Not many things are quite as frustrating as having gorgeous hair one day, and roots slicked in grease the next day. You want hair that looks and feels great. Every day! It’s easy to fall into the trap of daily washing your locks since freshly washed hair is bouncy, fluffy, and feels as if you’ve just visited your favourite hair salon. The thing is: washing your hair every day gives your manes a dull and weighed-down look. But there are a few simple hacks to stop your hair from getting greasy so quickly! Keep reading and find out how you can train your hair to be less greasy.
Why is my hair so greasy?
You have tons of sebaceous glands underneath your skin and scalp. These glands produce natural oils, which are essential to keep your skin moisturised and your hair soft and shiny. It’s simple: the oil is absorbed by the hair, and too much of it can make your strands look greasy and dirty.
The oil itself is good for your hair: it makes your locks look healthy, lustrous, and strong. But too much oil can cause a build-up that leaves your hair looking greasy and dull. It all has to do with the amount of oil your scalp produces, and how well your hair can carry the oil. We know it’s tempting to wash your hair often when you have oily roots, but try to resist the temptation. (you can do it!) it may sound contradictory, but washing your hair every day actually contributes to greasy roots. The good news is that you can train your hair to stop it from getting greasy so quickly!
How to stop your hair from getting greasy
As frustrating as greasy hair might be, there are things you can do to stop your hair from getting greasy. Be prepared though; the first few weeks are going to be difficult and you may even think that your hair only gets greasier, but try to stick to the hacks listed below! The results will be more than worth it.
Hack #1 Stop using shampoo every day
Now this one is hard to resist, but it’ll be worth it. The more you wash your hair, the more oil your scalp produces to compensate. When you wash your hair every day, all you do is strip your scalp and hair of the essential natural oils and nutrients. Instead of having gorgeous, fresh hair, you will be left will dull-looking hair and a flaky scalp. Not something you want to show off! Your hair desperately needs a wash-break. You can try washing your hair with water only, but many find that a bit challenging. Try washing your hair every other day at first, and then washing every two to three days. Your hair will need time to adjust to a new regimen, but after a couple of weeks, you will notice a dramatic difference.
Hack #2 Use a dry shampoo
Dry shampoo is a great product if you’re in between washes, but want to postpone washing one more day. A good dry shampoo will soak up all the extra oils and leave your hair smelling fresh and looking clean. Another benefit: dry shampoo adds volume. Lots of volume! We recommend that you use dry shampoo only once a week since it will clog your scalp pores if you overdo it.
Hack #3 Stop touching your hair
You probably don’t do it on purpose, but touching your hair again, and again will only give you greasy roots and dull-looking hair. Your scalp will produce more oil with every touch, and there is not much you can do about that. The only thing you can do is stop touching your hair.
Hack #4 Sleep with your hair up
Popping your hair up into a loose top knot will keep your roots from spreading oil. You can also try spraying dry shampoo in your strands before you put your hair up. This will absorb the extra oils while you get a good night’s sleep. The next day you get up, untie your hair, and get dressed. Hello, gorgeous strands!
Hack #5 Swap conditioner for detangling spray
Conditioner can weigh your hair down and add to the grease-struggle. You can try swapping your standard conditioner for a detangling spray. This spray mimics the smoothing and healthy effect without weighing the hair down.
Hack #6 Wash your hair with a sulfate-free shampoo
Lots of shampoos contain sulfates that over-cleanse and dry out your scalp. Your hair may feel squeaky-clean at first, but your scalp will overproduce oil to make up for the dryness. The results: greasy roots and dull-looking hair. A gentle clarifying shampoo cleanses your locks without stripping your hair of the oils.
Note: make sure that your clarifying shampoo has a pH of 5.5 or less if you want healthy, bouncy hair.
Hack #7 Rinse with apple cider vinegar
Word says the apple cider vinegar is acidic enough to restore the pH balance of your hair and gets rid of build-up without stripping your manes of essential nutrients. Sounds good, right?! Applying apple cider vinegar to your hair is a piece of cake: While in the shower, pour a bit of the vinegar into your hair and work it through from roots to ends. Let it sit for a few minutes, et voila: the build-up is banished, and your hair is squeaky clean and grease-free. The apple cider vinegar is also safe to use on colour-treated hair!
Hack #8 Let your hair air-dry
Regularly blow-drying your hair can cause your scalp to produce more oil, believe it or not. Letting your hair air-dry will do wonders for your oily scalp! All you have to do is hop in the shower, wash your hair, and hop out. After washing, just use some leave-in conditioner on the ends to keep your hair looking fresh and bouncy. Try not to touch your hair while it’s drying, since this will only create frizz. If you want to get rid of frizzy hair, letting your hair be is the way to go.
Hack #9 Slow down on shampoo use
Easy tiger! Overusing shampoo and touching your hair all the time only contributes to greasy hair. Using too much shampoo can become heavy on the hair. A little goes a long way, and a 10 pence piece amount will be sufficient enough to clean your roots and hair.
Hack #10 Only apply conditioner on the ends of your hair
Conditioner should always be used sparingly and on the ends only. Always! The higher you apply your conditioner, the faster your hair will get greasy. .
Hack #11 Go for a messy top knot bun
You can take advantage of your greasy hair! Greasy hair is perfect to create a top knot bun that’s chic and purposefully messy. The grease gives your hair extra texture, which is ideal if you want to create this look.
