Between hair gel and an active lifestyle, shampooing is necessary to keep pores clean and hair strands bouncy. At the same time, washing too often can make hair look tired out. How can you tell if you’re washing your hair too often?
How Often Should Women Wash Their Hair?
The truth is that your hair (and your scalp) has different needs than everyone else’s. Some hair looks phenomenal shampooing daily. Other women only need to wash their hair once or twice a week! Your ideal routine can even change depending on the time of the year or even how stressed you feel.
Generally speaking, people who have fine-textured hair need to shampoo more often than ones with coarse strands. For many women, washing hair 2–3 times a week is perfect.
How Can You Tell If You’re Shampooing Your Hair Too Often?
Is your shampooing schedule a little too intense? Check for these seven warning signs.
1. Dry or Flaking Scalp
Just like other parts of your skin, your scalp needs to stay hydrated. Flaking means it’s too dry. This can happen if you’re washing too frequently or using a shampoo that's too harsh for your scalp.
2. Tangles
Shiny, healthy hair lets a brush slide through easily. If you frequently run into tangles in the morning, your strands are probably too brittle.
3. Dull or Frizzy Hair
Overdoing shampooing strips your hair and hair follicles of natural oils. This leaves strands looking frizzy and dull instead of vibrant and bouncy.
4. Split Ends
It’s normal for hair strands to eventually develop split ends as the tips dry out. With a healthy hair care routine, this should take a long time to happen — like three or four months. Are you seeing lots of split ends a few weeks after you visit the stylist? Either you’re washing too often or drying your hair too aggressively.
5. Breakage
Does it seem like you’re losing a ton of hair? Trust me, I've been there. The good news is that your hair isn’t actually falling out. It’s just breaking because the strands are too brittle. This can happen because of over-washing or rough shampooing.
6. Faded Color
Don’t tell anyone, but I dye my hair (gasp)! Isn’t it frustrating when that gorgeous color only lasts a week or two before fading? If that happens to you, you may need to dial back the shampooing and use a shampoo specifically designed for color-treated hair.
7. Oily Hair
Believe it or not, one of the signs you’re washing your hair too much is oily hair! When your scalp feels like it’s under attack, it increases oil production to compensate. Shampooing less often can help balance things out again.
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How Can You Keep Your Hair Healthy?
The first thing you should experiment with if you're running into dry, brittle or dull hair is to wait an extra day to shampoo. Here are other tips that can help:
- Towel off gently
- Don’t brush when you hair is still wet
- Use leave-in conditioner
- Choose a moisturizing shampoo
- Get plenty of antioxidants and nutrients for hair health
Washing your hair is a good thing. A soft massage with shampoo feels refreshing and exfoliates your scalp gently, keeping skin cells from clogging your pores. Just keep an eye on the appearance of your hair strands from time to time to make sure you're not overdoing it.