You’ve have probably heard that shampooing your natural curly hair less often is better for your hair. Or perhaps you prefer to co-wash. How often you should wash your natural hair is not a one size fit all solution. It will vary depending on your life style, hair type and styling choices.
The reason we use shampoo is to remove build-up on the hair and scalp. We want to accomplish this without stripping away the natural oils from the sebum. We want to keep most of the sebum that our scalp produces because it helps to keep our hair healthy and soft.
For us curly hair girls, the oil that our sebum produces doesn’t travel down the hair as easily as it does for straight hair girls; as a result, our hair looks less oil therefore we tend to think we need to wash our hair less. So if that oil is not on our strands where is it? It tends to build up close to the scalp which can cause problems such as itchiness, flakes dandruff. And we know one wants that.
So back to the original question, how often should you wash your naturally curly hair? This is not a one size fit all solution, but the general rule is once a week. The key to this solution is using a shampoo designed for curly hair. Why? These shampoos are formulated milder and contains moisturizing and conditioning ingredients to prevent the shampoo from stripping away the sebum natural oil.
With that being said, if you are unable to wash your hair once a week it’s not the end of the world. Additionally, your curly type may dictate that you need to shampoo more often. For example someone with fine curls that seems oilier than thick course curls may need to shampoo more often, such as every other day or every two day.
If you exercise or happen to be heavy handed when you apply your styling products, you may want to consider incorporate a mid-week rinse with only water or a co-wash focusing on the scalp. A clean scalp creates a better environment to promote more hair growth.
Just like you, I know for some curly friends wash day is a big production, but with consistence and some elbow grease you will reap the benefits.