Why Does My Hair Get So Greasy?

Grease, oil, sweat – call it what you want, but we all know that greasy hair can be a total nightmare! It can harm our self-esteem and make us not even want to leave the house. And if it doesn’t do that, it can leave us really, really frustrated.

It’s deeply problematic and makes us want to tear our hair out.

It might make us look all shiny, but that isn’t what we want!

Picture it: you’ve just woken up and your hair is still greasy – despite you having washed it and dried it the night before! What gives? Are some of us just destined to always have greasy hair? Is there literally nothing we can do about it?

Actually, as Beauty and Tips are about to show you, there are many reasons why your hair might be so greasy. Once you know what the prime root cause is (sorry), you can then take the necessary steps to ensuring that your greasy hair is banished forever.

Let’s take a look at some important points and possible causes…

Humid Weather

Okay, here’s the deal: We all love summer time (and if you don’t, just leave now omg).

The problem is that summertime brings with it a few problems:

Strange insects that bite.

Sun burn.

Sun stroke.

“It’s too hot!” complaints from your friends.

There’s no Christmas (this is the worst one).

Humidity.

For a lot of people who say they hate hot weather, it’s the humidity that they really hate.

What is humid weather? It’s that horrible “sticky” feeling that sometimes occurs when the weather gets hot. Scientifically speaking, it’s characterised by the “amount of water vapour in the atmosphere or in a gas.”

And it’s this pesky lil thing that can cause your hair to get so greasy.

See, your hair is fine in the summertime until humidity rears its ugly head. At that point, you’ve got problems.

Is there anything you can do about it? Not really – well, except move to a less humid city.

If you live in Florida, Texas or Louisiana, you’re pretty much screwed in the summer months, as these are some of the sweatiest places on earth.

Constant Hair Touching

If you believe in astrology, you’ll know a thing or two about Leo’s.

One of their habits is that they touch their hair a lot.

Watch them – they’re always playing with their hair!

Now, this isn’t a bad habit at all, is it?

Well, it kinda is …

See, the more you touch your hair, the more you’re transporting oils from your hands onto your mane!

Argh!

It might sound crazy, but playing with your hair too much can genuinely cause your roots to get really greasy.

From now on, quit touching your hair. Once your hair is all showered and dried, LEAVE IT ALONE DAMMIT!

Sorry.

(not sorry)

Addicted To Conditioning

Are you addicted to conditioning?

“Can you even be addicted to conditioning?”

Of course – you can be addicted to pretty much anything!

And one major sign that you’re addicted to conditioning is greasy hair that just won’t stop greasing.

Some women have a tendency to over condition. A telltale sign that someone has problems and needs to visit rehab is greasy hair. And this could be you.

So try it. For the next week or two, condition just the tips and see how it goes.

And if this works, you can then help others. If you spot a friend who has greasy hair, put your arm around them and tell them you can help!

“I know what it’s like – I’ve been there. Just put the bottle down and I can help. We can talk about this.”

Not Picking the Right Shampoo

When it comes to shampoo, does it really matter which one you use. Or is this just a myth?

There is this idea that there are different types of shampoos that work for different types of hair.

And as it turns out? This is totally true.

If you have greasy hair that you can’t seem to get right, it’s important that you buy shampoo that deals specifically with this issue.

These shampoos are available at the store, but it’s a good idea to visit your local cosmetics store and ask an assistant to point you in the right direction.

A Hormonal Imbalance Caused by PMS

Teenagers in particular are susceptible to oily hair, and it can really affect our self-esteem that that age.

The problem is that, when we’re going through adolescence, androgens in our bod stimulates our oil glands, and this causes us to produce a lot more oil.

Darn it.

Even if you’re not in your teens and are perhaps edging towards your 30s, spikes in androgens can still happen – and these spikes are almost always caused by your menstrual period.

Darn it again.

So what happens is that more sebaceous secretions means that our skin and scalp causes more grease.

And no matter what we do, it doesn’t seem to go away.

