Oily Hair
Oily Hair
16 Neutralizing Solutions
You spent a good 20 minutes in the trenches this morning, blow dryer in one hand, styling gel in the other, trying to whip those recalcitrant locks into shape.
By noon, you knew you had lost the battle. One glance in the mirror and your spirits fell as flat as your hairstyle. That oil factory you call your scalp just doesn't know when to stop.
What's going on?
It could be that you have too much hair. The finer your hair, the more hair you have per square inch of scalp. And at the base of each hair shaft are sebaceous glands, which produce sebum, the fatty "oil" in oily hair. The more hair, the more oil glands, and the more oil glands, the more oil. Those with fine hair have as many as 140,000 oil glands on their scalps, according to Philip Kingsley, a New York City and London hair care specialist.
Redheads, who average 80,000 to 90,000 hairs per head, rarely have oily hair, he says. Blondes with silky, baby-fine hair tend to have the worst problems with oiliness.
"The texture of your hair does make a difference. Oil wicks onto fine, straight hair very easily. But wiry hair doesn't seem oily. It has a lot to do with perception," says Thomas Goodman, Jr., M.D., Memphis dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences.
Intense heat and humidity can also accelerate oil production.
So can hormonal changes. Androgen, a male hormone, can activate the sebaceous glands. Stress boosts bloodstream levels of androgen in women as well as in men.
But androgen isn't the only factor that makes oily hair more of a problem for men. Men tend to have finer hair than women, says Kingsley. They average 311 hairs per square centimeter of scalp, as opposed to 278 for the average woman. "That's a significant 10 to 15 percent difference," says Kingsley.
What can you do about the oil factory in your scalp? Here's what our experts advise.
Shampoo frequently. Our experts agree that the most important thing you can do to combat an excessively oily scalp is to shampoo once a day, particularly if you live in a city environment. When summer heat and humidity stimulate your scalp's oil glands, shampooing twice a day may be advisable, says Lowell Goldsmith, M.D., a professor of dermatology and chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry who specializes in hair disorders.
"The sebaceous glands are producing oil continuously," he says. "What you're essentially trying to do is keep up with the secretion and remove it."
Choose a see-through shampoo. "Clear, see-through shampoos tend to have less goo in them," says Dr. Goodman. "They clean away oil better, without leaving a residue behind."
Give yourself a scalp massage. This should be done during the shampoo, never between shampoos, says Kingsley. "Massaging the scalp between shampoos may squeeze a little bit of extra oil out."
Bubble double. Excessively oily hair may need to be shampooed twice, says Dr. Goldsmith. "The most common mistake I see is that people don't leave the shampoo on long enough," he says. "For people with especially oily hair or scalp, I suggest a double shampoo, leaving the shampoo on the scalp for 5 minutes each time. This won't harm the hair or scalp."
Get out of condition. If you have oily hair that tends to flatten out as the day goes on, the last thing you want to do is coat it with more oil. Try going without a conditioner, suggests Dr. Goodman.
Just aim for the ends. If you find you do need a conditioner, look for a product that contains the least amount of oil or one that is largely oil-free. Condition the ends instead of the roots.
Test for oil after shampooing. "Each amount of shampoo can only take away so much oil," says Dr. Goldsmith. "So don't skimp on the shampoo. Test yourself. After you shampoo and dry your hair, does it still feel oily? If it does, you haven't cleaned it well enough."
Apply astringent to the scalp. You can help slow down oil secretion by applying a homemade astringent directly to your scalp. Kingsley suggests applying a mixture of equal parts witch hazel and mouthwash, with cotton pads, to the scalp only. The witch hazel acts as an astringent and the mouthwash has antiseptic properties, he says. If your scalp is very oily you can do this each time you shampoo.
Don't overbrush. "People with oily hair have to be extra careful not to be overly vigorous with brushing," says Dr. Goldsmith. Be aware that brushing from the roots carries oil from your scalp to the ends of your hair.
Ask your stylist to cut body into your hair. Beat the straight, matted-down hair blues by asking your stylist to cut body into your hair. "I cut from underneath, to help make the style stand up," says David Daines, owner of the David Daines Salon in New York City. "Make sure there are different lengths on top of the head. Don't wear your hair long and one length unless you don't mind having it lie flat on your head."
Dry hair in the opposite direction from which it grows. Left on its own, oily hair tends to be limp and lank. To coax more fullness into it, be creative with your blow-drying technique, says Kingsley. Use a brush to lift the hair up at the roots, or bend forward at the waist and gently brush your hair up over the top of your head.
Learn to relax. Hormones have a little-understood effect on oil production. What is known is this: When you're under stress, your body produces more androgens. And androgens help boost oil production, says Kingsley. His advice? Relaxation techniques can help.
Consider your birth control pill. Birth control pills have a decided effect on a woman's hormone balance. That in turn affects oil production. Dr. Goodman suggests that you discuss excessively oily hair with your gynecologist when you choose your oral contraceptive.
Switch to beer. "Mousse dries the hair too much and clogs the pores," says Daines. He favors fresh beer as a setting lotion for oily hair. Store it in a closed plastic container in your shower, otherwise it will only keep for a couple of days.
Freshen up with lemon. Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a quart of the best water you can find, says Daines. Distilled water is a great choice. "This is a great rinse" to help cut oiliness.
Try an apple cider vinegar rinse. Try a teaspoon of vinegar in a pint of water and use as a finishing rinse. This solution acts as a tonic for the scalp and removes soap residue that can weigh down oily hair.
PANEL OF ADVISERS
David Daines is owner of the David Daines Salon in New York City.
Lowell Goldsmith, M.D., is professor of dermatology and chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York. He specializes in hair disorders.
Thomas Goodman, Jr., M.D., is a dermatologist in private practice and assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences in Memphis. He is author of Smart Face and The Skin Doctor's Skin Doctoring Book.
Philip Kingsley is a trained trichologist (hair care specialist) who maintains salons in New York City and London. He is author of The Complete Hair Book.
