How often should you wash your hair? Apparently, we're all doing it wrong.

Ah, it’s the eternal question we’ve all asked ourselves before.

How often should you wash your hair?

The answer tends to be different for all of us. Some can’t go a day without shampooing and wash their hair daily. Others can get away with not washing their hair for several days or even a week (or even more if you’re trying the no hair washing method).

But what’s the right answer?

According to international hairdresser and Pantene expert hairstylist Barney Martin, how often you should wash your hair can depend on your hair type, but in general, we’re all doing it way too frequently.

Here are five other things you really ought to know about your hair, post continues after video.

One of the biggest problems Barney has noticed with his clients is that they are over-cleansing their hair. Most women are washing their hair every single day, which strips it of the natural oils and makes for fluffy, frizzy and wispy hair.

As a blanket rule Barney says every second day is best regardless of length. But this varies depending on your individual hair type.

To avoid over washing your hair, ask yourself these four questions before picking up the shampoo.

1. Do you have oily skin?

We’re talking face and scalp, because chances are if you’re prone to oily skin on your face then you’re likely to get a build up of oil in your hairline.

If this sounds like you then Barney recommends washing every second day and rinsing with water every other day, followed by a dry shampoo.

2. Do you have thick, coarse or curly hair?

If the answer is yes, then you can probably wash every second or third day.

If you wash too often you’ll end up with really dehydrated hair because your hair is most likely to be more porous. You should rinse on the other days and could use conditioner to ensure your hair doesn’t get too dry.

3. Do you have fine hair?

Barney says fine hair needs to be washed a bit more frequently to prevent limpness, but every second day is still fine, with a good rinse with water on the other day to get rid of excess oil.

Side note – whatever you do, don’t brush your hair wet straight after you’ve washed it. Leigh Campbell talks about why on the You Beauty podcast below, post continues after audio.

4. Do you work out or swim?

Even if you work out every day you still shouldn’t shampoo your hair daily.

A good thorough rinse with water and a dry shampoo afterwards will do the trick on those in-between days. If you swim then you should use a clarifying shampoo and give your hair a wash after you’ve been in the pool. It’s important to get that chlorine or salt water out of your hair.

Barney also recommends swimmers use a treatment because the clarifying shampoo does dry out your hair more than other shampoos.

There you have it. Put your hands up and step away from the shampoo.

You can read more about split ends and how to keep you hair healthy here:

• Finally, you can remove split ends from your hair without sacrificing any length.
• Thinking of switching to sulphate-free shampoo? Here’s what you need to know.
• We asked 5 Aussie hairdressers which supermarket shampoos and conditioners they actually use.

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