when washing an oily scalp keep the water lukewarm, massage gently and dry the hair and scalp on a low heat immediately after washing (don’t walk around with wet hair). The opposite can be said for a dry scalp, if left too long between shampoos can feel uncomfortably tight it can also give the impression your have dandruff with very small, clean flakes appearing caught in the hair, along the hairline or partings. Washing hair more often can help stimulate the sebaceous glandes. Tip, to help alleviate a dry scalp, once a week try massaging a blended oil (e.g. I blend sunflower oil with a little avocado, coconut or argon) onto the scalp and leave for about 30 minutes prior to washing. When washing do massage the scalp firmly and thoroughly rinse the shampoo, when applying conditioner work and massage into the scalp as well as the hair. A medium heat dryer or naturally dry the hair, to help reduce external drying factors.
- Thinning hair; can affect any of us at any time in our lives, it may be temporary or progressive. During my years working on NIOXIN, I wanted to understand why they recommended to wash the hair every day, the research they had conducted showed that washing everyday with an appropriate routine improved the quality of the thinning hair and appeared for many test subjects to slow down its progression. Myth buster here; nothing can make your hair grow faster or longer than what has been genetically designed for you. Tip if using a hair regrowth product such a Monoxidil it is recommended to team it up with an anti-dandruff shampoo. For more information on hairloss please check out my blogs.
- Problematic scalp: Dandruff, eczema psoriasis; each of these disorders benefit, either in reducing the discomfort or controlling the cause, by washing the hair on a daily basis with the appropriate products. Specialised shampoos can be purchased over the counter or will be recommended/prescribed by a doctor or specialist as some of the ingredients are controlled by drug authorities. Dandruff shampoos are the #1 selling shampoo in the world, not surprising with brands like Head and Shoulders a very common sight in many a bathroom (including my own). You will see ingredients such as Ketoconazole, Zinc Pyrithione, Selenium Sulfide or Salicylic Acid to mention a few and the key is to find one that works for you.
Lifestyles; depending on what activity you do it may be advisable to wash the hair immediately after.
- Swimmers; I already mentioned that water leaves the hair in a weakened state and when we go for a swim we add additional chemistry, if you swim in a pool typically your hair is exposed to chlorine, if you swim in the sea it will be salt or in a lake minerals from the surrounding areas and pollutants e.g. from boats or agriculture. Don’t let that turn you off, I love swimming in all types of water. If you swim very regularly your hair will show signs; weakening due to the constant wetting and from the chemicals, that greenish tingle from chlorinated water or a yellowish tinge from salt water. DO wash and condition your hair immediately or as quickly as possible after coming out of the water. Tip, you can slow down the wetting of the hair by applying a gel, conditioner with a swim hat prior to jumping in but you will still need to wash after. There are also lots of different products available for either pre or post swimming, do check them out as there may be one that is perfect for you.
- Active; you might like to exercise outside, attend a class at the gym or sweating it out in a hot Shala. Washing your hair after exercise is a choice and not a necessity. I know it might sound gross, but I quite like the sweaty oily scalp I get from a Hot Yoga Class and will leave it for another day before shampooing.
Expectations & Beliefs
- Employment; you maybe in a highly visible role that requires your hair to appear a given way or in a job that means you get very soiled daily and prefer a good scrub down when you get home from work. Washing your hair every second day or daily may be a necessity.
- Preference; you just like the way your hair looks when it is freshly washed and pick and choose when to do so, so daily or biweekly is a choice.
- No-Poo and Low-Poo; are two concepts that aim to remove or reduced traditional shampoos that contain surfactants (this will be a blog in the future). Practitioners do cleanse and wash the their hair. No-Poo followers tend to have a lower cleansing frequency to allow the natural oils to maintain healthy balance and cleanse with ingredients such as baking soda and vinegar there is a No-Poo forum if you fancy giving it a go or exploring further. Alternatively there is Low-Poo a new collection of cleansing products that work with oils and emulsions to wash the hair, this is shampooing without the bubbles. Personal opinion alert; I have tried New Wash and although I still love my Nioxin bubbles I would quite happily (if I could get it in Ireland) have it as an option especially when travelling. Again there now lots of different products available and if you have never tried these alternatives I would suggest to have a go, you never know what you are missing.
Have you made up your mind?
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU WASH YOUR HAIR?
To be honest mine varies a lot depending on what I am doing, where I am and how my hair and scalp have been feeling.
Whatever you decide just remember to wash well.
Caroline
