5 Signs You Should Be Washing Your Hair More Often

When it comes to washing your hair, there's no single, clear-cut answer on how often to lather up your locks. Some people swear by second-day hair, others might stretch their schedule out to once or twice a week, and folks in the infamous "no 'poo" movement totally eschew shampoo in favor of DIY rinses with more unconventional hair products like apple cider vinegar. The popularity of dry shampoo has stretched many of our washing routines even further, letting us squeak by an additional day or two of greasy hair before we have to face the dreaded and time-consuming "everything shower."

Certainly, there are valid reasons why you probably shouldn't shampoo your hair daily. On the other extreme, is it really a good idea to continuously prolong the time between washings? Ultimately, figuring out how to best maintain your hair is a personal journey to find that styling sweet spot. But if you're struggling to hit the bullseye, look out for these signs that you should be washing your hair a little more often.

Just as we all have unique complexions, we all have different hair types and scalp conditions. For many people, this can mean contending with greasy strands. Usually, hair is kept glossy and healthy with a blend of natural oils and waxes called sebum. This helpful oil comes from the scalp's sebaceous glands, but too much can cause hair to appear slick, heavy, and limp.

So, what causes too much oil? Unfortunately, there are a lot of factors, from stress and hormones to humid weather and even genetic predispositions. While some of these causes can be cut off at the pass, others, not so much, which makes hygiene an important step toward keeping things fresh and clean. For oily scalps, a wash regimen of shampooing every other day or even daily, ideally with an oil-control shampoo, should suffice.

Rinsing thoroughly is also key, and if you typically follow up your shampoo with conditioner, relegate that conditioner to the lengths of your hair to avoid clogging your oil-prone scalp with extra product. As celebrity hairstylist Min Kim told Glamour, "Applying [conditioner] to the roots is unnecessary ... and can leave hair feeling flat, especially if you're on the fine or greasy side." But what if you're already shampooing every day and still experiencing chronic greasiness? You may actually be over-washing. "Frequent shampooing can strip the scalp of natural oils, leading it to produce more oil to compensate," Kim explained. In this case, try spacing your washes every two or three days and see if that helps, instead.

We've covered how an irregular wash schedule can leave hair flat and oily, but what about its effect on the skin of your scalp? Adding insult to injury, too much oil can help cause issues like dandruff and an itchy, flaky condition known as seborrheic dermatitis. Basically, excess sebum creates a tacky environment that catches and holds onto dead skin cells. Instead of falling away naturally, these skin cells get trapped, creating buildup on the scalp.

This buildup can play host to bacteria and microorganisms. For instance, Malassezia is a natural fungus that already lives on everyone's scalp. This fungus feeds on oily buildup, breaking it down into byproducts like oleic acid. Unfortunately, many people are sensitive to oleic acid, reacting with flaking, itchiness, and inflammation (aka dandruff).

Long story short, it's incredibly important to manage oily scalp buildup, especially for anyone already prone to greasy skin or problems with skin cell turnover. This includes people with acne-prone skin, as such complexions create a higher-than-average amount of dead skin cells, many of which don't shed correctly to begin with. Thankfully, shampooing regularly is one easy way to minimize scalp buildup, with a daily wash helping to treat buildup caused by oily hair. Some cases may also benefit from the addition of a clarifying treatment every week or two, like the Neutrogena Healthy Scalp Clarify & Shine Shampoo, which is a favorite among Amazon customers.

Oiliness may be a telltale sign that it's time for a wash day, but it's only one of the things that can happen if you go too long between hair washes. As it turns out, the opposite is also true: If your strands are matte, weighty, and lifeless, they're almost certainly in need of some TLC. This dullness often indicates that product buildup is ruining your bounce and shine. Whether you've been skating by on a week of accumulating dry shampoo or your styling products have reached their saturation point, buildup on the hair itself can scruff up its shafts, creating strands that don't properly catch the light. The net result? Hair that's dull, heavy, and even powdery with additives.

Shampooing more regularly may help control the amount of product lingering among your tresses, but if you use a lot of products — from dry shampoo to hairspray, gels, and waxes — this may be another occasion that calls for extra clarifying power. Options like the Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo are designed to cleanse your strands without completely stripping away those important natural oils. As one happy Amazon customer wrote, "It made my hair healthier than I can recall. It removes old hair product buildup and makes hair look and feel softer."

Hair that looks less than fresh is already bad enough, but if your hair is starting to smell unwashed, it's definitely time to break out the shampoo. Like so many other hair problems, a stinky scalp can often be traced back to a mixture of sebum and trapped skin cells, which then give rise to odiferous bacteria or yeasts. "When the scalp microbiome is disrupted or infections occur, you may get an overgrowth of certain bacteria or fungi, leading to a change in scalp odor," hair transplant surgeon Alan J. Bauman, M.D., told Woman's World. As you might expect, getting rid of this aroma typically includes getting rid of the microorganism-ridden scalp buildup with thorough washing. No buildup to be seen? Troublesome scents in your hair can also be caused by lingering sweat — yet another reason to cleanse the scalp area.

In some cases, smelly hair can also be linked to significant medical conditions like psoriasis, external factors like pollution, or foods that emit a strong smell through your pores and follicles. (We're looking at you, raw garlic.) If you aren't sure what's causing your hair to emit stink lines like Pepé le Pew, it could be helpful to consult a dermatologist. In addition to adjusting the frequency of your washing regime, they may suggest medicated shampoos, antifungals, dietary changes, or other targeted treatments to whip your scalp into shape.

Hair loss is one of the biggest villains in the haircare realm, and it can have its roots in many different variables. Getting older is an obvious suspect, and our hair definitely changes with age. But there are also other possible causes, including genetics, stress, nutrition, medications, and hormonal changes like pregnancy or menopause, to name a few. Conditions like diabetes or lupus might also cause thinning hair, and even wearing too-tight hairstyles can play a role. But did you realize that washing your hair too little can also indirectly contribute to hair loss?

It works like this: Infrequent washing can leave the door open for scalp buildup and related conditions like seborrheic dermatitis. This can cause chronic inflammation and irritation in your scalp tissues. Unfortunately, an inflamed scalp is antithetical to healthy hair. Not only is it probably uncomfortable, but this swelling can also misdirect your immune system and make it "attack the hair follicles," causing damage and preventing vital nutrition from reaching your hair (per Emerge Trichology). Constant irritation might also lead you to scratch your scalp, which can inadvertently add to hair damage and loss.

Washing your hair on a regular basis can help control the overgrowth of bacteria and yeast, potentially lessening your vulnerability to hair loss — all the better if you're using products that target your particular problems, whether persistent dandruff or a fungal issue. Just bear in mind that, like a smelly scalp, an itchy scalp could be tied to deeper medical conditions. When in doubt, consult your dermatologist or even a hair specialist, like a trichologist, for deeper insight.