Has it ever happened to you to wash your favorite outfit only once or twice and destroy it? Probably it happened at least once with clothes or anything else. And the reason that it was destroyed was probably a combination of WHAT you used with HOW you washed it! But we know that if things were done differently, probably you would have your favorite outfit looking beautiful to use for a long time.
Although there is currently a lot of discussion about the frequency that hair has to be washed (and there are scientific reasons behind that, e.g. it is a fact that wet hair is weaker), most important than the washing frequency is what you use to wash and how you wash your hair.
The hair that we see is a dead structure (the part inside the scalp is alive). That’s why you don’t feel pain when you cut your hair. Since it is a dead structure, it also means that hair damage accumulates with time. So, in general, a long hair will have the tips more damaged (split ends) than a short hair.
Those damages are caused by many reasons, including washing the hair with bad products and putting a lot of friction when washing the hair. Studies show that friction contributes to remove up to 7 times more protein from hair, compared to a hair washed with very low friction (Hair protein removal by sodium dodecyl sulfate).
The process of drying also can damage the hair, depending on the device used and the way it’s done. So, the products and devices that are used to treat the hair and the way that hair is washed are much more important than the frequency of hair washing. Check out additional information about how products and treatments can improve or damage the hair in our guide Inside Hair Products.