Taking care of your oily hair

Every morning, after a good hair wash, your hair looks very nice and clean; but as evening sets in, it starts looking greasy, lame, and lank. This is because you are suffering from a common hair problem that many people suffer from, the ‘oily hair’ problem. Most people think that oily hair is the result of an oily scalp, but that is not true. In fact, a dry scalp causes the sebaceous glands to produce more oil, which later gets transferred to the hair strands. Straight hair moves the oil quickly away from the scalp, whereas kinked hair moves the sebum very slowly away from the scalp.

Therefore, first and foremost, dryness of the scalp has to be treated to overcome the problem of oily hair. The excess sebum produced by the dry scalp has also got to be controlled. Hair should be washed on a regular basis using a good shampoo, but without hair conditioners. Sebum itself is a conditioner and any more conditioning will make the hair more oily and sticky. While washing your hair, you must bear in mind that shampoos are not only meant for the hair. They are also specifically designed to clean the scalp.

Women must thoroughly apply the shampoo on their scalp and massage it vigorously with their fingers. Even the choice of the shampoo makes a big difference. Hence, shampoos that have been formulated for oily skin should be used as they have strong detergents to remove the extra grease. If needed, one must apply the shampoo more than once, in order to get rid of all the excess oil from the scalp and hair. No foaming is observed when the shampoo is in the process of removing large amounts of sebum. Once foaming starts, you can stop the shampooing.

Always rinse your hair thoroughly with cool or lukewarm water, because soap residue can increase the oiliness of your hair. It is better to avoid conditioners, gels, and hair care products as these may aggravate the problem. A vinegar rinse may be useful in combating extremely oily hair. Diluted lemon juice too can help you to have oil-free hair and a pleasant-smelling scalp. Although diet is not directly connected to this problem, eating nutritious meals and drinking plenty of water will definitely promote the good health of your scalp, hair, and skin.