Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Washing your hair is one of life's most pedestrian tasks, one that you'd think most people would know how to do as adults. But if you're lathering up your hair in the shower every morning, then heads up: you're probably doing it wrong. So how often should you wash your hair?

We talked to San Francisco hairstylist Kristina Louise Welzien about how to wash your hair properly, from how long you should wait between washes to how you should go about sudsing while you're in the shower.

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair? 

Not quite what you were expecting? Kristina explains why certain hair types can go longer than others. 

If your hair gets oily quickly...wash every 2–3 days.

If your hair gets oily quickly, you probably have fine hair. It's not that your scalp produces more oil, it's that your fine hair covers less surface area than thick hair, so there's less hair to absorb the oil. Often, your roots will look greasy after about a day, though your ends will look normal or even a little dry—usually the case if you have long hair.

"That's the most common scenario, that the ends of the hair are typically much drier [than the roots] and therefore they need special care," Kristina says. "But at the same time, people want that fresh, clean feeling at the scalp."

So how often should you wash your hair if you want an oil-free scalp but don't want to dry out your ends? About every 2–3 days.

Going two or (gulp) three days between washing your hair may be scary, but you shouldn't lather up at the first sign of oil because that oil is very beneficial for your hair.

"There's not a hair mask or deep conditioner on the market that is as great as our own natural oil," Kristina says. Plus, she adds, "if we use anything that's too astringent or too cleansing and we use it too often, it can actually have a reverse effect where [hair] can get very dried out. This can actually produce more oil in the long run. Then you have this combination of really dry and really oily together, which are two characteristics that are really hard to battle at the same time."

That's why it's key to shampoo every other day at the most.

Pro Tip: Choose products formulated for your hair type to ensure your hair looks its best.

If your hair gets oily gradually...wash every 4–7 days (thick hair) or every 2–3 weeks (natural hair).

If your hair takes days or even weeks to get oily, you probably have thick hair to coarse hair. This means you only have to wash every 4–7 days for thick hair and about every 2–3 weeks for highly textured natural hair.

Those with the coarsest coils should "maybe shampoo once a month as a nice way to clarify the scalp from buildup of product," Kristina says. "Otherwise, there's really no shampooing that's going on, and it's all about the conditioning of the scalp and hair."

Some women with highly textured hair participate in water-only hair washing, which means that they avoid shampoo and conditioner entirely. Instead, they massage warm water into their scalps after taking care to move the oil from their scalp down into their hair with their fingers.

Want to go shampoo-free? Here's what happened when two of our writers went without shampoo for a month.

 

Pro Tip: Need more help dealing with your thick curls? In our curly hair tips article, two editors talk about what hair washing and styling routines have worked for their curl types. 

How All Hair Types Should Wash Their Hair  

No matter what hair type you have, try using shampoo only on your scalp to avoid drying out the rest of your hair. Use hydrating conditioner on the middle and ends. 

Don't forget the dry shampoo.

To keep from looking like an extra in the musical Grease, you'll probably want to spritz your hair with dry shampoo on oily days. Dry shampoo sops up oil and keeps your hair smelling fresh. If you have natural hair, you may not need it unless you have a press and haven't had time to go to the salon.

Need some extra help disguising oily roots? Read "Eight Hairstyles for Dirty Hair That Can Be Done in Five Minutes."

This article was originally written by staff writer Kelly MacDowell and has since been updated.