Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

A curly hair “rule” I just can’t get behind as a hair loss expert.

10 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this short video, dermatologist and hair‑loss expert Dr. Shereene Idriss challenges a common curly‑hair rule that advises people to extend the time between wash days as long as possible. She explains that while curly hair may feel dry, the scalp – which is still skin – continues to produce oil, sweat, dead skin cells, and accumulates styling products like gel, mousse, and creams. If the scalp becomes oily, itchy, flaky, or inflamed, waiting several days before washing can worsen scalp health and potentially contribute to hair‑loss issues. Idriss emphasizes that the scalp, not the curl pattern, should dictate how often you wash, while the curl type determines how gently you wash. She invites viewers to watch the full video for more of her curly‑hair rules that differ from typical advice.

Chapters

How often should you wash your curly hair? And this is one of the biggest curly hair rules that I disagree with as a hair loss dermatologist, and it is the idea that you need to stretch any wash day for as long as humanly possible. Your hair might be dry, but guess what isn't? Your skin, and your scalp is still skin. It produces oil, sweat, dead skin cells, and on top of that, adding all the gel, mousse, creams, etc. that you're using to style your curls is accumulating on top of it. So if your scalp is oily, itchy, flaky, inflamed, waiting another 4 days just because you have curly hair is not doing you any favors. And this is a distinction that I think gets missed. Your curls are going to tell you how gentle you need to be when you're washing your hair, but your scalp is going to tell you when you need to wash. And if you want all of the curly hair rules that I do not follow as a hair loss expert, watch the full video linked below.