How Often to Wash African American Hair For Growth?
There’s a sweet spot for how often to wash African American hair for growth. Too often and you’re causing more harm than good, stripping away moisture and irritating the scalp. Not often enough and you end up with excess buildup that clogs follicles so new hair can’t pop through.
So, how often do black people wash their hair to make it thrive? This is somewhat personal to your hair. You’ll fall somewhere on a range of once every 2-3 days for thinner hair (which is pretty rare for women of color) to 1-2 times a week (for really thick hair).
Learn more about nourishing your hair below, including how often you should apply conditioner and why you should add our hair growth serum for black women to your regimen.
Key Takeaways
- Types 3 and 4 hair have tight coils that make frequent washing unnecessary.
- In fact, overwashing usually causes more harm than good.
- Not washing often enough can be just as harmful, though.
- The sweet spot is 2-3 times a week for most afro hair types.
- Your hair’s thickness is the best gauge of how often to wash black hair.
- Try Rennora Beauty’s ReGrowth Shampoo & Conditioner Set to bring out the best in your hair.
Is it Bad to Wash Your Hair Every Day?
You were probably told not to wash your hair too frequently growing up. There’s a reason for that. Your hair is much more fragile and prone to dryness than, say, your white or Asian friends. Shampoo strips away much-needed moisture, and even the process of scrubbing your scalp with a gentle shampoo can cause friction-related damage.
Dr. Andrew Alexis, a dermatologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, spoke to this. “In many patients of African descent, washing hair with medicated shampoo three or four times a week may result in excessive dryness and fragility of hair, resulting in breakage.3
So, let us be very clear - you should not wash your hair every day. Even if you live an active lifestyle. This is overkill. It will only cause more harm than good. You’ll feel it in the form of scalp irritation; you’ll see it as more strands accumulate on your pillowcase and in your drain.
How Often Do Black People Wash Their Hair on Average?
It’s one thing to ask your granny how often she washes her hair, or your sisters. But let’s pull from a bigger pool of data. A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 61% of African American girls had their hair washed biweekly.1
That’s very different from caucasian women, and it makes sense when you think about some of the unique challenges we have with our hair.2 Our strands need their natural oils more than straighter hair does, and overwashing will strip away moisture that’s already hard to replace.
Dr. Jennifer Maender is a Houston Methodist dermatologist who spoke to this recently. “Because African American people have a hair type prone to dryness and breakage, it is necessary to shampoo far less frequently, such as once a week, or even up to once every two weeks if their scalp does not become irritated or itchy.”4
But we know what you’re thinking…once every two weeks? That sounds gross. It’s not. Your scalp has self-regulating properties and knows how to take care of itself if you just get out of its own way.
That said, there are more nuances in how often to wash African American hair for growth.
Our Stance on How Often to Wash African American Hair For Growth
It would be silly to take a one-size-fits-all approach to how often you wash your natural hair. Some natural afro hair benefits from washing once every 7-14 days. But there are plenty of women with types 3 and 4 hair that work out far too frequently to justify waiting that long between washes.
Think about how you wear your hair, too. Natural afro hair needs to be washed a little more often than, say, black hair that’s in a protective style. Relaxed/straightened hair should be washed more often as it gets greasy a little faster.
You need to account for the products you put in your hair as well. Gel, hair spray, or perhaps even our hair growth serum - these things build up on the scalp and along the bottom of hair strands. They can increase your optimal washing frequency. Scalp buildup can accelerate hair shedding and prevent new hair growth from popping through.
The point is, you need to find your own frequency. That’s going to take a little trial and error. When in doubt, we recommend you err on the side of less is more. As long as your scalp isn’t stinging from buildup, you are not washing too infrequently.
What About Conditioner?
Part of the problem with washing your hair too frequently is you dry it out, stripping away vital oils. Could the answer be as simple as using conditioner more often? Well, we still don’t recommend washing daily. BUT - having a really good conditioner in your haircare routine does allow you to wash more frequently.
At the bare minimum, you should use a leave-in conditioner once a week. Some women with types 3 and 4 hair will use a leave-in conditioner 2-3 times a week. Like how often to wash African American hair for growth, it depends. Think about how dry your hair gets.
Wash and Condition Your Hair With Rennora Beauty
Whether you decide to wash your hair once a week, once every two weeks, or 1-2 times a week, the shampoo you use matters. So does the conditioner. Our ReGrowth Shampoo & Conditioner Set is the pairing you need to protect your scalp and encourage better hair growth.
It cleanses, conditions, and shields without any of the nasty junk other brands put in their shampoo and conditioner. No sulfates, parabens, drying alcohols, or hormone disruptors. It hydrates your curls and coils with shea butter, chamomile, and henna, and is perfectly safe for color-treated, relaxed, braided, and natural hair.
From our topical solutions to our affordable Nutrafol alternative, everything at Rennora Beauty is made by women of color for women of color. Backed by our 120-day money-back guarantee. Shop now!
Related Resources
Weem vs Nutrafol | Hers vs Nutrafol | Kilgour MD vs Nutrafol
References
- Wright DR, et al. "Hair care practices and their association with scalp and hair disorders in African American girls." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2011;64(2):253-262. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20728245/
- Lewallen R, et al. "Hair care practices and structural evaluation of scalp and hair shaft parameters in African American and Caucasian women." Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2015;14(3):216-223. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26300276/
- Alexis A, MD, MPH. Weill Cornell Medicine. Quoted in CreakyJoints, "Navigating Black Hair and Scalp Psoriasis." https://creakyjoints.org/psoriasis/navigating-black-hair-and-scalp-psoriasis/
- Maender J, MD. Houston Methodist. "How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?" July 2024. https:/ /www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2024/jul/how-often-should-you-wash-your-hair/