Causes of greasy hair, and best products/shampoo for greasy hair

Greasy hair never seems to stay fresh and clean, and can look heavy and flat. Within a few hours of shampooing it refuses to stay full and light and it takes on a stringy appearance. Along with looking oily, greasy hair can appear lifeless, lank and dull. Does this sound familiar to you? Do you ask yourself “why is my hair greasy?” Even if they wash it everyday, others can judge that the sufferer does not wash their hair frequently and doesn’t have good hygiene. This can cause much social embarrassment.

Grease found in greasy hair is natural body oil called sebum. Sebum is produced by the sebaceous gland. Each hair has a sebaceous gland immediately under the skin. Greasy hair is healthy hair as the oil (sebum) is produced to stop each hair strand from drying and to stop the ends splitting. Sebum is produced by the body to lubricate hair and skin and prevents drying by providing a protective barrier. Sebum is your own built-in moisturizer for the body.

Greasy hair is excess of sebum in the hair and comes as a result of an over production of sebum (oil) from over active sebaceous glands, stimulated by hormones called androgens. Androgens are male hormones that are present in both men and women, but are higher in men. Androgens do two things: First, they enlarge the sebaceous glands in the skin. Second, they cause these glands to increase oil production.

As hormones have a role in sebum production, fluctuating hormone levels can be one of the causes of greasy hair. Greasy hair can most commonly be found in older women experiencing the menopause, teenagers in puberty, and women in general because of their monthly cycle or pregnancy. Stress can also be a cause of greasy hair as it can affect hormone levels. People who have fine hair can sometimes suffer form greasy hair because they have more hair follicles and more hair follicles means more sebum producing glands on the scalp.

There are a number of external factors in that cause greasy hair. Washing your hair too often can increase the production of sebum as the sebaceous glands produce more sebum to combat the stripping of oils from the scalp and hair which can happen as a result of frequent washing. Vigorous hair and scalp scrubbing can stimulate hair grease. Touching hair can also over-stimulate glands, as can brushing vigorously which carry oil through your hair. Pollutants in the everyday environment can cause hair to look greasy, along with product build-up at the roots from over-use of hair styling products.

There are also several internal causes to greasy hair as well. Along with changing hormone levels, a major cause of greasy hair is the food you put inside of you, i.e. you diet. Western diets are usually much greasier, containing more fat. They are usually processed, containing many additives, and typically are higher in fat and sugar. The high fat content of the diet increases oil in the skin which can lead to greasy hair. The meat in a Western diet often contains some hormones, and these hormones can add to the levels of unbalanced hormones. Greasy hair can also be a sign of a diet that is low in vitamin B.

The key of how to avoid, stop, treat and cure greasy hair is approach it from the outside and inside. Starting with the outside: avoid brushing your hair too often, and avoid brushing your hair vigorously. As you wash your hair, massage your hair and scalp lightly instead of scrubbing them vigorously. The beast shampoo for greasy hair is a mild-ph shampoo that is extra cleansing or clarifying. Look for a shampoo that is specially formulated for greasy hair. To protect against dryness moisturizing shampoos can leave oil in your hair, these should be avoided.

For a more thorough cleanse, leave the shampoo in for about 5 minutes. You can always rinse your hair and shampoo a second time. How often you need to wash your hair is down to you. Ideally you should wash your hair 1-2 times per week. To find what is right for you, begin washing daily and then reduce the frequency to find your ideal balance of oil production and washing. If you plan to use a conditioner on your hair, apply the conditioner to the mid and ends of you hair only, and be sure to use a conditioner made for greasy hair. If you are using a hairdryer for hair styling don’t let the dryer get too hot, heat can cause the production of more oil.

With the inside: do all that you can to reduce and eliminate any and all stress. In your diet, consider using a vitamin B supplement. Make sure you eat plenty of whole grains, seeds, nuts, leafy green vegetables, salads and fresh fish. Reduce the amount of fatty foods that you eat, avoiding greasy, fried and fatty foods as much as possible. Reduce the number of white flour based foods in your diet, foods like pastries, pasta and bread. Lastly, avoid sugar and sugary foods like biscuits, cakes and soft drinks.

Tweet This Post