When I work behind the chair, especially in the winter, my most frequent complaint is, “Why is my hair so oily, and how can I keep it from looking greasy?” First of all, this is quite natural, and the majority of the time, the individual with oily hair isn’t even unclean or repulsive. Once the cause of the issue is identified and an appropriate oily hair treatment is found, the remedy may really be rather straightforward.
What Causes Oily Hair
Our oil glands naturally secrete a greasy material known as sebum to prevent the hair shaft from drying out and maintain the health of our hair. Appropriate oil production is supported by a balanced diet and hair care regimen. On the other hand, some behaviors could interfere with sebaceous gland function and lead them to overproduce oil. Uncleaning oily scalps and debris accumulated in hair from hands, brushes, caps, and hair products over time may also be the cause of excessive grease.
Remember that each person and hair type produces sebum in a different way. For instance, oily hair might appear sooner and is more likely to occur in straight or fine hair textures. Because curly hair is inherently drier, oil produced by the scalp does not easily flow down the hair shaft, leading to dry split ends. As a result, make sure you value scalp oil while also learning how to control it. Here are some suggestions to help with it.
1. Extend Time Between Hair Washes
Sebum, the natural oil and lubricant produced by our body, is produced on our scalp, as was previously explained. This oil is excellent for hair since it feeds both the hair strands and the scalp. The secret is that an extremely dry scalp will signal your body to create more oil.
The scalp will overproduce oily stuff in the belief that this will fix the problem if it is very dry from frequent washing or if there are other scalp disorders. However, too much oil makes your hair sticky in your eyes, which makes you wash it more frequently, which dries out your scalp even more, starting a vicious cycle. Invest in a high-quality moisturizing shampoo and wait one more day to wash to combat this. I guarantee that over time, your scalp will acclimate.
2. Wash Your Hair the Right Way
As you may know, the main purpose of shampoo is to clean the scalp. Start with a tiny quantity, focus on your scalp, and work up a thick lather. Rinse and try again if a decent lather is not achieved; once a good lather is achieved, continue to the end and rinse thoroughly.
For most hair types, conditioner is unnecessary near the roots or scalp; however, it is strictly forbidden for fine or straight hair. You might wish to apply a tiny bit of conditioner to the scalp and roots if your hair is naturally dry and curly. After two to five minutes, leave and thoroughly rinse. Please be aware that using too much or leaving a product in will result in oily hair and a greasy scalp.
Additionally, search for shampoos that have thyme, rosemary, or tea tree oil as components. They help you manage greasy hair by balancing the production of oil.
3. Clean Your Brush
How frequently is your brush cleaned? You may have discovered the answer to your greasy hair dilemma if you are now considering whether you really need to clean your hairbrush at all. Consider wiping your hands with an unclean napkin. In essence, a filthy brush and clean hair are equivalent.
You should always wash and store your brush at least once a week. Just take out all of the hair from your brush, give it a quick spritz with cleaning alcohol, or let it soak in a sink filled with mild soap or clarifying shampoo for roughly five minutes.
That being stated, avoid the bad habit of touching your hair a lot and make sure the towels and pillows that come into contact with your hair are equally clean.
4. Avoid Product Buildup
I don’t want to upset anyone, but did you realize that the majority of products purchased in drug stores cause oily buildup to remain on your hair? It is accurate. The chemicals in floor wax are also included in a number of drug store brands that I am aware of.
They might indeed give hair the silky, glossy, just-waxed look and feel of a freshly waxed floor. But even after you shampoo, those substances will still stack on top of your hair because they are not soluble in water. Until you remove them from your oily hair, these items accumulate and do not wash off.
Additionally well-known causes of oily hair and a greasy scalp are overuse of dry shampoo and an abundance of sticky styling materials like wax or hairspray. If you frequently get oily strands after washing your hair with gentle shampoo, you might want to switch it up with a clarifying shampoo or an apple cider vinegar rinse to make sure there is no build-up.
5. Use Dry Shampoo
I just told you that using dry shampoo could make your hair oily. Well, it’s a terrific product to use if you don’t miss hair washing or if you maintain applying dry shampoo on top of oily roots and an irritated scalp.
To distribute the product uniformly, just spray the root area in the necessary areas and brush or blow dry the product. Before going to bed, I occasionally like to spray my root region. As I sleep, this absorbs perspiration and oils. Again, be warned: too much will result in dryness and increased sebum production on your scalp.
6. Stay Alert to Hormonal Changes
Finally, I want to talk about hormones. They are so common, so natural, and yet so cruel. Particularly for female clients, there are several hormonal changes that occur in our bodies as we age, including puberty, birth control pill use, pregnancy, and menopause. These changes are accompanied by an influx and a decline of hormones, which are always reflected in our skin, hair, and nails. In this situation, give your body some grace. As needed, wash your hair to allow the hormones to return to normal.
To help those natural oils distribute to those beautiful ends and let them do the nourishing they were meant to do, I personally advise finding a salon-guaranteed hydrating or moisturizing shampoo, trying to prolong the life of your shampoo, and brushing your scalp at least once a day.