There is a never-ending debate on whether one should wash their hair every day or not. On one hand, people say it’s dirty to skip a day of shampooing. Meanwhile, others think there’s nothing wrong with it.
What really is the right way? Well, there’s none.
It’s not unusual for people to want clean hair and keep track of their personal hygiene. At the same time, there are those who prefer to wash their hair every other day or after a number of days. Dermatologist Elizabeth Hughes tells Healthline that one should only wash their hair when it feels oily and “unclean to the touch.” (There’s no exact duration as everyone has different hair types.)
Skeptics might say there are no benefits to not washing hair, but they’re wrong. There are a few perks to it and we’ve listed some of them down for you.
Dry hair? Don’t know her
Huffington Post notes that overwashing your hair may strip it of its natural oils. But if you don’t shampoo often, Prevention claims that the oils will hydrate your hair. (If you want to freshen up your scalp without lathering, you can try a spritz a dry shampoo.)
Greasy no more
In relation to the previous point, overwashing can also cause the scalp to be drier and produces more oil which can affect your hair. According to Byrdie, this excess oil can make your hair feel greasier than usual. The key to keeping your hair and scalp healthy and grease-free is to space out your wash days.
Splitting from split ends
Stylecaster notes that washing your hair every other day will allow hair to repair itself. If its natural oils are stripped off because of everyday shampooing, each strand will become dry and susceptible to breakage.
Better with color
Whether it’s neutral brown or bright pink, many colored-haired ladies are told the same advice: “Don’t wash your hair too often.” Shampooing your hair will fade out the dye, or worse, make your hair look brassy. If you don’t want to regret your hair color expense, then you better follow this advice and also buy yourself color-safe hair products.
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Of course, we’re not telling you to skip hair-washing in a snap and that shampooing will be bad for you. There are valid reasons as well on why you should thoroughly wash your hair, including getting rid of dirt and product buildup, and dandruff control.
It’s just a matter of gauging how long you should skip washing your hair and see how it affects your locks after a certain number of days. If it works for you, then continue it. If not, either you adjust your wash schedule or just don’t do it
Bottomline: Not washing your hair doesn’t mean you’re giving up on personal hygiene. If someone is still giving you crap for it, direct them to our list above.
Art by Tricia Guevara
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