Undoubtedly healthy and beautiful hair enhances your overall appearance. Take a look at your photographs; you will absolutely love those where your hair looks fresh, clean, and stunning. You may not even want to look, and probably even bury, photographs where your hair looks greasy and dirty.
Your hair produces a reasonable amount of oil or sebum to keep your scalp hydrated and protect your hair. Hence, oily scalp and hair are normal. The amount of oil produced depends on various factors like hair type, hygiene habits, and lifestyle factors. However, if your scalp and hair are too oily, you should do something about it. Here, common causes and symptoms of oily hair and scalp are discussed and various home remedies for oily scalp and hair are suggested.
Causes of Oily Scalp and Hair
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Age
The oil or sebum produced by your scalp varies at different age intervals. Generally, young individuals have a high number of oil-producing glands. Hence, the amount of oil their scalp produces will likely be a lot.
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Gender
Oil production also differs with gender. Men tend to have a higher oil production throughout their life than women.
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Genetics
One of the most prominent reasons for high oil production is genetics. Some individuals are born with oil-producing glands that naturally produce more oil, while others have oil glands that produce less oil.
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Hair type
There are four main types of hair–straight, curly, oily, and wavy. Each hair type has a different oil production level. Usually, straight hair tends to have a higher oil production. This is because straight hair has no waves, curls, or other texture. Due to this, the oil accumulates on your scalp quickly. The oil is visible in your hair strands as well.
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Unhealthy diet
It is a known fact that your diet impacts your overall health. It has an impact on your hair health too. If you are consuming an unhealthy diet, typically high in fats and oil, besides your health, your hair is also likely going to get damaged. A high amount of dietary lipids in your blood gets passed on to your oil-producing glands. This can trigger an increase in oil production.
On the other hand, if you are consuming a healthy diet, it can boost your hair health. This is because your hair gets the nutrition it requires for its growth. -
Hormonal fluctuations
Hormonal fluctuations can trigger several complications, and oily scalp and hair are one of them. Hormonal fluctuations can also lead to excessive body hair growth and acne.
Hormonal changes could occur due to various reasons like attaining puberty, irregular periods, pregnancy, or as an effect of a medical treatment. Initially, you can try home remedies for oily scalp and hair. You can also consult a doctor to find the cause and solution of your hormonal fluctuations and related complications. -
Stress
Stress takes a toll on you like no other. If you have been under the scanner of stress lately, you will notice reduction in your appetite; this subsequently translates to weight loss. You also feel easily exhausted and irritated.
Stress impacts your hair health too. Your scalp or hair may become oily, or you could also suffer from hair loss. -
Scalp infections
Scalp infections like dandruff, lice, fungus, or bacterial infestation are common causes of oily scalp and hair. Various skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and forehead acne also contribute to an increased oil production. If you have any scalp infection or skin condition, ensure you work on treating it. The earlier your condition gets in control, the better it is.
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Hair products
As your scalp is oily, it will likely not be cleansed by merely washing it off with water. You need to use various hair products to remove the oil built. Today you can find several hair products available. You can choose any product for hair care. Make sure that you choose the right products. Some products tend to increase oil production. Furthermore, you should be careful of the amount of product you use. Using excessive product, will make your scalp and hair oily.
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Over washing
As hard as you may find it to believe, over washing can do more harm to your hair than benefit. Every time you wash, it signals your scalp to produce more oil or sebum. Given this, your scalp can become oily. Generally, it takes 24 hours for your scalp to be covered with oil built.
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Humidity
Humidity is a leading cause of oily scalp and hair. As you step out, you tend to sweat and are exposed to pollution. The sweat and dirt clings onto your scalp and hair, making it oily. There is no way to avoid this.
Symptoms of Oily Scalp and Hair
The most prominent symptom of oily scalp and hair is greasy and dirty hair. Apart from that, you may experience the following symptoms:
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Itchy scalp
Oily scalp and hair often causes itchiness. You will find yourself scratching your head even after a hair wash. Itchiness may be accompanied with redness of the skin. You can easily spot red patches on your forehead.
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Dandruff
Dandruff can occur for various reasons, and an oily scalp is one of them. This is because Malassezia (yeast-like fungus) thrives on oil. It multiplies and spreads across your scalp. This damages your hair’s health and makes it look oily.
