why is my hair so greasy?

Question

My hair is always greasy no matter what I do, If I wash it everyday its gets greasy so people told me to just wash it every other day but if i do that its still greasy! does anybody else experience this? or does anybody know of a good shampoo/conditioner to get rid of it?

It could be to do with my hormones because i have just come off the pill and my hormones are all over the place.

I use the dry shampoo spray that seems to work, but i dont use any other styling products.I'm 19

Answer 1

For many years I had this problem as well. I always thought it was stupid for people to tell me to wash my hair every other day instead of every day...UM, HELLO, IT'S GREASY EVERY DAY, WHAT GOOD DO YOU THINK WASHING IT EVERY OTHER DAY IS GONNA DO? Right?
I've found that the cause for mine is conditioner. I used to condition my whole head of hair after shampooing. Now, after I shampoo (only once, that "repeat" thing in the instructions was a ploy for people to use more product, so that they have to buy it more often...actually shampooing twice a day is bad for your hair, it strips the strands of the natural oils that protect, leaving your hair dull and more prone to damage just from brushing or from exposure to the sun.) I only condition the tips of my hair (not an exact measure, but about an inch or two) But avoid putting conditioner near the top of your hair (near the scalp). It's gonna be odd for a while, and a tough habbit to break...the first time i did this, my hair felt natty and tangled when it was wet, I thought "there's no way this is gonna work for me" but once I dried it, and styled it, it was just as soft and managable had I used conditioner...actually, it behaves better now that I don't condition...my styles last longer and it curls easier. Give it a shot, try it for 2 weeks. Also look into the products you are using. Panteen and all the extra vitamins and crap they put in is actually very bad for your hair as it coats the strands. My stylist told me it's bad news, and don't use it.
I loved suave products! then a girl who went to school to be a stylist told me she used the suave shampoo in place of another product used to perm hair, and it worked just the same...she said no other product should have worked this way, and that it's not a good thing to use.
I fell in love with Dove products (all of them, especially the shampoo!) My hair feels so much better now that I use it. I guess it moisturizes without weighing down your hair as it cleans, then easily washes away leaving your hair in the state it's supposed to be in once it's clean.
Which ever products you choose to use, just don't condition your whole head...that should clear up the greasy look.
good luck to you.

Answer 2

Hi, I have the same problem and always have since had being a teenager. I am 37 now and still wash my hair every day as its guaranteed to be greasy in the morning. Mine is certainly nothing to do with my diet, its just the way my hair is. I used to use talc when I was younger but I think it makes the hair look dull. Looking at some of the answers you have on here, I think the best advise would be to not condition everyday. Its become a normal everyday thing for me, although it would be nice not to have to wash it every day. I'm now going to try just conditioning the ends of my hair in future and see if that works a bit. Good luck

Answer 3

What Causes Oily Hair?

Oily hair can be a pain and is a common complaint among persons who have acne problems. Excessive sebum not only contributes to the formation of acne but also leaves the hair greasy and unattractive.

What can be done? First, it is important to remember that the hair produces no sebum, says Dr. Zoe Diana Draelos, clinical associate professor of dermatology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. People who complain of oily hair are actually complaining of an oily scalp. The hair simply wicks the oil away from the scalp. Straight hair moves the oil quickly away from the scalp while tightly kinked hair moves the sebum very slowly away from the scalp. This explains why Oriental persons with very straight hair note their hair is “oily” while African American persons more commonly note their hair is dry.

Treatment for Oily Hair

The key to controlling oily hair is to remove the sebum adequately from the scalp.

Many persons mistakenly think that hair shampoo is to wash the hair and not the scalp. Actually, shampoo is designed to clean the scalp and beautify the hair. Thus, the first recommendation is to shampoo the scalp. Women with long hair should apply the shampoo to the scalp without piling the hair on top, and use their fingers to vigorously massage the scalp.

Excessively oily hair may require two applications to the scalp prior to shampooing the hair. One way to tell if the oil has been removed from the scalp is to note the foam produced by the shampoo. If the shampoo is removing large amounts of sebum, it will not foam. One can discontinue shampoo applications when the shampoo freely suds on application to the scalp.


Best Shampoo for Oily Hair

Shampoo selection is another important consideration. Shampoos are designed for a variety of hair types. Use a shampoo designed for oily hair. Oily hair shampoos have stronger detergents and fewer conditioners.

Wash you hair daily for frequent sebum removal, but do not use a hair conditioner after shampooing. Sebum is a wonderful conditioner, and additional products are not needed. Any conditioner applied to the hair will only increase the speed with which the hair appears oily.

