THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

Before diving into the specifics of how long you can go without washing your hair, it’s worth having a closer look at what makes it dirty in the first place. Every person’s scalp has sebaceous glands, which produce sebum, an oily substance that moistens your hair and keeps it from drying out. These glands are located in your skin and connected to the hair follicles, which allows sebum to get out of your skin and onto the scalp. Here’s the tricky part: every person produces a different amount of sebum, depending on genetics, hormones (just think about oily skin during puberty!), stress and exposure to dirt.

Like most people, when you think of washing your hair, you mean shampooing right? While shampooing can help you get rid of excess sebum, washing daily can actually do more harm than good. Why? Because most shampoos today contain harmful chemicals like sulfates, and parabens, that strip the hair of its natural oils, and can lead to the glands producing more oil than necessary.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU WASH?

While the answer is different for everyone, there are a few factors that determine how often you should be shampooing your locks:

• HAIR. Texture plays an important role as it affects how quickly sebum travels from your roots to your tips. As a general rule, straight or thin hair tends to get coated with sebum more easily and therefore requires more frequent washing than thick, curly hair, which slows down sebum’s spread. Dry hair types may require less shampoo, but more conditioning, as hair naturally dehydrates over the course of the day through exposure to wind, sun and pollution. If your hair is fragile, be extra careful about how often you wash, to avoid breakage.

• SCALP TYPE. If you have a normal oily scalp, shampooing your hair 2-3 times a week should be sufficient. However, if your scalp is too oily and produces so much oil that it makes your hair look greasy, it might be necessary to wash your hair every day. If your hair tends to look greasy quickly, avoid applying conditioner directly to the scalp.

• STYLING. Love treating your hair with styling products and creams? Then you’ll need to wash your hair more often, in order to avoid a greasy build-up that can cause your hair to dry out and lose its elasticity. Another aspect to consider is how often you blow dry or style your hair with curling and straightening irons. Heat dries your hair out, so if you style your hair often, you should shampoo less often but condition more frequently.

• EXERCISE. Do you go the gym every day? Then the entire shampooing game changes for you, as sweat is a major deciding factor – no matter what, it’s best to take a quick shower after your workout to remove sweat from your hair. The same goes for a day at the pool: give your hair a quick wash to remove chemicals like chorine.

SO, HOW OFTEN IS ‘NOT TOO OFTEN’?

There’s no simple answer to this eternal question, however, if you want the best of results, take a closer look at the specifics of your hair: How is its texture? How often do you style or treat it? What kind of lifestyle are you leading? Ultimately, the trick is to use a gentle shampoo. Look for powerful, natural ingredients like neem, coconut, aloe or meadowfoam, that will stimulate circulation in the scalp, strengthen follicles, and promote growth, while rinsing away excess build-up. Designed for everyday use and safe for color-treated hair, ViTA’s hair care duo is the ideal combination if you are looking to gently cleanse your hair, without stripping the scalp of its natural oils.