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Hair loss
You may also suffer from hair loss. Due to excess oil production, your hair pores can harden, get inflamed, and even be blocked. This can lead to thinning of hair, ultimately causing them to fall. You also experience serve hair loss while washing your hair.
Home Remedies for Oily Scalp and Hair
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Wash your hair properly
The ideal way to prevent your scalp and hair from getting oily is to wash your hair properly and regularly. Do not use excessive product. You should use very little product and dilute it with water before applying it to your scalp and hair. Rinse your hair well, ensuring no product residue is left. You should also avoid washing your hair with hot water, as it can damage your scalp.
Generally, you should wash your hair two to three times a week. If you are exposed to higher humidity or work out regularly, you should consider washing your hair every alternate day.
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Say no to your conditioner
A popular opinion is that applying conditioner helps you attain smooth and silky hair. However, applying conditioner to your roots and using excessive product makes your scalp and hair greasy. Hence, you should avoid using a conditioner, at least for a brief period. If not completely, you should consider conditioning your hair less frequently than you do now.
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Use essential oils
Oiling your scalp may seem counter-effective to cope with an oily scalp and hair. However, it does work. A few essential oils like tea tree and peppermint oil can help clear your scalp of oil and deep clean your hair. You can find these essential oils readily available in the market; they can also be prepared at home. You just need to few drops of essential oils between washes, and you are good to go!
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Stay away from heat styling tools
Today, whether you want to straighten or curl your hair, it’s very easy to do so. Several styling tools assist you. However, you should refrain from using such styling tools as they are associated with high heat. They make your scalp oily and weaken your hair. Hence, you should avoid using them or limit their utilisation.
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Try applying apple cider vinegar
Applying apple cider vinegar is another oily scalp treatment you can try at home. It can also help you get rid of dandruff and other fungal infections. You should dilute the apple cider vinegar solution and rinse your hair properly with it. This will help break the oil built up on your scalp and reduce frizz in your hair. You should try this remedy at least two to three times a week to notice results.
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Use lemon juice
Using lemon juice helps you cope with several scalp and hair issues, and oiliness is one of them. This is because lemon juice is acidic in nature; it keeps oiliness at bay. It can also help you fight dandruff and other fungal infections.
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Try a hair mask
Hair mask not only helps get rid of oiliness but also nourishes your hair. This makes your healthy and beautiful. There are various types of hair masks you can try. Egg yolk and aloe vera are undoubtedly the most popular and effective hair masks.
Egg yolk is high in surplus and protein; these help tackle oiliness. It also maintains your scalp’s pH balance without making your hair look dry. You can prepare egg yolk very quickly. You just need yolk of one egg and a few tablespoons of coconut oil. Mix it up and apply it to your scalp. Let the mask set for good 20 minutes and rinse it in cold water.
An aloe vera mask can do works for your hair. It can reduce excessive oil production and nourish your hair roots. You can either use aloe vera pieces or gel to prepare your mask. Both of them are readily available in the market. -
Avoid over-brushing your hair
As much as you would love brushing your hair and setting your look several times in a day, you should avoid overbrushing your hair. Overbrushing signals your hair follicles to produce more oil. Hence, refrain from doing so.
You should also clean your brush regularly. Your brush accumulates a significant amount of oil, dirt, and bacteria. This means that even if you care for your hair correctly, it can still get oily, given the unclean brush you use. -
Keep your hands off your scalp
As mentioned before, an oily scalp can cause itchiness. Given this, you can be tempted to scratch or prick your scalp. But you should refrain from doing so. It may trigger increased oil production and may promote the itchiness.
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Be mindful of you what you eat
By now, you must have become well aware of your diet’s impact on your overall health and hair. You should be mindful of what you eat. You should avoid eating oily and deep-fried foods. It damages your health and hair.
You should eat a diet rich in Vitamin B, Zinc, and various other essential vitamins and nutrients. It will help you eliminate an oily scalp and nourish your hair. You may also take supplements to improve your hair health. You should reach out to a specialist to understand your supplement requirement and options.
Now, these are only some home remedies for oily scalp and hair. There are various other remedies as well. Remember that any remedy you try will only shows results gradually. Hence, you should keep working on a remedy for a reasonable period.
Consulting a Doctor
If you feel very conscious due to your oily scalp and hair, or if you face other complications with it, you should consult a doctor. The doctor will examine your scalp and hair condition, identify its cause, and suggest a suitable treatment.
