Most people don't realize that over washing your hair can dry it out and lead to breakage, dryness, itchy scalp or even dandruff. Washing your hair often seems like a positive way of staying clean but maybe it isn't so healthy after all. When we wash our hair we are washing away a protective coat of oil called sebum oil. Sebum oil is secreted by the sebaceous glands and it helps keep hair and skin moisturized. Sebum is made up of triglycerides, free fatty acids, wax esters, cholesterol and squalene which is an anti inflammatory and balances oil production. Too much sebum production combined with dead skin cells not being washed away regularly and you might have acne or seborrhea, an inflamed condition that causes red flaky skin. Too little sebum, by washing too frequently and the hair and scalp become too dry. Finding the right balance is important but different for everyone.
To give you an idea of where you want to keep your heads ph or Potential Hydrogen, look out for too oily or too dry skin and just adjust accordingly. The healthy window between acidity and alkaline is a small one but check out this scale to add some perspective.
As you can see, we come into contact with things from each end of the spectrum on a regular basis. If you think you're washing too much but you wear heavy hold products and it's hard not to wash daily, try using PH balanced shampoo. It will do wonders for your hair. Another great tip to balancing is to use aloe vera. Just add it to a spray bottle and give your hair a few sprays every now and then. Aloe is slightly acidic and it will close your hair's cuticle and remove frizz too! . If you are experiencing any issues it might be time to switch to a product that can be reshaped the next day like Level Headed Pomade! :)
Thanks for reading! - SJ