Do you ever ask yourself why your hair feels so oily and grimy even though you just washed it yesterday? It makes no sense, right? You literally washed it yesterday and you didn’t do anything remotely strenuous enough to warrant having an oily scalp. Well, it’s probably because you are washing your hair too often. Before you say, “Gross. I need to wash my hair everyday or else I’ll feel dirty,” just think about how your hair has been feeling recently. If the intro to this article resonated with you, then listen up, you have nothing to lose here – you can really only go upwards from here.

Why do we have oily hair?

Our scalp is basically an extension of our face. Just like our face, when’s its been over washed or been treated with products that are too stripping, it’ll start to overproduce natural oils to overcompensate for the skin’s dehydration. When our skin becomes dry, it goes into code red mode and produces way too much oil as a way to make sure we never encounter this level of dryness ever again.

So how do we get our dehydrated scalps back on track? On one hand, we can continue the vicious cycle of over washing and the overproduction of oil that inevitably follows. On the other hand, we can start the process of resetting our oil levels, but here’s the catch – it’ll take about three weeks of feeling kind of gross and “dirty.”

The solution

The key is washing our hair 2-3 times a week and using dry shampoo in-between washes. Dry shampoo is a great way to keep your hair looking full, a little less oily, and most importantly, smelling a little fresher. The best way to apply it without getting too much product build-up is by applying a few spritzes on the roots of your hair (I usually break it into four sections – front, back/under, and the two sides) and comb through gently. Combing the product through will also help prevent product build-up but also diminish the white residue that is usually left behind by many dry shampoos. You’ll be tempted to get the tinted dry shampoos, don’t do it. They have horrible pigment and looks obvious.

Now, I want to make something abundantly clear – you can still achieve clean hair in the shower without actually using shampoo. It’s all in the distribution of oil on your scalp. I recommend getting a silicone shower brush to massage the oils on your scalp and evenly distribute them through your hair. This will move all the collected oil on your scalp and effectively moisturize your strands. Give it a few weeks and you will feel the difference in your hair health. Not only will you find that you are way less oily days after your shower, but you will notice that your hair feels healthier and grows faster. Again, the rebalancing period feels unnatural and gross but its long-term effects are worth it.

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