How often to wash hair? Know top tips from an expert

We all take a bath every day to stay clean and fresh. But what about hair? Does it need to be washed every day or is once a week enough? These are some of the common hair wash questions. A senior dermatologist has the right answers for you! Read on to figure out if you are making any hair wash mistakes.

Health Shots connected with Dr Swati Mohan, Senior Consultant, Dermatology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad, to find out how much is too much when it comes to hair wash.

How often should you wash your hair?

There can be side effects of washing hair every day. Dr Mohan says you can wash your hair after every two or three days, depending on what your lifestyle is. That means if you are someone who goes to a gym and who sweats a lot, you can wash hair after every two days. The truth is that there is no blanket recommendation that you have to wash hair after 48 hours or 72 hours. If you are itchy or if you see flakes on your scalp, especially because of sweating, you have to wash your hair whenever possible.

It also depends on your shampoo when you are washing your hair. If it’s a very mild shampoo or it’s a sulfate-free shampoo, then you may sometimes need to wash your hair more often than with the ZPTO shampoo, which is used to combat dandruff. But washing hair once a week is not a great idea. It is not healthy for your hair and you will end up with hair fall because of piling up of sweat, dust and dirt, says the expert.

Common hair wash mistakes

There are several causes of hair loss are many, and how you wash your hair is one of them. Dr Mohan says she deals with a lot of cases of hair fall, which is usually because of the hair care products and the way people wash their hair.

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1. Using harsh shampoos

Your shampoo should not be very strong and you should go for a sulfate-free shampoo. Such shampoos help to retain the moisture of your hair, so this helps to keep your locks soft.

2. Using hot water

Using hot water is something that many women do during winter. The expert urges not to use hot water because it absolutely dries up your hair and creates a lot of frizz.

3. Keeping only one towel

Do you dry yourself with just one towel? It’s time to have a separate towel for your body and a separate one for your hair. The one for your mane should be very soft. Don’t rub your hair as with the friction, there is going to be a lot of hair breakage and a lot of frizz.

4. Not applying a conditioner

A good conditioner will help to decrease your hair fall. When you have damp hair then apply your conditioner. Do not rub your hair and avoid friction. Just leave the conditioner for some time and then rinse it off. Also, it is better to detangle your hair beforehand. To avoid breakage, do not try to detangle your hair at the time of applying a hair conditioner.

5. Not washing off hair oil properly

Many women like to oil their scalp or go for head massage before a hair wash. If you are applying oil on the scalp and if your shampoo is not potent enough, it may not remove the excess oil and this would lead to dandruff. There is also pollution and dust, so if a little bit of oil remains in hair, it’s going to attract more dust and dirt.

Don’t go overboard with hair wash and make sure to use a good conditioner and serum which can get easily absorbed in your hair shaft.