How To: Deal with Oily Hair

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

How to Deal with Oily Hair



I have never really been the type of woman who washes her hair every single day in order for it to feel clean. I think this has a lot to do with me having naturally wavy/curly hair and the fact this style tends to lack moisture.
Because of this I would wash my hair around twice a week and be fine with the oil amount because it seemed to just absorb into my curls and not cause me any problems in term of itching or discomfort unless I went a few too many days (a few meaning somewhere around 5 which was not uncommon for me). So when I had friends that talked about their oily hair problems and their constant need to wash their hair I just couldn't relate, that was until I got a Brazilian Blowout. I noticed soon after I got my blowout that my head would not stop creating oil! My hair was constantly feeling greasy and out of control and I was washing it once a day to eliminate the oil, which not only was an inconvenience for me but I also felt like it wore down the life of my blowout when what I had hoped was that I could make it last as long as possible. I had assumed that this problem was attributed to my newly straighter hair and because I no longer had as many curls to hold it and my oil had no place to hide so it was much more noticeable. I soon discovered that this was not the case. After doing some research on natural beauty products and ones that don't contain sulfates I've come across some information on why hair gets so oily in the first place and I'm here to share it with you.

Your head is naturally going to create oil but typically it is an average amount meant to lubricate and soften your hair, not bombard it with grease. What happens when we wash our hair on a daily basis is our body thinks that our head is being stripped of oil due to our living conditions so it sends MORE oil to our heads to overcompensate for how much we are washing and losing it. Because of this we just assume we have an oily mess of a head so we continue to wash our hair daily, thus creating a viscous cycle of dryness. When I got my blowout I discovered that sodium is a main ingredient in the product used to straighten my hair because it acts as a preservative, so I was adding sodium (a drying agent) directly to my head. Thus sending my average oily hair into overload causing it to get more oily to counter what I had done to it. It actually took me months to balance this process out and because of that I will never get another blowout, but if you are the type of person who constantly washes her/his hair because of oiliness be it because it's always been that way or it's the result of a blowout like me there are some ways to balance this out.

First, you have to stop washing your hair everyday. I know this may seem preposterous to some of you but just consider all that I've already said! Once your body knows that it's not really in dry, moisture stripping conditions it will ease up on the oil creation and stop making your head feel dirty and uncomfortable. Second, you need to invest in a boar bristle brush. Boar bristles help distribute the oil down from your roots to your tips where it needs to moisturize. You should be combing your hair (from roots to tips) with this brush at least once a day to distribute the oil and make your hair shiny and smooth, think Marsha Brady! Now keep in mind that this process will not work if you use a regular plastic bristle brush because these bristles will not be able to move the oil. Then invest in a shampoo that's good for your hair, NO SULFATES! They're extremely stripping. You can now easily find shampoos without sulfates at stores like Target and Walgreens but just know that only your shampoos need to say they are free of sulfates. If you see a conditioner advertised as "sulfate free" that's just a bandwagon ploy to get your money because conditioners are not cleaning agents, so of course they don't have them. Once you have  your conditioner of choice, apply it away from your roots (at least a few inches) and down to your ends concentrating on the tips. For in between washes when you're having a difficult time it would be ideal to also invest in a dry shampoo. These products are a mixture of cleansers and powder to absorb the oil, not strip it away so they are much less harmful to you hair. I personally keep one in my bathroom and one in my gym bag and I use them all the time! I have also yet to use the mouse one intended for curly hair, so if anyone has some insight on how that works I'd love to hear it.

If you give this method a shot for a few weeks I promise you will notice a difference in your hair. Our bodies have a way of maintaining themselves so we should really make an effort to let our natural functions help us out. If you have any questions or comments about this feel free to leave them below!

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