Figuring Out How Often You Should Wash Your Hair

How often to wash your hair is a topic that I get asked about super frequently. It’s probably the most common question I receive! Like many other questions in the hair world, the answer varies from person to person.

Each of us live different lifestyles, produce different amounts of oil, and have different types and textures of hair. Someone with a short pixie is going to need to wash every 1-3 days to remove hair product and to re-style. Whereas a long bleach blonde can go a lot longer without shampooing.

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair Per Week?

There is no magical number or rule that I can tell you to follow for this.

But what I can tell you is that on average I personally go 7 full days without shampooing, depending on what time of the year it is and what I did in those several days. The longest I have ever gone was 15 full days! The only reason I don’t go 2 full weeks is because I have so much dry shampoo in that it tends to get tangled easier.

I have fine blonde hair with a medium density. My hair tends to be on the drier side because of going blonde; therefore I need those natural oils to stop it from drying out. There is a reason why we produce oil, our hair does need it.

You’ll also probably need to shampoo more often in the summertime or when doing any physical activity that causes you to sweat.

People with thin hair will need to wash more frequently than people with thick hair because there isn’t as much hair to absorb the oil.

Naturally curly hair is lucky because they can really push it to the limit! Naturally curly hair tends to be drier, so it will really suck up and love those natural oils.

If you have heavily processed or bleached hair, I recommend washing it as infrequently as possible. You need those oils to maintain the integrity of your hair.

Why does my scalp get oily?

Let me explain a little about how your hair and scalp work. Every time you shampoo your hair, you are stripping it of its natural oils.

This not only dries it out, but it also fades your color! As your hair is dried out, the sebaceous glands that produce oil (sebum) under your skin kick it into overdrive to replenish the oils that have been removed.

So technically the more frequently you wash, the oilier your hair will become. If you begin to go longer in-between shampoos, your scalp will eventually get used to this and won’t produce as much oil.

It takes a bit of time for your hair to adjust to this, so don’t expect to be able to go from washing everyday to washing every 5 days immediately. You have to train it, so give it time.

This is how women in the olden days used to go weeks if not months without washing their hair. I even know of some people that haven’t used actual shampoo in years!

I bet that your grandmother used to or still gets her hair done only once a week, and this is exactly how she is able to do it.

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Is it bad to wash your hair everyday?

I see a lot of people that wash their hair every single day, and they always tell me that they aren’t able to skip days because their hair gets too greasy. But what they don’t realize is that their hair is greasy because they wash it every day.

As I mentioned earlier, once you begin to skip days your hair and scalp will adjust and you will gradually be able to go longer between shampoos.

Now, I understand that some lifestyles don’t account for skipping many days in-between shampoos. If you sweat very frequently, or work somewhere that you may be getting debris in your hair then you will have to shampoo sooner rather than later.

I don’t want to say that it will be the end of the world if you shampoo your hair everyday, but it certainly isn’t good ESPECIALLY if it is lightened.

Just make sure that when you do wash, you are using a professional grade shampoo and conditioner that is moisturizing and will not dry your hair and scalp out.

You can find my favorite Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner here.

How often should you wash your hair if you want it to grow?

So washing your hair and hair growth aren’t related at all. Your hair grows in stages that do not change based on your shampoo routine.

But I will say that washing your hair too frequently will dry it out. This can cause more damage on the ends of your hair, and ultimately make it break off. Shampooing does not have an impact on the speed of the hair coming out of your scalp, but rather the condition of your hair itself.

If you are interested in reading more about the stages of hair growth, check out my post here that also gives tips about thinning hair. And if you are just looking for tips on how to keep your hair in its healthiest condition so you can grow long luscious locks, read here.

How often should you wash oily hair?

As I mentioned earlier, the more frequently you wash your hair, the more oil your scalp will produce. This is a fact!

If you currently have oily hair, the first step is to stop washing it so frequently. Switch to every other day for the first week, then try adding a third day. Experiment with this to find the sweet spot that works for your hair and your lifestyle.

The next step other than skipping days is to make sure you are using a high quality shampoo and conditioner. If you are using cheap products, your hair and scalp will get dried out more and you will produce extra oil.

I also recommend using dry shampoo every day. Later I’ll talk about several methods to help extending the time between washes.

How often should you condition your hair?

