I get a lot of emails from people experiencing hair loss who want to know how much they should shampoo their hair.
Some people notice more hair coming out with each shampoo, so they want advice on shampooing less.
Sometimes though, I get emails from folks who fear that DHT or androgens might be causing their hair loss, so they want to know if they should be shampooing more.
I will address these concerns in the following article.
How Often Should You Wash Your Hair If You Are Suffering From Hair Loss?: In truth, your goal here should be to keep your scalp clean and free of clogging and debris.
The frequency that is required for this is going to be different for each person.
If you have shorter hair or an oilier scalp, then you may need to wash daily.
If you have longer hair and a dry scalp, then you may be able to go a bit longer between washings.
However, I've read about folks who wash their have more than once per day.
I can't imagine that this is a good practice.
Why? Because by over washing, you are stripping your scalp of the protective oils that are necessary for scalp health.
As a means of self perseveration, then your scalp will often just continue to release oils (for its own protection) so you are getting the exact opposite response than you want.
Your goal was to rid your scalp of oil and sebum, but what you've done instead is to stimulate your scalp to produce even more of what you are trying to diminish.
Additionally, people often think that any androgens or oils cause hair loss.
This is not entirely accurate.
People with horribly oily hair and tons of androgens can have full, healthy, and thick hair because they do not have the genetic sensitivity that causes loss and thinning.
It is impossible to keep all androgens off of your scalp as you body continues to produce them.
What you may want to consider addressing instead is the sensitivity.
The short answer, in my experience and opinion, is that if you're washing your hair too little so that you notice that it itches, looks weighted down, or has excess oil, then washing more often could well increase your scalp health, decrease your androgens and sebum, and help your hair loss (assuming that it is caused by a genetic sensitivity to androgens.
) However, if you are already washing your hair enough to keep your scalp clear and healthy (this is going to be anywhere from every day to every few days for most people) then there is no reason to dry out your scalp and potentially irritate it by over washing.
You're often better off ensuring a clean and healthy scalp, but also focusing on the sensitivity to androgens as well as stimulating vigorous regrowth.