The Scandi Haircare Routine Is the Secret to Your Best Hair Yet

When I was at university, I became fast friends with a girl from Scandinavia. I learned a lot from her when it came to beauty, but something that struck me most was the way she approached hair care. While I was dying my hair, processing it, and washing it incessantly—she did very little to it, and would say to me: “You know, it’s better to do less to your hair, right?”After years working in beauty, I realized the real divide wasn't in our routines themselves, but in the whole cultural attitude to hair care—namely, how different I, being from the UK, was from her practices derived from Scandinavian countries. “Washing your hair more than twice a week is very uncommon here,” says Adam Lukacs, a celebrity hairstylist for Maria Nila in Stockholm. “And when you do wash it, you must do the entire routine properly.”What is the Scandinavian hair-care routine?The truth about washing your hair lessScandi hair-care habits for inspirationBuild your own Scandinavian hair kitWhat is the Scandinavian hair-care routine?The Scandinavian wash method is a loosely defined idea that a “wash less, use less, let the scalp rest” approach to haircare produces healthier, shinier results than the daily washing and stripping routines many of us default to. For some, that means washing one or two times a week compared to the UK or US, where 41% of people wash upwards of three times a week, with 21% washing their hair every other day. And like Scandinavia, the UK and US gets plenty of cold snaps and cranked-up indoor heating over winter, both of which can leave hair and scalps drier. So washing less, and with cooler water rather than hot, could genuinely help our scalp health—especially in colder weather and shifting climates.But Fanny Sävervik, market manager for Europe retail and e-commerce at Urtekram Nordic Beauty, is careful not to over-simplify it: “Individual hair type, scalp condition, and lifestyle are ultimately much more important than geography. But Scandinavian beauty is often guided by a 'less but better' approach: uncomplicated routines, purposeful products, and an appreciation of natural-looking hair.”Washing according to our scalp's needs, using fewer products, and refreshing the hair between washes are not gender-specific habits, either. They’re simply passed down generationally, in simple effective routines. “It may be a parent teaching you not to use too much shampoo, to wash with lukewarm rather than very hot water, to focus shampoo on the scalp and conditioner on the lengths, or simply to brush and restyle the hair instead of washing it again immediately,” Sävervik says.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 lessEveryone 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 inspirationUltimately, 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:Maria NilaDry shampooThis vegan, sulphate-free, gentle Scandi dry shampoo adds volume to fine hair and leaves it feeling grease-free without the usual dusty, chalky residue.UrtekramOrganic rosemary shampoo for fine hairThis organic Nordic shampoo uses rosemary for scalp health and minimal ingredients that leaves the scalp build-up free between washes.Scandinavian BiolabsBio-Pilixin® hairline boosterA six-ball rollerball filled with plant exosomes and stem cells that targets hair loss at the corners and temples, with zero mess nor stickiness.K18Biomimetic Hairscience FutureIQ hair longevity serumA smart nightly scalp serum aimed at early signs of thinning, greying, and scalp fatigue. Apply the same time as your night-time skincare routine so it’s not an extra step, but rather an addition.Jolie SkinCo filtered showerheadGet the Stockholm soft water effect with this filtered shower head. It strips out chlorine, heavy metals, and limescale before they reach your hair and cause build up.SlipPure silk skinny scrunchiesPure mulberry silk means no creasing, no snagging and no breakage at the point where hair ties do most of their damage, which matters more the longer you're stretching between washes.AvedaOne For All leave-in elixirA multitasking, leave-in built spray for the days you're washing and not washing. It detangles, protects against heat and adds shine without needing a rinse.Living ProofClarifying detox shampooA weekly clarifying formula that really works lifts product build-up, sweat and city grime without stripping the scalp bare.La Bonne BrosseN.01 L'Universelle brushThis boar-bristle brush is designed to work natural oils from root to length rather than leaving them to sit at the scalp.GHDSculpt Interactive hair straightenerThis AI-powered styler reads your hair's temperature thousands of times a second, adjusting heat in real time instead of holding one constant setting. It straightens and curls, cutting both styling time and damage.A version of this article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK.