Real talk: Washing your hair can be annoying. None of us want to do it if we can get away with a little MacGyver-style sprucing up. But there are times where you’re right on the border, on the cusp of a CODE RED! MUST WASH! situation where you think maybe you could go a tad bit longer, but you question. We feel you. And we know that struggle. So we decided to design a flowchart to help.
Now, before you go feeling all sheepish about the state of your un-washedness, let us give you a pep talk. We swear our recent collective obsession with going longer between shampoo-ings isn’t just about laziness. Sure, washing your hair is frustrating. It takes time. You get all cold out of the shower. And then you have to style your hair afterward which can be varying degrees of work, depending on your texture and the specific look you’re going for. So, so frustrating. But in recent years dermatologists and leaders of the No Poo (meaning shampoo-free) and co-washing (meaning conditioner-washing) movements have taught us that washing too often can strip your hair of its natural oils, leading to weaker hair that is not only more finicky and harder to style but also doesn’t hold on to color as long. See? Not washing every day is just being practical—and a worthy goal, we argue.
So go ahead and bookmark this chart; pin it; or print it out, frame it, and hang it in your bathroom—whatever you decide to do with it, just know it’s here for you.
Graphic by Emily Kemp
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