11 Aug PSST…You Should Wash Your Hair This Week

“We don’t wash our hair; we wash dishes. We shampoo our hair.”

Miss Lula

Years ago, Miss Lula Hankerson, instilled the importance of hair health and shampooing into her daughter and second generation hair stylist, Tish Hankerson. Miss Lula also trained Tish to speak eloquently and do hair in an informative way for her clients. To this day, Tish – the owner of Salon Brazyl – is adamant about maintaining healthy hair which includes regular shampooing and deep conditioning treatments.

Women everywhere are implementing vastly different wash day schedules and are achieving healthy hair, but which is correct?. Every day, every 2-3 days, weekly, every 2-3 weeks, every month – you hate to see it. We’re taking some time to talk about finding the perfect wash day schedule for your hair.

Factors that Contribute To Your Wash Day Schedule

 

Creating your perfect hair routine should be a constant trial and error process. Some weeks you may need to wash more, while you can probably go a few weeks without shampooing with a protective style. A few factors to consider when determining how often to wash your hair:

1.      Your hair type

 

We’ve discussed hair types in a previous blog, and it’s clear that there are drastically different ways to care for each curl pattern. Here’s a general rule of thumb for shampoo frequency based on hair type:

• Straight/Wavy – every other day, every 2-3 days
• Curly – weekly or every 3-4 days
• Coily/Kinky – every 1 to 3 weeks

Without kinks and curls, natural oils spread quickly down the strand and can leave hair visibly oily. However, you still don’t want to wash your hair daily as it may dry out your scalp and cause your hair to produce more oil to overcompensate for the dryness. Aim to shampoo your hair every other day and use a dry shampoo between washes.

Natural oils have a hard time dispersing themselves throughout kinkier hair, so you may be able to go 2-3 weeks without shampooing.  We highly recommend you shampoo your mane at least once a week.

Please do not go a full month without shampooing your hair. We don’t know where this idea came from, but we definitely don’t support it. Bacteria starts to accumulate over time and can leave your scalp irritated and cause hair loss.

2.      Your exercise routine

 

If you’re achieving your #fitnessgoals, sweating excessively, or swimming often, then you will need to shampoo your hair more frequently than you think – maybe even a few times a week *gasp*. As long as you are adding more moisture to your hair through nourishing shampoos, conditioners, and leave-ins, then you shouldn’t be too worried about drying your hair out.

3.      Your styling habits

 

Do you slather product all over your hair in an effort to bring moisture and shine? If that’s you, then you should be shampooing with just as much vigor. Product build-up clogs the pores and stops moisture from entering the strands, leaving your hair drier than if you had just washed it. You’ll also want to wash your hair after styles requiring a lot of gel or protein-rich product.

In all cases, use a clarifying shampoo at least once a month to thoroughly cleanse the scalp and strands and start with a clean slate.

4.      Your water quality

 

Hard water contains calcium and mineral deposits that can build up in your hair and leave it dull and fragile. Regular shampoo won’t remove this form of build-up, and you made need to clarify more often to prevent damage.

Signs you need to Shampoo your hair

 

Noone can tell you when you *must* shampoo your hair, but a few signs may be your hair’s way of telling you it’s ready to be shampooed:

• Dry, tangled or split ends
• Poor curl definition
• Visible oily
• Itchy scalp
• Flaking from dirt
• Dull hair
• Difficulty styling

 

Listen to your hair and give it what it needs. If you treat it right, it will grow to be long and luscious.

Alternatives to shampooing

 

In the natural hair world, some women swear off shampooing like the plague and opt instead for co-washing, water washing or apple cider vinegar rinses.

The idea is that shampoo strips your hair while these alternatives leave some residual oil for your curls.

Co-washing – This method of cleansing has become popular among curly-haired women. Instead of using a shampoo that completely removes natural oils, you would use a conditioner to preserve some of the nourishment. It adds more moisture to the hair and refreshes the curls in between washes. Surprisingly, co-washing can remove up to 90% of the oils and dirt in the hair.

Water washing – This form of washing does not involve any product, just water. Rinsing your hair and combing through your curls can evenly distribute oil throughout your head, but it doesn’t clean it. Essentially, your hair is still dirty after water washing.

Apple Cider Vinegar rinse – ACV rinses are becoming a popular deep cleansing method to rid the hair and scalp of product build-up. There is speculation that this method stimulates growth, but it’s not proven.

You don’t have to figure out your routine on your own. The internet – and even this site – is filled with countless resources to help you learn about your hair. However, nothing beats a one-on-one session with a stylist who can evaluate your hair and give professional advice concerning your wash schedule and product application. Book a consultation with our Vidal Sassoon-trained stylist, Tish Hankerson. Her focus is on furthering education about hair health for women in all walks of life. Experience the difference that personalized hair care can make in your journey.