To wash or not to wash? This is what happens if you wash your hair (too) often

Some people wash their hair every day, while others prefer to wait a few days before their next hair wash. Do you fall into the first category? We will tell you exactly what happens to your hair.

How often should you wash your hair?

How often you skip a wash depends on your hair type, of course. But in general, washing your hair every day is not a good idea. Anabel Kingsley, lead consultant at hair brand Philip Kingsley, tells Glamour Magazine the dos and don'ts of washing your hair.

Anabel states first of all that different rules apply to everyone. “Your hair texture can, for example, influence how oily your scalp is,” Anabel explains. “People with fine hair usually have more hairs per centimeter on their head than people with thick, coarse or curly hair and therefore have more oil glands that produce more sebum. This is why people with fine hair often feel that their hair gets greasy quickly and why they have to wash it every day to prevent flat, limp roots,” she adds.

If you have fine hair, it is best to wash your locks every day, but if you have thicker hair, it is better to wash it every other day. And “coarse and curly hair should not be washed more than every three days,” she says. Other lifestyle factors also play a role. If you go to the gym and sweat a lot, or if you use a lot of products in your hair, you should make sure to clean your scalp regularly.

What happens to your hair if you wash it too much?

Many people are afraid that they will make their hair greasy by washing it too much. But if you wash your hair the right way, you don't have to worry about that, Anabel explains. You do have to be careful that you don't use too many products on your scalp, such as oils, toners and serums. She notes that avoiding fatty, greasy or sugary foods can also have an effect.

People also think that washing your hair makes your hair color fade faster, makes your hair frizzy or causes split ends. According to Anabel, this is not so much due to washing your hair, but more to the products you choose. “Using the right products for your hair texture that provide the right levels of moisture shouldn't be dulling,” she emphasizes. ‘If your hair feels dry from regular washing, you're just using the wrong shampoo,’ she says.

So... ‘You really can't wash your hair too often - although I wouldn't recommend more than once a day,’ says Anabel.

How do you know if you wash your hair too much?

This answer also has two sides. “There are no advantages to not washing your hair,” she says. “You take your hair and scalp to the same places you take your face and it gets just as dirty,” says Anabel. “Your scalp is living tissue: it sweats, produces oils and sheds skin cells. You shouldn't wait more than three days before washing your face and you probably shouldn't wear the same outfit more than a few times before washing it - think the same about your hair and scalp,” she says.

In fact, not washing your hair often enough has worse consequences than washing it too often. “Each hair follicle on your head has an oil gland that produces sebum. If you don't wash your hair often enough, this can lead to a build-up of dirt, dead skin cells, oil and hair products, making your hair oilier. Your hair and scalp must be clean and healthy for optimal hair growth and this also helps to prevent scalp problems,“ says Anabel.

“Your scalp continues to produce oil, making your scalp and hair oilier, which can lead to a breeding ground for bacteria and scalp problems - especially dandruff,” she continues. “It is a widespread misconception that dandruff is due to a dry scalp. It is actually the result of an oily scalp, which is why daily washing with the right shampoo, such as our flaky scalp shampoo, is very important to minimize outbreaks.”

Conclusion: look at your hair type and your lifestyle. Then it should be all right!