Pros and Cons of Washing Hair Every Day

Healthy, beautiful hair means a healthy body. (1) Hair washing is an important part of a hair care routine. However, there’s an ongoing debate on the frequency of hair washing.

How often should hair be washed? Is it daily or every other day, or should shampooing be avoided altogether?

Some worry that everyday hair washing could adversely affect hair health, but your hair health also depends upon your lifestyle. 

Continue reading to learn more about the pros and cons of everyday hair washing. 

Pros and Cons of Daily Hair Washing

Hair washing is the act of cleaning the hair using shampoo, water, and other products. (2)

Pros of Washing Hair Daily

According to an epidemiological study, people who washed their hair 5–6 times weekly were satisfied with their scalp and hair condition. (3)

In this study, washing the hair daily for 28 days with mild, well-formulated shampoo resulted in no significant loss in internal lipids due to the increased frequency of hair wash. 

The people included in this study found frequent hair washing was better as it led to healthier hair with reduced oiliness, frizz, dryness, dullness, and breakage. (3)

Other perks of daily hair washing are as follows.

1. Improves oily scalp

Daily hair washing reduces sebum significantly. (3) According to the measurement of greasy hair shine, washing hair daily leaves hair with less oily shine. (3) 

The frequency of your hair wash depends on the oil levels of your scalp. Wash oily hair frequently.

Moreover, your scalp becomes less oily with age and may not need frequent shampooing. (4)

2. Improves flaking scalp

A flaky scalp means it has dandruff. Frequent or daily hair washing reduces the severity of a flaky scalp. 

Daily hair washing also benefits a normal scalp and that affected by seborrheic dermatitis. (3) The milder variant of seborrheic dermatitis is dandruff, which occurs due to flaky, dry scales on the scalp. (5)    

3. Improves hair conditions

An epidemiological study stated that increased hair wash frequency had no negative effects and reduced hair-related issues. Brittle hair and hair loss reduced and hair conditions improved.

Washing hair twice or less a week gave three great hair days, whereas washing hair daily gave five or more great hair days. It was also observed that high-frequency washed hair was in better condition. (3)

4. Promotes healthy scalp and hair

Oxidative stress has negative impacts on the scalp, diminishing the quality of hair fibers and leading to premature hair shedding. Thus, reducing oxidative stress creates an optimal environment for hair to mature, with suitable quality and anchorage. (6) 

Reduced oxidative stress was observed with increased washing frequency, improving hair and scalp conditions. (3)

Cons of Washing Hair Daily

The following are the cons of washing hair daily. 

1. Strips off the hair’s natural oils and makes it dry

Frequent shampooing can dry out your hair. Squeaky, clean hair may be good, but overdoing washing it can strip away the hair’s natural oils. (7)

2. Accumulates dandruff on the scalp

Mild dandruff may occur even after washing with a mild hair cleanser. (8) A low wash frequency increases scalp sebum level. The proportion of chemically altered potentially harmful elements within the sebum (such as oxidized free fatty acids) also elevates.

This increases the prevalence of scalp-related problems. Such problems can manifest in a familiar itch or more defined etiologies, such as seborrheic dermatitis.

Low-frequency wash has damaging hair effects, directly or indirectly (through scalp-impacted hair growth). (3)

3. Damages hair

People who use copper water pipes are at risk of free radical deposition in their hair, as the copper from the copper water pipe accumulates on the scalp and acts as a catalyst for the same.

Water from wells also has a high content of minerals that collect in the hair shaft, which can damage hair. (9) 

Thus, daily hair washing with these types of water can be damaging to the hair. 

4. Makes hair hard to style

Freshly washed hair does not hold styles for a long time. You can skip a day or two of hair wash to make hairstyles stay, especially if you love multiple hairdos such as buns and curls. 

5. Expensive

Indulging in a daily hair wash can be costly due to the amount of shampoo and conditioner going down the drain.

Scientific Evidence of Hair Washing 

A comparison between male and female hair washing practices yields these results: 

• Around 65.8% of males washed their hair twice daily, and the rest, 34.2%, once daily. 
• Among women, Malay (50%) and Chinese (65%) washed their hair once daily. Indian women (65%) washed their hair once in 2 days.
• In a study, most male students used only shampoo, while very few used both shampoo and conditioner.
• Most females used shampoo and conditioner during hair washing. Around 10% of Indian males and 25% of Indian females used coconut oil with shampoo. (10)  

In a study on 100 people, 50 were men and 50 were women, from which only about 65% of the participants washed their hair once a week: (11)

• 44% of the participants used hard water to wash their hair, 65% used shampoos for cleansing, 25% used soaps, 8% did not use any cleanser, and 2% used soap nuts.
• 20% of the participants used hair conditioners, 20% used ingredients such as soap nuts, hibiscus, and eggs before cleansing, and 9% used oil before cleansing.
• 48% of the participants wanted to change a cleanser after 6 months.  
• 48% of the participants cleansed their whole scalp and hair; 14% concentrated on the scalp front, and 6% washed their hair ends more than the front or center. (11)

Tips If You Wash Your Hair Every Day

The perks of washing your hair daily outweigh the cons. Here are a few tips to maintain healthy and clean hair: 

• Properly brush your hair before washing it to improve blood circulation and detangle any knots.
• Go for pre-poo washing; massage your scalp with oil (mustard, coconut, or olive oil) before hair washing.
• Wet your hair with lukewarm water before shampooing. 
• Use a shampoo and a conditioner formulated for your hair type.
• Dilute your shampoo to its lower concentration to avoid damage, and apply it to your scalp. 
• Rinse off the shampoo from your scalp using lukewarm water. 
• Apply conditioner to your hair lengths and ends. Avoid applying it to the scalp. 
• Use cold water to rinse off the conditioner from your hair.

General Queries 

Final Word

Washing your hair daily is not bad; it could be good for your hair. However, avoid washing it more than once daily, and always use natural products to eliminate dryness and brittleness.

Furthermore, massage your scalp properly and wash your hair routinely.