Friday 13 July 2012

How often should I wash my (relaxed or chemically treated) hair?

How often should I wash my hair? How often should relaxed hair be washed? How long should I wait before washing my hair? How much hair washing is enough?

When it comes to washing your hair there is only one rule to keep in mind - Do what works for YOUR hair! With that being said there are a few tips worth taking note of when it comes down to how often to wash your hair (whether you are a relaxed head, completely natural or have chemically treated or dyed hair).


How often should I wash my hair?

You should wash you hair as often as you need to. All hair types are different and you need to do what's best for your particular hair type.

Remember, washing your hair is good with regards to the extra moisture you're instilling within it but it can also be negative with regards to the fact that depending on which shampoo you're using you could strip your hair of needed natural oils causing it to dry out instead of retain moisture.
In order to help your hair stay moisturised and protect it from the negatives of shampoo it's best to use less shampoo. Try and use shampoo only when you're hair is really dirty (maybe once a week at the very most). On other days when you feel that your hair might be too oily, need additional moisture or need a rinse due to training - co-wash your hair.



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Co-washing is the same process as a normal wash but without the negatives often associated with shampoo. When co-washing the hair a conditioner (any ordinary rinse out conditioner) is used in place of a shampoo. You lather it up in your hair and rinse it out just as you would shampoo. This process moisturises your hair (especially if you're using a moisturising conditioner) and cleans it out for a fresh feel.

Read up on shampoos and which would be the best for your hair here

Examples of different hair types and how often to wash / co-wash them:
  • Extremely oily hair - needs to be washed / co-washed quite often (maybe two or three times a week) 
  • Dry hair - Needs to be washed / co-washed moderately often (twice a week should be okay but it depends on whether or not you're finding other ways of balancing your hairs moisture)
  • Sensitive hair - needs to be washed / co-washed less often due to the fact that you might experience more breakage or hair loss than you'd like to every time you wash your hair. Some hair types find hair washing to be too much manipulation to take too often ( a wash once a week at the most should do).
Remember, just as important as ensuring that you don't dry your hair out with excessive shampoo is making sure that you have a clean scalp. Hair thrives and grows when the scalp is clean and healthy so make sure you keep your hair washing to a perfect balance. 

I wash my hair once a week and if I feel that I need a rinse or extra moisture before those 7days are up I do a co-wash. My hair is extremely sensitive to washing so I hardly ever co-wash. I keep my hair moisture up by moisturising my hair.

For a video and tips on washing your hair, visit how to wash relaxed hair.

See a video on how to watch relaxed hair and some tips here.

Read on how to moisturise your hair effectively here

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