How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

The short answer: 3 to 4 days between shampoos. That number is not a compromise — it is what healthy scalp function looks like when the right routine is in place. If you are washing every day, or every other day, your scalp is working harder than it needs to and your hair is paying for it. The question of how often to wash your hair has a real answer, and the Lisa May Method — developed over twenty years of formulation and stylist education — is built around it. This page walks you through the full at-home hair care routine: shampoo day, the days in between, and what to expect as your scalp adjusts.

Every product in the line is a leave-in. That single fact is what makes 3 to 4 days between shampoos possible. Nothing gets rinsed out after each use — products stay in and do their job until your next shampoo clears the slate.

The Three Principles Behind the Method

Shampoo the scalp. Condition the hair. These are two different surfaces doing two different jobs. The shampoo goes on the scalp — water carries it through the ends on the way out. The conditioner goes on the hair, from mid-length to ends, never on the scalp. Get this one right and the rest of the routine falls into place.

Leave-in, not rinse-out. Every conditioner, spray, and oil in the Lisa May Method is a leave-in product. Products get removed by the next shampoo — once or twice a week — not rinsed out after every application. That is the difference between harsh chemical free hair care and the conventional alternative.

Restore, not repair. There's no such thing as repairing the hair. The products work on the outside of the hair shaft — they strengthen the structure from the outside and help restore the appearance of damaged hair over cumulative sessions. The client then maintains that condition at home between appointments. This is what makes the methodology teachable: your stylist gives you the tools, the at-home routine locks in the results.

These three principles are the foundation of the Lisa May Method — the system laid out step by step. If you want to understand why every product goes where it goes, that page has the full picture.

Day 1 — Shampoo Day

Shampoo day is a scaled-down version of what happens in the chair. The sequence matters — follow it in order.

  1. Brush your scalp before getting in the shower. Use a boar bristle brush with small C-shaped strokes across the scalp. This lifts old product before the water ever touches it.
  2. Wet your hair thoroughly.
  3. First shampoo — quarter-sized amount to the scalp. Low lather; distribute across the whole scalp. Rinse fully. Cleansing the scalp is your purpose — the shampoo does not need to reach the ends.
  4. Second shampoo — more water, good foam this time. The second pass grabs the debris the first loosened. Rinse by letting water run through the hair from above.
  5. Collagen Spray all over wet hair. This is the daily maintenance collagen — it goes on in the shower, on very wet hair, before the conditioner.
  6. Conditioner + 2 squirts of Strengthening Oil combined in the palm. Apply to your ends and lightly to the mid-length. Leave in — do not rinse. Conditioner goes on the hair, never the scalp.
  7. Towel-dry gently. Comb through. Air dry or blow dry as normal.

The Conditioner comes in three weights — Light, Medium, or Heavy. Your stylist will have matched the weight to your hair. If you are choosing for the first time: Light for fine hair, Medium for most, Heavy for coarse, dry, or hair that needs more moisture.

Day 2 and Beyond — Between-Shampoo Days

This is where the leave-in conditioner routine earns its name. Between shampoo days — Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 — you are not starting over. You are refreshing what is already in your hair. Two products, in a specific order: Sea Salt Spray first, then Collagen Spray.

  1. Sea Salt Spray first — hold 8 inches from the scalp and spray on wet or dry hair. This deodorizes and adds texture between washes.
  2. Collagen Spray second — spray over the Sea Salt.

The order is not arbitrary. The Collagen Spray grabs the distilled water in the Sea Salt Spray and locks moisture into the hair shaft. Reverse the order and you weaken that moisture-lock effect. Sea Salt first, Collagen second — every time.

A light blow-dry through the hair after the two sprays is optional. Some clients skip it entirely. You will figure out what works with your own natural chemistry.

What to Expect

Itchy scalp in the first week or two is not dryness. The essential oils in the formula — lavender, rosemary, and cedarwood — are working on the surface of the skin, on any small abrasions from regular scalp contact. Itch means the oils are doing their job. It typically settles within one to three weeks, though the timeline varies by person. Do not reach for a stronger shampoo — stay with the routine.

Your hair will stop feeling "gross" between washes. The first few weeks are an adjustment period. Scalps that are used to daily washing have been running on an accelerated oil cycle. Once the cycle normalizes, the 3 to 4 days between shampoos starts to feel natural — because it is.

Amounts are a starting point, not a fixed rule. Start with the recommended quantities — quarter-sized shampoo, pea-to-nickel-sized conditioner, one squirt of oil — and adjust from there. You will get to the point where you find your own niche. The routine is taught; the fine-tuning is yours.

Start With the Method

The at-home routine above is the take-home half of a complete methodology. The in-chair work your stylist does builds the foundation; what you do on Day 2 and Day 3 maintains it. The Lisa May Method explains both sides — every step, every product, every principle behind it.

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