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What is the cause of oily hair?
Naturally, the scalp produces an oil that protects both the skull and the hair from external aggressions and dehydration. This oil, called sebum and produced by the sebaceous glands, is often mixed with sweat and spreads along the hair, making it shiny and supple.
However, it often happens that the sebaceous glands go out of order, which leads to excessive sebum secretion. The latter then becomes visible in the hair, especially at the level of the roots. This is called having greasy hair.
Several factors can cause this disruption:
- Genetics, for example, plays a role in the abundant secretion of sebum.
- Nervousness can also lead to increased sebum production. This is why you will observe that in times of stress or intense fatigue, your hair tends to be oilier than usual.
- Similarly, an unbalanced diet or one that is too rich in saturated fat contributes to the phenomenon of greasy hair.
- The use of unsuitable shampoos can accentuate this problem in the long term.
- Heat or the use of harsh products such as dyes, bleaches or hair gels promote the appearance of oily hair.
How not to have oily hair?
Rest assured, it is possible to avoid or at leastreduce the phenomenon of oily hair by respecting simple tips to put in place.
A balanced diet
The quality of your diet has a huge impact on the condition of your scalp. Start by avoiding foods that are too fatty or foods that are too spicy. On the contrary, turn to foods rich in vitamin B. Responsible for regulating the production of sebum, you will find vitamin B6 in salmon, cereals or bananas for example. Likewise, give preference to legumes, green vegetables or eggs and drink water regularly.
Limit how often you wash your hair
Excessive or harsh washing of your hair can send a red flag to your scalp. The latter will increase the production of sebum in order to counter-attack the external aggressions that it undergoes. So get into the habit of letting a few days elapse between two washes. The transition period can be complicated because when we have oily hair, we only want to wash it as soon as possible. This is why we propose in this article hairstyles to adopt to camouflage the phenomenon.
Opt for quality shampoos
Many quality shampoos suitable for oily hair exist in pharmacies or parapharmacies. Take the time to choose a shampoo adapted to your hair type: fine, curly, frizzy… Each hair has different needs.
When washing, do not use too much shampoo, which can weigh your hair down and contribute to greasy hair. Lightly massage the product and rinse with lukewarm water.
What natural ingredients against oily hair?
Natural techniques exist to fight against oily hair. Generally at a lower cost, these solutions are within everyone's reach and do not cause side effects.
Check them out below:
Apple cider vinegar
You will definitely find apple cider vinegar in your kitchen cupboard. Did you know that this ingredient can also help you reduce oily hair?
Thanks to its astringent properties, apple cider vinegar can help you get rid of excess oil in your hair.
Take a cup of apple cider vinegar and mix it with a liter of lukewarm water. Use this mixture to rinse your hair after washing it with a suitable shampoo. After this wash, avoid using a hair dryer. Let your hair air dry.
The aloe vera
Aloe vera is considered one of the best ingredients to regulate sebum secretion from your scalp. Thanks to its purifying action, aloe vera cleanses your scalp and allows you to space out your shampoos. Apart from helping you get rid of oily hair, you can also use it to fight dandruff and promote hair growth.
As soon as oily hair appears, you can collect two tablespoons of aloe vera gel and add a few drops of tea tree oil to it. Apply this mixture on your scalp before washing. Aloe vera can also be found in moisturizing treatments and shampoos .
Baking soda
Baking soda can help fight oily hair by removing excess oil and dirt. Thanks to its absorbent properties, it will contribute to the absorption of excess sebum installed on the scalp.
For treatment, 2-3 spoons of baking soda should be mixed with a small amount of water. The resulting mixture should form a paste and not be too runny. Adjust the amount of water accordingly.
Apply the paste obtained on the roots of your hair part by part. Then wait 15 minutes before rinsing.
Use lemon juice.
The acidic nature of lemon makes it an excellent anti-dandruff. As such, it works well on oily hair.
Squeeze the juice of a lemon and use it to wash your hair focusing on the roots. Afterwards, wait 15 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water.
What care for our hair?
In addition to the natural solutions that we have listed in the previous part, note that it is possible to provide other treatments for oily hair.
