Washing your hair is necessary, but what if you are washing your hair too much?
It’s funny that no one talks about this. It’s as if we just automatically wash our hair without thinking.
The reality is that if you wash your hair more than 3 times a week you are washing your hair too much. Doing so can deteriorate your hair fibre and disturb your scalp, generating more oils than normal, and causing seborrhea or other scalp conditions.
It is important to have a healthy washing routine.
That’s why in this article you will find everything you need to know about over-washing your hair to keep it in shape.
Is washing hair too much bad?
This question may often cross your mind and you’re unsure of the answer. The truth is yes, washing your hair too much is bad for your hair and scalp.
If you wash your hair too much you will only make your hair dryer and your scalp will get greasier. The more you wash your hair the more oils your scalp will produce. And greasy hair is bad for your hair!
A healthy washing routine should include shampooing as well as conditioning. In this article, we will focus on washing. However, shampooing also touches the rest of the hair in some way. That’s why washing too much can affect not only the skin but also the hair.
For example, it can cause dry ends. Also, on the scalp irritation, dryness, build up or even dandruff.
Something also important is to recognize in which cases you are overwashing your hair.
How to Know if you are washing your hair too much
Calculating your washing routine can help you to analyse yourself so you can make the necessary changes to wash your hair properly, especially if your hair is greasy.
Please, don’t feel bad if your current routine does not match what you will read below. I must say that you would not be the first person.
That is why now I’m sharing with you what I’ve learned over the years of professional experience. Also, bare in mind that if you wash your hair too much, you can make your hair greasy suddenly. And that is not good for your scalp!
To identify when you are washing your hair too much these tips will help you:
- Avoid washing your hair more than 3 times a week.
- You should not wash your hair more than 2 times per wash.
- Prevent the consequences of washing your hair too much.
With all this, I hope you can know what to do and why it is not good to wash your hair so much.
The idea is that you can see what you are doing wrong, and change it to avoid damage and other problems due to excessive washing.
READ MORE >> How to tell if your hair is greasy
Tip #1: Avoid Washing your hair more than 3 times a week
The main reason we wash our hair is to clean it and remove residue. Something important is to understand how the production of these residues works. In this way, you can identify when is the best time to wash your hair.
You should know that there are two ways in which residues are produced on the head. Mostly in the scalp.
The scalp is where our body produces a substance called sebum. This is nothing more than oils and other nutrients that help the skin. That’s why is important that you learn how to wash your hair properly, as it will make a big difference in your life.
The other way to produce residue is from the product build-up on the scalp. This could be from shampoo, hairspray, waxes or other products that you apply to your hair. During the day we touch our hair and pass the lubricants from the ends to the roots.
Knowing all this you can get an idea of why we wash our hair.
A normal washing time is 3 times a week or less. Then is good to leave it unwashed for 1 to 2 days in between.
This will allow the hair fibre to dry 100% inside and out before re-wetting.
That is why washing it 3 times a week is correct because you wash it only 3 times and hair fibre will rest for 4 days.
From one day to the next, the body does not produce enough residues to make it necessary to wash it out. Doing so is what causes problems of greasiness in your scalp.
LEARN MORE >> How often should you wash your hair
How to balance it
The simple solution is to wash your hair only 3 times a week. You should always leave at least one day between washes.
Also, you should not wet it to take care of your hair fibre.
Reducing your washing frequency will also help you to let your hair dry 100% on the inside so there is no moisture left in the hair to cause odour, itching or skin conditions.
A good routine would be to wash your hair on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Leaving it unwashed and unwet it on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
That is just an example but, you can arrange the days as you prefer. Remember always leave days without wetting or washing between each wash.
READ MORE >> Do you have over conditioned hair?
Tip #2: You shouldn’t wash your hair more than twice
Another important thing to avoid washing your hair too much, is to do it the right way. When you wash it more than twice on the same day or during the same shower you are very likely to damage your hair.
By this, I mean the hair fibre because shampoo is a cleanser and it will dry the cuticles if is use it too much.
Additionally, on the skin, it can also irritate and cause some scalp problems.
Our body works in a very balanced and specific way. When you change that balance it can go wrong.
Washing your hair more than twice regularly is not good and that will mean you are washing your hair too much too.
Maybe someday you feel that your hair is very dirty and you think it would be a good idea to wash it more than twice. However, it doesn’t work that way.
Solution
The right thing to do is to only wash your hair twice in one shower and not wash it again during the day.
Especially people who go to the gym at night may wash it twice and I don’t recommend this.
As I just mentioned above, the skin on the head requires a very special environment to function in balance. That’s why you shouldn’t upset that balance by over-washing it.
Instead, you can use dry shampoo which helps to remove oil and sweat. This way you can get rid of the dirty feeling in your hair and wait until the next day to wash it.
I will also recommend you to have a good quality shampoo that really cleans and removes any residue or build-up in just 2 washes like the Kerastase Divalent shampoo.
READ MORE >> Is your shampoo causing greasy hair?
Tip #3: Prevent the consequences of washing your hair too much
The results of washing hair too much include dryness, greasiness, irritation, and even can lead to split ends.
On top of this, the bad news is that the first thing that is affected is the scalp. It may seem strange to hear about this because it is more common to talk about hair.
The skin on our scalp is much more delicate than it looks and more than you might think. Being in contact with hair and direct sun damage, it must be protected in different ways.
This skin requires a certain balance to protect and lubricate and stay healthy as we perspire. When the environment it needs is altered it can cause dandruff, seborrhea or even hair loss.
That’s why it’s so important not to over-wash your hair. If you overdo it and overdo it you can alter that so valuable environment in the scalp.
In addition, the water that falls with the soap always passes through the ends of the hair and by doing this continuously, the ends will also be affected. They can become dry or frizzy.
Fix it
In this case the best thing you can do is to create your own healthy hair washing routine.
That is why I suggest that you pay close attention to this and above all that you can put it into practice. This way you will avoid many problems and above all keep your hair healthier and more beautiful.
Remember that it is best to wash your hair 2 to 3 times a week, shampooing no more than twice, and using warm water instead of hot.
I also recommend that you take a one week detox from not washing your hair, as this way you can reset your hair and scalp from over-washing.
Last but not least, don’t forget to use dry shampoo, this will help your scalp feel clean between shampoos.
READ MORE >> Can stress cause oily hair?
Bottom Line
Now that you know in what ways you may be washing your hair too much you can make the necessary adjustments.
You’ve also seen how it can be so damaging to your hair when you wash it too much. That’s why it’s important to take immediate action if you were doing it too much.
On the plus side, if you wash your hair only 3 times a week it will improve.
Not only that but if you give it a day’s space between washes and use a good quality shampoo that is right for your hair type. You will notice that your scalp will stay cleaner for longer and the texture of your hair will improve as well.
I highly recommend you follow these tips and not wash your hair too much.
I hope reading this will help you to take better care of your hair and make it look more beautiful.
See you next time.
