How Often Should You Wash Curly Hair? (The Honest Answer)

If you have curly hair and you have ever stood in the shower wondering whether you are washing it too much, too little, or all wrong, welcome. Sigh. It is one of the most asked questions in the curly world, and the slightly annoying truth is there is no magic number that works for everyone. But there is a right answer for your hair, and you are about to find it.

So, How Often Should You Wash Curly Hair?

Let me give you the headline first, then the nuance. Most curly girls do best washing their hair somewhere between once and twice a week. That is the range. Not every day, not every other day, and defo not the second your roots feel a tiny bit oily.

But here is the bit nobody tells you: that range is a starting point, not a rule. How often you wash curly hair depends on your porosity, your scalp, and how much product you pile on. So before you lock in a schedule, you need to understand why curls play by different rules.

Why Curly Hair Hates a Daily Wash

Straight hair and curly hair are basically having two different experiences up there. On straight hair, the scalp's natural oils slide down the strand easily, coating it from root to tip. On curly hair? Those oils hit the first bend and struggle. Every twist and coil makes it harder for moisture to travel down, which is exactly why curls are prone to dryness in the first place.

Now add a daily wash to that. Every time you shampoo, you strip away the little bit of natural oil your curls fought so hard to hold onto. Do it too often and you end up with hair that is dry, frizzy, and refusing to hold a single curl. Overwashing is one of the most common curly hair mistakes I see, and most people have no clue they are doing it. Unpopular opinion: if your curls are dry and frizzy no matter how many products you throw at them, your wash frequency is almost always the culprit, not your conditioner.

This is also why your shampoo choice matters as much as your timing. A harsh sulfate formula strips your hair aggressively, while a gentle sulfate free option like my Curl Shampoo cleanses without leaving your curls parched. Same wash, completely different aftermath.

Your Porosity Is the Real Deciding Factor

Want to know the actual secret to nailing your wash schedule? It comes down to porosity, which is your hair's ability to absorb and hold onto moisture.

High porosity hair soaks up water fast but loses it just as quickly, so it gets dry and thirsty between washes. If that is you, washing less often and sealing in moisture usually wins. Low porosity hair is the opposite: it resists moisture, holds onto product, and gets buildup faster, so it often needs a slightly more frequent wash to stay fresh.

Not sure which one you are? My full breakdown of porosity, elasticity, and density walks you through how to test it at home. Figuring out my own porosity was the single thing that finally made my wash routine click after years of guessing, and it is the hill I will happily die on: stop copying other people's wash schedules and start listening to your own hair.

This Is Where Co Washing Saves Your Schedule

So what do you do on the days your hair feels a bit grubby but it is not technically wash day? You co wash.

Co washing means cleansing with a conditioning wash instead of shampoo. It refreshes your scalp and lifts light buildup without stripping the oils your curls need, so you can stretch the time between proper washes without your hair throwing a tantrum. On the days my curls need a reset but not a full strip, I reach for my Co Wash and my hair stays clean and hydrated.

As a rough guide, co washing once or twice a week between your shampoo washes is plenty for most curly hair. It is one of the core principles of the Curly Girl Method, and it is easily the simplest win for anyone who wants cleaner curls without the dryness.

How to Tell If You're Washing Too Much (or Too Little)

Your hair will tell you everything if you learn to read the signs. Washing too often shows up as persistent dryness, extra frizz, curls that will not hold their shape, and a tight, itchy scalp. Washing too little looks like limp, flat roots, an oily scalp, and curls weighed down by buildup.

Spot the overwashing signs? Stretch your washes further apart and lean on co washing. Spot the underwashing signs? Add a wash back in. Your perfect frequency is not a fixed number you find once, it shifts with the seasons, your hormones, and how much you sweat.

The Bottom Line

There is no universal answer to how often you should wash curly hair, and anyone who hands you one without asking about your hair is guessing. Start with once or twice a week, factor in your porosity, co wash in between, and let your curls show you the rest. Treat it like a conversation with your hair, not a set of orders, and you will land on the routine that keeps your curls hydrated, defined, and happy.