Knowing that you often wash your hair might seem simple, but it affects everything from scalp health to how your hair looks and feels day to day.
While some people prefer washing daily, others do it way less often. The right routine depends on your hair type, lifestyle, and how your scalp reacts.
There is a fine line between having greasy hair and stripping your locks of colour and essential natural oils. How often you should cleanse your barnet depends on the type of hair you have, global hair ambassador for Fudge Professional, Jonathan Andrew, explained.
He said: “There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Textured, curly or coily hair will not usually need daily washing, and I’d say two or three times a week can often be enough for European hair types.
Some people need to wash their hair daily, but this requires extra care
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GETTY“If you go to the gym daily and sweat a lot, you may feel you need to wash more often, but even then, you can often get away with a single wash, use a leave-in spray conditioner and avoid overdoing the heat styling afterwards.”
Those who do feel the need to wash more regularly should be mindful, the expert warned. He recommended using the right products to maintain its health, shine and colour.
Andrew continued: “Daily washing is not necessarily bad, but over-cleansing can leave hair dull and lifeless if you are not using the right products. It can also strip the hair and make colour fade quicker, so I always say choose shampoos and conditioners for your specific needs.
“If you have blonde hair, for example, a daily-use purple shampoo and conditioner like Fudge Professional Everyday Clean Blonde Damage Rewind Shampoo and Conditioner can help keep the colour bright without drying the hair out.”
Greasy hair can be caused by exercise, overbrushing, using the wrong products – or too much of them – or simply through genetics. The expert shared advice for those who struggle with this.
Andrew said: “Greasy hair is linked to excess or build-up of sebum from the scalp, so ideally you need to treat the scalp, not just the hair.
“I would recommend weekly scalp scrubs to create a cleaner scalp environment, and a shampoo that targets the scalp while cleansing the hair.”
Some people believe washing hair less often can actually make it less greasy over time, although more research is needed into this.
The hair expert recommended trialling if this method works for you when clean hair isn’t a must. He added: “I usually suggest starting when you have nothing planned, so you are not stressing about it, and using styling tricks like ponytails or hair up days to ease yourself through day two and day three.”
There is a fine line between having greasy hair and stripping your locks of colour and essential natural oils
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GETTYWant shinier hair? A quick shower routine could be the secret to glass-like locks, according to another expert, who suggested “hair milking”.
They told GB News: “Hair milking works because it actively smooths and seals the cuticle rather than simply coating the hair.
“Using the hands in a controlled, downward motion physically encourages the cuticle to lie flat, while gentle pressure helps push the conditioning product deeper into the hair shaft as the cuticle closes.”