How Many Times a Week Should You Wash Your Hair? A Complete Guide for All Hair Types

Knowing how often you should wash your hair is vital if you’re looking to improve your scalp health and help your hair grow. Although it may seem like a simple question we should all know the answer to, it’s not! As with skin, everyone’s hair is different and requires different care depending on various factors including hair type, different lifestyle choices and what you’ve become accustomed to. Luckily, the experts at UKHAIR by UKLASH are here to debunk any haircare myths and to help you decipher how many times a week you should wash your hair, whilst giving top tips on the best hair washing routine!

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

The key to unlocking your true hair growth potential is all in your haircare routine and your hair washing frequency. But this boils down to a variety of factors, let’s go through them all and help you understand how many times a week should you wash your hair:

1. Hair Type and Washing Frequency

Everyone’s hair is different, so there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to the perfect hair washing frequency. See below the recommended timeframes for each hair type:

○ Straight Hair - With straight hair, oil can slip more easily down the hair shaft, leading it to get greasy quicker than curly or coily hair types. When washing straight hair, we recommend a schedule of around every 2-3 days

○ Curly or Wavy Hair - As oil finds it harder to make its way down the hair shaft for curly or wavy hair types, it tends to take longer to get greasy. For washing wavy or curly hair, we suggest keeping to a schedule of around once or twice a week

○ Coily Hair - Coily hair types are the driest, meaning you need to leave sufficient time between washes for your hair to absorb the natural oils it needs to stay healthy and prevent breakage. We recommend washing coily hair once a week or once every 10 days

​​○ Bleached or Colour-Treated Hair - If you have recently bleached your hair or dyed it a different colour, you may experience a coarse, brittle or dry texture. To prevent further drying, we recommend reducing your hair washing frequency and adding two days to the amount of time between washes. For example, if you have straight hair and are used to washing your hair every 2 days, after bleaching or dying, wash it every four days, but if you have curly hair and usually wash it once a week, try leaving it for 10 days between washing after dying your hair

2. Scalp Condition: Listen to Your Skin

In a similar way that people have different skin types, people also have different scalp types too. Learning yours could help you understand how to care for your scalp and get to the root of your hair health!

○ Oily Scalp - If you’re noticing that your hair gets greasy within a day or two, it could be that you have an oily scalp. For this, we recommend washing your hair every two to three days to keep your scalp cleansed and ready for fresh hair growth! We also recommend using the best shampoo for oily hair - our Hair Growth Shampoo, which deeply cleanses and clarifies the scalp, making way for healthy hair growth

○ Dry or Sensitive Scalp - If your scalp gets itchy or sore easily, it might be that you have a dry or sensitive scalp. For this, we recommend washing your hair around once a week and supplementing your routine with our Hair Growth Serum, which can help to soothe and rebalance the environment at the scalp

○ Dandruff-Prone Scalp - If you notice flakes that look like dust or snow around your parting, it could be that your scalp is prone to dandruff. For this, we recommend washing your hair around two to three times a week and using a shampoo that is specially designed to control dandruff

3. Lifestyle Factors That Affect Hair Washing Frequency

The way you live your life can have an effect on how often you should wash your hair. Here we break down common lifestyle factors that can influence your hair washing cycle:

○ Exercise - If you love working out or going to the gym, it might be that all that sweat is building up on your scalp and causing your hair to get greasy. Taking into account your hair and scalp type, we suggest taking a day away between hair washes to wash your hair more frequently

○ Climate - If you live in an environment that is particularly hot or humid, sweat could be building up on your scalp, meaning you need to wash it more frequently. On the contrary, if you live in a cold and dry climate, you could find that your hair is particularly dry and you should take longer periods of time between washes to let your hair absorb the natural oils it needs to stay healthy

Signs You’re Washing Your Hair Too Much (or Not Enough)

○ Overwashing - You might notice that you’re washing your hair too often if it becomes dry and brittle, if your scalp feels itchy and flaky or if your colour-treated hair starts to fade

○ Underwashing - You might feel you aren’t washing your hair enough if you experience greasy roots and product build-up at the scalp or scalp itchiness and irritation

4 Special Tips for Hair Washing Success

1. Use the Right Products - Making sure you choose the right haircare products for your hair is key in achieving ultimate hair health and growth. If you’re working with bleached or colour-treated hair, search for products geared towards that hair type and the same goes for those with an oily scalp or particularly dry hair

2. Try Dry Shampoo - If you’re looking to break the habit of washing your hair too often but want to avoid having greasy hair, opting for a dry shampoo is a great alternative. It helps to keep hair looking fresh and stretches out your hair washing frequency

3. Focus on Your Scalp - Sometimes getting to your hair’s root can be tricky. Our Scalp Massager can be a great tool to use in the shower to help the effectiveness of your Shampoo and to make sure all product is evenly distributed across the scalp and that your hair has a thorough cleanse

4. Rinse Thoroughly - Making sure you’re getting all the product out of your hair is key to keeping your hair clean and primed for growth. If you’re not sure if all the product is out of your hair, check the water in the shower basin or bath - if there are no bubbles, you’re all clean!

There’s no straightforward answer when it comes to how often you should be washing your hair. It comes down to the different factors that we’ve discussed and ultimately relies on you trialling different schedules until you’ve found one that works for you. But one thing’s for sure, once you have it figured out, with the perfect product lineup from the UKHAIR by UKLASH range to help your hair grow longer, stronger and healthier, your hair goals will be super easy to achieve!

Boost Your Hair Health Today

Looking for more hair care tips? Explore our articles on how to wash your hair properly, how to use a hair mask or how to help your hair grow and much more!