Among the most effective solutions, here are some that can make this problem that keeps bothering you disappear for good:
Use a dry shampoo
In order to fight oily hair, you can choose to use a dry shampoo.
As the name suggests, dry shampoo is shampoo that is used to wash hair without having to use water. Generally in the form of a spray and available in stores, simply spray the shampoo 30 cm from your roots, wait 2 or 3 minutes then gently rub the scalp and finally brush the hair.
Dry shampoo is not intended to extract impurities left behind by oily hair. The powder sprayed by the dry shampoo bomb is deposited on the scalp and sucks up excess sebum in a few minutes. Thus, its rapid action makes it possible to obtain a smooth scalp devoid of sebum.
In one application, excess sebum is sucked out. Your hair looks smooth and shiny and the oily hair effect disappears. The use of dry shampoo is an excellent alternative to avoid going back to the shower every day and thus spacing out shampoos.
Adopt hairstyles that respect your scalp
A scalp abused with an unsuitable comb and brush is more exposed to the appearance of greasy hair. Similarly, spending time fiddling with your hair and regularly running your hands through it increases the risk of having greasy hair. Indeed, to counter these aggressions, the scalp begins to produce more sebum in order to protect the hair.
For your hairstyles, choose natural hair brushes, boar for example, or wide-toothed combs. Also avoid brushing your scalp too frequently. Above all, avoid using gels on a daily basis that weigh down your hair and leave residue that can accentuate the effect of oily hair.
Opt for shampoos suitable for oily hair
According to the opinion of many specialists, constantly washing the hair exposes it more to the effect of greasy hair. Thus, it is necessary to space out the washes.
However, it is difficult to do without washing when you have greasy and oily hair every day. Fortunately, there are mild shampoos available in stores that can be used for regular washing.
With a neutral PH, shampoos made especially for oily hair are gentle and do not intoxicate the scalp.
After its application, you must wash your hair with cold or lukewarm water to allow the scales of the hair fiber to tighten. This will prevent the scalp from getting fat quickly.
Oily roots and dry ends: How to do it?
The problem of hair with oily roots and dry ends is very complex. Thus, it is also difficult to provide a single solution.
Why are we talking about a complex issue?
Hair with oily roots and dry ends are two different problems . Each of these problems needs an adequate solution.
However, by wanting to provide solutions to the problems of dry ends, it can happen that we aggravate the problem of oily roots by encouraging the scalp to produce more sebum. Conversely, the roots can be dried out more than they already are by trying to reduce the oily hair effect.
Very often, dry ends are due to the fact that damaged hair, in particular by discoloration, color or heat, is no longer smooth and therefore does not allow the sebum to slide along the hair. Thus, they appear dry and are more easily subject to breakage.
What should be done to provide effective solutions to these two problems without aggravating the other?
Do not panic, be patient, after reading the following, you will know how to do it.
Thus, we have seen that there are solutions to reduce excess sebum and camouflage the oily hair effect. In the same way, there are tips for treating dry hair without causing the scalp to produce excess sebum.
First, it is important to take care of your dry and damaged ends. Choose an oil or a moisturizing mask to leave on your lengths. Be careful not to apply it to your roots at the risk of greasing them. These treatments will nourish your ends and treat them in depth in order to reduce their dryness. In addition, they help strengthen them against the risk of breakage and restore shine to your hair.
Likewise, we have highlighted the importance of a shampoo adapted to your hair type. Here, the ideal would be to use a purifying shampoo on your roots to cleanse the scalp and then apply a nourishing conditioner to your lengths and ends. You can also opt for a rich oil or a hydrating or repairing mask on your brittle ends. On the contrary, do not apply any treatment or conditioner to your roots if you do not want to fatten your scalp.
Oily hair and dandruff: they often go hand in hand.
How to explain the fact that people who have oily hair also have dandruff?
To give you an answer to this question, we are going to take a detour on the role that sebum is supposed to play on the scalp.
Thus, the role of sebum is to protect the scalp against external aggressions, even if in excess, this sebum is the cause of oily hair. However, an oily scalp is the ideal home for the proliferation of dandruff, which feeds exclusively on the lipids contained in sebum. Thus, the more oily hair you have, the more dandruff multiplies.
