Washing your hair every day? 7 reasons it's doing more harm than good

Do you wash you hair every day? Do you wake up early every morning just to get your shampoo fix? Can you not stand the thought of second day hair? 

Well stop it. Now.

Because while you may think that washing your hair every day is doing it the world of good, it’s actually doing the opposite. 

I know it’s hard. I used to wash my hair every day too. But ever since finding out about the following seven reasons not to, I’ve learned to embrace the idea of a sleep-in and a shorter shower.  

Reason #1: your colour won’t fade as much

When you shampoo, you’re effectively opening your hair cuticles. The hair cuticles are what hold on to colour, so by opening and washing them every day you’re losing double the amount of colour you would if you only shampooed every second day.

Reason #2: a little grease is good

Do you curls fall within five minutes? Does your ponytail droop unless you tie it as tight as possible? A little grease and dirt in your hair makes styling so much easier. It helps to hold the hair where you want it, meaning less time to style and less hair spray.

Reason #3: you won’t be stripping your hair’s natural oils

By washing your hair every day, the natural oils produced by the hair and scalp are being stripped. These oils are what keep your hair healthy and shiny. If you give them a chance to work, you may just find you don’t have to wash your hair as often.

Reason #4: you’ll tame frizz and increase shine 

Even just one day without washing gives the hair’s natural oils a chance to shine. Not to mention it helps to hold down flyaways and tame frizz. If you have frizzy hair and you’re washing it every day, that’s a big part of the problem.

Reason #5: you’ll be doing less heat styling

If every time you wash your hair you have to also blow dry, straighten or curl it, that’s a lot of heat damage you could be avoiding. If you wash it less, you’ll need to style it less, meaning fewer split ends and less dryness.

Reason #6: you’ll save money 

Shampoos and conditioners aren’t cheap. And if you’re using both every day, they’re running out a lot faster. So save yourself some money and make your products last twice as long by using them half as much.

Reason #7: you’ll have less product build up

Most people wash their hair every day because they say it’s oily and greasy if they don’t. But the oil and grease could actually be a result of product-build up rather than not washing it.  By using shampoo and conditioner every day, the residue from each is building up in the hair, making it greasier and heavier. When you first stop washing it, your hair may take a while to adjust but once it does, you’ll notice less oil and grease and less need to wash.

3 products to help kick-start a new hair washing routine: 

1. Shu Uemura Art of Hair Clarifying Astringent Cleanser Cleansing Oil Shampoo - to remove product build-up.

2. ELEVEN Australia Give Me Clean Hair Dry Shampoo - to get you through the transition phase.

3. nak Scalp to Hair Energise Conditioner - a lightweight conditioner to help keep roots lifted (particularly great for those with fine hair who wash often because their hair is weighed down).

How often do you wash your hair? Did you know that daily washing is actually bad for the hair?