The human scalp is full of approximately 100,000 hair follicles and each one of these follicles secretes oils. These oils keep the scalp and hair healthy. Some people have hair follicles that do not produce very much oil and this leads to brittle, dry hair. The opposite is also true, some people have hair follicles that produce large quantities of oil, leading to the hair both looking and feeling oily.
There are some natural remedies to help reduce and even remove the excess oil from hair. These remedies use common ingredients that can be found in most homes.
One of the easiest ways to reduce oil and the appearance of oily hair is to simply put curls in your hair using either hot rollers or a curling iron. The rationale for this is actually very simple. Oil, like everything else, takes the path of least resistance when being pulled down from the scalp by gravity. The oil easily glides down the hair shaft when the hair is straight. This is the reason that straight hair often appears to be oilier than curly hair. But, if hair is wavy or has curls in it, it appears less oily because the extra bends and waves in the hair make it tougher for the oil the travel down the hair shaft. So, curl that hair and have a head full of bouncy waves.
An additional technique to try is doing an oatmeal treat on the oily hair. Simply cook and cool some oatmeal and apply it to the scalp. Oatmeal works to absorb the oil from the roots, as well as helping to alleviate an itchy scalp. Oatmeal is also great to use for exfoliating the scalp as well. But, if you are in a hurry and do not have time to cook the oatmeal, then just use it dry. Take a bit of the dry oatmeal and dust it throughout the hair, onto the scalp. Allow it to sit on the scalp for a few moments in order to absorb the excess oil. After a few minutes have elapsed, just brush the oatmeal out of the hair and it is ready to style.
Another way to decrease the amount of oil in the hair is to use an acidic rinse. Natural acidic liquids that can be used include tea, diluted lemon juice or even vinegar. All three of these liquids are comprised of an organic astringent called tannic acid. This natural tannic acid helps the hair to appear clean and less oily without stripping all of the oil from the hair shafts.
Alternatively, hair can be treated with a substance that helps to absorb the oil, such as cornstarch, baby powder, body powder or even cocoa powder. Use the lighter colored powders for light colored hair and the cocoa powder for dark hair. Any one of the substances can be used to absorb oil from the hair. Simply apply the chosen powder to a puff and then pat at the roots of the hair to soak up the oil. When finished, simply brush out of the hair. The use of any of these powders can leave the hair looking oil free, clean and smelling fresh in a pinch.
One way to avoid getting oily hair is to be sure to not wash the hair too much. Shampooing hair removes oil and can lead to a dry scalp. Daily shampooing can cause the scalp to work overtime to manufacture extra oil to compensate for the lost oil. Begin breaking the shampooing cycle by choosing one or two days per week to not wash the hair on. On these days, groom the hair well with a brush that has natural bristles in order to distribute the hair’s natural oil all the way out to the tips of the hair shafts. Continue this process for a few months so that the hair can become accustomed to not being washed on a daily basis. Over time, the scalp will begin producing less oil which will lead to less oily and more beautiful hair.
