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.
Washing hair once a week, or even every other week, can help prevent the hair from drying out while also removing any buildup of hair products. Chemically treated hair and hair of older people may be drier, so not washing it for a week can help prevent it from drying out.
"The average individual can typically go 2 to 3 days without shampooing their hair. However, if your hair is visibly oily, you may not want to wait that long," she says. "Usually, you can go longer without washing your hair when your hair is styled up, but no one should ever go more than 14 days."
Going a long time without washing your hair can cause a buildup of a yeast-like fungus called Malassezia on your scalp. Over time, this leads to a layer of dead skin cells that shed from your head in the form of oily, yellow-ish dandruff flakes. Dandruff can also make your scalp red, scaly, and itchy.
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.
But you should wash it at least every two to three weeks to keep your scalp and hair clean and healthy.
She says it's more important to consider your hair type, texture and amount of oil production you usually experience. “I typically advise patients to keep to a standard hair washing schedule, whether it is three times per week, weekly or once per month, regardless of activity level,” she says.
Anabel Kingsley, a trichologist from the Philip Kingsley clinic in London, agrees that hair does not clean itself. "Imagine if you didn't wash your face or underarms for a week - the same logic applies to your hair and scalp," she says. "They are likely to become coated in dirt, smelly, greasy and flaky.
You might think it won't hurt, but washing your hair regularly is incredibly important for the health of your hair and scalp. "Shampooing removes sebum or oil that normally coats the hair shaft," says Brendan Camp, MD, a double board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York.
"If your skin tends not to be dry, you could extend it to every other day or so." If you take it from a certified germ expert, though, you can skip showering for as long as you wish.
Washing your hair every day can strip away more oil than it should from your hair, which leaves your hair drier and more likely to break. Washing your hair every day can cause dryness, and that makes your hair much more prone to split ends. Split ends are the enemy of happy and healthy curls!
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.
Washing your hair only once a week brings the benefits of natural oils into sharp relief. After all, many hair serums and treatments are meant to replicate the oils produced by the scalp, but excessive shampooing strips the hair of these valuable substances.
Even if the hair does not feel oily, frequent shampooing is still essential to keep the scalp environment clean and healthy, so we wouldn't recommend going any longer than three to four days without shampooing.
How often should a person wash their 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.
Narrator: After six months to a year, all that gunk can clog up your hair follicles, which can prevent new hair from growing and, over time, ultimately lead to hair thinning or even hair loss. There's also a risk of your scalp getting infected from all the bacterial buildup.
Hair Washing Frequency and Tips
“I recommend washing your hair two to three times a week,” Dr. Icecreamwala says. “If your hair is dry, you may only want to wash it twice a week. If it is on the oilier side, every other day is recommended.”
Use dry shampoo and use it right
On those unwashed hair days, dry shampoo is definitely your best friend since it's one of the main ways to prolong a regular shampoo. Nothing does the trick of making your hair look clean even when it's not washed.
The bottom line is that dirty hair does not grow faster than clean hair, so you might as well have a clean scalp and fresh hair. Your hair will look better, feel better, and be healthier as a result.
Hair growth flourishes from a clean, healthy scalp. The bottom line is that dirty hair doesn't grow any faster than clean hair, so you may as well have a clean scalp and fresh tresses. Your strands will look better, feel better, and be healthier, too.
FALSE: Not only is this not true, it's actually completely the opposite! If your hair feels greasy every day, it's best to wash it to stop excess sebum blocking your follicles.
Sebum decreases
Over time, hair becomes more accustomed to a water-only cleanse, so your natural sebum and hair oils will decrease overtime if you are consistent with a water only routine. Meaning your hair will be less greasy in between wash days.
What Is the No-Poo Method? The no-poo method is a hair-cleansing technique that removes shampoo from the equation, says Geeta Yadav, MD, a dermatologist in Toronto. Instead of using shampoo, followers of the practice use alternatives such as apple cider vinegar, a cleansing conditioner, or just plain water.