Is It Obligatory for Women to Wash All Their Hair After Intercourse?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: As salam alaykum,

Do women have to wash their hair fully after intercourse? What if one has dry hair and does not want to wash it more than once/twice a week to keep it healthy? What if one has spent time and a fortune in straightening her hair?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray that this message finds you well, insha’Allah.

After sexual intercourse, the entire body must be washed. However, there is a dispensation for women in that they can braid their hair before bathing, and then only wash to the roots of the head itself, and not all of the hair on the head.

Umm Salama asked the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) about her braided hair and the ritual bath (ghusl) and he said, “it suffices for you to throw three handfuls of water over your head.” [Tirmidhi]

Please also see: Can a Woman Braid Her Hair Just Before Performing a Ghusl to Avoid to Wash All of It?

And Allah alone knows best.

wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani