Want Healthy Hair? Don't Wash It! And Tips For When You Do

“You should wash your hair whenever your scalp feels greasy, dirty or smelly, regardless of your hair type,” according to Trichologist Guy Parsons. Not washing your hair often enough can cause dandruff and scalp acne. Clogged hair follicles can inhibit quality hair growth. ‘If you go long periods of time without washing there will be a build up of natural oils, bacteria, and dead skin cells and these cause greasy hair. But, if you wash your hair every day you may possibly over-stimulate the oil glands situated beneath your scalp and may eventually experience oily hair.'

Also, some shampoos strip the natural oil from your hair and dry your scalp, which causes itchiness and flaking and your scalp to overcompensate by producing more oil to soothe the irritation, producing greasy hair. 

But your scalp does benefit from a good massage every few days to stimulate the circulation and loosen accumulations of dirt and dead skin cells from everyday life. Even if you don't shampoo, if you wet your hair, use conditioner to fill the cuticles and keep your scalp moisturized. 

The commonsense approach is to use mild shampoos and wash your hair if you've sweated or been in dirty environmental conditions, or the roots have accumulated product like gels or mousses and become heavy or itchy.