How Often Should You Be Washing Oily Hair?

Haircare is much more than just what products you use on your hair. A proper hair care routine is all about how you add nutrients and cleanse your hair. One of the essential parts of a haircare routine is washing your hair. Cleansing your hair weekly lets the dirt and oils clear out and your hair starts with a fresh base. Depending on your hair type, washing your hair can be more or less the most vital aspect of your weekly hair routine. For those with oily hair, knowing when to wash your hair can be a tricky situation. It's a 10 Haircare defines oily hair as those who have excess oil production in their scalp. This excess oil production is caused by either hereditary genes or hormonal changes. Seasonal or lifestyle changes can also contribute to an excess of oil. Those who have oily hair know it's no fun situation.

Oily hair presents a unique problem when deciphering how often you should be washing your hair. Like with any hair type, you want to avoid overwashing your hair but still want to make sure it is getting properly cleaned. For those with oily hair, the number of times you should be washing your hair can look vastly different from other hair types. Despite this challenge, people with all hair types should strive for clean and healthy hair without stripping it from its natural oils.

Knowing when to wash your hair is key for those with oily hair. Proper hair hygiene is essential in curbing oily hair and preventing it from overshadowing your hairstyles. Function of Beauty explains that those with oily hair should wash their hair two or three times a week. This will clean your hair of excess oil without stripping your scalp from its natural oils that add nutrients to the hair strands. Function of Beauty also recommends using a sulfate-free shampoo, as sulfates can strip the hair of natural oils. While you may feel inclined to wash your hair more often, you should avoid overwashing your hair, as it will only deliver brittle and dull hair.

Instead of increasing your washing, Adore Beauty recommends incorporating a dry shampoo between washes. With oily hair, it's very easy to feel as if it gets oily the next day of washing it; however, overwashing will not solve this problem. When you are washing your hair, you want to focus on cleansing your scalp as much as possible. Emphasize your shampooing on your scalp to help counter the overproduction of oil. Avoid the typical rinse-and-repeat routine of shampooing, as this is an unnecessary step for those with oily hair.

While washing your hair properly is essential, there are plenty of other ways you can care for oily hair. Besides washing it, you need to care for oily hair with more caution than others. Pantene U.K. recommends going lightweight for all of your styling products. Since it's easy for oily hair to pick up extra shine, you want to avoid using more oils and products anywhere near your scalp. Heavy oils and creams will weigh down your hair much more quickly than anything lightweight. Instead, opt for oil-free products and try to limit the number of products you put on near your scalp.

Apart from picking the correct shampoo for oily hair, you want to put attention to what kind of conditioner you pick. Hairstory explains that not every conditioner will work for oily hair. Like your hair products, limit your conditioner to the ends of your hair to avoid it weighing down your hair with extra oils. Furthermore, oily hair needs to be worked with extra care. This extra care means using boar bristle brushes instead of regular brushes. These types of brushes are softer on the scalp and are much lighter on them than others. What's more, avoid using your hands as much as possible when handling oily hair. The hands have natural oils on them that can easily be transferred to your hair no matter how clean you assume they are.