How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

Hair-washing is an essential part of every person's beauty regimen. Your hair will inevitably accumulate oils, dander and debris. By washing it, your hair will remain clean and healthy. With that said, you typically don't need to wash your hair every day. You can often wash it less frequently. Cutting back on how frequently you wash your hair, in fact, may prove beneficial. So, how often should you wash your hair exactly?

Don't Wash Every Day

While it's ultimately a personal preference, daily hair-washing isn't necessary. Washing your hair daily can cause it to dry out. Each time you wash your hair, you'll remove some of its naturally hydrating oils. Eventually, this can cause your hair to become dry and brittle.

Your scalp will produce oils to hydrate and moisturize your hair. Known as sebum, these oils are produced by the sebaceous glands on your scalp. While too much sebum can leave your hair looking flat and greasy, too little sebum can cause it to dry out. Therefore, you shouldn't wash your hair every day. Daily washing will remove most or all of the sebum from your head, thus increasing the risk of dry and brittle hair.

Consider Your Hair Type

It's a good idea to consider your hair type when determining how frequently to wash your hair. If you have curly hair, for instance, you can typically wash it less frequently. If you have straight hair, conversely, you may want to wash it more frequently.

Curly hair is more susceptible to dryness than straight hair. Both types of hair can dry out when washed too many times, but curly hair poses a greater risk of frizzing and fraying when over-washed. For curly hair, you may want to wash your hair just once every three to five days. For straight hair, you may want to wash it once every two to three days.

Try Co-Washing

An alternative to traditional hair-washing is co-washing. Co-washing refers to washing your hair with only conditioner. You don't have to use any shampoo. Rather, you can co-wash your hair by moisturizing it with conditioner and warm water.

Co-washing is a great alternative because it doesn't remove sebum. While shampoo will remove sebum and other oils from your hair, conditioner will leave them in place. Conditioner will only moisturize your hair; it won't remove its natural oils, nor will it dry out your hair.