Do You Know Why Your Hair Is So Oily?

There's a lot of attention given to people with dry hair, with products designed specifically for dry hair. But what about the oily haired beauties? Oily hair can be equally bad, if not worse than dry hair.

Oily hair tends to look weighed down, matted and lacking shine and lustre. What's more, you have to keep washing oily hair every day because it has the tendency to secrete more sebum. Washing your hair every day, as we know, can be really bad for the scalp and the hair, as it strips your hair off its natural oils.

When it comes to people with dry hair, they have a lot of remedies to help fix their dry hair problems like serums and leave-in conditioners. But not enough attention is given to oily hair.

Here are some reasons as to why your hair is oily

1. Fine Hair: If you have fine hair, which means your hair is too thin, then the sebum that your scalp secretes will not be absorbed by your hair, as the hair is too fine and thin to absorb all of the sebum. This makes all the oil from your hair stick to the fine hair and make it look matted and oily.

2. Straight Hair: Since there are no curls to act as obstruction, sebum travels evenly from roots to the tips of the hair. Straight hair gets oily faster and needs more washing. You will notice that curly hair tends to only be oily at the roots, as the curls prevent the sebum from travelling all the way down. This can lead to the tips of the hair being left too dry.

3. Genetic Factors: In all likelihood, if your parents have oily hair, you will have oily hair too.

4. Humidity: Ever noticed that your hair does not act up at all during winters? Well, humidity and moisture in the air have a huge role to play in oiliness of the hair. Humidity also makes the skin get oily.

5. Health Conditions: Some health conditions like hormonal issues and even birth control can increase sebum production all over, be it your skin or scalp. So, if your oily hair is bothering you too much and turning into a cause for concern, be sure to make an appointment with your doctor to figure out if there are any underlying health conditions making this happen. Some skin conditions like dandruff or fungus on the scalp can play a huge role as well.

6. Too Much Product: With all the hair-styling products available in the markets these days, we are all victims of using too many products on our hair, like conditioners, serums, wax, mousse, etc. This can be bad for hair that is already oily by making it oilier and weighing it down even more. Some of these products are alcohol based and when mixed with the natural sebum of your hair, they can create mayhem. They can make your hair look flat and limp.

7. Washing Your Hair Too Much: While you are washing your hair to rid your hair off the extra sebum and it may seem like you are making your hair non-greasy, washing your hair too much makes your hair get dry, which in turn makes your scalp produce more sebum, hence making your hair oilier. Try to stick to washing your hair every alternate day as opposed to washing it every day to get rid of this problem.

8. Brushing Your Hair Too Much: Brushing encourages blood circulation in the scalp, which is why people with dry hair are told to brush their hair more often. Brushing increases sebum production in the scalp and it also helps to distribute all the natural oils from your scalp to the rest of your hair. If you have oily hair, we suggest you to avoid brushing your hair too much.

9. Using Hot Water: When you wash your hair, try to use cold water or if you can't, use lukewarm water. Hot water stimulates the sebaceous glands and in turn makes your scalp produce more oil, making your hair oily in the process.

10. Using Too Much Conditioner: A tip for every girl is to use conditioner only on the ends of your hair. This is true no matter what your hair type is. Even if you have dry hair, you should stick to this tip, as the roots of your hair receive enough moisture, as it is due to it being close to the sebaceous glands. When you use conditioner on the roots, it has a tendency of weighing your hair down and making it look too oily or greasy. Always remember to only condition the ends, as this is where the hair is most dry.