How often should you actually wash your hair?

Why does hair get oily

The reason is in the sebaceous glands in our skin. They secrete about 20 g of sebum per day. This substance penetrates the hair and prevents it from drying out.

How often should you actually wash your hair?

Two key things to remember:

Sebum is not a strange whim of nature that makes us ugly. It is necessary to prevent excessive drying out and hair breakage.
The work of the sebaceous glands is an individual characteristic of a person, depending on his age, health, genetics and other factors.

How often should you wash your hair?

Paradi Mirmirani, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente, responds to this question by saying that there is simply no one solution for all people. But there is one truth that applies to everyone without exception.

No one should wash their hair every day.

Shampooing too often can do more harm than good, says Lynne Goldberg, director of the hair clinic at Boston Medical Center. It is paradoxical, but people who try to wash their hair often are faced with the fact that their sebaceous glands begin to produce more fat. The body does not tolerate such unceremonious interference and seeks to make up for the losses.

There are three factors that need to be considered in order to correctly answer the above question:

Skin type. If your skin and hair are normal (not too oily or too dry), then you probably need to wash your hair once or twice a week. If you have oily skin, then you should do this a little more often.
Hair texture. This factor affects how quickly the sebum spreads from the roots along its entire length. Coarse or curly hair slows down this process, so wearers may need only one wash per week. On the other hand, people with fine, straight hair are forced to wash their hair twice a week or even more often.
Style. Another thing you should consider is your hairstyle. There are different recommendations for short and long haircuts and colored hair.

The best answer, which will work for as many people as possible, is to wash your hair about once every three days.

For those who are used to washing their hair daily, this recommendation may seem too radical. However, as soon as you follow the new schedule for at least a few weeks, the work of the sebaceous glands will normalize and they will begin to secrete much less fat. As a result, your hair will look as beautiful, healthy and clean as it would with daily washing.