Combatting Oily Hair

I'm all about the why.SO before I get into solutions you need to be educated on why you may ave excessive oils in your hair.

The sebaceous gland that rests along each of your hair shafts just under the skin is the culprit.It is the oil producing gland.

In general the finer or thinner each hair shaft is the more oil escapes to the surface of your scalp.If each of your stands of hair and fine but you have a large amount of hairs per square inch then your oil problems are increased because you have more sebaceous glands.The thicker the hair shaft is the more oils are blocked from squeezing out to the surface.
The hair shaft wicks the oil up out of your scalp.Your hair doesn't actually product oils at all.So battling oily hair is really battling oily scalp.

Sebum (oil) is regulated by the male hormones called androgen's.The more of these androgen's you have the more active your sebaceous gland becomes.

On that note I must say a visit to the Doc to have your hormone levels checked could be a good idea if your have chronic problems with oily hair.

Now here are some simple solutions to help you win the battle.

• Use a shampoo that is clarifying.An easy way to tell if a shampoo will clarify is buy a see through shampoo.The more milky a shampoo is the conditioners and other things have been added to it.

• Shampoo twice.If the first shampoo isn't lathering up well it is because the shampoo is binding with the oils in your hair preventing it from foaming.So your second shampoo should get things moving.You can even apply your first shampoo to your hair dry for ultra deep cleansing!

• Squeeze your melon when your shampoo!Give yourself a good scalp massage to squeeze out any leftover oils trapped under the skin.Only do this during your shampoo so you can cleanse it.Over massaging your head at the wrong times actually stimulate the sebaceous glands to product more oils.

• Use an astringent on your scalp.You can use witch hazel or your facial astringent applied with a cotton ball to your scalp.This helps dry and slow the oil production.

• Don't over brush your hair. This just stimulates those glands and causes more oils to be wicked down your hair shaft.

When you want to skip a day of shampooing but don't think you can cope, use baby powder or talc.Apply it directly to your scalp/problem oily areas.Shake it around so it bonds to the oils then brush it out with a natural bristle hair brush.This works best on lighter colored hair.Darker hair can do this but powder sparingly or try using a dry hair shampoo.

• Don't apply your conditioner to your scalp.Many people will tell your to just skip the conditioner but clarifying shampoos can be very damaging to the hair shaft.Since the hair shaft cannot repair itself you really need to condition it to keep it from damaging.Just apply it to your ends only.Get the places where the natural oils do not reach.If you have trouble keeping the conditioner off your scalp in the shower then use a spray leave in conditioner on the last few inches of your hair to help detangle and maintain the integrity of the hair.
  
  Eat well.Eating foods high in proteins and healthy oils like nuts and lean meats and dairy can help strengthen your hair.Since hair is made of protein, a diet low in protein will produce scraggly hairs which in turn allows more oils to escape from your scalp.Also look for foods that are high in vitamin A, Beta carotene , and essential fatty oils such as flax seed oil which have shown in various case studies to regulate glandular activity.(I am no Dr. so I recommend you research these studies yourself and make your own decisions)