Over-washing, under-washing, and a happy medium

Ever wondered if you’re washing your hair too often? Or maybe not often enough? Both extremes can have negative impacts on your hair and scalp. The problem is, there’s no one correct answer for everyone. The goal is to find the happy medium for your hair.

What Does Shampoo Do?

Shampoo does a number of important things for your hair and scalp health. Shampoo contains cleaning agents called surfactants that pull dirt, oil, and product residue off of your hair and scalp. These are then washed away when the shampoo is rinsed from your hair.

If You Don’t…

Knowing this, I’m sure you can imagine just what happens to the scalp, and subsequently the hair, when you don’t shampoo often enough. All of that dirt, oil, and product residue is allowed to build up, causing the follicles to be clogged and weighing the hair down. Worst-case scenario, your scalp can experience itching, flaking, fungal problems, or even hair thinning when not shampooed often enough.

When You Over-Do…

On the flip side, however, we find that issues surround over-shampooing as well. When you shampoo too much, it strips your nourishing natural oils from your hair and scalp. When your scalp lacks these oils, you may notice dryness, brittleness, and a lack of luster in your hair, not to mention possible itching and dryness on your scalp. When your scalp is deprived of its natural oils consistently, a vicious cycle occurs where it overproduces oil to compensate for the lack, leading, of course, to more shampooing.

Just Right!

So this may leave you wondering, so what’s my happy medium? How often should I be shampooing? This can only be determined by listening to your hair. Problems you may consistently be having with your hair and scalp are your clues to figuring out the best shampoo regimen for you. And as always, your Incentives stylists are here to support you on your way to healthier hair!

About the Author

Elizabeth Zitvogel

Elizabeth Zitvogel is a Licensed Cosmetologist with extensive training in all aspects of hair styling and coloring. She specializes in regular and organic color and highlighting, as well as ombre application. Elizabeth also possesses creative techniques with blowouts and up-dos.