OMG Digital Magazine OMG Issue 301 22nd March 2017 | Page 30

OMG Digital Magazine | 301 | Thursday 22 March 2018 • PAGE 30
How Often Should
I Wash My Hair?
By Lynn Andriani
We asked an expert—and yep, she confirmed that less frequent is probably
best.
On the one hand, you've got the less-is-more hair-washing trend; on the
other, a movement to shampoo more often. The truth is, the best frequency
of washing is different for everyone, says Paradi Mirmirani, a dermatologist
and the regional director of hair disorders at Kaiser Permanente Northern
California.
It all depends on a number of factors. One is your skin type, which is
determined by genetics, lifestyle and age. Your scalp's skin type tends to
correlate with your face's skin type, specifically your t-zone, says Mirmirani.
So, if your forehead, nose and chin tend toward dry, then your scalp probably
is, too, and a moisturizing shampoo can help—but stick to once or twice a
week to avoid over-drying the scalp. If you have an oily T-zone and scalp,
you can shampoo more often (say, three times a week).
Beyond skin type, consider your hair's texture, length and density to help
figure out how long the intervals should be between washing. If you have
shorter, straighter, more dense hair, says Mirmirani, you could wash it every
day (though you definitely don't need to), because sebum (aka natural oils)
tends to spread more quickly in these cases. People with longer, thinner or
heat- or color-treated hair should shampoo less frequently, she says, since
hair with those attributes tends not to tolerate shampooing as well (your
hair may feel brittle, or look dull). For most textured hair, Mirmirani says,
shampooing more than once a week can really dry out the hair and the
scalp.
And highly active people needn't overcompensate with extra washing:
leaving sweat on your scalp after a tough workout isn't going to damage it
in any way. If it's smelly, though, Mirmirani says try dry shampoo. Another
option is just rinsing; this can be especially useful if your workout involves
swimming in a chlorinated pool.