How To Get Rid Of Oil Hair In South Africa
What is Greasy Hair?
Greasy hair is the result of overactive sebaceous glands, which are producing too much sebum. Although sebum benefits the hair, keeping it healthy, smooth and preventing it from drying out and breaking, too much can cause the hair to look slick and greasy.
How To Get Rid Of Oil Hair In South Africa
That said, you don’t want to strip off all your oil. Your natural oils protect hair and are vital for a healthy scalp and lustrous hair. Here’s how to cut the grease without damaging your hair or irritating your scalp.
1. Wash more often
People with really oily hair may need to shampoo up to once a day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Shampoo helps to remove excess oil as well as debris and leftover hair products from the scalp.
2. Wash less often
This may seem counterintuitive. But if you’re already washing your hair once a day and you’re still greasy by day’s end, it might be worth playing with how frequently you wash your hair.
Overwashing can strip your scalp of its natural oils. This may cause it to produce more oil to rehydrate.
If you tend to have dry skin or a dry, itchy scalp in addition to oily hair, slowly stretching how frequently you wash may help balance out your scalp’s oil production.
3. Shampoo properly
It doesn’t seem like rocket science, but yes, you can wash your hair incorrectly and end up with an oily scalp and damaged hair.
To properly wash your hair, gently work a small amount of shampoo into your roots and scalp. Avoid using your nails or creating unnecessary friction on the strands. Aggressive scrubbing can irritate your scalp and cause it to produce more oils.
Focus on your scalp, where the oil is, rather than on the length of your hair. Don’t apply shampoo directly to the ends of your hair or scrub them. Instead, simply let the shampoo flow through the ends as you rinse.
And good news for your wallet, you should skip the “repeat” cleanse.
4. Condition carefully
Conditioner can make your hair look greasy and cause oils to pile up faster. Condition just the ends of your hair, and be sure to thoroughly rinse.
5. Go natural
Straightening irons and blow dryers can give you a smooth, sleek finish. But they can also make your hair look greasy faster.
Let your hair air-dry and embrace its natural texture. You’ll stretch out your washes and avoid heat damage.
6. Use products formulated for oily hair
A lot of thought and research has gone into making hair care products live up to their hype. If your shampoo isn’t cutting it, try a clarifying shampoo that has stronger detergents. This can help lift oil and leave your hair grease-free.
However, if you love sweaty workouts or find you need to wash daily, a mild baby shampoo can be less irritating and better suited for frequent use.
7. Clean your brush
A dirty brush has no place with freshly washed hair. Your brush can be full of styling products, oils, and general gunk that can make your locks dirty immediately after washing.
Clean up your styling tools with a bit of shampoo or gentle soap to strip off the buildup. Likewise, clean out all of the loose hair after each brushing to keep your brush free of oil and dirt.
8. Deep clean with aloe
This home remedy doesn’t just come in handy in the summer months. Aloe makes for a great hair and scalp mask since it removes extra oil, fights product buildup, soothes the scalp, and protects strands. You’ll be left with soft, healthy hair.
9. Avoid products with silicone
Many products, including shampoos, conditioners, creams, and styling products, are made with silicone to help smooth hair and add shine.
In addition to adding extra gloss that can look an awful lot like grease, silicones can build up on the hair and make it look dirty, oily, and weighed down. The most common silicones you’ll find in hair products include:
- dimethicone
- cyclomethicone
- amodimethicone
Silicones can also prevent beneficial moisture from getting into the hair shafts. Do your roots a favor and skip any products with ingredients ending in “-cone.”
10. Be gentle
Whether you’re washing, brushing, styling, or scratching your head, it’s important to be extra gentle. Irritating your scalp can actually overstimulate it and cause your oil glands to produce even more oil.
11. Rinse properly
Spend an extra minute or two making sure you have all of the shampoo and conditioner out of your hair. This can make a big difference in how your hair looks and feels.
Products that are left behind can coat your hair, making it look and feel dirty and itchy.
12. Avoid playing with it
Lock twirling, head scratching, running fingers through your hair — the more you play with your hair, the worse it will look.
Brushing and touching your hair frequently can stimulate oil glands. You can draw scalp oils down into the strands and add extra oils from your hands.
13. Try dry shampoo
Dry shampoo can be a savior in a pinch. It can’t substitute for a sudsy wet wash, but it can help dry out oils and give your hair a cleaner appearance. Many dry shampoos also add a touch of scent to help freshen up.
The downside is that dry shampoos add residue that can make your hair and scalp feel gritty and dirty. It also dries out your hair, so it’s best to only use it every now and then and wash it off completely the next day to avoid irritation and damage.
14. To moisturize or not to moisturize?
If you have oily hair, you might want to consider adding a lightweight conditioner.
The lightweight conditioner can help replenish and balance the moisture on your scalp without sending it into overproduction mode. Oily hair is often the result of the scalp having received messages to produce more oil because the hair is getting dried out from various products.
Oily hair may also be due to a poor rinse job after applying products during the hair-washing process.
You may want to try conditioning first and shampooing second to remove extra residue or just do away with your traditional conditioner and try a leave-in conditioning spray (on your ends only).
