How Often Should You Wash Your Hair? A Guide by Hair Type
How often you should wash your hair depends on quite a few factors. To find your ideal hair cleansing routine, you’ll have to consider your hair type, scalp condition, and activity level, since all these elements affect how oil and grime build up in your ’do.
In this article, we’ll show you how to balance these factors to create a wash schedule that keeps your hair looking its best. We’ll also cover what overwashing and underwashing look like so you can identify where you’re at and find the right routine. Then, we’ll give some tips for which shampoos and conditioners to use and how to wash your hair the right way for a healthy, manly mane.
Factors That Affect How Often You Should Wash Your Hair
To refine your hair washing schedule, you’ll have to consider what makes your hair unique. Most men figure they should wash their hair every day, but that’s an all-too-common myth. On average, you should wash your hair every other day, but you should adjust that frequency based on these factors.
Hair Type
Your hair type has the biggest impact on how often you should clean it. Fine hair should be washed more often because its smaller diameter makes it get oily faster. Coarse hair tends to be drier since the oil has more ground to cover to hydrate the strands. If you have coarse hair, you might want to dial down your shampooing to once or twice a week. Men with fine hair should wash theirs every day or two.
Grease Levels
If your hair tends to get oily quickly, stick to the every-other-day schedule, but add a scalp scrubber to the routine — it’ll help lift out some of the oily buildup on your scalp. Also, go light on the conditioner, focusing only on the tips to avoid getting the extra oil on your scalp. Your scalp naturally produces an oil called sebum, which hydrates your hair at the roots, so adding conditioner to the mix will just make everything greasier faster.
Activity
If you don’t get sweaty or dirty often, you can get away with washing your hair once or twice a week to avoid cleaning away its natural, beneficial oils. If you have a really grimy job or intense gym routine, you probably need to wash your body every day, but your hair doesn’t need the same treatment. Stick to the every-other-day grooming routine, and consider using a dry shampoo on the off days.
Signs You're Underwashing or Overwashing Your Hair
To find the right hair-washing frequency, pay attention to how your hair looks and feels throughout the day. Run your hand over it once in a while, take a look in the mirror, and check for these signs.
Signs You're Underwashing Your Hair
The signs that you might be underwashing your hair are mostly buildup and oiliness. Here’s what to look out for:
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Hair seems greasy, flat, or coated in product residue: When you run your hand over your hair, it’ll feel slick and maybe even a little sticky depending on which products you use.
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Noticeable buildup weighs down curls or waves: If you have curly or wavy hair, the oily buildup can clump it up and stretch out the natural shape of your hair.
Signs You're Overwashing Your Hair
Overwashing your hair can remove more than oil and dirt — it can also remove the natural oils from it, leading to dryness and tangles that become noticeable when you try to brush it or run your hand through it. Here’s what to look out for:
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Hair feels dry, brittle, or frizzy: You may have oil near your scalp, but the ends will feel dry and brittle, and you have more flyaway hairs or split ends than usual.
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Color fades faster than expected: Hydrated hair has a moisture barrier that locks in hair dye. Overwashing leads to dryness that weakens that barrier.
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More tangles than usual: Washing too often removes the oil on each hair strand that lubricates it so it doesn’t tangle up with other hairs.
How Should You Wash Your Hair? 4 Tips
Now you know how often to wash your hair, but the other half of the equation is the right technique and products. We recommend natural shampoos since they have nourishing ingredients like jojoba oil and oat protein that leave your hair silky smooth and your scalp cleansed and soothed. Here are four washing tips that’ll help you put them to good use.
1. Soak Your Scalp
Soak your hair in warm water for a few minutes before you wash it — that’ll saturate all the gunk on your scalp so it’ll lift out easier. Plus, you’ll have some time for your mind to wander into shower thoughts. Here are some fun ones to get you started:
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If you drop soap on the floor, is the floor clean, or is the soap dirty?
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If you’re invisible and you close your eyes, can you see through your eyelids?
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If life isn’t fair to anyone, does that make life fair?
2. Scrub Away
Once you free yourself from existential wanderings, it’s time to do what you came to do. Squeeze a dollop of shampoo onto your hand, and scrub it onto the crown of your head first. Work it in with your finger pads in circular motions to really get it down in there. Then, work outward toward your hairline all around your head.
3. Rinse With Cool Water
Warm water opens up the scaly cuticle layers that protect your hairs. Now that your hair is clean, you need them to close to lock in all the nourishment and hydration you just gave them. Rinsing with cool water achieves that.
4. Use a Scalp Scrubber
Use a scalp scrubber once or twice a week to really work the product into your scalp. This extra step deep cleans and exfoliates your scalp, and it adds the luxury of a little massage to your shower.
Build a Hair Care Routine That Fits You With Dr. Squatch
The right wash schedule for you comes down to a matter of your hair type, products you use, and how much grime you build up on the regular. Too much washing or too little will leave your scalp feeling uncomfortable and your hair not looking its best. With a bit of know-how and experimentation, you can discover the right routine for you, and we’re here to help.
We formulate our Dr. Squatch line of natural shampoos and conditioners with scents and ingredients we know men want. When you’re ready to bring out the best in your mane, pick a scent you like and go for it. You’ll discover the Squatchingly good difference for yourself.
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