How often should you wash your hair?

I've just thought back to when mine were babies. In the summer, clean but sweaty sleeping baby heads, very scrummy to smell. Or is it just me?

Thanks petra and aitch, fellow double crowners! Suppose I'm lucky that my hair hasn't thinned, just that darned parting of hair on top the day after washing!
Mustn't complain - there are a lot worse things to have! xx

I have not ploughed through all 5 pages of this, but surely the answer is obvious, when it needs it
There is no "should" which applies to everyone, we are all different with different lifestyles, hair types, weather to contend with and surely old enough to decide for ourselves and do what we want

I wash my hair weekly using a gentle plant based shampoo with essential oils, but only if it needs it, and I never use a conditioner. When I have my hair cut I always take my own shampoo and the hairdresser always says how good my hair is.
Fortunately my hair is 'wash and go' type with a natural bounce and wave so only needs a comb and a nudge. Just as well as it takes more energy than I have to do anything else.

baNANAgran - You are not alone!! When I was younger I had thick, naturally curly hair but as I got older and my hair thinned quite a lot I noticed that I had what I thought was a bald patch. I started to panic thinking I was going to lose all my hair but the hairdresser told me it was a double crown and there doesn't seem to be a darned thing you can do about it, it just flops apart and the top of my crown sticks up almost vertically to the sides and middle. It's a big pain as the rest of my hair is dry and thinning - I have, in my darker moments, thought about a wig, or, with a long overdue, lottery win, I could even have a transplant!!!

baNANAGran3. I have a double crown. I have short hair but I have a light perm just on the top/sides. No problem then with that sticking up bit!

karinu - you mentioned vinegar. My Mum had beautiful thick hair, and after washing with shampoo (?Drene?) she had a vinegar rinse which she said got rid of any soapy scum left. She used white vinegar.

Have found a hairdresser who charges £9.90 for anything so go once a week after work and look presentable for the rest of the week.
Agree with everyone who swims, when I swam regularly (living in warmer climates) after each swim - seems unavoidable.
Have also lived in a couple of countries where the local hairdressing training schools did it for the cost of the products - again, excellent value for money. I believe this might be possible here in the UK.
Isn't it rather time consuming to wash and dry hair every day?

So no one has a double crown (post above) - am beginning to feel a bit sorry for myself.......

I wash and dry my hair every day. I've always done this, as well as using a conditioner brushed through before rinsing with a tangle teaser. I swim a lot but my hair is fine textured but in good condition and I am lucky to have plenty. Do what feels right for you I say.

Every day. My hair used to be so greasy I had to wash my fringe by lunchtime, now it's much drier but it's fine and looks awful, like a mad woman so, still every day because, I don't know how much any of you suffer with night sweats, I just feel awful and smelly! I also notice that some people, seem to have very smelly hair, mind you, my husband calls me Thermoman, I think that was his name, he could smell a forest fire in Australia!!

I have given up going to the hairdresser! It was costing about $180 to have a cut and colour and now my daughter gives it a trim and I've let the colour do its own thing and it looks better! I wash it about once a week. This NZ summer has been hot and dry which is a bit hard on the hair, roll on Autumn and winter!

I wash my hair every week, It is very thick and dark. I use straighners every day as I have a long bob My hair is not dry or greasy and does not smell. I use a very good shampoo which is quite expensive, but no conditioner. I have it trimmed every 4 weeks.

When I was a child my mother used to wash my hair with Sunlight soap! Once when I was camping having no shampoo I washed my hair in Fairy Liquid and it turned out OK. Before I went grey I rinsed with rosemary water. There are too many products on the market with too many chemicals nowadays.

looking at all the comments, it seems to me that 'each to his (or in this case her) own.
As for myself, i try to get away with as little washing as possible - one week is the ideal. However, sometimes my hair 'misbehaves' more noticeably and I wash it to make it behave, or else I have something on for which I will feel better if I wash my hair.
I do believe that one can wash one's hair too often, in general

Every 3 - 4 days. I use T Gel shampoo diluted in water so it doesnt strip out natural oils.( most people are too heavy handed with shampoo) Only condition the ends and rinse well. Part dry with my head upside down then style and as long as I don't go out in the rain and get the dreaded frizz I'm ok!

Every day in the shower, but only condition once a week. As someone else said I look like a wild woman if my hair isn't washed - a nest on my head!

It depends what I am doing. If I am going out then it gets washed. If I am going to be cleaning in our engineering workshop then it gets washed afterwards. Otherwise every 4 days unless it is sticking out at odd angles . No conditioner but I rarely blow dry.

I agree with LIZ46.
If I don't wash it every day I look like a wild woman too! It is fine, thin and has no body at all. I envy folks who can just get out of bed and put a comb through it and it looks great.

Just adding every three days, about twice a week I wash my hair but strangely it's best day is always the day after I've washed it (and even that isn't always good). Sometimes it won't behave and then I have to revise my plans. I must say everyone else sounds as if they have amazing powers of control, if I have a special occasion I have to keep my fingers crossed. Anyone know at what age we all go to the hairdressers regularly like our mothers did?

I usually swim three times a week so wash my hair then, using an all in one swim, sun and gym product (which gets rid of the chlorine and salt and rehydrates the hair) and then usually on another occasion weekly with another product. I read recently that some shampoos have sodium laureth sulfate in (mine does) which strips the hair! Any suggestions as to what I could use would be appreciated! Thanks.

I wash my hair twice a week or three depending if I'm going out on Saturday night. As I get older I have noticed that style wise it probably needs more wahwes but I have just learned to live with it as I don't want to strip it of natural oils as I haven't the best hair!!

Me too...sunday night was bath night!

Bijou - - for not going to the hairdresser for 50 YEARS!

I usually wash my hair every other day but I have a double crown which is a real pain because on the second day after washing the hair divides at the back at the crown which is unsightly. If I'm not going out on the second day I put two rollers in the top with a quick hairspray on them and leave them in for a bit which helps (have been known to potter in the garden etc and completely forget about them). Not actually gone out with them in though - yet......

Would love to know if anyone else has this problem and if so their solutions - my hairdresser said there is nothing you can do about it.

I try to stick to twice a week as hair is very fine and thin.

Also, every time I wash it , loads come out in my hand when wet.
I very rarely condition because I lose a lot more.

It's a wonder I'm not bald. After every wash I check in mirror for thinning.

Maybe a lifetime of hair dye has something to do with it.