Did you know there are people out there that think if you wash your hair too often you can go bald or get dandruff? There is no truth to the rumor, that washing your hair frequently causes baldness or dandruff. Having said that, I must tell you that I wear my hair short and spiky and the dirtier it is, the better! I realize that doesn’t work for everyone.

You might find that you are losing hair while in the shower or when combing your hair but that is perfectly normal.

The hair follicle has a three - phased life: growth, rest, and shedding. Five percent of your hair is in the shedding phase. That means - (ah-hum, refer to previous post) that it is normal to shed “80-100″ hairs per day. If you showered once per week, it may seem like you are losing a lot of hair but that would be hair which is ready to be released - or in the “shedding” mode.

If you are worried about hair loss, you should have it evaluated by a hair loss expert. A dermatologist will be able to diagnose the type of baldness, if you are - in fact, experiencing hair loss. It can be something as simple as a thyroid hormone imbalance, which can be corrected. There are many solutions for women’s hair loss. The worst thing you can do is stress over your situation, as I have talked about before, stress only exacerbates the problem.

Dandruff is not caused by washing your hair daily or frequently. Dandruff, otherwise known as seborrheic dermatitis, happens when your scalp is too try or too oily. Your skin produces natural oils, especially on the scalp, ears and the T-zone of the forehead, nose and chin areas. This oil is produced to lubricate both your skin and hair follicles. Excessive oiliness can cause dandruff to occur. Dandruff is an abnormal amount of flaking from your scalp, which is often accompanied by redness or irritation.

Actually, washing hair daily can improve a dandruff problem. Use a shampoo formulated for dandruff. If your problem is severe, you may need medicated shampoo or physician prescribed creams or pills. It’s also important to consider your diet. As we’ve discussed before, something like dandruff is an outward sign of something missing internally. I’ve written a lot about diet and healthy hair and skin if you would like to read some of the past blogs.

Okay, we’ve determined that it’s safe to wash your hair daily if you desire. But, there are some tips you should follow. Don’t use really hot water as that can lead to a dry, flaky scalp. Don’t vigorously scrub your scalp, hard scrubbing can pull follicles in the rest and growth phase. Hair is sturdy and strong, but it can be damaged, especially when it is wet. While it may not fall out, it can be weakened then subject to breakage.

So, for all of you who like extremely clean hair, knock yourselves out and wash it daily. As for me with my short, spiky do, I’ll wash it weekly whether it needs it or not!!!