An oily scalp with dry hair is a difficult hair situation to handle and when summers arrive, the scalp tends to get more greasy and oily, and some women even notice bumps on their scalp, ouch! It is very difficult to deal with such a condition because you don’t know whether you should go for a shampoo formulated for oily hair or dry hair. If you choose a shampoo meant for oily hair, your scalp feels clean but your hair gets extremely dry, ripping off shine, smoothness, and all the softness. On the other hand, if you choose a shampoo meant for normal to dry hair, you do justice to your hair while the scalp remains oily and greasy. Oily scalp is also prone to an extremely stubborn kind of yellowish and sticky dandruff which shows up because of your over-active sebaceous glands! An oily and greasy scalp feels dirty, smelly, itchy, and unclean, to the extent that you are ready to go to any extent to get rid of the oil and dirt! In this post, we would share tips on how to get rid of greasy scalp in summer, and that too gently.
Tips to Get Rid of Greasy Scalp:
1. Choose a Gentle Shampoo without SLS/SLES: Choose a shampoo that is designed for oily hair. This will help to clean the dirt and oil effectively. If you have oily and limp hair, you would do justice to both scalp and hair. If you have normal to dry hair, use olive oil through the hair strands two hours before using the shampoo. It is better to avoid the hair roots. After shampooing, you would get a clean scalp and soft hair! When choosing a shampoo, it would be prudent to pick one without SLS/SLES content because they strip away moisture and hydration from the hair, making them rough and frizzy. You can also shampoo hair frequently when using a SLS/SLES-free shampoo. Our recommendations: Himalaya Anti Hair Fall Shampoo, OGX Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Shampoo, The Body Shop Ginger Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, The Body Shop Rainforest Shine Shampoo, Kama Ayurveda Rose and Jasmine Hair Cleanser.
2. Condition: Conditioning is very important for your hair, but how to get the conditioning effect sans the greasy feel? The best way is to use natural conditioners. If you don’t have time, use lemon water, apple cider vinegar or tea liquor as the last rinse. This will condition your hair and yet your scalp remains free from oil. Here’s another recipe to make a homemade hair conditioner.
3. Nourish Hair without Using Oil: Oil plays a vital role in nourishing hair and promoting hair growth. If you have greasy scalp and worry about it making your limp, non-oily hair tonics especially meant for this purpose. For instance, you can use oil replacement therapies such as Pantene Oil Replacement Therapy, Dove Elixir Hair Fall Rescue Hair Oil Rose and Almond.
4. Use a Wooden Comb: Use a wooden comb to comb your hair after it is dry. You tend to lose hair when you comb wet hair. Moreover, avoid combing too often as it stimulates oil secretion on your scalp.
Product Tips for Greasy Hair:
- Go for cleansers which are mild, oil-free and gentle enough for frequent use.
- You may look for zinc pyrithione, coal tar, salicylic acid or selenium sulfide as ingredients in shampoos to get rid of oily scalp. The Body Shop Strawberry Glossing Shampoo for example has salicylic acid content.
- Avoid two-in-one products and products which leave a residue behind.
- Do not use styling products too often. Let your scalp breathe free.
- Reduce the use of hairstyling products on your scalp which might lead to product buildup.
- Here’s the recipe of a homemade solution to remove product buildup.
Home Remedies to Treat Oily Scalp:
- Henna: Applying henna to your hair once every week or once every two weeks helps a lot. Henna conditions your hair and since it has a drying effect, it is beneficial to oily scalp.
- Coconut milk: Massage your scalp with fresh coconut milk. It is extremely good for scalp; it helps treat oily condition while nourishing your scalp and hair.
- Tea-tree oil: Use may use tea-tree oil in your regular scalp-care regimen. If not in hair packs, try adding a few drop of tea tree oil in your shampoo while you wash your hair.
- Aloe Vera gel: Use fresh aloe vera gel on your scalp. This helps to nourish your hair roots and control oil.
- Take 1/2 cup of oatmeal powder, add 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp of baking soda, add water to make a paste consistency. Apply on scalp and rinse off after 20 minutes.
- Mix 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in a cup of water. After washing hair with a mild shampoo, use this solution as a final rinse on the scalp. Rinse one more time, do this at least two times in a week.
- Mix 1 tbsp of aloe vera gel and 1 tbsp of lemon juice in one cup of diluted shampoo. Wash hair with this solution twice a week.
Oily scalp is indeed a problem scalp. So, you need to be careful while treating it. It just demands a bit more care and concern from your part. Hence, it is important that you take regular care and at the same time, drink lots of water, avoid oily food and have a healthy lifestyle. It is possible to tackle the problem to a good extent! 🙂
