How often to wash hair? 8 hair-washing questions answered

It’s all about hair type – if your hair isn’t particularly oily or really dry, 2-3 times a week should be enough. Oily hair? You might need to wash it daily. If you have thick, curly or dry hair, then weekly should be fine

The first thing you should do is select a shampoo and conditioner that matches your hair type. Do you have oily or limp hair? Perhaps dry hair, itchy scalp or dandruff? Maybe your hair is damaged or colour treated…once you’ve found the right formula, you can start washing. 

If you want to know how to wash your hair properly, use these steps as a guide for optimal results.  

Step 1: Wet your hair. Make sure you wet all your hair with warm water.

Step 2: Apply. Dispense a quarter-sized amount to your palm; adjust for longer hair.

Step 3: Distribute. Make sure all your strands are covered with shampoo.

Step 4: Work. Massage the shampoo into your scalp, using gentle circular movements. Be sure not to scratch it with your fingernails. Do this for about 1 minute for short hair and 2 to 3 minutes for medium to long hair.

Step 5: Rinse. Use cool water to calm your scalp and rinse all the way through to make sure all the shampoo is out.

Step 6: Condition. For best results follow up with a conditioner that complements your shampoo.

Step 7: Second rinse. Rinse out the conditioner with lukewarm water, making sure your hair is “squeaky” clean.

If you’ve heard ‘lather, rinse, repeat’, you might be wondering whether there’s any truth in it. Well, knowing how often to shampoo your hair depends on your lifestyle. If you spend a lot of time outdoors or use plenty of styling products, doubling up on shampoo can help remove build-up. If you wash your hair almost daily, then shampooing just once is good practice – because too much shampooing could strip hair of its natural, protective oils, leaving it vulnerable to damage.

The short answer: yes, frequent colouring could cause damage, making hair look dry and dull. Dove Colour Protect Shampoo is specially formulated with Vibrant Colour Lock, keeping colour looking vibrant for longer.

There are times when 2 in 1 shampoos are handy – like for washing hair at the gym or packing light for a holiday – but for everyday use they’re not ideal. They contain conditioning ingredients but their effectiveness doesn’t compare to a specifically formulated conditioner. For everyday use, you should care for hair with a conditioner like Dove Daily Moisture Conditioner. It nourishes hair to keep it tangle free, easy to style and protected from daily damage.

Like our skin, our hair requires different care when seasons and weather change (who knew?). During winter, hair can become dry and static; so try to wash hair with moisturizing products like Dove Daily Moisture Shampoo. Equally high heat and humidity in summer can damage your hair and hair style, look for the moisturizing products that gives heat and humidity protection.