Should you wash your hair every day?

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Deciding should you wash your hair every day depends upon your hair type

Shampooing your tresses daily depends on your cleanliness and personal hygiene proclivities and preferences … and also on the specific hair in question.

Most tend to wash their locks too often, which strips it of essential oils. However, there are those who are obsessive about their tresses and would rather undergo torture than venture outside their front door with dirty hair. These people are not concerned about their hair’s natural oils, but they should be, using products that are gentle enough not to strip or compromise the natural balance.

There are also those who have an extremely oily mane and need to cleanse frequently to avoid looking like a greasy mop. Tresses that are very oil may mandate daily shampooing.

On the flip side, some men and women claim their tresses look better; style better and behave better when it is a little dirty.

Some fear their hair will small bad if it is not washed daily. This could be true if it is exposed to smoke. However, ideally, shampooing three or four times a week is enough.~

Long, thick, curly and/or processed locks are capable of going longer in between cleanings because this type of mane prevents oils from the scalp traveling down the shaft as quickly. The result is dry not oily locks that needn’t be washed as often.

Many men and women were taught to wash hair daily so it is very hard for them to break this deeply engrained habit, even though they would benefit from shampooing fewer times.

Understand haircare products

Get to know more about the various shampoos available and which one is the best for your particular hair. Along the way crack open some long-held myths. For example, lathering does not necessarily mean a shampoo is working better or getting your tresses cleaner. Foaming is the result of surfactant molecules in the shampoo which when mixed with air produce lots and lots of bubbles.

Some beauty experts maintain that no more than a quarter-size dollop of shampoo is needed for a good cleaning, adding that excessive lathering is not essential.

Women and men that regularly use big-time hair products, including mouse, pomade or gel may need to use detergent-heavy shampoos that remove product build-up but these clarifying shampoos should only be used once a week because they can damage locks.

Facts

Almost 40 percent of women shampoo daily, according to the Huffington Post and a survey done by Women’s Health magazine. However, more and more people are opting not to do this daily for various reasons, including time constraints and weariness of this every-day routine.

This group is in the “no ‘poo movement.” Some are taking the anti-shampoo approach to an extreme and not shampooing their locks for weeks at a time, which may be a bit excessive. When a person goes too long without cleaning their tresses this can lead to dandruff. Furthermore, infrequent washing may arrest growth. Dead hair accrues in the scalp when shampooing is avoided for a long time and stunts hair growth. Your locks can also become matted.

The kind of locks you have determines how often you need to shampoo. African-American women do not require daily washing and some report going as many as 14 days in between cleanings. Hispanic women have thick tresses that don’t require daily washings.

Some people opt to skip shampooing for a few days and instead rinse their locks, apply some conditioner and then dry it or let it dry on its own. Another alternative is using dry shampoo, which soaks up the oil in greasy locks and adds texture

If you are compelled to wash daily stick with shampoos that do not strip away natural oils and also use a conditioner.

Everyone’s hair is unique so do what is best for your locks. It doesn’t matter what other people do.