Not the first freshness: how to care for oily hair 

Although this type of hair annoys its owners, in fact it is quite harmless: sebum plays the role of a protective film. In the Japanese hairdressing school, for example, the concept of “greasy hair” does not exist at all. They believe that if the curls are dirty, you just need to wash them …

Why hair becomes greasy: 5 main reasons

The term “oily hair” always refers to oily scalp. For some reason, she begins to produce more sebum than necessary. Sometimes this is due to a genetic predisposition. Sometimes – with constant stress, a malfunction in the body or improper care.

genetic feature

Of course, genetics play a big role. If you inherited from your mom or dad a lot of branched sebaceous glands on your head, which at the same time actively secrete sebum, you will most likely have an oily hair type. “But heredity is not the only cause of greasiness, and far from the most common,” says dermatocosmetologist, trichologist Maria Nevskaya. “Where more often the hair becomes oily due to the activity of androgens, which, however, can often also be associated with heredity.”

Check how your curls feel with our test.

Failure in the body

“The production of sebum is stimulated by the male sex hormones androgens,” says medical expert Vichy Ekaterina Turubara. “For what reason they became more active, under the influence of what internal factors, it is necessary to find out in each case separately.” In women, this may be, for example, thyroid dysfunction or adrenal gland disease. If the hair has suddenly become very oily, the first thing to do is to make an appointment with a trichologist and therapist.

Stress

The hormone cortisol activates the sebaceous glands no less than androgens. That is why, against the background of severe stress and worries, the curls become greasy.

Improper care

Improper hair care can also lead to oiliness.
  • thermal styling,

  • non-compliance with the washing technique,

  • use of aggressive shampoos and scrubs,

  • frequent cleansing (the editors of Healthy-Food have known cases when the head was washed 2-3 times a day!)

contribute to the fact that the head quickly becomes oily. What to do? Read Healthy-Food’s resources on proper hair care (see below) and see a trichologist. The scalp, protecting itself from aggressive influences, begins to produce sebum even more actively.

Unbalanced nutrition

Alcohol, strong tea and coffee, sweet, salty and smoked meats are the first thing to be excluded from the menu so that the scalp and hair become less greasy. And in order for the curls to also shine, become smooth and elastic, you need high-quality sources of protein (lean meat, fish, dairy products, nuts, legumes), “complex” carbohydrates (whole grains, vegetables, fruits) and “good” fats (unrefined vegetable oils, oily fish, the same nuts). In general, hair, like skin, needs a healthy diet.

What to do with oily hair at home

Oily hair, like any other, needs gentle cleansing, moisturizing and nutrition. What to do with greasy hair at home? Of course, wash first. But do it right.

What to wash

Ekaterina Turubara advises using products that cleanse the scalp well, can wash even thick hair from excess sebum and at the same time act gently and gently. Look for sebum absorbents (kaolin, charcoal), components such as sulfur, salicylic acid, antioxidants (for example, spirulina extract), soothing and cooling components (melissa, chamomile, rose extract, etc.)

Here are some of the best products for oily hair, according to the editors of Healthy-Food.

Balancing Shampoo Elseve “3 precious clays”, L’Oréal Paris

A formula with three types of clay (white, blue and green) is great if the curls have become oily at the roots, but at the same time they are prone to dryness. The shampoo gently cleanses them and helps to restore the balance of the scalp. Moisturizes without weighing it down. The effect of freshness lasts up to 72 hours.

Shampoo fortifying “Cucumber freshness”, Garnier

Cucumber extract and vitamins B3 and B6 are soloized in it. The formula perfectly cleanses the curls, strengthens them and makes them stronger and shinier. With regular use of shampoo, they become soft, light and, which is very important for oily hair, less polluted.

Deep cleansing shampoo Detox, Dercos Nutrients, Vichy

Intensive anti-dandruff shampoo Dercos, Vichy

The formula with ceramide P, selenium disulfide and salicylic acid gently exfoliates dead skin cells, effectively fights dandruff and soothes the scalp, eliminates discomfort.

How to nourish and moisturize

The biggest mistake that can be made when caring for oily hair is to focus on cleansing, but forget about nutrition and hydration. Meanwhile, dryness, nutritional deficiencies have a bad effect on curls, they become lifeless. Try these balms – perhaps after using them you will no longer have to deal with oiliness.

