Are You Getting Bored With Your Oily Hair

For people with oily hair and/or skin, sebaceous glands are working overtime and/or are in greater numbers, producing an excess of sebum.

Genetics, puberty, heat, and humidity also affect oil production.People who have fine, straight hair texture and/or an abundance of hair tend to have oilier hair than those with curlier locks and/or less hair.?

Oily hair is a product of your subaceous glands working overtime, producing sebum that coats each hair. This overproduction of sebum makes hair look limp and lifeless, while adding to frustration when hairstyles fail to maintain their shape. According to the "Doctors Book of Home Remedies," your hormones control the amount of sebum produced by your body, making it impossible to reduce oil production. The course of action for dealing with oily hair is through hygeine practice.

Instructions

Change the frequency with which you wash your hair. Washing your hair multiple times a day may be a good temporary fix, but could actually be the root of your problem. Over-drying your scalp sends the message to your oil glands that your skin is dry, so they produce more oil to compensate. Wash your hair every 24 to 36 hours or by skipping washing one day per week.

Try washing your hair with cool water. A hot shower dries out your skin and your scalp, causing it to produce oil more rapidly. Cold or lukewarm water is easier on your skin and won't result in higher oil production.

Avoid gels and hair sprays, especially close to the scalp. These products can create a greasy-looking buildup in your hair. If you must use these products, use the minimum amount and wash them out thoroughly at the end of the day.

Acquire a solvent-type shampoo to cut through the grease. Unlike normal hair, which needs to be shampooed with a product with a pH between 4.5 and 6.7, oily hair requires a more alkaline shampoo with a pH of 6.7 or higher. Good examples are Prell and Suave. If you want to give your shampoo extra "power", add a few drops of dish washing liquid.

Use a little dry shampoo — sparingly — on your roots. Dry shampoo has made a big comeback lately, but it can weigh your hair down like any product, so just make sure you use something light, preferably an aerosol like Batiste ($6), which also comes in a bunch of scents. Brush it out like there's no tomorrow.

If you're in a really terrible situation and you need it de-oiled fast, there's always bathroom paper towels. Part your hair in four to six different places along the top of your head and tuck a sheet of paper towel in the same way you would a highlighting foil. Use a brush or another piece of paper towel (not your fingers; that'll just make it worse) to press down so that the oil gets absorbed. Do this for about two minutes. A perfect solution? Far from it. But at least you won't look greasy.

Shampoo with a clarifying shampoo every other cleansing to remove built-up hair styling products and oil. Clarifying shampoos contain high amounts of sodium lauryl sulfate, a detergent common in over-the-counter cleansers, says the "Doctors Book of Home Remedies."