Hair Tip #45: How Often Do I Wash? Condition? Etc?

I get a lot of questions from girls who are newly natural regarding how often to do everything. They will find products that work but wonder, how often do I wash my hair? How often do I condition?

Rule of Thumb: It is a person by person basis. I was my hair once a week because that works for me. Some people can go a month without washing. Just let your hair tell you what it needs.

Determining how often to wash your hair:

You have to ask yourself some questions. Is your scalp feeling itchy? If your answer is yes, is it because your scalp is dry or because it is dirty? You should be able to tell the difference.

Here's another question to ask: Do you have product build up? If yes, you want to wash your hair. Some people use a lot of products that cause build up such as gels and stylers. The best way to rid yourself of buildup is to wash regularly.



 Determining how often to condition your hair:

If you co-wash your hair and never use shampoo, you will most likely co-wash often. But if you use shampoo. You always follow up with conditioner. Shampoo strips your hair because it removes dirt and oil. The purpose of shampoo is to rid your scalp and hair of product, dirt and excess oil. The purpose of a conditioner is to add moisture, strengthen and reverse the "strip" on your hair from the shampoo. They work hand in hand. Like peanut butter and jelly. Like kool-aid and sugar (Oh my word I haven't had kool-aid in years!!) lol

Determining how often to deep condition your hair:

 
Here are some questions to ask: Is your hair dry and brittle? Do your hair strands feel weakened?  These are sure signs that you need to deep condition your hair.

What is the difference between a regular conditioner and a deep conditioner? They are definitely different. Deep conditioners are designed to give your hair an intensive treatment. They contain properties to strengthen, vitalize and moisturize your hair. If you want strong, healthy hair a deep conditioner is a must.
Determining how often to do it depends on how often your hair needs it. This is where you should be sensitive to the needs of your own hair. Everyone is different. Some deep condition weekly, others bi-monthly and others once a month.

Should I do hot oil treatments?

These are not necessary for everyone. In fact they are not necessary at all! But if you have an unbalanced scalp- meaning it is often dry, flaky and itchy, it would be beneficial for you to do a hot oil treatment. You can do these whenever your scalp is in need of intense moisture. You can never over do it :) ... at least I don't think! It will help you immensely! Plus its very relaxing.




Setting up a game plan
In short just listen to what your hair tells you to do and do it. Record when you do these things (wash, deep condition, etc) and in about a few months you should start to see a pattern. You will see, okay I usually wash my hair every 7-10 days, etc. Then you can start nailing down a routine that works for YOU.

You have to focus on the needs of your hair because if you just mimic someone else's regimen and routine, and it isn't want you hair needs, it could hinder your hair growth and health. For example, there are some people I know who wash their hair once a month. I could not imagine doing that because every 7-10 days my hair is like, wash me now! But if that person who washes once a month decided to wash every 7-10 days their hair would probably end up dry from over washing. So you see, we are all different! And that is the beauty of the journey!