Hair washing is just one part of several important steps needed to stay clean and well groomed. Without washing it, it can become greasy, smelly, oily and even lead to dandruff and prevent it from growing properly.
Many of us have our own hair washing routines that we’ve stuck to for years. Some people will wash it daily, while others will wait longer in between washes.
This can depend on your hair type, however, the consensus from many experts seems to be that over washing can be damaging to your hair. Mainly this is due to the fact that washing it can strip out essential oils naturally found in the strands.
If you are also someone who uses a hair dryer or straighteners after washing your hair each time this can cause further damage.
With this in mind an expert spoke exclusively with Express.co.uk about how often we should be washing our hair. Wes Sharpton, resident hairstylist at Hairstory, revealed you should “only” wash your hair once a week.
“If you’re using a traditional shampoo, you should really only wash hair once a week, if that,” he said. “The reason for this is because all shampoo contains detergents, and detergents strip the hair and scalp, which causes damage and damage requires repair.
“Ever wondered why you need to use a conditioner/other smoothing products after shampooing?
“It’s because shampoo is too harsh – it lifts away visible oil, but also lifts away the beneficial oil from our hair and scalp which really should be left intact, as it aids hair health.”
However, gentle products could be safe to use more regularly, according to Wes. He continued: “That’s why we only recommend washing the hair once a week, unless you’re using a gentle hair cleanser.
“Hair cleansers made without detergent clean in a different way, by lifting away dirt and impurities, but leaving natural oils behind.
“They also don’t require the use of a separate conditioner. When you wash in this way, you can wash your hair as often as you like – even daily if need be – as there’s no risk of stripping.”
He added: “Think of this the same way you think about a cream cleanser that you would use on your face; you want a cleanser powerful enough to remove makeup, dirt and SPF, but you don’t want your skin to feel stripped back. You want it to feel clean and soft.”
His advice was backed by experts at John Freida, who said you should “probably not” wash your hair every day.
They said: “Though there’s some debate among haircare experts on this one, the overwhelming opinion is that, for most people, washing your hair every day is unnecessary.
“In fact, particularly for people with tight curls, over-washing your hair can dry your hair out, causing damage, split ends and breakage over time.”
If you have thick, coarse hair you only need to wash once every week or two weeks, they said.
But people with very thin hair may need to wash every two days to prevent it becoming greasy. Use a lightweight shampoo and conditioner for this though, they warned.
