That's right, it's possible to wash your hair too often. Every time you wash your hair with shampoo, it sends the scalp the signal to produce more sebum. If you're washing your hair too often, your scalp gets the message that it needs to be in oil production overdrive. This can result in oily buildup on your scalp.
Those with fine or thin hair, however, may find their hair looks greasy after just one day. It's all to do with the amount of oil your scalp produces, as well as how well your hair can carry that oil.
But as it turns out, hair grease is (like many things in life) healthy in moderation. The oily substance is technically called “sebum,” and it's naturally produced by a sebaceous gland that's located below the surface of the scalp and connected to the hair follicles.
HOW DO I PHASE OUT SHAMPOO? First, stop washing your hair every day and gradually add days between washes. If you need to rinse your hair daily, use cool water to preserve oils. At some point, your scalp will get used to this routine and you will achieve less greasy hair.
People with oily hair or who use hair care products daily should consider washing their hair once every 1–2 days. People with dry hair can wash their hair less frequently. Those with textured or coily hair should only wash it once every 1–2 weeks.
"You can train your scalp to be less greasy in the course of three to four days, however, it will take some time for your body to fully adjust," Potempa says. "Take some time to do research about the type of hair you have and establish a new routine that gives your body enough time to adjust to the change."
Use Dry Shampoo Between Washes
If you're someone who can't fathom going a single day without washing your hair because your strands accumulate way too much oil, fight the urge and skip your daily hair wash. It might sound counterintuitive, but the less you wash your hair, the better off it'll be.
For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there's flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it's time to shampoo, Goh says.
If you have oily hair, you can shampoo every day or every other day. If you have dry hair, you can wash it a couple times a week and or go even longer between washings.
In fact, you should not shampoo every day. The exact number depends on your hair, but think more like two or three days a week. Shampooing removes oil. And it's totally logical to think that shampooing more would mean less oil—totally linear.
More volume. A little oil clinging to your hair strands instantly adds volume. Your hair is fluffed out and looks lusher and thicker. From braids to buns or loose locks, your hair will appear fuller when it's a little dirty.
Prolonged periods of not washing can cause cause buildup on the scalp, damaging hair and even impeding its ability to grow, Lamb said. Grime from dirt, oil and hair product can show up within four to six days for people with finer, straighter hair.
As I said, product buildup is one of the biggest causes of flat, lifeless hair. Shampoo makers use sulfates because they're very efficient cleansers. Take them out, and you're left with a very mild shampoo that won't remove product buildup.
Not washing your hair regularly can make the scalp flaky and lead to dandruff. It will make you feel itchy and you can also get rashes on your scalp. “You can develop major dandruff problem if you don't wash your hair for 1 or 2 weeks,” she warned.
It's best to leave hair down while sleeping if possible because this reduces the number of tangles that occur during rest time. If you want to wear your hair down while you sleep, avoid rubbing it against the pillow while you're asleep.
Generally speaking, dry hair types should shampoo a maximum of two times a week, while oily hair types may require washing on a daily basis. If you have normal hair and don't suffer from dryness or oiliness, you have the luxury of washing your hair whenever you feel like you need to. It also depends on your hair type.
It may sound counterproductive, but a shower every day could be bad for your skin. Some dermatologists only recommend a shower every other day, or two to three times a week. Many people hit the shower at least once a day, either in the morning or at night before bed.
The amount of oil excreted by the scalp runs the gamut depending on the person, which explains why some of us have greasy-looking hair less than 24 hours after a shampoo and others can easily go a week without washing their hair.
An increase in extra oil can be caused by “hormones (think puberty, periods and menopause), diet, genetics, medications, changes in the environment, and your haircare routine.” Sleeping habits can often be to blame for greasy hair. This is especially true “if you're not washing your pillowcases often enough.”
Yes, you can wet natural hair everyday, and it is actually advised to do so to maintain moisture. Let's be clear though: by wetting your hair, we don't meanwashing it. We simply mean rinsing natural hair either in the shower or spritzing water over your hair.