Curly, straight or anywhere in between, it is beyond doubt that our hair is one of our most defining features, the make-or-break of the outfit you’ve had planned in your head for days. But how many people actually know how to take proper care of their hair? Is washing it every day doing you more bad than good?

 

There are very controversial statements out there arguing how often your hair actually requires a thorough scrub. On one hand there is the argument that as greasy as things such as pollution make our hair, constantly washing it could lead it to becoming even more greasy. Washing our locks strips away their natural oils, particularly at the root, which dries the scalp and causes our oil glands to produce more oils more quickly. 

 

Solutions to this include “training your hair” by not washing it for a few days to reduce overall oil production. As unsanitary as it sounds, it can actually be beneficial for your hair and can be done relatively easily if you stock up on enough dry shampoo.

 

Nonetheless, if you are someone who suffers from having oily hair it may be best to wash your hair daily, since that would probably not count as overwashing. It all depends on your scalp’s level of oil production and whether or not you are willing to go out in public with unwashed hair for a few days: just be sure it does not creep up to the point where your hair looks and feels completely outrageous – yikes.

 

One thing that can be agreed on is that you should be using paraben free shampoo. Parabens are chemicals put into cosmetic products such as shampoo to help preserve them, but they can have negative effects on the health of your hair, leading to problems such as dryness, irritation or sometimes even hair loss. It is unrealistic that the next time you wash your hair using paraben-containing shampoo that your luscious locks will start falling out in chunks, however, it is best to use products without these pesky chemicals to keep your hair happy and healthy.

 

Aftercare is just as important as the hair washing process – I am guilty of this myself but blow-drying your hair is a no-go! In fact, using heat to style or dry your hair can cause lots of damage as the heat breaks the hydrogen bonds in the proteins that make up your hair which induces brittleness and split ends. 

 

Letting your hair dry naturally and squeezing the water out with a cotton t-shirt when you hop out the shower (or bath if you’re that type of person) can do your hair a lot of good, but if you’re prone to catching colds in the winter then definitely blow-dry your hair: having a few split ends is better than having the chills.