Of all the elements that go into maintaining and styling perfect hair, perhaps the most important of all is one’s hair washing routine. When done properly, a correct hair washing routine can leave the hair grease and oil free while providing a perfect canvas for all sorts of voluminous styles and looks. When done improperly, the hair can either become greasy and oily while looking weighed down and limp or can become too dry and brittle, leaving the hair a frizzy mess full of flyaways, broken hair strands, and split ends. Clearly, a good hair washing routine is a major key.
Sadly, it takes many of us years to figure out the proper hair washing routine for our specific hair type, with many of these same people becoming incredibly frustrated by their overall hair health and inability to create their desired style. Thankfully, we are here to help you build out your hair washing routine, making sure you aren’t over washing or under washing!
Why use shampoo?
It’s no secret that using too much shampoo can strip your hair of its natural oils and quickly lead to breakage, cuticle damage, and incredibly dry hair. You see, shampoo contains surfactants, which are chemicals which help to loosen and remove oils and dirt from the hair and scalp. Given that oil and dirt causes our hair to become greasy and flaky, it is important to remove these things from our hair and scalp to avoid weighing down our hair, as well as causing fungal conditions like dandruff. While it is great that these chemicals are so effective at cleaning, the downside is that this same cleaning process can wash away all the things that we still want to keep, such as our natural hair moisture and sebum. Thankfully, if we follow a proper shampoo regimen, we can remove just enough oil and dirt from our hair that we can still maintain our natural moisture and hydration levels.
What frequency should I choose to shampoo with?
Now that we know how important it is to use shampoo on your hair, the key is figuring out just how often to use this very effective yet potentially damaging product. For those with naturally oily or greasy hair, you’ll want to shampoo at least every other day, perhaps shampooing every day if you frequently use hairstyling products or have extreme grease and oil problems. Because your hair produces so much sebum and oil, you’d be hard-pressed to deplete your hair of moisture, even with the most frequent of washings.
On the other side of the coin, if you have extremely dry or brittle hair, you’ll want to limit your shampooing to twice a week or even once a week, if possible. With your hair so naturally deprived of oils, you’ll want to limit the shampooing to as infrequently as possible so that your hair can preserve what little oil it has left.
Lastly, all normal hair types should shampoo about every other day or every third day if possible. This frequency strikes the perfect balance between keeping one’s hair clean and maintained without overstepping or drying the hair out.
How Often Should I Use Shampoo?
