How often should you wash your hair” is a question on pretty much everyone’s list. When it comes to hair washing, you either find yourself treating your strands to some suds every day or trying to go as long as you can between two washes. However, Dr Rashmi Shetty, founder of Ra Skin & Aesthetics, believes that neither extreme is ideal. Instead, allow the condition of your hair and scalp to take the lead in determining how often should you wash your hair. When drawing up a hair wash schedule, Dr Shetty recommends taking into consideration not just your scalp, but the skin on the face, back and butt as well. “If you have acne or folliculitis in any of these areas, it is an indication that your scalp is not clean enough and that you need to wash your hair more often. The scalp needs to be treated accordingly as it affects the health of your hair and the skin on your face, shoulders and back,” she advises. Since different hair types require different amounts of hydration and cleansing, here is Dr Shetty’s guide to devising the perfect hair wash schedule: As tempting as it might seem to scrub your scalp dry of all the ick and grease, the truth is that extremely frequent washing can strip your hair of its essential oils and trigger further production of oil. As a rule of thumb, you will want to wash your hair on alternate days with a sulphate-free shampoo.
Since this hair type is more prone to second-day grease, it can tempt you into washing your hair more often. However, to avoid drying out your scalp, it helps to wash your thrice a week with a volumising shampoo.
Your scalp might be on the dry side of the spectrum, but that doesn’t afford you a hall pass from a vigilant hair wash schedule. You will want to reach for a moisturising shampoo twice or thrice a week, followed by a hydrating mask for an additional boost of moisture. The same way that you’d treat acne on the face, a dandruff-laden scalp requires special care and treatment as well. Since the oil on the scalp can create a suitable environment for dandruff to thrive, you can wash your hair as frequently as daily to prevent build-up on the scalp. Air-drying is not your friend, which is why it is good news that your dry scalp doesn’t require extremely frequent washing as well. If your scalp is particularly dry.
