Mayraki Blog

5 Tips on How You Can Control Oily Hair

Jul 07, 2022 | By Maria Eliza Pineda

5 Tips on How You Can Control Oily Hair

Producing oil is a normal process for your scalp. It’s there to keep your hair and scalp nice and moisturized. However, there are instances when your scalp can produce too much oil, making your hair feel and look greasy. No one likes that.

When you have overly oily hair, it can mean that your hair and scalp are not in their best state and need better care. It can be a struggle to manage oily hair. It’s hard to style, it doesn’t look good, and you feel like you have to keep washing it to get rid of the grease. An overly oily scalp can also lead to complications such as dandruff or irritation.

Before it gets to this, you need to get to the root of the problem so that you can return the proper balance of your scalp and hair. Here are a few ways you can do that.

Wash Your Hair Less Often

It is one of the most effective ways you can get rid of an overly oily scalp and hair. Washing your hair too often can lead to dryness of the hair and scalp, which can lead to excessive sebum production to make up for it. Yup, that’s right. When your scalp and hair are dry, your body will try to overcompensate for it and produce more oil. But that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Your scalp and hair should be nourished and moisturized with healthier substances rather than sebum as overproduction of it can lead to chemical imbalances, which can lead to hair loss and other scalp problems.

If you’re washing your hair every day or every other day, try and lessen it a bit more. Try washing your hair only two times a week. The less you wash, the better. However, this solution comes with an adjustment period, so be prepared for that. Your hair will be a lot greasier when you start washing less often, but once you pass the adjustment period, your sebum production will regulate, and your hair will start feeling and looking fresher for longer amounts of time.

Change Your Shampoo

Shampoos cleanse the hair of impurities and buildup, but it can come at a cost. Most shampoos do this job by having harsh detergents in them that dry out the scalp and hair. You might have heard of them already: sulfates. Sulfates aren’t “bad” for your hair per se, but they can have unpleasant effects on your hair with long term and frequent use. This harsh detergent can suck all the moisture out of your hair and scalp, and long term use will also cause your hair and scalp to rely on this harsh detergent to be able to cleanse impurities out of your hair.

If your hair is overly oily and acquires buildup, you should try changing your shampoo. If your hair has gotten used to sulfates, it’s probably overcompensating with sebum to get some moisture back into your hair and if the buildup gets heavy quite easily, it’s become reliant on detergents to be able to cleanse it. Reverse this by getting a good quality, organic, sulfate-free shampoo like the Mayraki Purifying, Anti-dandruff & Volumizing Amino Acid Shampoo that will be able to cleanse your hair thoroughly without the harsh detergents. There may or may not be an adjustment period depending on the state of your hair and how much it’s gotten used to the sulfates, but with continued use, your hair will start to balance itself out again.

Lessen Your Heat Styling

Oily hair can is caused by both environmental factors and especially by heat styling. If you use heat styling tools regularly, you might have done significant damage to your hair, and that’s why it’s producing more sebum to try and nourish the dry and damaged follicles.

Lessen and even cut out heat styling from your routine for a long while. Try wearing your hair au naturel and styling it with different non-heat methods and techniques. Use some gels, creams, leave-in conditioner, hair oils, overnight styling methods, braids, and more to manage your hair without using heat. Pair that up with some hair repairing treatments, and your hair will start healing in no time. After that, you’ll notice that the oil produced by your scalp will lessen, and your hair will start to look and feel better.

Incorporate More Moisture in Your Routine

As mentioned before, an oily scalp and oily hair can be caused by overcompensation because of the lack of proper moisture in your hair. You may be shampooing and conditioning, but it may not be enough to combat the amount of dryness your hair gets from the weather, styling, or if you have naturally dry hair.

Try incorporating more moisture in your routine. Use a moisturizing but cleansing shampoo like the Mayraki Ultra-repairing & Weightless Moisture Shampoo to get rid of oil and buildup while replacing the sebum with natural moisturizers and humectants that will nourish the hair. Incorporate more moisturizing rituals in your daily and weekly routine by applying hair masks, hair oils, and other treatments. Once your hair gets enough moisture that it needs, it will start to produce less sebum and be happy with the nourishment it's receiving.

Get Your Hormones Checked

If you feel like you’ve tried everything and given it enough time to work, but your hair is still as oily as ever, it might be time to consult a doctor. Excessive sebum production is due to a chemical or hormonal imbalance. If this is the case, your doctor may advise you to take some medicine to regulate the hormones that are producing the excess oil.

Feeling Fresh and Clean

Feeling and looking fresh and clean is part of boosting self-esteem, feeling comfortable, and making a good impression. If you’re struggling with greasy hair, this can be a problem. Thankfully, there are easy ways that you can remedy this issue just by changing up a few things in your hair care routine. Get to the root of the problem and start feeling fresh and clean again.