How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

Wash when your scalp needs it, once your treatment allows washing. Already have a routine that keeps your scalp comfortable and your hair clean? Keep it. Oil, sweat, product and comfort matter. Curl type alone cannot give everyone a wash day.

A fresh treatment changes what happens today

My Permanent, Cold and Hot usually need 48 hours without washing. Semi and Demi usually let you wash the same day. If another salon treated you, or you are not sure about the timing, check its advice before starting a general wash schedule.

My approach: wash when you need to, handle it gently and fit it into your life.

My clients are not a universal timetable

I have clients who wash about once a month. I have American clients who wash every day. Different people, different lives. I am not asking everyone’s scalp to copy either one.

“You have a life to live, not a hairdresser to tell you what to do with your life. Well, I do, but hey.” Pay attention to your scalp. There is no prize for sitting through discomfort to finish a challenge.

Use a simple decision check

1. Does the scalp feel oily, uncomfortable, sweaty or coated? Think about washing it, rather than adding another layer over it.
2. Are the lengths dry while the scalp needs washing? Condition where you need it and handle gently. Dry ends do not ban you from washing an oily scalp.
3. Is the scalp flaky, very itchy or inflamed? Ask for suitable scalp advice. A styling routine cannot tell you the cause.
4. Has the routine changed? Swimming, workouts, headwear and more styling product can change how often you need to wash.
5. Does less frequent washing leave you comfortable? Keep an eye on it. You do not have to borrow somebody else’s calendar.

“Training” the scalp is not the aim

Do not put up with lasting oil, smell or itching to teach your scalp a lesson. Aim to wash it properly without being unnecessarily harsh. Shampoo removing surface oil is not automatically damage.

Go gently while it’s wet. Hair is especially fragile when it is wet. Squeeze or blot, do not rub, and never pull through a knot.

What a water rinse can do

If you wet your hair three, four, five or seven times a week, some of those can be rinse-only days. Once your treatment lets you wet it, try fresh water when the scalp still feels clean and you want to rinse away sweat salts or loose dirt.

Shampoo takes away excess oil and stubborn product. You do not have to do that job every time you step into the shower. If the roots are oily, coated or still dirty after rinsing, use shampoo. Condition the lengths if they need it. Keep any medicated-shampoo directions.

Dry shampoo cannot replace washing forever, either. Look at how the scalp feels, not just whether the roots look fine in a photograph.

Less shampoo, more fun. If your scalp is comfortable, keep shampoo for when you need it. You do not have to wash and start the style again out of habit. Fewer full restyles save time and product, with less drying, heat and handling.

Make wash day easier

Use my shampoo lesson. Warm water, shampoo mixed with water in a separate bottle so it spreads more easily and you use less, a gentle scalp massage and a proper rinse. One shampoo is usually enough for me. Repeat if needed or directed. Follow the bottle for medicated shampoo.

Questions

Is daily washing always bad?

No. It suits some scalps and lives. Use suitable shampoo and gentle handling, once your treatment allows washing.

Does curly hair mean washing once a week?

No. Curl pattern does not tell us how oily your scalp is, what product is on it or whether it has a medical problem.

Is monthly washing your recommendation?

No. That is something some clients do, not a wash schedule for everybody.

Can water replace shampoo?

A rinse can help between washes. It does not remove every oily coating or stubborn product.

What if I have flakes and itchy roots?

Ask a pharmacist or clinician about your scalp. Flakes alone do not prove it is simply dry.