When Did Everyone Stop Washing Their Hair?

Skipping a shampoo (or five!) has
become a beauty badge of honor,
but how healthy is it? Here, the
good, the bad — and how to
prevent the ugly.

Blame it on the blowout-bar boom. Chains
like Blo and Drybar started popping up
between 2007 and 2010, hitting one-on-
every-corner status last year. Over the past
five years, the number of new dry shampoos
on the market has quadrupled. "What
started as a smart way to stretch your
blowout has turned into a major time and
money saver ... and made dirty hair socially
permissible," says NYC salon owner Nunzio
Saviano. These oil absorbers make
unwashed hair look fresh and create texture
and volume that's just tough to get on
freshly washed strands.
The Good
Stylists are some of the biggest proponents
of dry cleaning, pegging daily washing as
the root of bad-hair days. "Most detergents
strip your scalp and hair of their natural
oils, leaving them dry," says Michael
Gordon, founder of Hairstory, a NYC hair
studio. This is why unwashed hair often
looks better. Oils make hair glossy and less
frizzy. Plus, the more you wash, the faster a
dye job fades or highlights get brassy.
The Bad
Milking a day or two isn't a bad thing. But
days? "If you're piling on products — and
not cleansing regularly — the scalp can
become imbalanced," says Liz Phillips, a
trichologist from NYC's Philip Kingsley
Clinic. Translation: Itching and flaking,
caused by fungal growth, and even shedding
due to inflamed follicles. And the smell! The
compounding dirt and oil creates a funk
that many stylists now refer to as "the new
BO."
The New Shampoo Rules
"Listen" to your scalp: If you feel any
sensitivity or see increased shedding, it's
time for a wash. Stock your shower with
the right cleansers and enjoy the off days
even more.
Clarifying or Anti-Dandruff Shampoos
Heavy dry-shampoo users should use a
clarifier, like Bumble and Bumble's Sunday
Shampoo ($24, Sephora) weekly to nix
residue. Itching or flaking? Gold-standard
Head & Shoulders ($5, drugstores) works
wonders.
Dirt-Repelling Washes
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo
($24, Ulta ) forms a mini-shield around
strands, buying more time between buildup.
Cleansing Conditioners
Detergent-free, they clean strands without
the suds. Gordon's new creation, Purely
Perfect Cleansing Cream ($40, Purely
Perfect), left our strands soft and clean, not
greasy.