One of the reasons some people believe that less washing promotes growth is that over-washing encourages dryness, brittleness, and breakage. Yes, if you shampoo too frequently, your hair will dry out and break.
Why Skipping Washes Can Hurt Your Hair
While frequent washing can cause breakage and dryness, not washing at all can cause a slew of problems. Not washing your hair has the potential to promote bacterial growth as well as cause other scalp diseases and irritations.
Natural oils, hair products, scalp sebum, and even air pollution can all accumulate on your hair, causing buildup to clog the scalp pores. If you don't wash your hair frequently enough, you may develop the following scalp conditions:
Trichodynia (Scalp Dysesthesia): A painful sensation on the scalp's skin or the hair itself that becomes more intense when the hairs are touched.
Malassezia (Yeast Infection): This is a monophyletic genus of fungi found on the skin that has been linked to several conditions such as dandruff, atopic eczema/dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and folliculitis.
How Often Should You Wash Your Natural Hair?
This is a difficult question to answer because the number of washes depends on your specific scalp and hair. We recommend washing your hair at least once a week, if not every 2-3 days.
And if you're more active and have a sweaty scalp, we believe that daily washing isn't as bad as you think. There's nothing wrong with shampooing your hair every day and co-Washing is a great alternative in this case because it cleans and moisturizes the hair at the same time.
The key is to pay attention to the ingredients in your hair products and to seal in moisture to keep your hair strands from drying out.
Hair grows about 1/4 to 1/2 inch per month on average, though some people may notice more growth if they cleanse their tresses and scalp more frequently than they did previously. The more water you use to moisturize your hair and scalp, the healthier your scalp will be. A clean, healthy scalp promotes hair growth.
The bottom line is that dirty hair does not grow faster than clean hair, so you might as well have a clean scalp and fresh hair. Your hair will look better, feel better, and be healthier as a result.
How Can You Make Your Hair Grow Faster?
Oils may influence your hair to look and feel healthier, giving the appearance of growth, but they also aid in detangling, which can cause breakage and prevent the hair from growing more at the root.
However, it is essential to wash the scalp in particular because dead skin cells accumulate and can clog the hair follicle. This dead skin is removed by shampooing. Hair growth is most likely caused by massaging in hair oil. It has been proven that massaging your scalp daily speeds up hair growth and encourages it to grow thicker. Scalp stimulation can result in faster hair growth.
Find the Right Shampoo and Serum
The key to hair that grows well is healthy hair, and the secret to healthy hair is a healthy scalp. Healthy skin and hair begin with a solid foundation of healthy lifestyle factors such as proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and regular exercise.
When it comes to shampoo, you want to use a product that helps keep your scalp healthy and free of buildup. Look for clarifying shampoos and scalp scrubs that can help remove buildup when shopping for shampoos and products.
A scalp serum can also help improve scalp health, which promotes hair growth. It provides a healthy environment for hair growth on the scalp.
Getting light trims actually helps your hair grow faster. If your ends begin to dry out or split, they will unravel and break off, making length gain difficult. At Klassi-La’Chiq, we recommend getting a trim every 8 to 12 weeks to stay ahead of the breakage.
Want to read more about hair? Check out our blog, “How to Protect Your Hair From the Winter Cold.”
Klassi-La’Chiq
Klassi-La'Chiq Beauty Essentials is a beauty supply retail store and fashion boutique in Asheville, NC. Our hair supplies and all-natural beauty products will keep you looking and feeling your best. For more information, contact us.