All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
The debate around how often you should wash your hair is a heated one. While some experts say that washing your hair once a week is fine as long as you use a good shampoo and your hair responds well to that frequency, another side argues that washing your hair once a week may not be a good idea—even when it feels clean. “It may look like the hair is clean, but with pollution, sweat, and tobacco smoke, the hair becomes saturated,” explains stylist Rosi Fernández, director at Madrid salon Ananda Ferdi. If your hair is extremely dry and not washed often enough, it can lose its natural moisture with age.
There is a general consensus on how long is too long to go without shampooing. According to Fernández, it is not advisable to go for more than a week without washing hair, as “follicles become clogged and do not get oxygenated,” she explains. But other than that, it really depends. Read on below to see what our experts say about washing your hair.
Firework content
How often is healthiest to wash your hair?
There is no universal rule for the frequency of washing hair because, as Fernández points out, one must also consider the location where you live or the lifestyle you lead. “Living in a city with a lot of pollution is not the same as living in the countryside,” she says. “The climate, riding a motorcycle or a car, playing sports, the quality of the water used for washing, et cetera, also play a role.”
However, even when hair is dry and thick, experts advise washing at least twice a week to remove all the residues that can accumulate on the scalp and saturate and weaken hair. Fernández also emphasizes the importance of emulsifying shampoo in your hands before applying it, especially if it’s an organic product. “A good rinse gives hair its shine,” she concludes.
Is it okay to wash your hair every day?
The short answer is yes; experts say it’s perfectly fine to wash your hair every day. In fact, New York City dermatologist Hadley King, MD, says that those with oily scalps or fine hair should wash more frequently to help get rid of excess oil and buildup that can weigh hair down. Dr. King adds that shampooing daily can help with dandruff as it removes the yeast that causes it and those pesky flakes. Be sure to look for shampoo that clarifies the scalp without stripping its moisture.
Those with dry scalps or coarse hair should wash less often to minimize stripping the hair of its natural oils, says Marisa Garshick, MD, board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology.
Factors that can affect hair-washing frequency
Here are a few things to consider before figuring out your hair-washing schedule, according to Dr. King and Dr. Garshick:
As mentioned above, your hair type does dictate how often you should be shampooing. Dr. Garshick advises that those with fine hair should wash more frequently to remove excess oil and debris, while those with thick, coarse hair should limit shampooing to avoid stripping away natural oils.
If you have a scalp condition, such seborrheic dermatitis, washing your hair daily (or at least frequently) will help get rid of excess oil and buildup that is contributing to the flaking, according to Dr. Garshick.
Sweat causes buildup, irritation, and clogged pores on your scalp. To prevent these issues, it’s essential to wash your hair after a strenuous workout that causes excessive sweating.
The one major con to our favorite styling products is that they cause buildup. So if you’re dependent on hairspray, gels, etc., washing your hair regularly is imperative to prevent the buildup from causing irritation and other skin and hair problems, according to Dr. Garshick.
Tips to extend the time between washes
If you’re strapped for time and can’t be bothered to wash your hair frequently, you can do a few things to extend the time between shampooing. Dr. King recommends using a dry shampoo as it can help absorb oils between washes. Dr. Garshick adds that using an exfoliating serum (look for something that contains a beta hydroxy acid like salicylic acid) can help remove excess oil from your scalp and prolong the time between washes.
For days you do wash, Dr. Garshick says that using a clarifying shampoo will provide a deeper cleanse to eliminate buildup, oil, and dead skin. You’ll also want to use conditioner on your ends—and not on the roots so it won’t weigh hair down and clog pores. Having a clear scalp will help you go longer between washes.
What happens if you don’t wash your hair often enough?
According to Fernández, when hair is washed less than twice a week, the follicles become clogged and this can cause a range of problems: scalp flaking, itching, sensitivity, dandruff, and even hair loss. These small particles, which are invisible to the eye, prevent the hair from oxygenating well, which is why it is advisable to wash it more often—even with thick, dry hair that might not feel like it needs to be washed so frequently. The effects that pollution has on hair were studied all the way back in 1994, by the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre in Lucknow, India. “At that time, it was shown that suspended particles, smoke, and pollutant gases were deposited on the hair and scalp, causing inflammatory and irritative reactions that can even lead to hair loss,” explains Adolfo Remartínez, founder of hair-care brand Nuggela Sulé.
