How Often Should I Wash My Hair?

One question that we often receive from patients is what is the proper number of times a week to wash your hair?  Before we can answer that question, we need to look at the concern patients have with over washing.  The biggest concern patients tend to have is that they feel they are losing excessive amounts of hair when they are washing their hair.  The truth is that hair loss is not caused by washing our hair.  It is important to understand that the less frequently you wash your hair the greater the appearance of an increase in shedding.  This occurs, because the hairs you normally shed are becoming dislodged all at once, rather than in smaller amounts at multiple times.

Unfortunately, there is no magic number of times a week someone should wash their hair, as different hair types require different types of maintenance.  However, if you over wash your hair you can strip your hair of the natural oils and it can become more dry and brittle, but if you under-wash your hair you can get a buildup of these natural oils, dirt, and skin cells that can affect the health of your follicle.  A general rule of thumb is that you should be washing your hair two to three times per week, but again this is a balance and it depends on your hair type and how you are trying to style your hair.  What is most important to remember is that washing your hair is not causing your hair loss!