How Often Should Black Hair Be Washed?

Co-authored by April Ferri and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: September 12, 2023 References

It can be super tempting to reach for the shampoo whenever you hop in the shower—but is it okay to wash natural hair that often? That’s a totally valid question—and we’re here to answer it. We’ve outlined everything you need to know about Black hair care, including hair washing advice and general hair care tips. In just a few minutes, you’ll be able to optimize your daily styling routine and keep your Black hair looking beautiful, healthy, and vibrant.

Section 1 of 3:

How often should a black person wash their hair?

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1
Wash your Black hair once every 7 to 14 days. Black hair tends to be on the dry side—when you wash it really frequently, it becomes even more dry and likely to break.^{[1]
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Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

Go to source} To keep your hair clean and protected, dermatologists recommend washing your hair once a week or once every 2 weeks.^{[2]
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American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists

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- If you exercise a lot, feel free to wash your hair once every 5-7 days instead.^{[4]
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2
Wait at least 7 days to wash your hair after getting it relaxed. Hair relaxers strip your hair’s natural oils away, leaving your hair pretty dry.^{[5]
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Research source} Shampoos also remove the natural oils from your hair, making them bad news for newly-relaxed hair.^{[6]
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Research source} To be safe, wait at least 1 week before you wash your relaxed strands.^{[7]
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- Once you’ve passed the week-long grace period, you’re free to wash your hair once every 7-14 days (like you usually would).^{[8]
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3
Wash braids or other protective hairstyles once every 2 weeks. Protective hairstyles are really easy to care for and don’t require quite as much TLC as regular natural hair. Try to get in the habit of washing your braids once every 2 weeks to keep your hair looking and feeling great.^{[9]
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- You can even space out your washings by 3 weeks, if you want.^{[10]
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Section 2 of 3:

How to Wash Black Hair

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1
Divide your hair and treat it with olive, coconut, or avocado oil for 1 hour. Split your hair into at least 4 sections. Then, apply 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of olive, coconut, or avocado oil through each divided section. Slip a plastic cap over your divided hair, keeping your hair wrapped up for the next hour or so.^{[11]
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- You don’t have to do this oil treatment, but it’s a great way to nourish your hair.
2
Detangle your hair and give it a good rinse. Pull off the cap and run your fingers through your oil-treated hair—this helps work out any tangles. Then, switch on the shower to a lukewarm temperature and rinse your hair for a few minutes.^{[12]
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- Rinsing your hair is a quick and easy to clear away any build-up in your scalp.
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Apply a conditioning shampoo to your hair.^{[13]
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[V161666_b01]. 8 December 2020.} Squeeze out a grape-sized portion of shampoo and massage it into your hair.^{[14]
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Research source} Focus specifically on your scalp, but take a moment to run the shampoo through the strands of your hair, too. Rinse all of the product out once you’re finished.^{[15]
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- Try not to massage and lather your hair with your palms—this could lead to your hair knotting.
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Work a moisturizing conditioner into the ends of your hair.^{[16]
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[V161666_b01]. 8 December 2020.} Rub plenty of product onto your hair, focusing especially on the tips. The ends of your hair are the oldest parts of the strand, so they need to be conditioned the most.^{[17]
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American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists

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- Dipping your hair beneath the shower can help you spread the conditioner evenly to all of your hair.^{[18]
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Detangle your hair with a wide-tooth comb. Take your comb and focus on the tips of your hair first. Work through any obvious knots and tangles, and then gradually comb your way up to your scalp.^{[19]
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Rinse out all of the conditioner from your hair with cool water. Cool water forces your hair’s cuticles to close themselves up, which seals in all the moisturizing hair products you just added.^{[20]
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- Feel free to skip this step if you’d rather use a leave-in conditioner.
Soak up excess water with a microfiber towel or cotton T-shirt. Hair dryers may seem like the easier option, but they can leave your hair at risk for breakage. Instead, wrap up and dry off your hair with a microfiber towel or a cotton T-shirt—both of these items soak up moisture without leaving your strands frizzy.^{[21]
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Section 3 of 3:

Haircare Tips

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Stick with sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates are great at getting your hair squeaky-clean—unfortunately, they clear away your hair’s natural oils in the process.^{[22]
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[V161666_b01]. 8 December 2020.}^{[23]
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Research source} Since Black hair is naturally dry to begin with, use a sulfate-free shampoo whenever you wash your hair.
- You can find sulfate-free shampoo at most stores that sell beauty or personal care products. You can also find them online.
2
Nourish your hair with bimonthly hot oil treatments. For this treatment, all you have to do is heat up oil and apply it directly to your hair.^{[24]
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Research source} The oil helps moisturize your hair while also making it a little more elastic.^{[25]
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American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists

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- Natural oils like coconut, avocado, or olive are good candidates for this treatment.
3
Style your hair using the LOC method. LOC stands for Liquid, Oil, and Cream—these are the 3 types of products you should use to style your Black hair, as well as the order you should apply them in. The liquid product helps get your hair moist, the oil product helps keep the moisture in place, and the cream product helps preserve the moisture.^{[26]
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- You might get your hair wet with some water (liquid), apply some jojoba or grapeseed oil (oil), and then use a cream/butter styling product.
Use ceramic tools and heat protectant spray if you heat-style your hair. Black hair is pretty dry and fragile from the get-go, so heat styling isn’t the best option. If you’d really like to straighten your hair, make sure that you’re using a ceramic straightener set to a really low temperature. For extra security, spritz some heat protectant spray over your hair before you get started.^{[27]
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American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists

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5
Co-wash your hair if you exercise a lot. “Co-wash” is short for “conditioner wash”—with this method, you ditch your shampoo entirely and just wash your hair with a moisturizing conditioner. It’s super useful if you exercise frequently and need to hop in the shower pretty often.^{[28]
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- Co-washing isn’t the best option if your scalp is on the oily side. In that case, you’re better off including shampoo in your wash routine.

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Black hair is more likely to break than other hair varieties, so it’s a good idea to take plenty of precautions as you wash your hair.^{[29]
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PubMed Central
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