Balm conditioner “Cucumber freshness” Fructis, Garnier

The formula, enriched with cucumber extract and vitamins B3 and B6, moisturizes and nourishes without weighing down the hair. And thanks to the plant concentrate (a combination of extracts of sugar cane, apple, cucumber, lemon, green tea leaves), the curls become stronger and shinier.

Botanic Therapy Tonic Balm Conditioner “Tea Tree Oil. Orange blossom and aloe vera, Garnier

Among its active ingredients are flower tree oil, orange flowers and aloe vera, which tone the scalp, the balm fills the hair with energy, increases their elasticity. The light texture of the balm is not greasy and does not weigh down the strands.

Balm Balm 3 precious clays, L’Oréal Paris

Three types of clay perfectly cleanse hair and scalp for both women and men. The tool helps to restore balance and a feeling of freshness. Complementing the shampoo from the same line, the balm moisturizes curls and makes combing easier.

Additional care

Masks, scrubs and peels are considered additional care, but oily hair needs them, and home care is hard to imagine without them. Use them 1-2 times a week (it is better to discuss the frequency of use with a trichologist), and after a while the curls will become radically different – they look healthy, soft, shiny, and they will be less dirty.

Mask Fructis Superfood “Papaya. Recovery, Garnier

Restores hair, “solders” split ends, intensively nourishes and moisturizes the scalp. The formula does not contain parabens, silicones and synthetic dyes, while making the strands soft and strong.

Intensive peeling shampoo against dandruff Dercos, Vichy

Fights stubborn dandruff, ideal for excessively oily scalp. Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Piroctone Olamine, Niacinamide, and Apricot Kernel Particles are a stellar formula that delivers intense yet gentle cleansing to relieve scalp discomfort.

Intensive anti-dandruff shampoo Kerium DS, La Roche-Posay

Thoroughly cleanses, eliminates excess sebum, dandruff and flaking, reduces discomfort – in a word, eliminates all external signs of oily hair. And all thanks to the active ingredients: salicylic acid, lipohydroxy acid, piroctone olamine, sodium laureth sulfate and niacinamide.

Salon treatments for oily hair

If the hair is very greasy and becomes greasy by the evening, although the head was washed in the morning, and if you can no longer cope with the situation, you should consult a trichologist, because the reasons may be different. In any case, the specialist will most likely suggest one of the following procedures during the consultation.

Ozone therapy

Do not be surprised that it is not carried out in every salon. Ozone therapy can only be offered by cosmetology centers with a license to provide medical services. What is its essence? The scalp (through injections or greenhouse effect) is saturated with oxygen. After that, metabolic processes begin to occur faster, cell renewal intensifies, hair begins to grow faster, and increased fat content goes away.

If the hair becomes greasy by the evening, the specialist can offer one of the salon procedures.

Mesotherapy

This injection technique is most suitable for thin, greasy hair with a lack of volume. The specialist injects a special drug into the skin (the dosage and composition are selected individually) using a syringe or a mesoinjector gun. This cosmetic procedure reduces the production of sebum, after it new hair begins to grow, and the “old” ones become more vibrant and shiny.

What to do if the hair quickly becomes greasy: beauty secrets

Perhaps the main problem, the main inconvenience of oily hair, is that they must be washed often, preferably every day, otherwise they look untidy and sloppy. How to reduce fat? What can be done to keep them clean as long as possible?
  1. Wash when dirty. There are different opinions whether you need to use shampoo every day or endure at least two days, as one of our users wrote, “on the first day, go with a haircut, and the second – in a scarf.” At Healthy-Food, we think it’s important to do what’s comfortable for you. And every other day walking with greasy hair just because it can hypothetically become even more oily from frequent washing is definitely not worth it.

  2. Wash your hair with warm water. In no case not hot – it stimulates the sebaceous glands. And you can rinse even a little cool.

  3. Use less heat pads. Hairdryer and curling irons activate the production of sebum, and the hair itself dries out, makes it brittle and defenseless.

  4. Once a week, use scrubs and peels. Exfoliating particles and acids in their composition cleanse the scalp well and prolong the feeling of freshness at the roots for a couple of days.

  5. Apply masks, balms and conditioners along the entire length hair without touching the roots, and rinse thoroughly with water to remove residue.

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