How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

Regarding the question, "How often should you wash your hair," moms are likely to give you a different answer than those in the know would give you. She probably raised you to wash your hair every day, which may not be the best thing. Don't blame her, though, she just wants to keep you clean all over all the time. So if every day is too much, how often should you wash your hair?

Some people like to wash their hair every day because it makes it look soft and silky. Others like to go a day or two between shampoos because it keeps the hair more manageable. But there are other reasons to consider the amount of time between shampooing.

Washing too often can damage the hair, especially if you are using a shampoo with a lot of chemicals in it. Washing your hair dries it out by removing the essential oils. Granted, some hair is naturally too oily, so it might need cleansing more often; but for average hair, every second or third day should be adequate.

Quite often, after people wash their hair, they blow dry it: More shampooing means more blow-drying. This causes further damage to the hair and may result in split ends. In spite of what the label on the shampoo tells you, you cannot repair split ends, and they only get worse until you cut them off.

Many hair dressers recommend that people with normal hair -- that which is not excessively oil -- wash it only two or three times per week, and in some cases only once. That may seem like to long time between shampoos, but it pays off with healthier hair. Again, if you have excessively oily hair, it may require more shampooing to make it look good.

If you feel you must wash your hair every day, use a shampoo that doesn't have a lot of chemicals in it. Look at the ingredients, and if you cannot pronounce the words, find something else. It will cost you more to buy a natural shampoo, but it is worth it because it will be gentler to the hair and keep it looking good.