Combing and Brushing

Another habit that may increase the appearance of oily hair is frequent grooming. Combing and brushing aid in the movement of sebum from the scalp down the hair shaft. The hair should be handled as little as possible.

Answer 4

I suffer the same thing. Ideally I would like to wash my hair every day but I try to do every other as someone told me the more you wash, the more you stimulate your sebaceous glands that produce the grease, so you get in a vicious circle!

A tip that I was told was to only put a little shampoo on the roots, not the ends of the hair, that will get washed as you rinse the shampoo out. Also only put conditioner on the ends, not the roots as you have enough moisture there already!

As far as products go, I still haven't really found anything that helps, but its not for lack of trying!

Answer 5

Try and 'wean' your hair off needing to be washed so often. Wash it every day with a mild shampoo or one specifically for oily hair for 3-5 days, on the last day use a mild conditioner on the ends of your hair only.
For the next 3-5 days wash your hair every other day, following the same routine as above.
If you begin to see an improvement after following this for about 2 weeks try using the same process but leaving 3 days between each wash and gradually build it up.

It could be that you aren't rinsing your hair properly, we all do this from time to time (!) so make sure you give it a good old rinse!

Once you have managed to work out your 'perfect washing routine' (everyday, 2 days, 3 days etc) you could maybe try using a deep conditioner once a week, apply it to the length of your hair and leave for 5-10 minutes. Make sure you wash it out properly though, and good luck! :)

Answer 6

I used to have the same problem. Dying your hair helps because it makes the hair follicles more porous and therefore they absorb more grease. But if you don't want to go that far, only use conditioner on the ends of your hair and use shampoo for "normal" hair, as ironically most shampoos specially for greasy hair contain more detergents which actually make the hair more greasier.
Apparently applying a SMALL amount of baby oil to your scalp for an hour or so before rinsing helps with greasy hair too as it "tricks" your scalp into believing that it does not need to produce more natural oils (I stupidly appled too much one time and it took forever to get out!). Also try to wash your hair no more frequently than every other day, as the more you wash it the faster it will become greasy.
For a quick fix, if you are going out and don't have time to wash your hair, applying a small amount of talcum powder to your roots can absorb grease too.The more you stimulate your hair follicles, the more oil they will produce to try to avoid excessive hair brushing or fiddling with your hair too much. Also wash your pillows frequently as oil can rub off onto them and then can get back into your hair again the next night.

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Ive had this problem for years and i have never got the bottom of it. I as told to brush the hair only twice a day as constant brushing can make it greasy, this never worked. I also buy shampo for greasy hair. Say i was to wash it now, blow dry it then straighten it, guarantee by midday tomorow it would look really greasy and i would have to tie it up. Then by saturday morning it would lok like the contents of a chip pan. Hairdressers say not to wash yur hair everyday as it stips the hair of it's natural oils. A woman i work with washes her hair every 4 days and it is always shiny and healthy and looks like it has just been washed and you would never know it was last washed 4 days ago. I would love to knw the answer with this problem, as i have had it since i was about 12 (Hormone age) and i am now 24 (Bigger and worse hormones)!!!!! Good luck. From one grease monkey to another

Answer 8

Suggestions:-

1) Use a gentle shampoo suitable for daily use.
2) Use a spray on, leave in conditioner and apply to the lengths of the hair - but not to the tips.
3) A clarifying conditioner cuts through the grease well (such as Pantene Clarifying) or you should be able to last 2 days without washing it if you use a good quality shampoo (e.g, Paul Mitchell).
4) Sometimes hair can become especially greasy if you use too much product.

Answer 9

Assuming you have long hair: If you use conditioner while washing, NEVER condition your scalp, only from the ears down. Your scalp is where it starts to get greasy first so you don't want to give it extra moisture as it will make it greasy faster.

Also, don't over brush it.

Since your hair gets greasy between washes, use baby powder! Just sprikle a little bit on your fingers and rub through your hair. If you have dark hair it will take longer to rub in, but the powder absorbs the grease. It is wonderful!

Answer 10

There are so many factors that could contribute to greasy hair, even if you wash daily.

Do you wash your hair in the morning or before bed? I've noticed that if I wash my hair the night before, my hair feels really mucky by around lunch time; this is simply because your scalp keeps secreting sebum as you're sleeping!

You could try washing your hair with shampoo formulated for oily roots and dry ends or just use one formulated for oily hair and only condition your ends sparingly. I would also recommend not over-brushing your hair as it stimulates the glands.

Neutrogena has a clarifying shampoo that you could try but in my experience, shampoo is a very high involvement product and all the recommendations in the world don't do justice of actually trying it. See if you can get small samples from your friends who use different shampoos. But do try the Neutrogena!

Good luck! I know how important hair is to us girls!