Greasy hair? Here's why and how to fix it

Why is my hair so greasy?

As you’re probably already aware, healthy hair produces a certain amount of sebum, or oil, as a way to hydrate your scalp and protect your hair. And the amount of oil you produce varies depending on your hair type, how often you shower and other lifestyle factors like that.

Sometimes this natural oil can collect on your hair, especially at the root - and this can look greasy or oily. If this sounds familiar, then we’re here to tell you the causes of oily hair, products that can control oil production, and some home remedies for when your hair looks too greasy.

So what’s the cause of greasy hair? The oil in your hair is part of your body’s defense system for the sensitive hair of your scalp. This oil mixes with sweat and dirt, coating your scalp and sometimes the top of your head, too. This is actually normal, so don’t panic.

Practicing good hygiene by washing your scalp often with a shampoo cleanses the oil and gives your hair a fresh start. But saying that, some hair types (straight hair for one, sorry guys) are prone to oil build-up and certain lifestyle habits, like exercise, over-use of styling products, and being out in the heat or humidity can add to your bad hair day.

Reason 1: Over-washing

If your hair is oily or greasy one of the causes could be over-washing. Every time you wash your hair with shampoo, it sends the scalp the signal to produce more sebum. If you’re washing your hair too often, your scalp gets the message that it needs to be in oil production overdrive. This can result in oily build-up on your scalp - and the greasy look you’re trying to avoid.

Reason 2: Hair type

Straight hair is especially prone to collecting oil because the hair shaft doesn’t have any texture or wave to it, so oil slides straight down the hair shaft and collects all over your head. It also makes oil in your hair more visible when hair hangs straight down.

Reason 3: Over styling

Another cause of oily hair is the type of styling products you use. Sebum is a type of oil, which means that simply washing it with water doesn’t break it up. Rinsing your hair with just water or skipping the shampoo step and using only conditioner can allow oil to build up. While it might not be easy to spot the oil when your hair is drying, it quickly appears oily again only a few hours or so later. That’s because only certain ingredients, found in most shampoos, can break down the oil that builds up on your hair.

How often should you wash your hair?

How often should you wash your hair? It’s a question we get asked a lot at the salon, and the answer depends on a few different things…

If you wash your hair too much, you can remove the sebum your scalp produces - this is vital to healthy, shiny hair. And don’t be scared of oily hair, because despite what shampoo brands want you to believe, washing your hair a lot can turn your good hair day into a bad day.

Most people don’t need to wash their hair every day or even every other one, and how often you do it depends on quite a few factors. The simplest answer is that you should wash it once it’s oily and feels unclean to the touch.

But what other factors influence how often you need to wash your hair?

OIL

Oil is probably the biggest culprit behind what most people consider dirty hair, and it can leave hair limp and clumpy. How much oil you produce will depend on your age, genetics, sex, and environment. Kids and older adults don’t produce as much sebum as teenagers or 20-30 year olds.

TYPE OF HAIR

Straight and thin hair will need to be washed more often than thick or curly hair. This is because straight hair is easily coated by sebum, so it’ll look greasy faster. Thick, wavy or curly hair tends to be dry because the oil doesn’t coat the strands as easily. Sebum is actually a crucial part of well-defined curls, because curly hair needs more moisture to stay soft and prevent frizzing.

SWEAT

As you might expect, a sweaty workout does your hair no favours. How much you sweat is a big factor in how often you ought to wash, or at least rinse, your hair. Sweat can spread sebum and make your hair look and feel dirty. It can also cause your hair to smell.

Why is my hair so oily?

Why is my hair so oily? we hear you cry. Well, there can be many reasons for this and we’re here to help you get to the bottom of it.

As you’re probably already aware, healthy hair produces a certain amount of sebum, or oil, as a way to hydrate your scalp and protect your hair.

And the amount of oil you produce varies depending on your hair type, how often you shower and other lifestyle factors like that.

Sometimes this natural oil can collect on your hair, especially at the root - and this can look greasy or oily.

If this sounds familiar, then we’re here to tell you the causes of oily hair, products that can control oil production, and some home remedies for when your hair looks too greasy.

So what’s the cause?

The oil in your hair is part of your body’s defense system for the sensitive hair of your scalp. This oil mixes with sweat and dirt, coating your scalp and sometimes the top of your head, too. This is actually normal, so don’t panic.

Practicing good hygiene by washing your scalp often with a shampoo cleanses the oil and gives your hair a fresh start. But saying that, some hair types (straight hair for one, sorry guys) are prone to oil build-up and certain lifestyle habits, like exercise, over-use of styling products, and being out in the heat or humidity can add to your bad hair day.

Photo by Chris Slupski on Unsplash

Cause 1: Over-washing

If your hair is oily or greasy one of the causes could be over-washing.

Every time you wash your hair with shampoo, it sends the scalp the signal to produce more sebum. If you’re washing your hair too often, your scalp gets the message that it needs to be in oil production overdrive.

This can result in oily build-up on your scalp - and the greasy look you’re trying to avoid.

Cause 2: Hair type

Straight hair is especially prone to collecting oil because the hair shaft doesn’t have any texture or wave to it, so oil slides straight down the hair shaft and collects all over your head. It also makes oil in your hair more visible when hair hangs straight down.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Cause 3: Products

Another cause of oily hair is the type of styling products you use. Sebum is a type of oil, which means that simply washing it with water doesn’t break it up.

Rinsing your hair with just water or skipping the shampoo step and using only conditioner can allow oil to build up.

While it might not be easy to spot the oil when your hair is drying, it quickly appears oily again only a few hours or so later.

That’s because only certain ingredients, found in most shampoos, can break down the oil that builds up on your hair.

Six of the best shampoos for greasy hair

Greasy hair is not a look anyone is striving for and even with the best dry shampoo in the world, sometimes the only answer is a good old fashioned wash.

And if you’re looking for a product to get rid of heavy duty oil without stripping your hair of its natural goodness, we’ve rounded up some of our favourites.