Lukacs credits Stockholm’s naturally soft water (with a low concentration of dissolved minerals) as a bonus. “I genuinely think that makes it easier to go longer between washes because there’s less [mineral] build up on the scalp and hair.” But that’s not all. He says his clients have a fixed wash day each week, followed by a full blow-dry. “We don’t use a lot of products, but we always use heat protection,” he says.
Dry shampoo—a staple for many—has a role too, but it’s used in moderation in Scandinavia, rather than as a daily product. “People sometimes assume that any oil at the roots means their hair is dirty, but sebum is a natural part of the scalp’s protective system,” Sävervik says.
The truth about washing your hair less
Everyone has individual scalp needs. For someone who experiences dandruff, seborrhoeic dermatitis, or an oily scalp, for example, “washing less is not necessarily beneficial,” says Nabiah Malik, MD, dermatology fellow and science advisor to Scandinavian Biolabs. In these cases, more frequent washing may form part of the actual treatment.
As for the concept of scalp training—increasingly seen on social media—is a method of gradually washing less with the aim of teaching the glands to produce less oil. “That has little evidence behind it,” she says. “Ultimately, I would advise people not to wash their hair according to a trend, but according to their scalp and hair. For example, natural oils tend to distribute less readily along curly and tightly coiled hair than along straighter hair,” she says.
Another factor to consider is water hardness: “Hard water contains higher levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which can build up on the hair over time and affect how it feels and behaves. But importantly, water quality doesn’t determine how much oil your scalp produces—that is largely down to your individual biology,” Malik says. If you’re dealing with hard water, a shower filter might get you closer to that soft Stockholm water effect, eventually letting you stretch further between washes.
Scandi hair-care habits for inspiration
Ultimately, how frequently you wash your hair should depend on your hair type and scalp condition. Sävervik’s advice is to pay more attention to your scalp, rather than automatically washing it as a habit; Lukacs says that having a proper blow-dry with just enough product can mean your style will easily stretch for days.
Dry shampoo is “best applied before the hair becomes very oily rather than only as a last-minute solution,” says Sävervik. “Gentle brushing also can help distribute some of the hair’s natural oils through the lengths, while changing the parting or choosing a loose, textured hairstyle can also give the hair another day too,” she says.
There seems to be a larger movement looking for more stripped back, uncomplicated beauty routines—and perhaps this is why people are looking to Scandinavian culture, with its less is more approach to beauty as the answer. “It also fits into a broader conversation about whether we are sometimes doing too much to our skin and hair: using too many products, cleansing too aggressively, or relying heavily on heat and chemical processing,” Malik says. Either way, she says, there’s no official “gold standard” for how many times a week we should wash your hair—trial and error is likely how you’ll find the routine that actually works for you.
Build your own Scandinavian hair kit:
