How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?: Your Ultimate Guide to Hair Washing 

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?: Your Ultimate Guide to Hair Washing

Good hair days start with a great wash day! Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about how to wash your hair…

Before even considering how you’re going to style your hair or how to clip in your favourite extensions, washing your hair is the first step to achieving your perfect good hair day. However, with conflicting information all over the internet, it’s hard to figure out exactly how you should be doing it and how often.

At Stranded Hair Group, we know that confidence doesn’t just come from how you look - it also comes from how you feel. That’s why we want you to feel confident in your knowledge, as well as in your favourite clip-ins, and our team of industry experts are here to do just that!

Stranded Blogs, like this one, shine a light on the hair industry, giving our customers back power and autonomy over their hair care.

In this blog, you will learn how often you should wash your hair depending on your hair type, challenge concerns you may have about hair washing and be taught how to create the perfect wash day routine. By the end, you’ll be primed to light some candles and get hot and steamy in the bathroom, ready to give your hair some much-needed TLC!

• How often should you wash your hair?
• Is it ok to wash your hair every day?
• What are the benefits of not washing your hair?
• Can you train your hair to need washing less?
• Why do you lose hair when you shampoo?
• What is the best way to wash your hair?
• How often should you use hair treatments?

How often should you wash your hair?

How often you should wash your hair wholly depends on both your lifestyle and your hair type.

If you’re an avid exerciser or go swimming often, you may want to wash your hair more than what your hair type demands, to wash out any sweat or chlorine.

Generally speaking though, the thicker or coarser your hair type is, the longer you can go without washing your hair. This is because the natural oils have more hair to soak into, making it less likely to feel or look instantly ‘greasy’.

Here's our break down of when to wash each different hair type:

Fine hair

Typically, fine hair often demands very frequent washes - once per day.

Combination hair

If you have combination hair, in the middle of fine and thick hair, you may be able to get away with only washing your hair every two days.

Thick hair

Thicker hair is great for avoiding wash day! With thick hair, you can delay washing for typically up to around three days.

Coarse and/or curly hair

Coarse, extremely thick hair, and/or curled or coiled hair can last even longer before needing to be washed - up to four days!

Hair in protective styles

When you wear your hair in a protective style, such as cornrows, twists and box braids, you should ensure to give your scalp a very good clean every 2 weeks.

Is it ok to wash your hair every day?

Unless you have very thin hair, get your hair wet or exercise often, you shouldn’t feel the need to wash your hair every day.

Unless your scalp is overly oily, creating that ‘greasy’ look, washing your hair will actually be stripping it of the natural oils that are beneficial to moisturising it and keeping it healthy.

What are the benefits of not washing your hair?

According to research found by Healthline, these are the potential benefits of not washing your hair with shampoo:

• Healthier hair and scalp, that produces a balanced amount of oil (also known as hair training)
• More voluminous hair
• Better textured hair and, therefore, less need for styling products
• Less exposure to potentially scalp-irritating chemicals
• Less plastic packaging waste (by not purchasing shampoo)
• Breaking ‘an artificial cycle of shampooing’ - shampoo dries out the hair, causing you to use products to add moisture back, and then needing to shampoo again to remove the products
• Cheaper on the purse, as you won’t be buying as many products or using as much water

TOP TIP: Unless your hair is looking ‘greasy’, avoid washing your hair daily, as this washes out essential moisture gained from your natural oils!

Can you train your hair to need washing less?

I think the answer depends on who you ask and your own experience.

According to research found by Cosmopolitan, the idea of training your hair has been around since the 50s, when studies came out providing (with a lot of back and forth) that you can ‘regulate your scalp’s oil production through external forces’ - however, no conclusive data was found then or has been published since.

Some people swear by hair training, including many dermatologists. However, ultimately, the results of hair training may be simply dependent on your experience after changing up your hair care routine and what products you use.

Why do you lose hair when you shampoo?

Lloyds Pharmacy reassures that it’s common to notice hair loss ‘when you scrub your scalp or condition your hair. This stimulation encourages the hairs that would come out anyway to fall as you rinse.’.

The hair goes through a natural growth cycle, which we discuss in our ‘Why Am I Shedding So Much Hair?’ blog, causing the hair to fall out once it has finished. When you have thicker hair, you may notice more hair loss - simply because you have a lot of hair!

But fear not, the hair loss you notice in the shower is usually just dead hair that hasn’t fallen out of the healthy hair yet.

If you are concerned about hair loss, reach out to your doctor. These are some signs that you should be looking out for:

• Losing excessive amounts of hair
• Gradual thinning
• Circular bald patches
• Hair loss on the rest of your body, too

What is the best way to wash your hair?

