Is there anything more frustrating than washing your hair, only for it to feel greasy and look limp as soon as the next day? Master hair stylist and co-founder of &Goodies, Antonello Pasci is here to explain what’s behind those oily strands and what you can do to remedy it for good.
Why does my scalp produce oil anyway?
Although having greasy roots can be the cause of a bad hair day, this natural oil is important to your scalp’s health. It keeps your strands strong to prevent breakage, and keeps your scalp from drying out. So even though it’s a pain to deal with sometimes, oil isn’t totally the enemy of great hair, it has a purpose!
Your skin is a multi-tasking barrier that protects your insides from the outside world. In order to prevent infections and diseases from getting in, your skin naturally produces an oily substance to protect it, and to keep it functioning properly — especially the skin on your scalp.
Even though your oily strands may be cramping your style right now, having some oil on your hair is necessary to keep your scalp moisturized, and to prevent it from drying up.
Where oily hair creates styling disarray is when it’s mixed with sebum, sweat, and other substances. Debris like environmental pollutants and styling products build up on your scalp, roots, and strands between washes. When this mixes with sebum and sweat, it results with your hair appearing dull, flat, and oily. So it’s not just oily hair, but how it plays with sweat and other substances that needs to be addressed when it comes to oily hair woes.
Whether you have thin, thick, or a volume in-between, oily hair can be a weekly drag to deal with. With the right plan of attack however, you can curb oily hair for good.
4-Step Process To Fix Oily Hair
1. Experiment with your ideal hair-washing schedule
There’s no golden rule for how often you should wash your hair. Much like skincare, everyone’s hair is different. Some people can get away with washing their hair once or twice per week, and others find they need to do it every day. Generally, people with fine, oily hair need to freshen theirs more often than someone with thick, coarse hair.
Factors such as your hair type, how much oil your scalp produces, how much you sweat, where you live, and your hair styling habits affect how often you need to shampoo and condition your hair. If you don’t mind wearing a slicked-back style when your hair becomes oily, you might be able to extend the time between washes.
It can take some trial and error over time to figure out your ideal hair-washing schedule. If you shampoo your hair too often, it becomes dry, brittle, prone to breakage, and leads to scalp issues such as dryness, itchiness, and irritation. Similarly, not shampooing often enough can cause clogged pores, breakouts, irritation, and dandruff.
If your hair becomes oily in two to three days, that’d be considered a pretty normal amount. However, if your hair looks or feels greasy in a matter of hours, you might need to experiment with washing less frequently, washing more thoroughly, or switching haircare products. Use this information to create an ideal hair-washing schedule that’s right for you.
2). Find the best shampoo for oily hair
The best shampoo for oily hair is one that contains a good mix of clarifying, nourishing, and refreshing ingredients. Since you want to properly cleanse your scalp without drying out your strands, your shampoo needs to strike this balance. & Goodies Stimulating Rosemary Lavender Shampoo is designed to clean and balance out oily strands. Better yet, it’s made of natural ingredients so it doesn’t coat your scalp and mane with chemicals that’ll aggravate oily strands.
Have dyed or damaged hair? Try &Goodies Repairing Lemongrass Shampoo — designed to address oily hair, it also repairs strands with its Pro.filler concept, which promotes the repair of micro and macro damages to hair.
3). Shampoo the right way
Massaging your scalp – not your strands helps address oiliness. Massaging your scalp with rosemary and lavender essential oils is excellent for addressing oily strands, as well as refreshing and reviving your hair.
Rosemary oil is linked to silky, strong hair growth and offers powerful antioxidant properties, while lavender oil is associated with maintaining a balanced scalp. If you applied these essential oils directly to your scalp they could irritate it, so using salon-quality products formulated with these oils, like the ones from the &Goodies Shampoo and Conditioner line is the best way to include them in your oily hair care routine.
Some oily manes use the double-shampoo route (washing twice before applying conditioner) to give their oily scalps a thorough clean. If you’re looking for a shortcut to double-shampooing your hair, try this hack:
- Mix &Goodies Stimulating Rosemary Lavender Shampoo into a small spray bottle with water.
- Shake the bottle until the mixture turns into a sudsy, fluffy foam.
- Spray it directly onto your wet scalp until it’s fully saturated, then thoroughly massage it in. Let the mixture run through your hair when you rinse it out, instead of working it into your strands.
- Follow shampooing with &Goodies Stimulating Rosemary Basil Conditioner, which includes rosemary oil plus basil oil to clarify, soften, and smooth your strands.
4. Reduce oiliness between washes
To minimize extra oiliness and help your hair look fresh for as long as possible, you should frequently clean your haircare tools such as brushes and combs, so they don’t collect and re-deposit oil on your scalp and hair. Additionally, brushing your hair thoroughly from root to tip can help redistribute built-up oils, making it a little less noticeable.
Another great solution to keep oily manes at bay between washes is dry shampoo. Applying dry shampoo can soak up oil and stretch out the time between washes if you’re looking to keep your hair tame until your next wash.
Although greasy hair may be a foe to good hair days, it’s completely normal for your scalp and hair to become oily between washes. The secret to living with oily hair is to maintain a reliable and proven plan that keeps oily strands at bay, with good, quality shampoo at the ready.
See the full &Goodies haircare line at andgoodies.com.
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