Dermatologist Settles the Debate How Often You Should Wash Your Hair
Published Dec. 17 2024, 9:45 a.m. ET
A woman washing her hair with a shampoo bar.
Maintaining a healthy scalp and hair often comes across as challenging for many. But a dermatologist has offered simple advice on how often a person should wash their hair. Doctor Adel (@aamnadel) specializes in hair and recently shared a video on TikTok to filter through the plethora of information available on the internet on hair care. She advised that hair wash routines differ in a case-by-case manner while highlighting that every individual’s hair texture, and scalp type varies and thus, one universal tip shall not be fruitful for all.
Man washing his hair in a shower.
"I'm a dermatologist specializing in hair, and the question is, how often should you be washing your hair? And the answer, there is no right answer. It really depends on your scalp type and your hair type,” Dr. Adel explained. She stitched the video with a snippet from another clip that suggested that they washed their hair “every 7 days” resulting in hair fall. However, the hair expert was baffled by the former clip and revealed that she has received the same question from her viewers “time and time again.” She broke it down for her followers and shared tips on specific hair types, be it oily, dry, or coily textured hair. To start with, Dr. Adel spelled out that people with oily, greasy, and flaky hair, must wash their hair every single day. This also involves people who work out every day or use many hair care products.
Woman holding her damaged split and messy hair.
For people with textured hair and a very dry scalp or hair, the expert suggested they wash their hair “every few days.” She did not specify the exact number of days. “And if you are somebody that has very tight, coily textured hair, then you actually don't even need to wash your hair as frequently as that. You can get away with washing your hair once a week, maybe even a little bit longer than that,” she added of the final hair care tip.
Female doctor specialist in baldness checking a patient with hair loss.
In the final seconds, Dr. Adel once again called attention to the fact there is no one-shoe-fits-all in hair care. She said that apart from the hair care advice, the “most important learning point” was how the requirements range for specific hair types. “Just because your bestie is washing her hair once every week, doesn’t mean you should be too,” the hair expert concluded.
A woman cleans her hair with a hairbrush in her hand.
The conversation went on in the comments section with several internet users chipping in their insights on their personal hair wash routines. One TikTok user @danalinenberger wrote, “My scalp couldn’t be trusted after 48 hours.” Echoing their sentiment, @goalowski chimed in, “My oily hair makes me wash it every single day. It’s a curse.” A comment by @skintellectualbutterfly caught Dr. Adel’s attention when they pointed out that their scalp is “super oily” but the hair ends tend to be dry.
A young woman spraying a hair product on her hair in the living room.
She advised the TikTok user to address the problems separately. “Focus on your scalp in terms of washing. Scalp exfoliants with salicylic acid/detox shampoos can help reduce oil,” she explained. Whereas, she told her to use hydrating conditioners, masks, or oils for the dry ends. Some others were conflicted about Dr. Adel’s hair care tips and shared their opinions. “The longest I’ve gone without a wash is like 2.5 weeks and looked fine,” a follower @landon_sm said.
You can follow Doctor Adel (@aamnadel) on TikTok for more content on hair and skin care tips.