How often should you wash your hair: tips for adults and children

31 Jan

How often should you wash your hair to keep your hair looking attractive? Opinions on this matter differ: some argue that you can get by once a week, and others that three will not be enough. In fact, this is a personal matter for each person, it all depends on his nature, the amount of secretions of the sebaceous glands, and so on. You may have thick, shiny hair that reaches below your waist and can be styled into any hairstyle, but what does it matter if your locks look greasy, dirty, and like they haven't been cleaned in a long time? Let's figure out together how often you need to wash your hair so as not to harm your strands and still look neat.

How many times a week should you cleanse your hair?

Many people naively believe that washing your hair when it gets dirty is enough to keep your hair in good condition. Perhaps for those lucky women whose hair does not cause problems from birth, this is a good option, but since you are reading this article, it means that something is bothering you, and you need an accurate answer.

As mentioned above, everything depends individually on the personal properties of the girl’s curls. Cosmetology experts say that washing your hair more often than every three days will not have a very positive effect on the health of the strands themselves. In this regard they are certainly right. Why? It's all because of the structure of the hair.

The fact is that every hair on our head is covered with a protective film . This film consists of fats and lipids. It creates a favorable environment for the hair cuticle, and the cuticle itself is responsible for the health of the curls. The more often we wash our hair, the less of this film remains on our hair. Just imagine, the cuticle, without the protection that fats and lipids provided it, begins to collapse, that is, the hair itself is destroyed.

It’s especially bad for girls who are forced to put their hair in order every day through numerous styling, which means exposing them to all sorts of hair products, from mousses to spray varnishes. The latter, by the way, are very harmful to the strands, since the varnish does not allow the hair to be enveloped in fats. Therefore, thanks to such a spray, the strands become dirty many times slower. Perhaps this is a positive side for you, because you can now cleanse your hair less often, but, as mentioned above, this is very, very bad.

When you use shampoo, almost all fats and lipids are washed away, as they are affected by the substances contained in this soap product. This procedure will not cause harm until you start washing your hair every day. This is especially true for those ladies who suffer from dandruff or too dry curls.

Since fats and lipids are washed away by shampoo, the strands are no longer moisturized, which means they can become dry, especially when you don’t use a hairdryer at all or use it at too high a temperature. Dandruff also gets worse for the same reason: the skin remains dry, which means irritation and the appearance of fungus increases.

Thus, your hair will thank you if you give it water treatments no more often than every three days. During this time, a protective film will have time to form on the strands and ensure the safety of their cuticle. However, now some people will face another problem: their hair gets dirty too quickly. And this relates to another reason.

It is believed that rapid salting of strands is a definite disease that can and should be combated. We'll talk about this a little later, but now let's clarify how different the need for a child to wash their hair frequently is from the need for an adult to do this.

How to comb a child's hair

Up to a year, everything is simple: use baby soft brushes and combs, for example, Chicco Safe Hygiene, NUK Baby Brush & Comb sets.

After a year or later, when the hair has grown enough and a new comb is needed, the famous Tangle Teezer or Air Motion Soft are ideal. They untangle easily without damaging. Leave the comb for combing wet hair or distributing balm/mask.

Tangle Teezer Comb

Air Motion Soft Comb

Don't forget that each family member should have their own personal comb (even several), including the child. Wash them regularly with shampoo to avoid the accumulation of dust, grease, and germs.

If your sweet daughter's hair is very tangled, then to comb it easily, after each wash, apply your balm or conditioner to the strands for a couple of minutes, from the earlobes to the ends. Then rinse thoroughly.

Before combing, treat your hair with a detangling spray. For example, from the Estel Little Me :

Children's radiance spray “Like a big one” Estel Spray “Easy combing” Estel Balm-foam for combing Estel

From the Siberica Biberika series (from Natura Siberica) “Magic Comb” spray.

Spray “Magic comb” Siberica Biberika

If the strand is very tangled, rolled into a tangle, try generously treating it with balm or liquid crystals and try to untangle it.

When combing is tangled, you should always start from the ends. That is, first comb the ends, then go a little higher, comb again. And only at the end can you start moving from the roots.

Be sure to watch the video from trichologist at the RTH clinic Fedor Tonkikh about caring for children’s hair:

How often is it necessary to wash a child's hair?

The structure of children's hair and the structure of adults' hair, as well as their scalp, are different, therefore, shampoos for adults (which are also divided into women's and men's) and for children also have some differences. The fact is that a child does not need half of the components that are included in shampoos for adults. For example, silicone, which prevents tangling, is not at all useful to a child, because his hair is much thinner and softer, which means it is much easier to comb than the dense, coarse hair of an adult.

