Many people shampoo their hair daily as part of their normal shower routine. For most of them this is unnecessary. Washing too often can make hair dull looking and uncooperative. Unless you’re working with extremely oily hair, every other day should be plenty. African-Americans and those with curly hair could easily go even longer between washings.
The harsh detergents in many shampoos are notorious for stripping the hair of its natural oils, called sebum. These oils are what give hair its healthy-looking shine. Lathering up too often leads to hair that looks and feels dried out and lifeless.
It’s more important to wash hair properly than to wash it often. Before shampooing, the hair should be thoroughly saturated. With a small amount of product massage the scalp. This is where dirt collects, so the scalp is where effort needs to be concentrated. Once that is accomplished, the remainder of the shampoo can be rinsed out. The hair itself receives enough cleansing just from the soap running over it.
Condition once the hair is clean. A small amount applied to the ends is all that’s needed. Over-conditioning closer to the scalp can cause hair to lay flat and even appear greasy. The ends are where breakage occurs, so any conditioning should be concentrated there.
How much is too much shampooing? There’s no answer to satisfy everyone. Experimentation is vital. But it’s clear that at least in the case of shampooing, sometimes less really is more.
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