Should I wash my hair every day if it’s oily? – words Alexa Wang
There is this running debate on how often you should wash your hair and when you are dealing with oily hair it gets even more heated. The truth is that everyone’s hair gets shinier, darker and oilier as the day goes on.
However, some of us start with oily hair and must figure out just how often we need to shampoo to keep it healthy and all the pointing fingers to a minimum. Why is your hair oily? How do you know just how often to shampoo?
In this article, we are going to look at a few of the main causes of oily hair as well as how to determine just how much you should be washing your hair. We will also be breaking down some of the benefits of regular shampooing, but the first thing you can do to treat your oily hair right is to find the best shampoo for it. You can head over to Headcurve to find some great options. Once you have found the one that works for you the information below will help you figure out the rest.
What Causes Oily Hair?
Every scalp is different and that is because every scalp produces different levels of sebum. This is an oily substance that our body produces that is intended to keep our hair hydrated and protects it from drying out. The glands that produce this are of course located in the scalp near follicle roots. The thing is that as we said above, everyone’s body is different and that means that everyone secretes different levels of sebum and that is why some people have dry hair and others end up with oily hair.
How to Decide How Much Washing is Right for You
Now that you understand the cause of your oily hair, just how do you decide how much you should be shampooing your hair? This is a fine balance because too much can be just as detrimental as too little. The one thing most people agree on is that it is not a great idea to wash your hair daily, even if you have oily hair. But in order to figure out just how often you should there are a few factors to consider:
Texture and Density
These two factors probably have the most to do with your decision on how you should treat your hair. Let’s start with texture. This is a vital thing to consider as it directly plays a role in how the sebum works its way from the follicle root down the entirety of your hair strands.
If you have curly hair it will take longer for the substance to work its way down and that means that you will not have to wash it as much as say someone with straight hair. With straight hair, there is no obstruction to the movement of sebum, and you will find yourself having to wash 2-3 times a week.
The next thing to think about is your hair’s density. If your hair is thick, you will be able to hide the oil easier and that means less washing for you. However, if your hair is thin you will probably need to wash more frequently to keep the sebum build up down.
Skin Type
Just like with acne treatments, your sin type places a major role in figuring out just how often you need to shampoo your locks. If you are someone that just has naturally oily skin, you will need to wash more often than someone with a dry or normal skin type.
Styling
Lastly, even with oily hair, we all want to do it up sometimes. The amount of styling and products you put in your hair is also something that will determine how often you need to wash your hair. The extra build-up of the products or constant use of curling/flat irons can cause extra damage and therefore may require more attention to shampooing on a regular basis.
Benefits of Frequent Shampooing
So, a lot of us have heard all the myths that surround frequent washing of your hair. Some say that it will dry your hair out. Some say that I lose a lot of hair when I wash my hair and if I did regularly, I would be bald. Some even say that by washing frequently they feel that their hair ends up oily and dirty quicker. These are just things that are not true. In fact, there are several benefits of making sure to lather up more often. Here are a few:
- Washing the optimal amount of times, a week can make your hair shinier
- By lathering your locks up you can help promote hair growth
- Not washing enough can lead to dandruff
- You need to keep your hair hydrated to help it keep its bounce
- If you shampoo your condition and that helps keep your hair shiny and without tangles
- You don’t want scalp odor
Final Thoughts
So, should you wash your hair every day if it’s oily? That is up to you, but it is not advisable. The information above makes it clear that you will need to wash more frequently than some, but by doing it daily you could be damaging your hair.