Oily hair is one of the most frustrating and most common beauty issues is oily hair. The curse of oil production and never-ending greasy roots plague countless women around the world. When your roots start to get oily and clumpy, it’s hard to feel good about your appearance. Women who struggle with oily hair on a regular basis can attest that looking in the mirror and seeing greasy roots makes them feel gross and is a major blow to their confidence.
There are multiple temporary quick fixes for oily hair that many women rely on daily, like washing it every morning or spraying your roots with half a bottle of dry shampoo before you leave the house. These easy fixes aren’t necessarily the best solutions because they don’t keep your hair from getting oily too quickly again and again. Before you stock up on dry shampoo in bulk, learn how to target the root cause of your oily hair to keep it fresh longer naturally.
1. Washing too Frequently
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Although it might seem counterintuitive, washing your hair too frequently is by far one of the most common causes of oily hair. Washing your hair every day or every other day strips natural oils out of our hair and scalp, which just stimulates more oil production that leads to build-up and greasy, clumpy roots.
Fixing this problem isn’t quite as easy as just washing your hair less often. If you wash your hair every day or every other day, it’s probably because your hair gets oily if you don’t and not because shampooing is your favorite hobby. Determining how often you should wash your hair takes some trial and error. Every woman’s hair is different, and the amount of times per week that your hair needs a wash depends on your hair type, activity level, and many other factors. Experiment with washing your hair just one less time per week, and gradually limit your washing from there. Your hair will eventually adapt to the less frequent washings and slow down its oil production over time.
2. Hard Water
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If you live in an area where the water that comes out of your taps and shower is full of minerals like calcium, that might be why your hair looks and feel so oily all the time. The minerals in hard water are impossible for standard shampoo to break down. That means that every time you wash your hair, you’re contributing to a build-up of minerals that you won’t be able to rinse away.
This mineral build-up weighs down your hair and causes it to look dull and oily, especially at the roots where the build-up concentrates on your scalp. Fortunately, the permanent solutions to this problem are pretty simple. Just attach a hard water filter to your shower head, or use a mineral clarifying shampoo one or two times per week.
3. Over-Conditioning
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Conditioning makes your hair feel soft and silky, but there is such a thing as over-conditioning. Conditioning your hair too frequently or using too much conditioner leads to a heavy build-up of oil in your hair that causes your hair to look greasy instead of soft.
If your hair is so dry that you feel the need to over-condition to keep it halfway soft, there are other ways to combat dryness without drowning your hair in conditioner. Try limiting your heat styling, trimming off your dead and damaged ends, or using a weekly hydrating hair mask.
