Here’s how often you should wash your hair, according to a dermatologist.

Dermatologist Alex Docampo categorically rejects the widespread claim that frequent washing can “awaken” additional oiliness.According to him:“Many people believe that frequent washing damages hair or that more washing causes the scalp to produce excess sebum. This is not true at all. The important thing is to tailor your routine to the needs of your own scalp.”The reason? Sebum is produced by the sebaceous glands under the influence mainly of hormones and individual physiology — not by the number of washes.Are 3–5 washes a week appropriate?This frequency helps to:removing sebum and styling product residuesbetter “breathing” of hair folliclesreducing the risk of irritationcontrol of unpleasant odorslimiting the development of bacteria and fungi, especially in warm weather and sweatingOf course, every scalp has different needs. People who exercise daily, live in hot climates, or wear a hard hat/hat for work may need to cleanse more frequently.Experts emphasize: routine should be individualThe Institute of Hair Surgery explains that the ideal frequency varies according to:hair type (oily, dry, normal, curly)scalp conditiondaily activitiestype of styling productspreferred hairstyles (tail, bun, loose hair)That is, there is no “universal formula” – it is important to monitor your own needs.What are the risks of diluting washes too much?see the next page