Swathy

Many say that you should wash your hair only once a week or twice a week or alternately depending on your hair type. But, is that really a correct thing? Well, I would say that one should wash their hair when necessary. And, that necessity may come from everyday to once in two week also. Everyday if you subject your hair to extreme dust and pollution and two weeks if you are sitting at home enjoying tv and not going out at all and your hair is not greasy with natural oils. The need is to keep your hair and scalp clean to encourage healthy hair growth. And, that can be done in many ways.

If you do not go outside and just sit at home, it is better to use hair masks to wash off all the gunk in your hair rather than going for shampoo-condition ritual as your hair and scalp don’t get so dirty that you need to use harsh chemicals to wash it off.

But, if you go into dust and pollution everyday, it is very important that you clean your scalp of all the gunk that settles on it while you are outside. And, to prevent excess dirt in your hair, it is better to resort to protective methods like using a scarf on your hair or avoiding public transport (which is frankly not possible for everyone!!!) or avoiding heavy traffic hours (arrive a little early and leave little early to avoid heavy traffic hours). These simple adjustments in your timings can affect your lifestyle and health a lot. Of course, it is not even advisable to breathe in so much of pollution 🙁 So, listen to the needs of your hair and treat it accordingly.Now, a special case crops up here for people who work out heavily. If you are a light exerciser who likes to go for a walk or do yoga instead of the strenuous aerobic and cardiac exercises, then you need not worry but otherwise your hair has to be taken care of after every work out routine. Scalp also perspires heavily so washing hair becomes imperative on the days of the workout or everyday. The one thing which one can resort to is a cowash which cleans the scalp and keeps the chemicals of the shampoo away from hair. Or, you can resort to a mild natural shampoo or turn your shampoo into a milder one by this method.

Or, there is yet another alternative if you have ever heard of castile soap. Castile soap is a very mild soap produced through cold process and is made from olive oil and exceptionally gentle but cleanses very well. And, this works not only for skin and hair. Unfortunately, it is not available in Indian stores so one has to order for it online. If I ever do, I shall surely share more about this soap.