Getting greasy hair is perfectly normal between washes, especially when it’s been a few days. It’s a sign your hair and scalp are healthy and doing what they need to stay that way.
But what if your locks rarely feel clean and seem constantly weighed down with excess oils?
Maybe your scalp is over-producing sebum, leaving your roots feeling overly slick. Perhaps the products you’re using are too rich for your hair texture.
Whatever the reason behind oily tresses, there’s much you can do to restore the balance.
Keep scrolling to discover our top do’s and don’ts to combat greasy-looking locks…
Don’t… Keep Touching Your Hair
Your scalp makes oil naturally but that may not be what’s causing your greasy hair. You could be exposing your hair to other external oils from your fingertips.
This won’t make too much of a difference whilst styling your hair, tucking it behind your ear, or occasionally running your fingers through the ends.
However, constantly touching your locks can lead to an oily buildup if you keep it up throughout the day.
Instead, try introducing helpful habits like pulling your hair back with a silk scrunchie. This can help remove temptation while sitting on the sofa or at your desk!
Do… Invest In A High-Quality Dry Shampoo
Sometimes, all you need to get another day or two out of your hair is a few spritzes of high-quality dry shampoo—emphasis on the ‘few’. If you use too much dry shampoo you can end up drying out your scalp.
This in turn causes your follicles to produce more and more oil to combat the dryness and, spoiler alert, your hair is greasy again.
Instead, try to spray the formula in a few key areas, then use your fingertips or a wide tooth comb to gently distribute the product throughout your hair for best results.
Don’t… Wash Your Hair Every Day
When your hair feels or even just looks greasy, the temptation to wash it every morning can be overwhelming. You want to feel your most confident self and greasy locks usually have the opposite effect.
However, there’s a high chance that by constantly sudsing up those tresses, you’re actually making the issue worse. But how?
In order to keep itself and your hair healthy, your scalp naturally produces a substance called sebum (what we often refer to as grease). Every time you wash it away with shampoo in the shower, your scalp knows it’s gone and automatically produces more.
So, if you continually wash your hair at the first sign of grease, you’re asking your scalp to continually kick-start the process to release more sebum into your locks.
So, you can end up forcing your hair follicles to over-produce which wildly, makes your hair feel greasier than if you left in an extra day or two between washes.
Do… Use A Clarifying Shampoo On Hair Wash Days
When hair wash day comes around, you need the right shampoo to help get your locks feeling fully clean. Also, since you’ll be trying to stop washing your hair daily (right?), a clarifying shampoo could be an excellent choice.
These deeply cleansing formulas will rid your hair of excess oils and product build-up to leave it feeling squeaky clean. Just keep in mind that, if you do end up going back to washing your hair more than two/three times a week, these formulas will be too drying, even for oily hair.
So, use them to fully cleanse your hair when you do decide to suds up, then, let your scalp and natural oils do their thing on the days in between. You’ll likely find it takes longer for them to show up in your hair again anyway.
Don’t… Use Conditioner On Your Scalp
If you only follow two simple rules for washing your hair, make it these.
Number one: use shampoo mainly at the roots, then rub the excess suds lightly into the ends of your hair to avoid dryness. Two: only apply conditioner to the mid-lengths and ends of your hair, never on the scalp.
Conditioners and hair masks are packed with hydrating ingredients like shea butter, argan oil, and aloe vera. These are great for restoring moisture to dry ends and making your hair look strong and shiny.
However, since your scalp usually produces enough natural oil of its own, we rarely need to add more. This can weigh the hair down and is often the culprit behind overly greasy locks. So, use yours sparingly, and remember, keep it away from your scalp.
Greasy Hair Hairstyle Image Link – https://www.instagram.com/p/CKlBoQgDiWX/
Do… Find Your Favorite Hairstyles For Greasy Hair Days
Since not washing your hair when it feels greasy is easier said than done, we highly recommend looking into hairstyles that work wonders for oily hair. Our favorite? Anything with a slick back!
You can never go wrong with a low, slicked-back bun for office days. That said, this style looks just as chic on the weekends with your go-to jeans and a simple white tee.
If you want to mix things up for your evening plans, why not try a half-up half-down style with a slicked back center parting?
Since it’s usually the part of our hair near the scalp that looks the oiliest, these styles will cleverly conceal the grease as part of your look until your next hair wash session.
Don’t… Use Too Much Heat
Applying excessive amounts of heat to your hair is never a good idea. Especially if your tresses are on the greasy side. Too much heat can do one of two things.
Firstly, it can dry out your hair which, again, means your scalp will overproduce sebum to balance it out again. Secondly, the oils in your hair may react with the heat and cause your locks to look even greasier as they become more slick.
So, if you’re choosing to heat style your hair, we highly recommend turning the temperature down.
This will protect your hair from heat damage and stop the oils on your scalp from becoming too much.
Additionally, we’ll always suggest a blowout over straightening your locks to add volume and lift whereas a straightener may make your hair look limp and oily.
Hairbrush Image Link – https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf9yMzwOY4I/
Do…Clean Your Hairbrushes Often
You can have the best haircare routine in the world but if you’re using a dirty hairbrush, your hair will never reap the benefits.
Each time you brush through your locks, loose hairs, dead skin, and oils from your scalp transfer onto the bristles of your brush. If you don’t remove them, they’ll end up in your hair the next time you use it.
Think about that the next time you jump out of the shower and make sure you’re taking as good care of your hair brushes and accessories as you are of your hair itself!