How to deal with oily hair

There are plenty of products for dry hair out there, but what do you do if your hair gets greasy fast? Here’s how to get rid of oily hair, or, failing that, how to style it.

How to get rid of oily hair

Do you touch your hair a lot? Oil can be transferred from your fingers onto your hair, so try to avoid fiddling with it.

Make sure you’re not using hair products designed for dry hair. They’ll add extra moisture, which is just going to cause more trouble if you already have oily hair.

Get some dry shampoo. If your hair gets greasy fast, you won’t always have time to wash the oils out. A quick spray of good-quality dry shampoo will absorb oil and leave your hair looking clean.

Cut down on your use of conditioner. Try using it every few washes, instead of every wash, or only applying it to the ends of your hair, avoiding the scalp. This won’t necessarily work for every greasy hair situation, and you may end up concluding it’s better to stick to your original conditioning routine, but it’s an experiment worth trying.

It may sound strange, but oily hair can actually be caused by washing too much. The natural oil your scalp produces is called sebum, and it’s trying to protect your hair. If it’s constantly being removed through washing, your body will try to build it back up as fast as it can. If you’re washing every day, cut back to every other day or every third day for a while, and see if it makes a difference.

Styling tips for oily hair

Sometimes, if your hair becomes oily, the best thing to do is make it work for you. Here are some styling tips for the days you can’t wash your hair.

Buns and braids are perfect styles for greasy hair. Going for an interesting style will draw attention away from the grease, and buns will usually hold their form better if your hair isn’t completely clean.

Greasy hair tends to be most obvious at the roots. Hide those roots by covering the top of your head. You could use a wide hairband or scarf, or a style, such as a crown braid, that helps hide your roots using the rest of your hair.

Tying your hair back will make it harder to fidget with, and, as mentioned, touching your hair is best avoided if your hair becomes oily easily.

If you don’t have time to wash your hair, you might not have time to style it. That’s not a problem; you can use a heated straightening brush for quick styling work.

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