When children are between the ages of 8 and 12, parents often ask dermatologists the following question. If you are a parent trying to answer this question, you have come to the right place.
In three simple steps you can find out how often a child aged 8 to 12 needs to wash their hair.
Step 1: Consider your child’s characteristics
To determine how often your child needs to wash his or her hair, you must first consider the following characteristics of your child:
- Hair type (straight, curly, oily, dry)
- Old
- Activity level
Step 2: Find your child’s characteristics in the table below
Hair washing guidelines : Children from 8 to 12 years
Wash every two days or daily
From 12 years or onset of puberty
Oily, straight hair
Active: Play outside, do sports or swim
Exception: Dry, curly or African-American hair
Wash 1-2 times a week
8-11 years old
Exception : Dry, curly or African-American hair
Wash every 7-10 days
Dry, curly or African-American hair, including braided or woven hair
Rinse and condition hair after heavy sweating or swimming
Step 3 : Fine-tuning for the optimal result
Once your child is washing their hair as often as shown above, you may need to adjust the frequency slightly. Every child is different. Weather changes can also affect how often your child needs to wash their hair.
To fine-tune, look at your child's hair and scalp between washes. The chart below shows you what to look for and how to fine-tune.
Hair washing guidelines : How to tell if your child is washing their hair too often or not often enough
Wash more often if you notice that your child:
Oily hair has
Oily scalp has
Add an additional wash each week until you no longer notice any oiliness.
Wash less often if you notice that your child:
Dull and flaky hair has
Dry hair has
Wash your hair once a week until you no longer notice dullness, dandruff or dryness.