This is a question that I am asked time and time again, and believe it or not, it is a very important question. How often we wash our hair directly affects our hair, and more importantly, how much hair we have.

The first thing to consider is the time of year. Yes, the astrologers were right, the seasons do affect our lives. Think about it, during the summer, there is usually more heat. Heat usually creates more humidity. Higher humidity forces us to perspire. Perspiration releases toxins, which can then get caught and built up on our hair and scalp. Built up toxins can lead to a variety of scalp and hair issues, including dermatitis, itchiness, oily scalp and hair, bad odor etc. This means that when we are exposed to higher humidity environments, we will probably have to wash our hair more often.

Of course, the opposite is true for the winter. Normally in the winter, there is more heating and less moisture in the air. Also, the air is usually drier. This will cause the opposite effect of high humidity, and washing our hair becomes less necessary.

Another important factor is our own genetics. In other words, do we have oily hair or dry hair. Often times, men with oily hair think they need to shampoo all the time. This is a BIG MISTAKE. Here is what happens. Our scalp has a whole bunch of oil glands. These oil glands regulate the amount of oil that is released onto the scalp, which becomes a natural barrier against environmental stress. When we continuously wash this natural barrier off, the oil glands go into panic mode. They start saying “Uh-oh! We need more protection! Quickly! The scalp is defenseless!”

The oil glands then go into “hyper-secretion” mode. They start pumping out oil onto the scalp to restore the scalp’s defenses. In fact, they do such a good job, that our hair is soon more oily than before we shampooed.

So what does all this mean? Genetics. Oily versus dry. Winter versus summer.

It means…shampoo LESS.

This may sound funny coming from a man who sells shampoo for a living, but the honest truth is: less is best. In the summer, I recommend shampooing once or twice a week. In the winter, once a week should suffice. But keep in mind, you MUST rinse you hair as often as you can with warm to hot water. That’s right. You MUST rinse your hair everyday, just as you would wash your face or brush your teeth. I am not advocating a ‘never wash again’ regime. This is very damaging to your scalp and hair. I am advocating keeping your scalp clean with warm water everyday, and use a good sulfate-free shampoo once or twice a week.

You will need to experiment though. Figure out what works for you. Some of us will need to wash more often, and some of us will need to wash less often. If you have any questions, just shoot me an email: [email protected].

Mundus esse.