15. Use DIY dry shampoo
Don’t have dry shampoo and need some in a pinch? Cornstarch or baby powder are classic DIY substitutes. Adding cocoa powder can make it disappear into darker hair.
16. Deep condition with coconut oil
Don’t skip your scalp the next time you do a coconut oil treatment. This treatment can help lift oil off the scalp and roots while adding some much appreciated deep hydration.
17. Rinse with apple cider vinegar
Enlist the benefits of apple cider vinegar. When properly diluted, an apple cider vinegar rinse can help remove product buildup, balance scalp pH, and reduce frizz.
18. Shampoo with tea tree oil
A 2002 study found that antibacterial tea tree oil improves dandruff, reduces itchiness, and improves greasiness. Look for a shampoo that includes tea tree oil as one of its active ingredients to get the full effect.
19. Plan your washes around your workouts
This probably goes without saying, but sweating spreads oils and can leave your hair looking less than fresh. Try to schedule your shampooing around your sweatiest workouts to get the most out of each wash.
20. Wash after wearing a hat or helmet
Hats, helmets, scarves, and headbands can spread oils and trap heat. Undo the hat hair and its side effects with a quick wash. Or use head accessories to stretch out the timing of your next wash.
21. Apply witch hazel
This potion is surprisingly handy for grimy hair. Witch hazel can relieve itching, close oil-producing pores, and reduce inflammation caused by dandruff, pH imbalance, or other scalp disorders. It’s also gentle enough to use on a sensitive scalp.
22. Wear it down now and again
Constantly pulling back your hair can cause your scalp’s oils to spread faster and make your hair look greasier. Let your mane roam untamed now and then to stretch the time between washes.
This works especially well if you leave your hair down the first day post-wash and wear it up the day before you wash.
23. Go for green tea
This powerhouse beverage is also good for your hair. Green tea extract has been shown to reduce sebum production and nourish skin when applied topically. Make it easy on yourself and pick up a shampoo that includes it.
24. Embrace the topknot
Sometimes it’s easier to just not fight it. Use the oils in your hair to your advantage with a sleek topknot. Plus, the natural oils will help hydrate your hair and give you an even better hair day tomorrow.
25. Sweeten with honey
If you’ve let the oil get really out of hand, a honey mask can help soothe your scalp and prevent or treat dandruff, thanks to its antibacterial and antifungal properties.
One 2001 study found that a simple mixture of 90 percent raw honey and 10 percent water helped reduce symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis like itching, redness, flakiness, and excessive oil production.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
“Although sebum is good for the hair, too much can make your hair look slick and greasy. Common causes of oily hair are unhealthy eating habits, medications, improper hair care, stress, hormonal fluctuations, and change in weather.”
Is oily hair good?
Oily hair gets a bad rap, but the sebum your scalp produces is vital to healthy, shiny hair. Despite what shampoo commercials lead you to believe, washing your hair can be a key contributor to a bad hair day. Hair that is completely free of this natural oil can feel coarse and be dull and difficult to style.
Why is my hair so oily after washing?
Greasy hair after washing may be due to a person’s hair care routine, an overproduction of sebum, environmental factors, or underlying health conditions. People may be able to stop hair from becoming greasy as quickly by using a gentle clarifying shampoo and lightweight, non-greasy hair products.
What causes oily hair and scalp?
Oily hair is often the result of the scalp having received messages to produce more oil because the hair is getting dried out from various products. Oily hair may also be due to a poor rinse job after applying products during the hair-washing process.
How can I remove oil from my hair without shampoo?
As a hair fad that’s replaced commercial shampoos, people report that baking soda, dissolved in water, can remove excess oil and buildup, soften your… Dry shampoo absorbs the oil in your hair, making it look cleaner and fluffier.
Why is my hair greasy after one day?
Those with fine or thin hair, however, may find their hair looks greasy after just one day. It’s all to do with the amount of oil your scalp produces, as well as how well your hair can carry that oil.
Is greasy hair good for growth?
Kimble says, “It is actually a big myth that dirty hair grows faster than clean hair. Having dirty hair can cause bacteria growth and scalp irritation. The bacteria growth can cause scalp diseases which can in turn cause your hair to fall out or not grow properly.”
Why is my hair oily after 2 days?
Shampooing too little or even too often can contribute to greasy hair. Typically, if you have greasy hair, you should shampoo daily. Washing more than once a day can cause your glands to overreact and produce more oil to make up for the extra shampooing. You’ll also want to choose a shampoo that’s made for oily hair.
How often should I wash my hair?
How Much Should You Wash? For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there’s flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it’s time to shampoo, Goh says.
Does stress cause oily hair?
Modern lifestyles have led to an increase in anxiety and stress levels, making them one of the most common causes of oily hair. “Stress causes your cortisol levels to rise. Cortisol stresses out the oil glands to produce more sebum, naturally leading to oily hair,” explains Sethi.
Does conditioner make your hair oily?
You may be applying a conditioner that’s too heavy for your hair type, which can weigh it down. Or you may not be washing it out properly – another grease-giving culprit. And finally avoid placing your conditioner all over your hair, focus on the ends to avoid causing oily roots and lank lengths.