Help - I have greasy hair!

Q: “My teenage daughter has oily hair – how often should she shampoo? Is every day creating more oil?? What are the best products?” – tiklpikl

A: Washing your hair stimulates your scalp, which in turn increases the production of natural oils. These oils are essential for a healthy head of hair as they give your strands the essential nourishment they need to repair damage, lock in moisture, and impart radiant shine.

In saying that however, it can happen that washing your hair too frequently can cause an over production of natural oils, leaving your hair limp and greasy. This can be especially true for teenagers, as during adolescence the body naturally goes into over-drive producing excessive amounts of sebum and oil.

Which leads us to a bit of a catch-22: if you wash your hair too frequently you can cause an over-production of oil and wind up with greasy locks; but when you have greasy locks the knee-jerk reaction is to wash your hair as much as possible, which may only make the problem worse.

So what’s the solution? My recommendation would be to hold out and only shampoo your hair every 2 – 3 days (slip on a pretty headband to cover oily roots in the interim) using products specifically designed for oily hair. Over time, these should help to balance out the levels of oil in your locks, and you won’t have to wash as frequently. Try:Redken Scalp Relief Oil Detox Shampoo, or Indola Specialists Anti-Grease Shampoo.

I would also invest in a clarifying shampoo and use it once every 7 – ten days to help eliminate any impurities or product that may be weighing your hair down. Try: Trilogy Clarifying Shampoo, or Al’chemy Lemongrass Shampoo.