Just like many other curly hair tips and tricks, how often you should wash curly hair comes with some rules. That implies that there isn’t just one answer when someone asks ‘how often should you wash your hair?’
Generally, the frequency of washing your curly hair depends on the state of your natural curls, your curly hair shampoo, and your personal preference. Notwithstanding, you’ve got to read this piece to find out the best extensive answer on how often you should wash your curly hair.
How Often Should You Wash Curly Hair?
Even though there’s exactly no specific rule that states the wash days for curly, there are a few factors that influence it. Below is a general guideline you can adopt.
Rule 1:
Wash your hair once a month if and only if your hair is drier or your scalp is more on the normal than dry side. Once a month shampooing will most likely be best for you.
Nevertheless, you can always tweak this frequency if in between washes you keep feeling itchy or if you work out regularly and sweat a lot. If you work out often, weekly shampoos will be better for your active lifestyle to keep hair feeling and smelling fresh.
Rule 2:
Wash your hair twice a month if you usually heat style your curls with a diffuser to dry, a curling wand to define, or if you blow-dry your hair straight with any hot tool. When you heat style your hair often, increasing your wash frequency to every week will be of great benefit.
Even if you’re using a heat protectant (which you definitely will be), there still may be some level of moisture extraction occurring. However, when shampooing, use a moisture-boosting shampoo like Monoi Repairing Sulfate-Free Shampoo to help restore any lost hydration.
Rule 3:
Wash your hair once a week if your curls always require heavy oils, hairsprays that leave hair stiff, or gels that may flake after a few days. This also maybe what’s needed if you have an oily scalp. Piling different products on top of the natural oils that your scalp produces in excess quantity will not only clog your hair follicles but also cause itching, irritation, inflammation, or even hair loss.
How Should You Wash Your Hair?
If you did not already know, there’s actually a method of washing, especially if you like shampooing your curls. This method will help ensure that you prevent your hair from getting damaged and help eliminate frizz when trying to style the hair. Below are the steps on how to wash your hair.
- Check the Temperature of the Water
Just like the skin, hot water can dry hair out. While it may feel so good to run hot water through your hair, the heat can strip your hair of essential oils. So, it’s best to wash with lukewarm or room temperature water instead and finish up with a cool rinse.
- Portion Out Your Shampoo
It’s not advisable to use just any quantity of shampoo for your curly hair. Squeezing a sizeable amount of shampoo onto your locks isn’t the best. What you should do is pour the shampoo into the palm of your hands and not directly onto your hair. This will ensure that you’re only pouring the right amount and not overdoing it.
More so, it’s best to begin using a smaller amount of product on your hair and add more if needed, than overuse it in the first instance. Primarily, shampoo should be applied on your scalp and not the length of your hair. If you’re using it to coat every inch of your strands, you may have been washing with way too much of your curly hair shampoo.
- Work Through Your Scalp
Begin by massaging the shampoo into your roots. You want most of the product to be concentrated on the scalp as that’s where the majority of oil, buildup, and dirt usually settles. Work the product around the scalp in a back and forth motion and not in circles, else you will tangle your curls and make it more difficult to comb through later.
- Cleanse and Finger Comb Your Hair.
Do not use a comb or brush, but use your fingers to gently work the shampoo through the length of your hair. Endeavor to try detangling a bit as you go. You want to begin the detangling process while you still have the product in your hair so that even if it’s not entirely knot-free before rinsing, you can at least run your fingers through larger sections.
- Massage While Rinsing
After working the shampoo through to the ends, the next step will be to rinse. How you do this is equally as important as how you applied and worked the shampoo through. Rub your hands all the way from the root of your hair to the tip as the water flows through your hair.
This process will ensure that all of the shampoos get out, and your hair is all clear for your conditioner. You wouldn’t want any curly hair shampoo residue to get in between your strands and the conditioner you’ll be applying next.
- Use Your Hair Conditioner
Rinsing and conditioning go together just as perfectly. After washing out all of the shampoos, apply your curly hair conditioner. Keep in mind that it’s best to stick with a conditioner that coordinates with your shampoo (that is, one that’s part of the same curly hair care system, instead of mixing and matching different products).
All you need do is apply the conditioner to your hair, focusing it on the mid-lengths to ends rather than your roots. Allow the conditioner to sit for the allotted amount of time (usually between 2 to 5 minutes) and then, rinse it out.
- Use a Leave-in Conditioner
Rinse the excess water out of your hair to prep it for a leave-in conditioner. Your leave-in conditioner should be one that suits your hair needs. If you’re trying to get rid of frizz or trying to boost your hair definition, get a leave-in conditioner that offers that.
- Dry Your Curls
There’s no need to leave your hair sapping wet. To soak up a bit of the water, use a dry towel or soft cotton T-shirt to dry your hair. However, a cotton shirt will be more gentle than a cloth towel. If you’re in a hurry, you can make use of your blow-dryer, but make sure to use a heat protectant.
Summary
In sum, there are a few things you must always keep in mind. Wash your hair when it’s dirty, your scalp is itchy, has product buildup, if you work out often, if you have an excessively oily scalp or if you usually go swimming. Also, you should also take note of your hair’s porosity as it will determine things like how long it will take your hair to dry. It also plays a part in how your hair absorbs and retains moisture when you wash it.