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How often you should wash your hair | Lookdiary Blog

How often should you wash your hair?

Our hair is one of our most defining features – and it can make or break your look. Most of us spend a significant amount of time and money on our hair to make sure it looks perfect or at least decent every day. However, the biggest question weighing on everyone’s mind is – how often should I wash my hair? If you wash it too often, it dries out, but if you don’t wash it often enough, it’s greasy.

There’s no definite answer when it comes to this, as everyone’s hair is different and requires different levels of care. The most important thing to consider when planning how often to wash your hair is your hair type. Fine and flat hair doesn’t follow the same rules as thick and curly hair. Although the most prevalent recommendation out there is to wash your hair as infrequently as possible, there are some people who certainly do need to be washing it every day.

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can identify your hair type, and give you all the information you need about the required washing frequency.

Wash Hair Frequency

Identifying your hair type:

There are two easy methods you can use to identify your hair type. The first is called the Strand Test, and it will help you understand the thickness of your hair. All you have to do is hold a strand of your hair between your fingers.

  • If you cannot feel that strand of hair, you have fine hair
  • If you can just about feel that strand, you have medium hair
  • If the strand feels rough, you have thick or coarse hair

The second test is known as the Stretch Test, and it will shed some insight into your hair’s health. Apart from helping you understand how often you should be washing your hair, this knowledge will come in especially handy when deciding what haircare products you should buy – or maybe even help you realize if you need to get some treatment done for your hair.

Similar to the Strand Test, hold a strand of hair between your fingers, but this time, stretch it out.

  • If it breaks immediately, your hair has lost its elasticity and isn’t as healthy as it should be
  • If it stretches out to at least half its original length, your hair is very healthy!

Now let’s look at how often you should wash your hair based on your hair type, as well as some good products that will help you keep your hair healthy and beautiful.

Wash Hair Frequency

Washing fine hair:

If you have fine hair it is recommended that you wash your hair daily. Fine hair tends to be combined with a scalp that has more oil glands and thus gets greasy faster.

We recommend OGX Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen Shampoo. This shampoo will add volume to your hair as daily washes can sometimes lead it to look a little flat. It is also nutrient-rich with plenty of Vitamin B7, biotin and collagen to replace the natural oils your hair needs to look sleek and shiny. Additionally, it has hydrolyzed wheat protein to strengthen your hair and keep it hydrated.

Of course, you may have some concerns about washing your hair every day, as overwashing can cause your scalp to produce too much oil so as to compensate for the ones that are stripped away. However, if you use good quality products, washing your hair daily will not affect its health.

Washing medium hair:

If you have medium hair, it is best to wash your hair on alternate days. Medium hair doesn’t get greasy as fast as fine hair, so daily washes aren’t really necessary.

Our favorite product for medium hair is Philip Kingsley’s Moisture Balancing Shampoo. This Shampoo also helps combat frizz – a problem that most people with medium hair experience! It smartly moisturizes your hair where you need it the most, i.e. the ends, and does not over-moisturize the roots. This will ensure your hair stays smooth all the way until your next wash!

Wash Hair Frequency

Washing coarse hair:

Those with coarse hair will notice that they can go much longer between washes than others. In fact, coarse hair rarely gets oily or greasy and only needs to be washed roughly twice a week so that dirt and other impurities are removed. Keep in mind that overwashing coarse hair will cause it to become dry and unhealthy. It can also lead to split ends, hair breakage, etc.

We particularly love OGX Extra Strength Damage Remedy + Coconut Miracle Oil Shampoo for coarse hair. It is full of nutrients such as coconut oil and vanilla bean extract that will help smoothen coarse hair and give it a more sleek look. It not only hydrates the ends of your hair, but also its roots, to give it a fresh, vibrant look. It’s especially great for damaged hair as it can help repair the dry and brittle effect that occurs when coarse hair is overwashed, bleached, or dyed.

Washing afro hair:

Unfortunately, afro hair is naturally more dry and brittle than the other types of hair. That’s why it’s best to wash it only once every week – unless it is in desperate need of a wash. Just like coarse hair, afro hair will also become unhealthy and damaged if overwashed.

For afro hair, we recommend Crème of Nature Argan Oil Moisture and Shine Sulphate Free Hair Shampoo, as it contains many natural, hydrating ingredients such as olive oil and coconut oil. This will help combat the dryness that those with afro hair are all too familiar with. Detangling your hair after a wash will also become a whole lot easier!

Now that we’ve gone over the different hair types and the general recommendations on how often to wash them, it’s also important to remember that everyone’s hair is unique. While yes, fine hair usually needs to be washed every day, and coarse hair should be washed every few days, pay attention to your hair and make a mental note of how often it gets greasy – use that to guide your hair washing schedule too. Naturally, if your scalp feels damaged already, opting for a scalp treatment to start from the right foot seems like a very sensitive call. Find different options for different budget on our hair scalp price calculator tool.

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