Many women worry about having dry hair. Stores selling hair products have had their businesses thrive on products meant to correct the dry hair problem. Very few hair specialists address the other extreme end- greasy hair. Yes, oily hair can be as problematic as dry hair. Greasy hair looks lifeless, flat and unsightly. First off, let’s answer the question…
What causes oily hair?
The skin is connected to the sebaceous glands through pores. These glands secrete sebum, a natural oil that is essential for maintaining naturally soft and smooth hair. However, excessive production of sebum results in greasy and oily hair. Let’s find out why your skin could be producing excessive sebum.
- Hair type
Wondering how your natural hair type could possibly result in it being so oily? I’ll explain further.
- Having very fine hair could mean that the sebum secreted by your skin is not being absorbed as fast as it should be.
b.For straight hair, the sebum easily travels all the way to the tips without the obstruction usually created by the presence of curls.
c.Coily and curly hair can be oily at the base because of the obstruction of curls, hence the sebum does not a chance to travel to the ends.
- Genes
There is a possibility that you inherited the oily nature of your hair from your parents, if they have such hair.
- Humidity
Areas with very high humidity tend to cause both your skin and hair to be very oily.
- Hormonalimbalance
Aslight disturbance in the balance of your hormones could result in a spiked rate of sebum production. Factors such as a pregnancy, medication, stressand menopause are highly associated with hormonal imbalance.
- The state of your skin
Conditions such as dermatitis, eczema, seborrheic and psoriasis can cause both dandruff and oily scalp.
- Not letting your hair rest
Constantly playing with your hair, or running your hands through it could result in greasy hair! How? The skin on the hands has sebaceous glands too! Running your hands through your hair transfers these oils from your hands to your hair. In addition, the oil on the scalp gets distributed throughout your hair, hence oily hair. Di you know this?
- Too much brushing of your hair
The logic applied in this case is similar to the one mentioned above. The repeatedbrushing of hair leads to redistributing of oils throughout the hair. it is even worse if your hair is naturally oily.
- Too many products
Too much of something is poisonous, so they say. The same applies to hair. Using too much of hair gel, serum, hair wax, conditioner, or any other product leads to product build-up and effects how the sebaceous glands function. It is even worse should these products be alcohol-based. A mixture of sebum and product buildup weighs down your hair. As a result, it will have a greasy look.
- Too much shampooing
You may be tempted to think that shampooing your hair on a daily basis will reduce its oiliness. Even though this may be the case, the truth is that shampooing your hair too often encourages the production of more sebum as a compensation of the oils that are washed away. Shampooing your hai on a daily basis aggravates the problem- it does not solve it.
- Using hot water when shampooing
The high temperatures of water stimulate the production of more sebum by the sebaceous glands.
- Too much conditioning
Application of too much conditioner-especially if it is a leave-in, weighs it down and leaves it looking greasy.
- Not using the correct products
It is important to know the difference between moisturizing and fortifying shampoos. The same applies to conditioners. Oily hair becomes oilier if moisturizing products are used in place of the fortifying ones.
- Not letting your hair down
Holding your hair in a tight ponytail for long periods of time results in sebum build up at that single section of your scalp. This results in hair that is unevenly oily.
- Excessively using heat on your hair
The regular use of curling wands, blow dryers and flat irons dry your hair out. In a bid to compensate the lost oil, the sebaceous glands need to overwork themselves hence an excessive production of sebum that results in greasy hair.
- Vitamin B Deficiency
Vitamin B regulates the production of sebum. Adeficiency of vitamin B results in the sebaceous glands getting out of control, and you can imagine what this results into.
Now that you understand why your hair could be oily and greasy, it is time to take a step towardssubverting the problem. This is what is expected of you!
How You Will Prevent Your Hair From Becoming Oily
- Avoid brushing your hair severally in a day. If you need to, 2 times should be the maximum. Be sure to use a boar bristle brush when at it.
- Thoroughlyrinse off the shampoo from your hair for at least 30 seconds. This ensures you get rid of all the product you had applied.
- Use cold water for the final rinse to close the hair cuticles and keep the sebaceousglands in check.
- Use a lightweight conditioner ad sulfate-free shampoo when washing your hair.
- Avoid application of the conditioner on your scalp. This is to prevent it from building up and forming an adhesive to grime and dirt. Instead, concentrate on the section thatneeds the moisture most-mid section to the ends of the hair.
- Stay away from silicon-based hair products since they tend to coat the hair strands and attract dirt and dust.
- Use lightweight sprays and mists for that extra shine.
- Add a little baking soda to your wash routine every two weeks to completely get rid of any oil or product build up.
- If you really need to blow dry your hair, use the lowest heat settings so that the sebaceous glands are not overstimulated.
- That’s it! This is all you need to do to put your sebaceous glands in check and prevent your hair from getting too greasy or oily. Seems easy, right? Be sure to comment and let us know if there is something you do to manage the oiliness of your hair if we haven’t mentioned it.
About the Author
Candice Hall is the Marketing Manager of Dynasty Goddess Hair, with a factory in Thailand & Office and Shipping Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, they are one of the top retailers in Virgin Remy Hair Extensions in the USA.
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