It seems elementary, right? Take a shower and launder your hair daily. Wrong! Washing your pilus may seem like a simple task, but y'all would exist surprised how many people are doing information technology wrong.

Washing your hair incorrectly can pb to scalp irritation, dandruff, and other scalp issues. How often someone decides to wash their pilus is a personal choice, although a standard tin be fix according to one's lifestyle and hair type. I wash my pilus with shampoo once every two weeks and co-launder weekly just to refresh my strands. I tin practice that because of the products I apply and my lifestyle, but that can modify with changes in my habits also. Certain hair types and textures only crave washing once a week, while others feel all-time when done two-3 times a week.

Photo courtesy of Style Carmen

Thick, coarse hair or tight curls and coils

With this pilus type, shampooing can be the last affair on your mind, since you demand to wash your pilus no more than once a calendar week, or once every 2-three weeks if your hair does not feel muddy. Daily washing is a bad idea every bit this would be too drying for your hair.

To refresh in between washes, try co-washing your hair with water and conditioner, or water wash. H2o washing means that you massage your scalp using just water, no shampoo, cleanser or conditioner. Some people do this in between their co-washes and shampoos.

Photo courtesy of Emblu

Medium curls and waves

You can afford to shampoo one time a week. If you skip a day or two, no demand to worry because your curls will look great with a little refreshing. Curls tin can work well when they accept a small amount of oil in them. If you lot work out frequently, yous may need to co-wash in betwixt shampoos. Y'all can also water wash between co-washes.

Photo courtesy of SillyGirlCarmen

Fine curls and waves

With a fine texture, past the evening your hair may seem oily, especially when you use styling products daily. Depending on your scalp, y'all may notice that co-washing makes your pilus appear oily the commencement few times you do it. Experiment with co-washing over time, you may find that the oiliness subsides. If you lot notice that it's not for you, endeavour to prolong the length of fourth dimension between shampoos by using dry shampoos or sticking to light stylers and refreshing with water rather than a product. At the very least, cut down on daily shampoos and minimize your wash days to once every 2-three days.

Of course, your hair type is not the only contributing factor to how often you should launder your hair. For case, your porosity and your city'due south water qualities volition likewise bear on what might be best.

There is never one right answer when it comes to hair intendance – which tin pb to some confusion. We constantly get questions on this topic, like this 1 from our reader posted this question in Curly Q&A:

"How oft should I wash my hair? I unremarkably wash my pilus once a week, my hair doesn't stink, information technology doesn't feel dirty, information technology doesn't expect dingy.....I simply don't actually like it. Also I don't like to do anything similar twisting or just anything new until the day before I wash my hair or the solar day I really wash my hair (Saturday). So is washing information technology once a week really necessary?" -   NaturalDude

When should y'all launder?

No, washing weekly is not necessary for everyone. That weekly standard is for people who detect it fits into their lifestyle. Hither are three like shooting fish in a barrel rules to guide you towards a wash 24-hour interval decision.

1. Launder when hair is dirty

In that location is no need for a launder twenty-four hour period schedule just because we are used to ane. Launder your hair when it is dirty and that can exist anywhere from 1-3 weeks for some, although for many two weeks are just fine when you have coily hair. "Washing" means cleansing with a shampoo or cleansing conditioner, not just re-wetting hair and running conditioner through it. Many run conditioner through their hair just to refresh it and to keep information technology going until cleansing is necessary. Some months may require more washing (when you are working out more than, swimming, etc.), so practice not feel the need to stick to a wash schedule if it does non work for you.

2. Wash when you have buildup

Buildup is not e'er dirt. Oft information technology is product buildup. Just like putting hair in twists the solar day before launder day, I practice something similar when I use silicones. I know it will crusade buildup by 24-hour interval two, so I exercise not utilise information technology until information technology is fourth dimension for me to wash my pilus. I don't want to walk around with buildup for a calendar week so I schedule certain hairstyles according to my wash schedule.

3. Experiment on washday schedules

The best way to determine if two weeks would be a amend fit for you is to try it. If washing weekly is but besides much and so stop and become longer like a week and a half or two weeks. Going longer than that may be such a great idea but know that just considering y'all are not washing so often does not mean you cannot moisture your hair and keep it moisturized. Do non lock yourself into a regimen out of habit merely more out of a fit into your life. If your pilus is not muddied, go an extra week and see how information technology fares.

How often do you lot wash your pilus?

This article was originally published in 2011 and has been updated for grammer and clarity.