Sebum is vital to our hair, protecting it from environmental damage and keeping it supple, but too much can lead to a greasy look. Our hair also becomes thinner as we get older, and we don't renew the hair we lose as quickly, leaving us with less to absorb the oil (sebum) the scalp produces.
Sebum production is controlled by our hormones, so a sudden surge in scalp oil production could be down to hormonal changes. If you've recently gone through a major life event that's known to have an impact on your hormone levels, this may be having a knock-on effect on the amount of sebum your scalp is producing.
Your hair at this age: Sebum (oil) secretion tends to diminish in our 60s and 70s+, and this can make the hair dry and brittle.
Hair and puberty
These are both likely caused by the sex hormone testosterone, which is a major player in both female and male reproductive development. Testosterone is thought to increase the production of sebum which is the substance that can make both skin and hair feel oily.
Greasy Hair Can Become More Pronounced With Age
As you age, you may have noticed your hair getting greasier. Your sebaceous glands secrete an oily lubricant called sebum, which gives your hair its natural shine.
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.
"As the estrogen levels fall after ovulation, there is a relative excess of androgen hormones causing increased oil production, clogged pores and growth of bacteria," Weiser told SELF.
Lifestyle and diet changes to fix oily hair
Your diet should consist of foods rich in vitamin B, especially B2 and B6. It is believed that these components in your diet can help keep your sebum production in control. So, consider adding foods like leafy vegetables, pulses, and seaweed.
An oily scalp is not entirely bad because minimal oil production is good for the health of your hair. However, excess oil can make your hair feel and look greasy.
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.
Is Oily Hair Healthy? Oily hair isn't healthy or unhealthy by default. People with an oily scalp can have healthy hair or dry, brittle hair. Your hair needs oil to be healthy, but too much oil can lead to buildup on the hair and scalp.
Excessive oil production can occur for several reasons. It can be hereditary or due to hormonal changes (puberty or pregnancy), or even changes in seasons, lifestyle, or climate. Poor diet, improper hair care, and some medicines can also impact how oily your hair is.
But you can train your hair to be less oily with a technique called hair training. This involves slowly reducing the frequency of hair washes to get your scalp used to not being rinsed often, naturally minimizing oil production.
Apply a clarifying shampoo or exfoliating product once a week. If you're a greasy hair sufferer, you're probably a dry shampoo junkie. Nothing is wrong with using dry shampoo, but if you tend to use a lot of it or other styling products, this step—which you can consider a hair reset—is imperative.
Curly hair and thicker, longer hair tend to be oily at the roots and progressively drier toward the ends. This is simply due to physics: It takes much more work for scalp oils to travel down a corkscrew-shaped hair shaft or down long hair shafts.
People with oily hair or who use hair care products daily should consider washing their hair once every 1–2 days. People with dry hair can wash their hair less frequently. Those with textured or coily hair should only wash it once every 1–2 weeks.
Women going through menopause experience a change in their hormone levels. One hormone, androgen, surges, increasing the production of sebum in the scalp. Sebum is vital to our hair, protecting it from environmental damage and keeping it supple, but too much can lead to a greasy look.
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.
Hormonal changes during your period can be responsible for bad hair days (as well as bad mood days). Sebum production influenced by hormones like testosterone and estrogen can mean greasy skin and hair.
Generally speaking, older adults may only need to wash their hair around once per week. For seniors who are hesitant to wash with greater frequency, dry shampoos can be effective in the days between wet washing.
Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don't sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so. Some people should wash their sheets even more often than once a week.
Greasy hair is primarily caused by oil buildup.
However, some people produce more sebum than others, which is why some people's hair gets greasier much faster than others. That's why you may find your hair getting greasy after 1 day or even just a few hours.