11 Home Remedies for Oily Hair

You wash and style your hair every morning, but within a few short hours, it looks stringy and dirty. You, like millions of others, have oily hair.

But don't get mad at those glands for doing their job. Oil protects your hair shafts from breaking, keeps your scalp in good condition, and gives your hair that nice, healthy-looking sheen. Unfortunately, sometimes it's overzealous.

So why does the dipstick measure too much oil? Several factors can be responsible, including:

Heredity: If your dad had oily hair, chances are you will, too.
Hormonal fluctuations: In adult women, it may come with the menstrual cycle or using birth control pills. In teens, it's just part of the ever-embarrassing teenaged experience -- oily hair, zits, the works. When the hormones simmer down, the problem usually evens out.
Bulking up: Excessive oil is a side effect of using androgenic hormones to increase body mass.
Hair texture: Fine hair is often oilier than coarse hair because it takes up less room on the scalp. This means people with fine hair are usually crowned with lots more of it than people with coarse hair. And the more hair there is, the more oil because each follicle is supplied with two to three oil glands.

Diet's Not to BlameTake notice that diet is not one of the oil-producing culprits listed. That's because diet doesn't play much of a role in the development of oily hair, contrary to what many people believe. Eating French fries won't send the grease directly to your scalp unless you rub your French fries through your hair.

The good news is that oily hair can be managed successfully with home remedies, including things you'll find in your very own kitchen. Go to the next page to read about home remedies for oily hair.

For more information about oily hair and how to prevent it, try the following links:

To read about all of our home remedies and the conditions that they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
If your oily hair is accompanied by oily skin, you can calm it with Home Remedies for Oily Skin.
For information on how to condition dry hair, visit our Home Remedies for Dry Hair page.
If your skin lack moisture, read our Home Remedies for Dry Skin page.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Home Remedy Treatments for Oily Hair

Although oily hair might be troublesome, it is relatively easy to control with the following home remedies. Follow these simple steps, and you'll be on the way to the hair you've always wanted.

Shampoo often. Don't worry about overdoing it. If you have oily hair, shampooing every day is a good idea.

Use a "no-nonsense" shampoo. Often, shampoos have all kinds of additives and conditioners in them. People with oily hair need a good solvent-type shampoo, one that will cut the grease. To give your shampoo a boost, you can even add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. If you don't like the idea of putting dishwashing liquid on your head, there are plenty of commercial shampoos that will cut through the excess oil, including old standbys such as Prell and Suave and any number of generic and store-brand shampoos. Normal hair needs a shampoo with a pH (which refers to its acid/base balance) between 4.5 and 6.7, but oily hair requires a more alkaline (or base) product. Look for shampoos with a pH higher than 6.7 -- or, simply, those labeled for use on oily hair.

Rinse thoroughly. Whatever shampoo you use, be sure you rinse thoroughly. Soap residue will only collect dirt and oil more quickly.

Forget conditioners. Conditioners coat the hair, something oily hair doesn't need. Apply a small amount of conditioner only to the ends if they've become dried out.

Don't brush your hair too much. Forget 100 strokes. Every time you drag that brush through your hair, you're pulling oil out of the scalp and distributing it throughout your hair.

Try an acidic rinse. One way to decrease the oil is to rinse with diluted vinegar or lemon juice after shampooing. Add two tablespoons white vinegar to one cup water, or mix the juice of one lemon (strained) with one cup water. Rinse the mixture through your hair, then rinse your hair with warm water.

Home Remedies from the Cupboard

Alcohol. Any kind of alcoholic beverage has a nice drying effect. The higher the alcohol content the better. Mix a shot glass full of alcohol with a couple cups of water and rinse through your hair. Yes, you have to rinse it out. And don't drink the rinse water!

Cider vinegar. Soak your hair in a small basin of water with 1/4 cup cider vinegar -- or put the concoction in a spray bottle and rinse through your hair, then wash out with warm water. This helps control nasty shampoo buildup.

Tea. Rinse your hair in diluted tea. Tea contains tannic acid, an astringent, which can cut the oil.

Home Remedies from the Refrigerator

Beer. Beer can have a drying effect, and it cleans right down to your scalp, leaving your hair with a healthy shine.

Lemon juice. Mix the equivalent of the juice from 1 lemon with 1 cup water and rinse through your hair, then rinse with warm water. Lemon juice can help control shampoo buildup, too.

Now you've got plenty of fun home remedies for oily hair to try at home. Figure out what's best for you, and enjoy the soft, silky results!

For more information about oily hair and how to prevent it, try the following links:

To read about all of our home remedies and the conditions that they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
If your oily hair is accompanied by oily skin, you can calm it with Home Remedies for Oily Skin.
For information on how to condition dry hair, visit our Home Remedies for Dry Hair page.
If your skin lack moisture, read our Home Remedies for Dry Skin page.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in many publications, including Reader's Digest, Prevention, Men's Health, Better Homes and Gardens, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. The author of four books, Gower is also a contributing editor for Health magazine.

Alice Lesch Kelly is a health writer based in Boston. Her work has been published in magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, Eating Well, and Health. She is the co-author of three books on women's health.

Linnea Lundgren has more than 12 years experience researching, writing, and editing for newspapers and magazines. She is the author of four books, including Living Well With Allergies.

Michele Price Mann is a freelance writer who has written for such publications as Weight Watchers and Southern Living magazines. Formerly assistant health and fitness editor at Cooking Light magazine, her professional passion is learning and writing about health.

ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS:

Ivan Oransky, M.D., is the deputy editor of The Scientist. He is author or co-author of four books, including The Common Symptom Answer GuideBoston Globe, The Lancet, and USA Today. He holds appointments as a clinical assistant professor of medicine and as adjunct professor of journalism at New York University. (McGraw-Hill, 2004), and has written for publications including the

David J. Hufford, Ph.D., is university professor and chair of the Medical Humanities Department at PennsylvaniaState University's College of Medicine. He also is a professor in the departments of Neural and Behavioral Sciences and Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Hufford serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine and Explore.