While some high fashion designers are doing their best to make greasy hair a trend, for the average human being having grease on their hair is nothing fashionable at all. If oily hair gives you nightmares, keep reading. Rebalancing your scalp is possible, and your hyperactive sebaceous glands can learn to take it easier, it just needs a bit of care and a change of routine.
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Why Does Hair Get Oily?
The scalp is full of glands whose only function is to produce oil, which lubricates the scalp and protects the hair cuticle. This happens everywhere, not only on your skin, and often people with oily hair also suffer from oily skin. This oil or sebum is necessary, as without it the skin would become dry and irritable, and in the case of the scalp, prone to dandruff and dull and sensitive hair. So your goal is not to stop your scalp from producing oil at all, but just to encourage sebaceous glands to produce just enough to do their job, and avoid excess oil that makes greasy hair happen.
Some people have naturally greasier hair than others, as the amount of sebum your skin produces is greatly influenced by your genetic markup. However, external factors such as pollution or the use of aggressive products, hormonal changes such as pregnancy or your period, or even too much fatty foods, can make the problem worse. Smoking, drinking and not sleeping enough can also make your hair look particularly greasy. Greasy hair is also more frequent in young people: as we get older, hair and skin become dryer and sebaceous glands stop working.
Using The Right Shampoo For Greasy Hair
If you have oily hair, chances are you wash your hair every day in order to keep it from looking dirty. However, using the wrong shampoo means that you will be removing natural oils from your scalp and hair, so your scalp will produce oil faster to replenish them, which leads to oily hair and frequent washing again. Choosing a shampoo for greasy hair that has a neutral ph, no silicones and essential oils such as mint and eucalyptus will refresh your hair and make it feel clean, without stripping out all the natural oils and irritating your scalp.
Ideally, you should avoid washing your hair every day, as even excess oily hair shampoo can make things worse. Your hair will slowly balance itself as you let it rest longer in between shampoos. How you wash it is also important: be gentle with your scalp and avoid strong massages as the sebaceous glands in your scalp will react to friction by producing even more oil.
What About Day Two? Dry Shampoo Is Your Friend
Dry shampoo have gone a long way from the products of old that would leave your hair looking dusty. Learn how to use dry shampoo and your hair will look good and bouncy for longer. In order to get rid of oily hair you will need to apply dry shampoo to the roots of your hair, and here is the important bit, leave it to work for about half a minute. This way the particles in the shampoo will absorb excess oil, and make your hair bouncy and clean again. After waiting half a minute, brush out the excess carefully. If you have very dark hair, choose a specialist dry shampoo that can also be used to camouflage roots.
Easy Hairstyles For Greasy Hair
The current trend for wet hair looks is perfect if you have naturally oily hair: a well executed slicked back do will make your hair look intentional and full on trend. A less edgy option, with a slicked side-parted sleek ponytail or low bun, can take you from office to party with just a subtle change in makeup and accessories, and looks professional. It also has the benefit of keeping hair out of your face. Many people with naturally grease-prone hair have also acne-prone skin, so keeping your hair out of the way is a good way to solve two problems in one.
How To Make Hair Less Greasy
Little habits that we barely notice anymore can have a big effect on how greasy your hair looks after a day at work. When styling oily hair it is important to avoid friction, which will spread the oils all over your mane and make it look dirty. So avoid overenthusiastic or very frequent brushing, and invest in a brush made with natural fibres to achieve the best results. Also, avoid touching your hair too often, as that will have the same effect and will add grease from your hands to your hair.
Silicone based products, from shampoo to conditioners and leave-in products, provide a quick fix in that they make your hair feel softer, but at the same time they create an invisible film that doesn’t allow your hair and scalp to breathe. Cue overproduction of sebum, and oily hair that doesn’t seem to stay clean for more than a few hours. Try to avoid this sort of products on your day-to-day styling, and use a clarifying shampoo every so often to ensure your hair is free from residue.
As you can see, learning how to get rid of greasy hair is not so difficult, and thankfully the best shampoos for oily hair are not necessarily the most expensive or difficult to find. In fact, a few lifestyle changes can do a lot for your hair, and allow your mane to go clean for longer without drying it up. Remember that oily hair can be highly seasonal, so always keep an eye on your hair condition and adopt your beauty regime to it.
What’s Next
Check out our complete guide to having healthy hair here!
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