More People Wash Their Hair Every Day Than You Might Think - Exclusive Survey

Hair is different for everyone in terms of color, texture, thickness, and more. It only makes sense that there would be a huge range of how people care for their hair and how often they wash it. Hair needs to be washed due to a buildup of sebum, or oil, that's produced by the scalp (via Healthline). When hair begins to get oily, it can feel limp and "dirty." The amount of oil your scalp makes depends on factors like age, sex, genes, and your environment. For example, a young child produces far less oil than a teenager. Our scalps also become less oily as we age.

Sweat can make our hair feel dirty, too, especially after a big workout (via MedicalNewsToday). Not only can our hair look less than ideal after an intense exercise session, but sweat can also give it a bad smell. If you use a lot of hair products, your hair is going to feel dirtier faster. As the products build up, the scalp can also become irritated, giving you that itchy feeling that will make you want to run to the shower. However, your hair type can also dictate how often washing is needed. Those with thick, curly hair will need to wash it less often than someone with fine, straight hair.

Health Digest conducted a survey of 583 readers to find out just how often they actually wash their hair. The poll showed that 27.96% of respondents wash their hair every single day, followed by 23.84% who wash every other day. While 98 people, or 16.81%, shampoo their hair three times a week, another 17.67% wash twice a week. Just 9.43% of respondents said they wash once a week, and 4.29% even said they wash their hair less than once a week.

While the majority of respondents said they wash their hair every day, most experts actually agree that this is too often (via WebMD). Dr. Carolyn Goh, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said that natural oils are important for your hair's health. They moisturize the hair and give it an added layer of protection against things like heat damage. When we use shampoo on our hair, we strip it of its natural oils, which can cause dryness and breakage.

While there's no one-size-fits-all recommendation for hair washing, Dr. Goh says it's fine to wash your hair once every 2-3 days, or longer if you have thick hair. If you have fine hair, sweat a lot, or live in a place with high humidity, you may want to shampoo more often. If you want to try going longer between washes, use a dry shampoo on your roots to extend your style.