Hair wash day can feel like a massive inconvenience - but one doctor has claimed that you shouldn't be going more than a few days without cleaning your tresses as the consequences could be grim.

Board-certified dermatologist Dr Jenny Liu took to TikTok to share that you could be sabotaging your hair health by doing certain things to your locks. She wrote in the caption of her video that "scalp care is skincare".

Dr Liu then revealed the grim reason behind why you should "never go more than a few days" without washing your hair, despite many people choosing to 'train' their hair to not get greasy. She revealed it's "completely a myth that our hair and scalp just cleanses itself".

Dr Liu said: "We know that sebum, dead skin build-up, all of that basically contributes to Malassezia yeast overgrowth [a fungal skin condition], that can lead to dandruff, as well as inflammation.

"Just even sebum itself sitting on our scalp causes oxidative stress, and that inflammation is not a healthy environment for your hair to grow."

She then shared that if you're suffering from hair loss, you need to "keep up with your scalp health to maximise hair growth".

Dr Liu said that how often you wash your hair is "personal", and "depends on your scalp type" and "lifestyle". So, if you have an oilier scalp, or you're getting sweaty through exercise regularly, you'll need to wash your hair "frequently", maybe every other day, or even once a day according to the doctor - and the opposite if your scalp is dry.

She also shared that she would "never use an anti-dandruff shampoo on a daily basis", as it can be "very drying for your scalp and hair" and will make your hair feel "dry and frizzy". It also interrupts the moisture barrier, which "doesn't help dandruff either".

Dr Liu said if you're washing your hair every single day, wash with an anti-dandruff shampoo two to three times a week" and "leave it on your scalp for five minutes and then rinse off".

And it's bad news if you've been putting olive oil on your scalp to lock in moisture, because it's "not been demonstrated in any way to help with scalp concerns".

If you do want an oil to "nourish" your hair though, Dr Liu recommends coconut oil as it "penetrates into your hair shaft" to "really condition and temporarily reduce damage".

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