Children under one year of age are not recommended to wash their hair more than once a week, since their scalp is very sensitive, and frequent washing will cause it to become excessively dry. It is also not necessary to use shampoos; a light rinse with water will be enough.
But still, deep cleansing won’t hurt at least three times a month. Do not use baby soap, which you usually use to wash your child’s body; it is better to use a mild shampoo or foam.

If the child’s hair is very, very thin, like, for example, a baby’s, then it is better to refrain from using foam and get by with massaging the scalp with a wet brush. This will help the hair gradually get used to combing, and blood circulation in the scalp will improve, which means their growth and thickness will increase, and the hair will become stronger.
Starting from one year old, you can start washing your hair using shampoo that does not sting your eyes. It’s very easy to find one; usually most of the baby shampoos on the shelves are “tear-free” shampoos.

Girls over three years old, whose hair is very long, can start washing their hair like an adult girl, but instead of regular shampoo, use the same children's shampoo and, preferably, one that does not sting the eyes.

Don't rush to turn your little princess into a real grown-up lady; she won't thank you for it in the future. A child's hair is much more fragile, and care must be taken carefully so as not to ruin the curls from childhood.

Features of children's hair and scalp

They are thin and fragile, so they become more tangled, abraded by the pillow, and damaged by hairpins and elastic bands. A dense core is formed only by adolescence.
Children's skin is also thinner, the protective skin barrier and hydrolipid mantle have not yet been formed.
Physiological characteristics in childhood are such that the activity of the sebaceous glands is reduced, as a result of which the hair remains clean for a long time, but the skin may be too dry.
In children, the skin has a pH close to neutral, while in adults the skin reaction is acidic.
Hair follicles are located close to the surface of the skin and are easily damaged by tight hairstyles or shaving the head at one year of age.

Because of these features, caring for children's hair must be very delicate. You need to choose a high-quality comb, pay attention to the composition of the shampoo, and monitor the skin’s reaction to cosmetics. We will talk about all this in detail further.

To remove yellow crusts from the scalp, you need to soak them with water, then carefully remove what is possible with a comb. Do not try to pick the crusts dry, otherwise you may damage the delicate skin.

What to do if your head gets dirty too quickly?

There are many factors that influence the excessive secretion of sebaceous glands. Doctors usually prescribe prescriptions for masks, as well as diets to maintain healthy curls. But you don’t need to go far, we have collected a couple of tips for you and your hair in this article so that the problem of rapid pollution no longer bothers you.

Proper nutrition

Often girls neglect such a thing as a healthy lifestyle, and then complain that the condition of their hair, skin and nails is terrible, and only gets worse over time. Those who dream of an ideal appearance need proper nutrition, not to mention the fact that nicotine and alcohol are absolutely contraindicated for them. What is this most proper nutrition?

The most important thing is to exclude sweets, fried foods, flour and fatty foods from your diet.
Consume as much protein and carbohydrates as possible, as well as low-calorie foods containing a lot of fiber.
The best friend of proper nutrition is water. Drink plenty of fluids.

Don't eat more than can fit in the glass. It is better to fill the emptiness in your stomach with water, tea or coffee without cream and sugar.
It is best to have your last meal at 18:00. If you cannot afford this, then eat your last meal 3 hours before bedtime.

You will see, if you do everything correctly, then within a month you will notice an improvement in the condition of your hair, and you will no longer need any masks, shampoos, or balms.

External hair nutrition

Various masks can serve as external nutrition. The best ones are those prepared from natural products at home, but if circumstances do not allow you to do such things, then ready-made store-bought ones will do just fine.

The best option for getting rid of oily hair is a mixture of honey, egg yolk, yeast and olive oil.

Mix all products in an amount of 1-2 tablespoons until you get a homogeneous mass.
Apply to hair, warm with a terry towel, and after half an hour you can rinse with cool water.
Repeat this procedure once a week for several months. The result will be noticeable already in the fourth week.

The most important thing in the beauty of curls is to pay more attention to them. On their own, without your care, they will never become the hair of your dreams. The same applies to other external data. Take care of yourself and what nature has given you, and then you can become a real beauty. Good luck!

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Devices for washing a child's hair.

In order to fully answer the question of how to wash a child’s hair, we will present you with various devices for bathing a child.

They are quite common and will help a child cope with fears, the main thing is to explain what it is and why it is needed.

After you have managed to wash your hair without getting your eyes wet, draw your baby’s attention to this: “Look, son, we washed our hair, but our eyes are dry! Isn't that great? What great fellows we are!”

We managed to wash our heads - Well done!

That's all for us. We hope our article helped you, leave your comments below, maybe even share your method. That's all for now, join us on Odnoklassniki, and read us on our channel in Yandex.Zen.

Based on materials from: jablogo.com, semya-vmeste.ru.

A child is afraid to wash his hair - what to do and how to wash a child’s hair correctly. updated: February 9, 2021 by: Subbotina Maria

Every mother should keep her child’s body clean and teach him personal hygiene. This needs to be done from the first days of the baby’s life. To do this, a woman should study information on how to wash the hair of a newborn baby. The first wash is carried out after discharge from the hospital, using special products.

It is important to cleanse your scalp regularly as it is the most exposed area of your body that is exposed to dirt every day. In this way, you not only cleanse your baby’s hair, but also prevent dermatological diseases, improve local blood flow, and stimulate hair growth. The main thing is to follow the basic rules of the procedure so as not to frighten the baby and not discourage him from bathing.

Causes of oily hair

One of the main reasons for oily hair is heredity. But if the hair was normal before and then became oily, it means that there was some external or internal reason. Hair becomes oily due to the influence of the following factors:

hormonal fluctuations. Observed in adolescence, in women - during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Hormonal levels can also be affected by taking oral contraceptives or infertility treatment;
acute and chronic gastrointestinal diseases. Due to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the absorption of nutrients is impaired, and vitamin deficiency begins. This leads to changes in the functioning of the sebaceous glands and causes oily hair;
psycho-emotional stress. High physical, intellectual and emotional stress affects the body's humoral regulation (hormone production), and can lead to increased sebum secretion;
unbalanced diet, which is dominated by fatty, spicy, smoked or salty foods, fast food, a small proportion of vegetables and fruits, fiber;
smoking and alcohol abuse;
sedentary lifestyle;
use of inappropriate cosmetics.

Hair problems can also appear during a sudden change in climate zone, for example, during trips to warm countries.

Factors affecting oily and dry hair

Oily or dry hair depends on the intensity of the sebaceous glands. They are influenced by external and internal factors. Internal ones include:

genetic predisposition;
chronic diseases (for example, diabetes, hormonal disorders);
skin diseases.

External factors affecting the condition of the scalp and hair are:

balanced diet;
stress;
cosmetics used;
hot styling frequency;
uncontrolled medication use.

When and where is the best time to swim?

At first, Dr. Komarovsky advises bathing babies before feeding. Many mothers find it convenient to wash their newborn before 10 pm, but it is not forbidden to do this before any feeding of the baby.

Some people often bathe their children at 6 pm. When the baby grows up and begins to fall asleep later, bathe him before bed, and so that the child is not hungry during water procedures, give him juice with pulp.

You need to bathe your baby in a warm room - in the bathroom, in the kitchen, if there is enough space for a bath. The doctor gives a lot of useful advice on caring for a newborn in his numerous videos.

Is it possible to wash your hair with shampoo every day?

A properly selected shampoo will not cause much harm to the strands. To avoid exposure to certain chemical elements included in the composition, professionals recommend changing them after 3 months.

Many shampoos have aggressive ingredients, so frequent use can damage your hair to some extent. If you need to wash your hair regularly, it is better to choose a detergent that is suitable for daily use.

Experts agree: Only a small group of people need daily shampooing, such as those with very fine hair, who exercise a lot and who sweat. The thicker the hair, the less often cleansing procedures are required. Some people with dry or frizzy hair may wash their scalp less frequently.

Choosing a detergent

Before washing your newborn's hair, you need to choose the right and safe detergent. This can be a simple baby soap without chemical and allergenic fragrances and other additives; it is available in solid and liquid form.

Many parents prefer to wash the baby's head with baby shampoo that does not irritate the eyes, which contains natural and environmentally friendly ingredients that do not cause allergies in the baby.

Carefully read the composition of the shampoo before purchasing; it should not contain sulfates - these are toxic substances that gradually accumulate in the body and are extremely difficult to remove.

In fact, sulfates are poison; toxins, gradually accumulating, lead to serious health problems. Wash your baby's hair with shampoo labeled 0+; such products are well suited for washing infants.

Bathe your baby with foam or baby gel if you don't want to use shampoo. Such products are intended for washing the entire body, including the head. In such cases, the packaging is marked “from head to toe.” Obstetricians recommend limiting yourself to baby soap at first.