It’s pretty inconvenient having to wash your greasy, lifeless hair every day.
Daily hair washing is not ideal, both for the lack of time and for how tedious it can be to lather up yet again. But for some of us, it’s necessary; if we don’t commit ourselves to that frequent shampoo, the oily, lank locks we find ourselves with are not pretty. It may seem like an impossible task to train your hair to be less oily, given the fact some of us just have greasier mops than others, but there are a few key beauty rules to remember in helping you have fewer wash days in your schedule.
Before we get into that, it might be useful to know how often you should actually be washing your hair. Though it varies from hair type to hair type, your lifestyle and even where you live, a good rule of thumb to follow is every two to three days.
With that sorted, here is how you can ‘teach’ your scalp to create less oil, leaving you with super gram-worthy strands in the long run (with a little patience!)
1. Rethink your shampooing routine
If you love ultra-rich and moisturising shampoos, we’ve got bad news for you: these heavier formulas you favour particularly in winter can really weigh the hair down and fast-track greasiness. What you can do is use a more gentle shampoo, one that will cleanse the hair without contributing to extra oil. It’s time to ditch shampoos containing SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate) too – harsh chemicals such as this can strip the hair, making your scalp create more oil to compensate. Introducing a clarifying shampoo, say every fortnight, is another great thing to do to help ‘reset’ your scalp. If you wash your hair roughly every three days, it’s a smart idea to actually shampoo twice every time if you don’t already. The first shampoo will remove all the dirt, oil and build-up, while the second will actually do the work to cleanse and clarify your scalp.
Miss FQ loves these gentle shampoos: Essano Acai Berry Colour Protect Shampoo, $12.50; L’Oréal Paris Botanicals Lavender Soothing Shampoo, $17.99; Lush Jersey Bounce Shampoo, $31.90
Miss FQ loves these clarifying shampoos: Sukin Oil Balancing Shampoo, $18.99; Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo, $45; L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing Shampoo, $7.99
2. Dry shampoo is your best friend
Dry shampoo was specifically invented so we didn’t have to laboriously wash our hair every one or two days, but are you making the most out of it? Dry shampoo hacks can help with this. The trick to really utilising it for oily hair is to give the powder time to soak in – don’t even think about rubbing in or brushing out straight after application. Instead, leave in without touching for a good ten minutes while you’re getting ready in the morning, spray dry shampoo in before bed and leave in overnight before brushing through in the morning.
3. Style hair from the get-go
Do you tend to wash your hair, maybe give it a rough dry and that’s it? While you might be one of the lucky ones and are able to get away with this (#blessed) putting the effort in on wash day and giving your hair a proper style will help extend the life of a wash. A fresh blow-out may require some time in the beginning, but your mane will look better on day two and even three with a quick touch-up (you’ll be thanking yourself later!) Here’s exactly how to make you blow-dry last longer.
4. Opt for a different hairstyle
While this tip isn’t strictly about training your hair to be less oily, you can utilise hairstyles that embrace or hide greasy hair. Grease and texture can actually work to your advantage here, giving you an on-trend, effortlessly messy, lived-in look. Take advantage of the amazing breadth of trending hair accessories, too! Pearl clips and headbands are bound add a bit of flair to otherwise lank looking strands. Try putting your hair up as well – this is another way to combat oiliness as you’ll be much less likely to run your fingers through your hair.
5. Don’t overuse styling products
Oodles of texturizing spray, hair oils and serums will definitely add to build-up and take a toll on the scalp, leading to your hair looking greasier than ever. Don’t apply layer upon layer of product, instead stick to a light spray of detangling mist or hairspray for example.
6. Consider your diet
Here’s something you’ve probably never thought about: your diet could be to blame for your oily hair. Take a look at what you’re eating – because the wrong foods can create an excess amount of sebum that reflects in the hair. Diets high in dairy, refined carbohydrates, fried food and fatty meats, for instance, can contribute to all that greasiness.
