How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

How often you should wash your hair is not fixed at a particular amount of time. However, washing it too often or daily could dry out the scalp and lead to hair breakage and even dandruffs. The purpose of shampoos is to cleanse the hair from dirt and oils contained in the hair. Shampooing your hair daily would rid your hair of its natural oils and cause dryness. 

While some people can go a few days without shampooing, some can go even longer. The factors that determine how often you should wash your hair and when to wash it differ and are as follows

• People with oily scalp can be excused from not washing their hair daily. This however depends on the amount of sebum produced by the scalp. If the scalp produces too much oil, it could make the hair heavy and weak and it might require daily washing to manage. If the scalp is oily, but not too oily, the hair can be washed every few days.

• People with thick or curly hair, afros and african-american hair are required to wash their hair occasionally(washing with conditioner only is highly recommended).This is because this hair type doesn’t produce enough sebum to coat hair strands, hence, it should be washed once a week so as to retain moisture and prevent the hair from drying up. Straight and thin hair on the other hand should be washed more frequently than the hair types stated above since they produce more sebum.

• It is recommended that you wash your hair after taking down protective hairstyles like braids that have been worn for a long time. This is because wearing a protective hairstyle for an extended period of time can lead to build up of dirt, oils and other products you might have applied to your hair on the scalp. It is required to wash your hair to get rid of this build up so your hair can absorb the nutrients of the products applied to it later without obstruction.

• Sweating can cause your hair to smell foul and feel greasy. It is recommended to wash your hair after carrying out tasks that cause you to sweat profusely or after wearing hats for a long period of time. You should also consider washing your hair after carrying out messy tasks that could get dirt or pollen in your hair.

• Not washing off styling products like gels off your hair could clog your pores and lead to build up. You should wash your hair after applying these products to prevent damage.

Conclusion

It can be seen that washing your hair too often can do more harm than good to your hair. Overwashing could make your scalp dry and cause your hair to break. You should wash your hair occasionally or as the need arises. It is also advised to avoid shampooing the ends of your hair except when styling products have been applied.