You should condition your hair every time you wash it. On the days that I don’t shampoo, I don’t even get it wet.

I’ve heard some girls say that they condition their hair on the days they don’t wash, which is fine and all, but its not necessary.

You still need to dry and style it when doing this which can cause unnecessary damage on your hair. I suggest to wrap it in a shower cap instead.

The natural oils will condition your hair all it needs. And I promise, it will save you so much time!

How often should men wash their hair?

When it comes to mens hair, things are a little different. They typically use product in their hair that needs to be shampooed out. Luckily for them, their hair isn’t long nor does it have breakage on the ends.

For men with long hair, the same rules should be followed as with the ladies. Gender doesn’t make a difference when it comes to your scalp producing oil.

One thing that men don’t realize is that they can use dry shampoo as well. As long as there isn’t any product that needs to be washed out, then skipping days and using dry shampoo in-between washes is great.

4 Methods to extend time between washes

1. Don’t get your hair wet
2. Dry shampoo
3. Brushing/blow drying
4. Curls

Don’t get your hair wet

On the days that you aren’t shampooing, try to avoid getting your hair wet all together.

I use a shower cap to keep my hair dry. Under drastic circumstances if a shower cap is unavailable, I have clipped a shirt or small towel to my head to protect it from the steam and humidity in the shower.

This saves you from having to do much styling that day which is always a huge plus. As well as avoiding unnecessary heat damage!

Dry Shampoo

If you are not using dry shampoo yet, it is A MUST!!! Check out my guide for dry shampoo here. I give product recommendations and also explain how to use it.

Dry shampoo absorbs the oils from your hair, neutralizes odor, and can even aid in adding volume to fine or thin hair. This is my #1 secret for going as long as possible without shampooing.

I recommend using dry shampoo from day 1 on. This way, rather than combating already oily hair, you’re being proactive and not allowing it to get oily to begin with.

Keep in mind that the oil is still present, it’s just masked by the dry shampoo.

My favorite dry shampoo is made by Olaplex, and can be purchased here.

Brushing

Brushing your hair is a great way to pull the oil down from your scalp to the ends that really need it.

And I’m not talking about with a wet brush for 2 seconds while you get the tangles out.

I’m saying to take 5-10 minutes with a boar bristle brush, brushing from scalp to ends. Not only does this stimulate and exfoliate your scalp, but it distributes the oil.

And to take it one step further, break out your blow dryer and blow-dry the oils down your hair. I do this after working out and if I sweat a lot that day. The air helps to guide the oil down and smooth out the rough edges of your cuticle.

Check out my guide to my favorite brushes here to see why boar bristle hair brushes are so important vs. plastic.

Curls

Typically on the last day that you can push it without washing, even with dry shampoo and blow-drying sometimes it can still appear dirty.

Where most people would probably wash their hair at this point, I like to use this day to add curls if I haven’t already.

Curls love dirty hair. Have you ever gotten an up-style and the stylist asked you beforehand to make sure to not wash your hair that morning? This is why.

The product and oil in your hair from the last several days works as a styling aid. The curls will hold extremely well, and they also mask the appearance of dirty hair! If I need to push it even further without washing, this is typically what I do on the last day.

Conclusion

Remember that everyone is different and just because your friend is able to go a week without washing; that may not be the best routine for you.

Fine, thin, or short hair will need to shampoo their hair more often than thick, coarse, or long hair. This is because there is less hair to absorb the oil.

Curly hair will also be able to go longer between shampoos than straight hair. This is because curls tend to need more oil than straight and smooth hair.

Your scalp gets oily because your hair needs the natural oil to keep it moisturized and smooth. When you shampoo it frequently, you’re drying out the natural oil. Your scalp recognizes this and produces even more oil to compensate. So the more you shampoo, the oilier your hair and scalp will become.

I recommend using a shower cap on the days you don’t shampoo to avoid getting your hair wet altogether.

You should also utilize a dry shampoo from day 1 on to get the most amount of time between washes.

Use a boar bristle brush to guide the oil from your scalp to the ends that need it.

Curl your hair on the last day.

Start to train your hair by going an extra day for a week and then add in another day when you feel able to. You will find your happy medium, and it may vary depending on your activities or the weather outside.

If you have any further questions for me on this topic, be sure to leave them for me in the comments. And as always, Have A Good Hair Day!

Last Updated 09/25/2023