How often should I be washing my hair?
You were lied to about once a week washing.
Ok, maybe not exactly a lie- but some truth was withheld. It’s not that you should only wash once a week, the truth is you should only be heat styling once a week. If you’re curly and like to wear it pressed straight, or rock a bouncy blowout 90% (or more) of the time then you should be striving to get your styled hair to last 5-7 days. Heat protection is a godsend but it can only do so much. If you’re constantly using hot tools on your hair, dry shampoo and regular trims are going to be your best friend. A secret to making sure your style holds up to the test of time- make sure it’s very clean before you heat style. Use a clarifying shampoo, and read this blog to learn more. You didn't think you were going to read a Crops blog without the mention of clarifying did you?
Weekly washing can also apply to anyone wearing high-maintenance fashions colors or semi-permanent straightening treatments like keratins because both of these things fade out slowly with every shampoo.
If you’re someone who is rocking your natural texture and low-maintenance color most of the time then read on, this one’s for you.
So if not once a week, then how often?
Let’s start with the basics. The scalp creates two types of liquid: sebum and sweat. Environmental factors such as hard or well water, and pollutants in the air contribute to dirt and debris on the hair and scalp. Our hair is like a filter we wear around our head- sneezes, car exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke clouds we walk through, and so on are trapped inside of our hair.
Shampoo contains two-headed molecules called surfactants. One head attracts oil while the other attracts water, creating a suds that traps dirt, oil, and sweat from the hair & scalp and sends it down your shower drain.
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all hair washing routine. For most people, washing 2-3 times per week seems to be just right. If you’re an active person that is perspiring often (looking at you gym rats) then you should be washing more often to remove sweat and debris from your hair. For the rest of us- leaving some sebum on the scalp is both normal and healthy. It’s there to create a protective barrier around the scalp and hair, which can be especially helpful before activities that tend to dry out the scalp. Feel free to skip wash day before bleaching your roots or swimming in salt water.
Hair texture can also affect your wash regimen. Coarse hair can handle a lot more oil on the scalp than finer-textured hair can. If you’re trying to regain hair that you’ve lost to thinning, washing more often can actually be beneficial. Washing stimulates blood flow to help hair grow, and cleaning all of the sebum from the follicle is especially important for active thickening ingredients to penetrate and work effectively.
Your scalp will give you signs that it’s time to wash. If you’re experiencing flaking of any kind it’s usually time to add an additional shampoo per week. Especially during winter, when the climate is dry, washing more often can be beneficial. After a day or two oil won’t actually moisturize your hair or scalp- but the water in your shower and the ingredients in your shampoo & conditioner will.
How can I stretch my wash days?
Lets be realistic, washing your hair isn’t anyone’s favorite chore. If you’re stuck in an everyday cycle, it can be challenging to add days between washes. Here are some tips to wean yourself off over shampooing:
Dry shampoo is proactive. Don’t wait until your roots are already oily. Spray liberally on clean dry hair, preferably before bed. It might stain your hair white, but that’s how you know it's working. Leave it a least ten minutes (but overnight is best) before you shake some of the powder off. If you’re using dry shampoo in the morning, hit it briefly with a blow dryer before you finish styling.
Don’t neglect your ends between wash days. Dry conditioners, hair oils, or leave-in conditioners are just as important between washes but keep them away from your roots.
Introduce a co-wash. Don’t get me wrong- I hate the idea of a co-wash as your only shampoo, but using it in between actual shampoo days to remove *just* enough oil can be a game changer for stretching your wash days.
Switch to a boar bristle brush. Boar bristles are designed to spread the oil from your scalp down the hair shaft. They can also start to remove some dry shampoo before washing so it’s less work for your shampoo. Use a boar bristle from roots to ends before you shower.
Make sure your products aren’t at fault. Your shampoo is the number 1 culprit between you and your hair goals. A good shampoo should be pH balancing, and if your hair is particularly oily then there are shampoos designed to help balance sebum & sweat glands to extend washes. Conditioners and leave-in conditioners need to be lightweight and free from ingredients that are known to cause build up.
When you wash your hair, shampoo twice and clarify as needed. The first step is always starting with clean hair.
Talk to your doctor. Excessive oil buildup can sometimes be an underlying medical condition. Bringing up your scalp issues at your next physical can rule out some things that may be out of your control.
Keep your scalp safe from sunburns! Especially if your hair is in braids. Wear a hat or sunscreen your part(s) if you’re going to be in the sun.