How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

How often do you wash your hair? Everyone wants to know the magic number in order to keep hair healthy, but the real answer actually depends on your hair type. Each hair type has its own structure, so needs its own unique maintenance to amplify the overall look and appearance. When considering how often to wash your hair, it can take a lot of trial and error to find a schedule and products that work for you. Don't worry, Curlsmith is on hand to break down the barriers to help you achieve your curly hair goals.

Table of Contents:

• How Often Should I Wash My Hair Based on My Hair Type?
• How Often to Wash Your Hair Based on Your Curl Type
• How Often to Wash if You Have Oily Hair
• Shampoo vs. Cowash
• Conditioning the Curlsmith Way
• Keeping Your Curls Hydrated
• Is it Bad to Wash Hair Everyday?

How Often Should I Wash My Hair Based on My Hair Type?

When deciding how often to wash your hair you need to take several factors into consideration.

Firstly your hair type. Do you have wavy, coily, or curly hair? Your lifestyle could also influence, for example do you work out a lot or live somewhere more on the humid side? If so, you may need to wash your hair more often. If this is the case, you could use a gentle cleanser like a co-wash to care for your hair, but also remove any build up happening. Secondly the seasons could affect how often you wash your hair as well, as in summer when it’s hot we all tend to wash our hair more often.

Ultimately, we desire to have healthy hair and for many washing it helps maintain its cleanliness. However, did you know that washing too often can lead to damaged hair? Not every hair type requires a daily wash and frequent washing could strip the hair of the natural oils produced by the scalp that are key to keeping it healthy and moisturised. By washing hair too often, you may find your hair becomes dry, feels coarse or even difficult to style.

How Often to Wash Your Hair Based on Your Curl Type

Although it can take a lot of trial and error to work out your optimum curly haircare routine, Curlsmith products were created to make it as effortless as possible. The unofficial rule of thumb for how often to wash each hair type are as follows:

Curly Hair: Two to three times a week

When washing curly hair you want to use gentle products that won’t strip the hair of its natural oils. Co-washing throughout the week can help melt away buildup leaving hair feeling refreshed.

Wavy Hair: Three to four times a week

Wavy hair is easily weighed down and can lose its shape faster than other curl types. By washing more frequently you can help reduce build-up and help the waves spring back. Clarifying regularly is key for all hair types, but this is especially true for wavy hair. Our Wash & Scrub is a great option to add into your routine every 4-5 washes to make sure all build-up is properly melted away.

Coily Hair: Once or twice a week

Washing hair often is less necessary because of the structure of coily hair. The twists and turns of the hair means that the natural oils don’t coat the hair as easily as straight or fine hair. Therefore, people with this hair type often experience dryness at the ends.

How Often to Wash if You Have Oily Hair

Whilst many people believe themselves to have an oily hair type, it could be down to the ingredients in their current routine rather than their genetics. Using harsh cleansers like sulfates may strip the hair, leaving it lacking moisture. The scalp would then produce more oil to compensate for this loss, and it could become a vicious cycle! Before increasing weekly washes, try using sulfate and silicone free products for a month. If your scalp still feels oily after that, you may need to wash it more often than the general recommendation for your curl type, as often as daily, or every other day to quell excess oils. By washing the hair daily you can reduce build up in the follicles, making the hair appear less greasy.

Adjusting to a new routine might take some time, but it is suggested to pursue the new changes for one month to really understand whether it is helping you.

Shampoo vs. Cowash

As well as wondering how often to wash your hair, you need to think about what you are washing your hair with. Shampooing is a great way to clean the hair and was designed to remove the excess oils as well as cleanse the scalp. How often you wash your hair with shampoo is again down to hair type. When washing your hair you should be gently applying it to the hair roots and not through the full length. Targeting the root and massaging the cleanser in allows for build up to be removed, especially if you use a lot of product in your hair. If your roots lack care, the scalp may become irritated and you may experience dandruff or clogged pores.

There are also different types of shampoos and cleansers which should be used with different frequencies:

• Co-washes like our Conditioning Wash are an alternative to shampoo that is taking the curly hair world by storm. If you are wondering what is co-washing and what makes it any different to traditional cleansers, we have the answers for you. They are conditioners with a little bit of cleansing ingredients inside. They are the most gentle cleanser you can use, they do not foam and they are designed for frequent or everyday washes. Because the product doesn't strip away natural oils like traditional shampoos, you can use this everyday if needed. Co-washing can be very beneficial to people with curly, wavy, or coily hair because of its gentle and moisture quenching nature.
• Low-poo or gentle shampoos are more cleansing than co-washes, but they are still gentle enough to be used frequently. They foam like traditional shampoo but they don’t contain sulphates or harsh cleansers that strip the hair out.
• Clarifying or purifying shampoos like our Wash & Scrub are the most cleansing type, and they should be used every 4-5 wash days to really detox the scalp from any build-up.