The way you wash your hair and the products you use are super important when it comes to hair and scalp health, and getting the most out of your wash day routine! Keep reading to find out the best way to wash your hair and why each step matters:

1. Brush your hair!

You should start every wash day routine by brushing your hair! Not only will brushing your hair at this stage release dead hairs and disturb any dirt, oil or product buildup on your scalp, but it also protects your hair! Wet hair is extremely fragile and brushing your hair wet puts it at risk of breakage.

2. Soak your hair completely

For the perfect wash, your hair needs to be drenched before adding any products to it. Warm water helps open the hair’s cuticles, ready to be cleaned and moisturised. Clogged hair cuticles cause your hair to dry out, due to lack of moisture absorption, and can often lead to breakage.

3. Lather before applying

Before you just chuck some shampoo on and rub into your scalp, lather it between your hands first. Lathered shampoo emulsifies with the water, helping it work into the hair’s cuticles, and helps you distribute the shampoo evenly around your head.

Our favourite shampoo is Kevin Murphy Everlasting Colour Wash 250ml (RRP £28).

4. Rinse, rinse, rinse

If you don’t ensure to rinse every last bit of product out, you’re going to be left with residue and product buildup in your hair. Rinse your hair thoroughly, focusing on small sections with the shower head close to your head.

5. Massage your scalp as you wash

As you wash your hair, massaging your scalp will help release any buildup, flakes and dead hairs. Scalp massages are also claimed to increase blood circulation, which is meant to help stimulate hair growth. Silicone shampoo brushes are great to help with this!

We love the Hello Klean Exfoliating Scalp Brush (RRP £12).

6. Finish on a soft note

Once your shampoo is completely rinsed out, apply your chosen conditioner from your mid-lengths down to your ends, for as long as the product directs. Make sure to avoid your roots and scalp, as this can weigh your hair down and cause product buildup. Thoroughly rinse once done, squeezing the product out of your hair as you do.

Match your shampoo with your conditioner, for their combined benefits. We recommend Kevin Murphy Everlasting Colour Rinse 250ml (RRP £29).

How often should you use hair treatments?

Hair treatments aren’t just a luxury add-on to your hair salon appointment - these days, treating your hair at home should be a part of your hair care and self-care routine! But how often should you use hair treatments?

Hair oil

Oiling your hair not only has many cultural reasons behind it (which you should definitely explore), but different types of oils have various benefits for your hair. The most common, Rosemary oil, is renowned for stimulating and supporting hair growth - we recommend Hair Syrup Grows-Mary Oil 500ml (RRP £15.50).

Depending on the oil you choose, your hair’s natural moisture and what benefits you want from the oil, we recommend oiling your hair around one to two times per week. However, after oiling, you will need to wash your hair twice to get rid of any leftover residue.

Hair mask

Hair masks are the latest and most indulgent hair care treatment you can do! There are so many different brands and ingredients, suitable for every hair type and budget. We love Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask 100ml (RRP £28) for a salon-finish hair mask.

We recommend using a hair mask once per week, instead of your normal conditioner. Read more on our blog, ‘What Are Hair Masks?: Everything You Need To Know’.

What more could you need to know?

At Stranded, we know that knowledge is the power behind your confidence and achieving a great hair day!

You came to this blog looking for to-the-point information on how to achieve the perfect wash day, from when to wash your hair to how to wash your hair. Since reading, you have learnt; how often you should wash your hair, the benefits behind prolonging your wash day, the facts around hair training and wash day hair loss, and how exactly you should be washing your hair.

Need a style to get you through to wash day?

Our Super Easy Clip-in Mum Bun (RRP £19) is the perfect pick-me-up for any busy woman on the go! Made with our Stranded Clever Fibre, to mimic human hair, the Super Easy Clip-in Mum Bun comes in up to 33 multidimensional shades to find your perfect colour match.

Did you know that we offer free expert colour matching? Never question your shade again and make picking your new extensions just one step easier!

But what more could you possibly need to know?

Good hair days simply start with a great wash - the rest is down to how you style your hair and how it makes you feel! Stranded Hair Group is committed to making you feel confident, whether that be from the information we provide on our Stranded Blog or by supplying you with the best clip-in extensions!

Our team of industry professionals work tirelessly to provide you with the most current education and knowledge when it comes to your luscious locks - hence writing blogs, just like this one!

Found this blog helpful?

Our ‘How To’ blogs keep expanding! If you found this one helpful, why not check out the rest of our collection, including; ‘How To Get a Bouncy Blowdry At Home’, ‘How To Use a Teasing Brush’, ‘How To Make Your Ponytail Look Fuller’ and ‘How To Curl Your Hair and Make It Last Longer’.