You’ve been shampooing wrong – expert warns of mistake that makes scalp smell

Tending to your hair can be a nightmare at times especially as there is so much information on what and what not to do – and it can often be conflicting.

From washing it once a week to steering clear from heated tools, if you want to have a healthy Hollywood-esque mane then you’ve probably attempted most methods to achieve that.

But fed up of the pursuit of long shiny locks?

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Well, fear not as Susie Hammond, a trichologist at the Philip Kingsley Clinic in London, has shed some light on how you should be washing your hair.

And wants to ‘bust’ a big hair ‘myth’.

What is that, you ask?

The trichologist believes that you should be washing your hair every single day or every other day at least – despite others saying you should wash once a week.

It turns out the reasoning behind the washing once a day technique is pretty grimy and it’s all to do with the scalp.

“There are lots of common mistakes we can make with our hair and scalp care that can have a huge impact on how our hair health performs and one of the most common myths is that we don’t need to shampoo frequently and I’d like to bust that right now, washing your hair every day or every other day is what we advocate at Philip Kingsley,” Susie told The Mirror.

“It’s not true that washing your hair too often will dry it out, your hair is taking hydration from the water and from the atmosphere around it.”

“Don’t forget that your scalp is skin, like anywhere else on the body and we’re shedding skin cells all the time, and the only way of removing those as well as environmental dirt and sweat is to have a really good shampoo.”

The hair expert added that the dirt is collected on the scalp and due to the fact that the scalp is a lipid-rich humid environment where yeast lives “naturally and healthily”, it can lead to some nasties on your head if not cleaned often.

She added that if not washed regularly and thoroughly with shampoo that these yeasts can overgrow and trigger dandruff.

Not only can this cause dandruff but it can also make your scalp ‘smelly’ if not rinsed as sebum, an oily substance produced by sebaceous glands, gathers on top of your head.

“Sebum collecting on the scalp can make the hair look lank and limp and it can also make your scalp a bit smelly as well,” Susie alleged.

To avoid this, the expert instructed to give your hair and scalp a good wash by getting your fingers under the hair and massage – not just rubbing the shampoo on the hair with your hands.

Apparently, by lathering up the shampoo the skin cells will “loosen up” which can help stop you having a pungent scalp.

Susie said to include conditioner to your routine, even if you have ‘fine’ hair.

She said: “Be sure to apply conditioner every time you wash your hair as well. It’s not a question of ‘my hair is too fine and conditioner is too heavy for my hair’, we can always find a conditioner that’s suitable for your hair type as it’s really important to use it every time as it helps close the cuticle on the outside of the hair shaft and protect the inner cortex of the hair and helps it to hold hydration.

“Keep a wide-tooth comb in the shower and comb your conditioner through to get any tangles out more kindly and you’ll get a more even distribution of conditioner this way as well. Then rinse it off and job is done.”

But that is not the last of the mistakes that people often make. Susie declared that rubbing your hair with a towel to dry it is a no-no as it is not “kind” to the hair.

Instead, she said to ‘blot’ and ‘squeeze’ with the towel.

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