If you're someone with an oily scalp, you know how inconvenient it can be to have your hair sticking to your head less than 24 hours after you've washed it. Plus, the combination of humidity, heat, sweat and dust only makes it worse, causing issues like weakened hair, frizz and itchy flaking.
Oily scalp and dry ends occur when your scalp produces an excessive amount of sebum oil. While on one hand, this makes the roots of your hair greasy and oily, on the other hand, your hair ends remain dry and damaged due to lack of moisture.
Hair oils enriched with moisturizing ingredients help make the hair softer while reducing frizz and strengthening the strands. By using hair oil, you can provide your hair with the ultimate moisture boost and restore its natural shine and health.
Why Does Curly Hair Not Get Oily? A common question every straight-haired person has is why does curly hair not get oily as fast as straight hair. The answer is simple: because the hair is curly. People can have scalps that get oily at the same rate, but since the hair has curls, the oil takes longer to travel down.
Causes: Factors like environmental conditions (dry air, sun exposure), heat styling, chemical treatments, and lack of moisture can lead to dryness. Many people experience a combination of both oily and dry hair, often referred to as combination hair, where the scalp is oily but the ends are dry.
"If you blot tissue paper on the scalp of a normal hair type two days after washing, it will leave a small translucent area," says Dr. Lombardi. "An oily scalp type will be more saturated, and the hairs will clump, and dry scalp type you may not see anything on the tissue paper."
Fact: Conditioner is not only OK for oily hair types to use but it's also necessary. It provides a healthy dose of hydration, nourishment, and protection that your locks can't get from shampoo alone. The key, however, is to find one that works for your individual hair needs.
Oily hair symptoms usually involve the look and feel of your hair. Your hair may look greasy or shiny. It can feel heavy or weighed down and greasy to the touch. Overproductive oil glands on the scalp can also cause the scalp to become itchy and irritated.
The major sign of oily hair is in the appearance of your locks. If your tresses appear greasy, lank, and lifeless you are most likely suffering from oily hair.
While leaving oil on your hair may seem beneficial, prolonged exposure can have adverse effects. If hair growth oil is left on for extended periods, it can attract dirt, clog pores, and lead to dandruff and itching. Over-saturation may also weaken hair strands, making them prone to breakage.
Macadamia Oil
These fatty acids make it one of the best hair oils for dry and frizzy hair. If you frequently style your hair with heat tools, using hair masks with macadamia oil can deeply nourish your hair. It provides your tresses with the hydration it needs and reduces frizz as well.
So, if you are still wondering how often you should wash oily hair, a good rule to follow is between 2 to 3 times a week. This way, you can enjoy a clean feel without stripping essential moisture and exposing your strands to too many chemical elements.
Four primary factors cause frizz: the environment, diameter of the hair fiber itself, level of curl, and the amount of damage. Avoid long and hot showers, excess exfoliation, and hot tools like traditional hairdryers and flat irons to prevent frizz.
Generally, he says, the range is somewhere between once a day and once a week. “If you have very fine or thin hair, you may need to wash more often, while those with thick or curly hair may need to wash less often,” says Dr Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a double board certified dermatologist and hair health expert.
Each hair follicle on your head has an oil gland that produces sebum. Sebum is there to naturally moisturize your scalp and keep your hair healthy, shiny and strong. But when there's too much of it, it can build up and lead to greasy, limp locks.
Greasy, oily hair tends to be fairly easy to spot – it look darker and flat, clumps together and any face-framing strands may look stringy and dull. To work out if you have greasy hair, shampoo your hair at night and only apply conditioner to your lengths.
Excessive washing
Over-washing can make your hair look greasy because it strips the hair of its natural oils. This loss of natural oils causes the body to overcompensate by producing more sebum. Over-conditioning can also lead to greasy hair because it weighs down the hair and this in turn increases oil production.
Applying leave-in conditioner to damp hair prevents you from getting too much in one area, which can make your hair look greasy. Apply a small amount of leave-in conditioner. To avoid greasy hair, you want to use the smallest amount of leave-in conditioner that does the job.