hair care, shampoo, was, conditioner

Are you washing your hair too much? Image: Karolina Grabrowska | Pexels

Hair care: How often should you REALLY wash it?

How often do you wash your hair? According to an expert it depends on your hair texture. Are you fine, combination, course or coiled?

hair care, shampoo, was, conditioner

Are you washing your hair too much? Image: Karolina Grabrowska | Pexels

Taking care of your hair can be a drag.

How often should you wash your locks, anyway?

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HOW OFTEN DO YOU WASH YOUR HAIR?

When it comes to washing their hair, many people have a ritual. Every morning, at night, every second or third day, or even only every Sunday.

Caring for your precious locks can feel like a chore.

Glamour UK reports that some types and textures require much more frequent washing than others.

And instead of giving your main what it needs when it needs it, washing it more often than not might do more damage than good.

hair care, shampoo, was, conditioner
Hair care depends largely on the texture of hair you have. Image: Giulia Freitas | Pexels

IT DEPENDS ON YOUR HAIR TYPE

According to Anabel Kingsley, trichologist at award-winning haircare brand Philip Kingsley, it depends on the type or texture: fine, combination, coarse, or otherwise, Glamour UK reports.

Oily hair will not become less oily the less you wash it. Nor will daily washing strip essential oils from your it if you use the correct shampoo and conditioner for your specific texture.

FINE

In an interview with Glamour UK, Kingsley says that fine hair often requires daily washing as it is the finest of all textures. People with fine a fine textured main often tend to have more hair on their heads than any other texture.

Because the strand diameter is the thinnest of all hair textures, fine textures can become weighed down with oils, and daily cleansing will help remove sebum build-up from the scalp. A clean, healthy scalp equals a healthy main.

Kingsley advises opting for a lightweight deep cleansing shampoo with volumising benefits, with thickening ingredients such as wheat protein, which will plump strands, making them look and feel thicker, as per Glamour UK.

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COMBINATION

Combination or medium textured hair tends to get oily at the roots and feel dryer towards the mid-lengths to ends. Combination textures can generally get a good amount of body and volume. Kingsley says for medium texture hair; it is best to invest in a moisture-balancing shampoo that will effectively cleanse at the root but still deliver enough moisture for the mid-lengths to ends. Medium textured locks should be washed every one to two days.

THICK OR COARSE

Thick hair is the exture type with the broadest strand diameter; and tends to have lots of natural body. The larger diameter means that it is prone to moisture evaporation and dry ends; however, it tends to get oily less quickly, Kingsley explains. People with coarse textured hair tend to wash it far less than any other texture type as it doesn’t feel greasy as quickly. To care for your thick locks, look for products labeled ‘re-moisturizing’, ‘moisturising’ and ‘smoothing’ and those that tame frizz. But, warns Kingsley, even though thick hair does not feel oily, frequent shampooing is still essential to keep the scalp environment clean and healthy. Wash thick hair every three to four days.

COILED AND CURLY

Coiled, curly hair is seen as the most fragile of all textures. The coils create weak points that can be prone to breakage if not cared for correctly, especially when detangling. Curls have a delicate and porous structure, meaning they absorb and lose moisture quickly, leaving strands dry and brittle. When shopping for hair care products for your curly locks, look labels such as ‘moisturising’, ‘re-moisturising’, ‘emollient’, ‘deep conditioning’, ‘elasticising’, ‘penetrative’ and ‘intensive’, says Kingsley. Curly locks tends to feel less oily, but it is important to wash your it every four days to keep your scalp clean.

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