Why You Need To Wash Your Hair

Ahead, we share five reasons why washing your hair—more than once a week—can be an important step in any hair (and skin!) care routine.

Everywhere we look, we see women humble bragging about how long they’ve made their blowout last—A.K.A. how many days they’ve gone without a shampoo—or sharing the products that have allowed them to get away with washing their hair only once a week. That’s all fine and well, but since when did being unhygienic become a trend? Now, we know that the obsession with not washing hair stems from the fear of over-washing and stripping the hair of natural and necessary oils, but ONCE A WEEK? That’s a little drastic!

With the right shampoo, washing your hair more than once a week can actually be a good thing and is considered to be a vital step in removing dirt and bacteria from the scalp. If reading the words scalp and bacteria in the same sentence isn’t enough to make you reach for the shampoo bottle, here are five more reasons why you should—read: need—to wash your hair:

#1: TO GET RID OF EXCESS OIL

There are reasons beyond laziness why many women avoid washing their hair every day: the natural oils our scalps produce can actually be good for your strands! However, overtime these natural oils—or sebum—can start to build-up and make our hair appear (and smell) dirty. Washing your hair every few days with a hydrating shampoo can help reduce sebum buildup on your scalp and leave you with gorgeous-looking locks and a comfortable—and much less stinky—scalp.

#2: TO AVOID BEING THE PERSON WITH SMELLY HAIR

It may be hard to notice—you know, because it is on top of your head—but, if you’re skipping out on regular rinses, your hair could start to smell. Sure, you could spritz a little hair perfume to mask the smell and prolong your blowout, but—for the sake of those around you—you should probably just give it a good rinse.

#3: TO CLEAN UP AFTER A WORKOUT

If you plan to break a sweat, plan to wash your hair after. When dried, sweaty hair can look and feel dirty... and may even start to smell—no thank you! If you don’t want to rinse your whole head, simply give your roots a quick rinse. Here’s how:

1. Put your hair in a topknot and wrap a shower cap around the knot, using a hair clip or elastic to hold it in place (you may need to wrap it a few times as the circumference of the shower cap will be larger than your topknot).
2. Next, use either a retractable shower head or spray bottle filled with water to wet your roots.
3. Once your roots are wet, gently massage a small amount of shampoo into your root.
4. After you’re all lathered up, rinse the shampoo from your roots with the retractable shower head or spray bottle.
5. Towel dry, let your hair down, and brush it out.
6.  To avoid having half wet, half dry hair, you can tie your hair back up in a top knot, dry your roots with a blow dryer and round brush, or rock a couple of sporty French braids. 
   
   

#4 TO CLEANSE YOUR HAIR OF PRODUCT BUILDUP 

While they can serve great purpose, if not rinsed regularly, hair care products such as dry shampoo, hair spray, heat protectant spray, and so-on can start to build up and cause your hair to appear dirtier than it really is. Rinsing your hair once a week with a clarifying shampoo (and a little head massage) can get the job done.

#5 TO PROMOTE HEALTHY-LOOKING HAIR 

Just like the skin on your complexion, the skin on your scalp requires some tender love and care in order to remain in tip-top shape. And even though split ends may be on the top of your hair care concern list, promoting a cared-for scalp can be equally—if not, more—important in the name of both skin care and hair care. After all, healthy hair begins at the roots.