Another type of dandruff unrelated to greasy hair exists. These are dry dandruff. These are caused by an imbalance in the renewal of the scalp. When this renewal is too rapid, the dead cells form dandruff because they have not had time to gradually detach one by one.
Dry dandruff comes off easily and can be treated easily. Often, a simple anti-dandruff shampoo is enough to make them disappear.
More difficult to treat, oily dandruff requires specific care and in some cases a dermatological shampoo may be recommended. It is necessary to take care of it quickly since this dandruff forms a layer which asphyxiates the scalp and can cause hair loss.
What hairstyle to hide the fat of our hair?
From an aesthetic point of view, oily hair presents badly and offers a bad image of your hair. We know how you feel when you have oily hair. You feel like all eyes are on you. This is stressful and can be frustrating. You then have only one desire: to wash your hair again. But repeated washings aggravate this phenomenon.
It is quite possible to go unnoticed without anyone suspecting the presence of these greasy dandruff that have invaded your head. To do this, simply opt for a hairstyle that will camouflage the patches that are detached from your scalp.
To this end, there are many chic hairstyles which, in addition to highlighting your beauty, will help you hide your oily hair well. There are many choices, here are some of them:
The double side braids with headband
Very simple to style, the side braids allow you to hide your oily hair.
To do this, start by separating and then brushing your hair into two equal vertical parts. Then, separate each part into three strands that you will weave together starting from the top of your head. Once at the ends, gather your locks using a hair elastic. To enhance your new look and hide your roots, choose to wear a pretty headband.
The half bun
If despite your oily hair, you want to have loose hair, it is possible! Often oily hair is noticeable at the roots and temples. So, it may not be necessary to tie up all of your hair when the ends of your hair are not greasy. Thus, you can opt for a half bun, also called half-bun in English. To do this, separate your hair in two, preferably at ear level, bring the upper part back and form a small bun. Secure it with a few bobby pins and no one will notice your greasy hair!
Easy and quick, you can adapt this hairstyle to all your looks. Chignon unstructured, braided or strict, there is something for everyone.
The side bun
In order to camouflage your oily hair, you can also opt for the side bun. It stands out from other bun shapes with its asymmetrical vibe.
To style the side bun, you need to start by brushing your hair. Then, tie your hair in a ponytail on the side of your choice. Twist your hair lengthwise and wrap it around the elastic to form a side bun. Secure the hairstyle with bobby pins.
Oily hair: Our tips
Having trouble getting rid of oily hair is a recurring problem, but there are simple tips to adopt.
Use a clay mask
Clay is known for its ability to quickly absorb excess sebum produced by your sebaceous glands. Apply a purifying mask based on clay adapted to your hair at the level of the roots in order to absorb the excess approximately 1 to 2 times per week.
Change shampoo
Most often, it is very rich shampoos that are the cause of the appearance of oily hair.
If your hair gets fat too quickly, avoid nourishing shampoos. Opt instead for shampoos that are moisturizing and respectful of the scalp. During application, gently massage your scalp with your fingertips so as not to activate the production of sebum by rubbing too rigorously.
Avoid using baby and children's shampoos
If baby and children's shampoos attract you because of their softness, avoid falling into this trap. Although they work perfectly on children, they tend to greasy the scalp of adults.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle can also help you avoid the appearance of oily hair on your scalp. It has been found that lack of sleep, stress, tobacco consumption and an unbalanced diet can block the elimination of toxins which contribute to a healthy scalp.
Adopt a healthier lifestyle, regular hydration and a balanced diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruits to cure your oily hair problem.
Reduce the use of heat.
You will certainly like your hair to dry quickly when you just get out of the shower. However, it should be noted that using a hair dryer that is too hot to speed up drying can cause damage to your scalp. Similarly, when showering, choose lukewarm water rather than too hot water. Indeed, by wanting to defend itself from external aggression, the scalp will produce excess sebum.
Thus, it is preferable to opt for a gentle drying in the open air or to use a micro fiber towel to absorb the excess water.