What's inside the shampoo bottle can also impact how often you wash your hair. Are you using the best quality ingredients to be quenching the thirst of your curls? Our Curlsmith products are made using healthy ingredients and are sulfate free. Sulfate strips your hair of its natural oils, and as curly hair already suffers from dryness it is best to avoid harsh ingredients such as these.

Conditioning the Curlsmith Way

Keeping your hair hydrated is another element to consider when questioning how often to wash your hair. As curly hair is dry by nature, it needs a lot of moisture to maintain healthy curls.

Using a conditioner whenever you wash your hair is absolutely key to maintain healthy curls. You should never shampoo without following up with a suitable conditioner. First of all, a conditioner helps detangle the hair, as you should never detangle your curls when they are dry. Dry detangling leads to hair damage and breakage, as you are disturbing the curl pattern. However, if your hair is wet and it has a conditioning product on, the brush will glide through the curls much more easily, avoiding pulling. Secondly, conditioners are packed with moisture that will help keep the hair soft, shiny and manageable.

Once a week, we recommend switching your rinse-out conditioner for a deep conditioner like our Double Cream Deep Quencher. This will provide intense moisture and hydration, and it’s a great treatment to ensure moisture is locked inside the curls for longer.

Together with nourishing, moisturising and reviving your curls, it is very important to lock that moisture into the strands to avoid it drying out too quickly. Ensuring the correct protein moisture balance will strengthen the cuticle structure of the hair, which helps retain moisture. Replenishing the hair with the correct balance of moisture and protein could lead to luscious locks instead of weakened, fragile hair. If you’re suffering from fragile hair you may need to work on reinforcing your hair bonds with a bonding building treatment like our Bond Curl.

Keeping Your Curls Hydrated

Quenching the thirst of your curls is important when deciding how often to wash your hair. If you are not washing too often, you need to make sure that the hair remains moisturised throughout the week. Leave-in conditioners are a great tool to ensure that moisture is maintained until your next wash day.

Our moisture range embodies its motto of moisture, nourish, revive. Ensuring your locks are luscious and hydrated. Let us introduce you to the essentials we think you need to add to your curly haircare routine.

Moisture Memory Reactivator

This second day hair miracle is an amazing primer but also helps spring curls back to life, thanks to the lightweight emulsion spray blending with your hair strands. A great combination is using this moisture memory reactivator with the curl defining styling souffle. If you’re experimenting with how often to wash your hair, this is perfect for a between-wash boost.

Hold Me Softly Style Balm

This soft hold styling cream is perfect to moisturise curls while enhancing their texture. It can be used on its own if you have a looser curl type and you prefer a soft, romantic look, or it can be followed up with your favourite Curlsmith gel if you’re looking for more hold and definition.

Curl Conditioning Oil-in-Cream

If your hair is particularly coarse or dry, there is no better product. Our Oil-in-Cream is the ultimate moisturiser, its rich texture will make sure each strand is fully hydrated and quenched. Because it delivers deep moisture, it can leave curls looking shiny, and feeling silky soft.

Is it Bad to Wash Hair Everyday?

There is no real definitive answer. This will depend a lot on your hair type, your specific needs and your lifestyle. The important thing is to use the correct cleanser and conditioner depending on your wash needs. If you are using a very gentle cleanser like a co-wash, then washing your hair every day may not be a problem, but you don’t want to be using a clarifying shampoo every day. Listening to your hair and looking out for how it reacts to changes in routine is really key to create the perfect curly regime. If you are washing your hair everyday and you start noticing it becomes drier and more prone to frizz, try washing it less often, change the type of cleanser or deep condition more to find out the best routine for your needs.

About Curlsmith Gourmet Haircare

Proud to be cruelty-free and vegan, our premium haircare range was developed in collaboration with trichologists and curly hair stylists, in order to work and fix curly girl problems. We were inspired by kitchen staples and natural curly-loving ingredients to produce premium products you and your hair will adore.