Wash, rinse, wait at least one day then repeat. This is what it should say on the back of all shampoo bottles. The fact is that most shampoos are essentially chemical scrubs for your hair. If you continuously scrub a surface that surface will dry out and thin until it eventually cracks, breaks, and/or depletes completely. It is not necessary to do this to your hair. Maintaining proper hygiene doesn’t have to be dangerous to any part of your body.

When we shampoo we are attempting to break up dirt and excess oils and then rinse them away. Shampoo does this through the effects of surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, or the ammonium based ammonium lauryl sulfate. Surfactants conduct an amazing process of penetrating oils, emulsifying these oils, suspending them in water, and then finally rinsing these oils down the drain as you rinse the shampoo from your hair. This being the desired effect of you stepping into your shower and grabbing that shampoo bottle we can definitely say that these surfactants do the job. The problem arises when this process of stripping oils is done too often. The body produces sebum(oil) to protect the skin and hair. Sebum keeps the hair from becoming dry, brittle, and cracked from dehydration. To remove sebum daily threatens the integrity of the hair.

I often recommend that a safer alternative to daily shampooing would be to skip at least one day between shampoos. On this day, if it is felt necessary, rather than using shampoo just use conditioner. Start by thoroughly rinsing your hair. Then use a conditioner to emulsify the dirt and oils in your hair by massaging it in as you would a shampoo. Again thoroughly rinse your hair, this time ending with a cool rinse. For my clients who were stuck on a regimen of daily shampooing this alternative proved to be very effective. Many said that even after a workout, when their hair is screaming for a shower, using the conditioner does the job.

As with any change  there may be a period of adjustment. At first it may feel wrong to not shampoo your hair everyday if that is what you are used to. It may feel wrong to put conditioner on your hair when you haven’t shampooed it yet. It is easier to build patterns than it is to change them. There may be a period of adjustment physiologically as well. Your body is a system that reacts to its environment and conditions. The production of sebum is a normal balanced bodily function. When you remove the sebum the sebaceous glands release more to ensure the protection of the hair and skin. A balanced body will maintain a balanced sebum production. When an immediate change is made in the removal of the sebum the body may continue producing and releasing at the same rate until balance to the new conditions is achieved. I have heard from many of my clients that at first their hair felt weighed down but within a few days as they got used to not shampooing daily their hair got its bounce back and was much shinier and healthier looking than before.

To maintain healthy beautiful hair it is important to be aware of what your putting on it and how that will affect the integrity of the hairs structure. How strong it is coming out of your scalp depends on how you treat your body. How strong it is after that is not only based on how you treat your body but a direct result of how you treat your hair. Be nice to your hair.