How often should you wash oily hair?

By: | Last Updated: August 23, 2019

It is quite difficult finding the perfect hair wash schedule. You have often heard that the less, the better. This is actually true about your hair. How often should I wash my greasy or sometimes dry hair? It is a really annoying question. 

Wash it too much, it becomes dry and brittle! When you don’t wash enough, it turns dirty and quite lifeless! 

Finding a middle ground or balance can be tricky.

In this guide, we’re going to give you all the tips and secrets you need to know about how often should you wash oily hair.

Know your hair type

We all have different hair types. Hence, the reason we have different hair products out there for different hair types. The same thing applies to the mode of washing. 

Different hair types require different hair washing schedule. The texture and hair type play a major role on how often you should wash the hair. Hair with thicker strand can stay longer without cleansing or washing. But those with thin strand often get dirty and oily faster. 

If yours is the curly type, you can relax because they can stay a long period without washing. Curly hair tends to stay on the dry side for long.  

For those with the straight type, you will need frequent washing. For people with the silky type, I am afraid that your washing schedule would be highly regular, while those under the coarse category may leave theirs for a longer period without scrubbing.

Race plays a huge factor too. 

Generally speaking, thick brunette and Asian hair types tend to get greasy quite quickly and should be washed more regularly – maybe around 3+ times a week.

– Jake Wanstall, stylist at Jo Hansford, a London-based salon

Lifestyle and activities

This is one thing that most people have no idea about. Your lifestyle and daily routine or activities play a major role in determining how often you  wash your hair, irrespective of the hair type.

For example, you wash, blow dry and style the hair in the morning and everyone is admiring your hair. Then you hit the gym, maybe as an instructor or as a regular. After sweating, your hair would become an oily town. You need to wash the hair again. Hence, the more active your day is, the more regular you should wash your hair. 

READ: How To Train Your Hair Not To Be Washed Every Day

The reason for this is not difficult to understand. It is simply because sweat accumulates, clogs your hair pores, and dirties your hair roots quicker than a person with a more relaxed lifestyle, like a secretary or a college lecturer.

How to style wet hair in a hurry – Curling Diva

Now that we have seen two major factors that can determine how often you should wash your hair, the next question would be “how can I have the right schedule on washing my hair?”

Generally speaking, people with oily hair types need to wash their hair on a daily basis. Dry hair types, on the other hand, can wash theirs two times in a week. 

For people with ‘normal’ hair, (that is, the type that don’t have problems of dryness or being oily), you wash yours whenever you want. For people whose hair is thicker and curlier, their hair can stay longer than others. This is because the oil in your hair scalp does not travel as fast as it does for people with other hair types.

However, if you feel that your hair is stinky, you can just wash it with little water rather than a full wash with shampoo. Many experts have often said we should mix it a little – sometimes use shampoo, and other times, use only water and let the hair clean itself naturally.

Brunettes are special

brunette hair – Curling Diva

Do you have dark hair? You might want to consider washing your hair two times a week (maximum), irrespective of the texture and type of hair you have. The reason is because regular or frequent wash with shampoo would lead to loss of hair pigments. This would automatically result in a faded color appearance.

When you’re not sure, go dry

We have already established the fact that it can be quite difficult to find the balance between too much washing and inadequate washing. How do you remove dirt in your hair without putting too much shampoo in your hair? Our tip for this is to use dry shampoo.

Batiste Dry Shampoo
Batiste Dry Shampoo, a popular brand of dry shampoo

It absorbs dirt and dust. This makes the best quick fix for those emergency meetings and dinners.  The dry shampoo is created to clean your hair without water. It does so by absorbing dirt from your scalp. It is not created to replace your regular washing but to give you more time between washing.

In addition to this, dry shampoo helps you save time by reducing the time you would have spent on regular washing when you are in a hurry. Also, it would reduce your traditional washing time and keep your hair smelling nice. All you have to do is spray, work it into your hair scalp, brush and style. Then you are good to go for those meetings, lunch dates and dinner.

Our General tip

It is very difficult to contemplate all the factors that we have talked about in this article. That is why we have worked out an average, or let’s say, a general formula or recommendation for you. If you wash your hair for two to three days in every week, you should be alright.

Washing your hair too often is drying and damaging.

– Adir Abergel, Celebrity Hairstylist (source) 

The less you wash your hair, the more it adapts to less washing. Though, it can take a long time before it makes this adaptation.

Furthermore, when your hair is not frequently striped down by hair products, it would produce less oil which is chiefly responsible for the dirt in your hair and this would result in you washing even less frequently.

In conclusion

How often should you wash your hair? Our recommendation is that you should wash it once every three days, at most. This would give you the best results. However, if you want to go into specifics, then you should consider texture, styling, your lifestyle as well as activities. These tips would assist you get the best hair washing schedule.

Image Credits: Deposit Photos

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