The next time your menstrual period comes around, see if it coincides with excess oil in your hair. It it does, you might have found your answer!

A Poor Diet

What you eat affects your skin – and your scalp.

People often say that a dietician, nutritionist or health expert can tell what you eat just by looking at the state of your skin and hair. And this is totally true.

Now, we’re not saying at all that everyone who has greasy hair also has a poor diet. There’s nothing to suggest that a poor diet is the reason that your hair is greasy, but there are definitely times when there is a correlation.

So take a look at your diet. If it’s rich in trans-fats, hydrogenated oils, refined carbs, sugar and dairy, these guys could be the culprit. Together – and even alone – they can cause a build-up of oil in your hair by boosting the amount of androgens that are swimming around your body.

A Lack of Hydration

It’s true what they say about water – it’s the elixir of life.

It’s also the best way to stay hydrated. If your body and skin isn’t properly hydrate, a whole host of symptoms can develop, including greasy hair.

This sounds like a contradiction. After all, if a lack of proper hydration (water) causes our skin to become drier, how can it cause our hair to become greasier?

Well, what happens is that your skin tends to go into “overdrive mode” when you’ve not been properly hydrating it, and by this we mean that it pumps out more sebum.

And when it pumps out more sebum, well, this is when your hair starts to produce more oils. Hmph!

But it’s totally okay because there’s one simple solution for this – drink more water, yay!

Drink a glass of water in the morning and then another 4 throughout the day. At least.

Not Enough Essential Fatty Acids in your Diet

This is a bit of a contradiction.

After all, aren’t fatty acids oily?

They sure are!

Well, or at least they seem to be.

Good sources of essential fatty acids are salmon, flaxseeds and walnuts. But while fatty acids do indeed appear to be really greasy, the strange thing is that they are actually really good at reducing oiliness in your hair!

The good thing is that, as well as being fab sources of essential fatty acids, salmon, flaxseeds and walnuts are also super healthy in general. Get on them!

Stress and Anxiety

We all know what the mental effects of stress and anxiety are, but have you ever stopped to consider what stress and anxiety are doing to you physically?

Lots of people aren’t aware that these two twins of mental ill health do a lot of strange things to our bodies. They can cause skin conditions like eczema to flare up; they can cause headaches and major digestive problems.

And they can also cause greasy hair.

Science has shown that when we’re majorly anxious about something, it can have a knock-on effect on our skin and scalp. As well as causing skin conditions, it can also cause hair issues.

This is all down to the evil stress hormone, cortisol. When you’re stressed, cortisol runs riot and causes your scalp to produce extra oil.

So the next time your hair becomes excessively greasy, take a look at how you’re feeling mentally. See if is isn’t stress and anxiety that are behind your problems.

Not Getting Enough Sleep

This one is easy to figure out. If you’re a night owl who literally never goes to bed before 1am, your sleeping habits could be the reason for your greasy hair.

Why? There’s a strong correlation between a lack of sleep and stress. And as we showed above, there’s also a correlation between stress and oily hair.

Those who don’t get enough zzz’s tend to be more cranky than those who do. Productivity goes down and stress goes up. It’s not a good way to live our lives!

If this sounds a lot like you, be kinder to your body from now on by going to bed earlier.

Too Much Brushing

Is there really such a thing as too much brushing? Can you brush your hair so much that it causes problems?

There is such a thing as too much brushing, and you can totally brush your hair so much that it causes problems – such as greasy hair.

Look at it like this: The more times you brush your hair, the more the oils in your scalp get disturbed – and the more they run riot.

If repeatedly brushing your hair is a bit of a bad habit of yours, it’s time to quit it right now.

A Scalp Disorder

There’s a possibility that you have a scalp disorder without realising it, and it could be this disorder that’s causing your greasy hair.

Symptoms actually do include oily hair, but you should also look out for other symptoms, such as itching, flaking and hair loss.

Also, if you have a scalp disorder, there’s a chance that you also have a skin condition at the same time. To be sure, take a look at your skin – has it been itching a lot recently? Are there any areas that are extra red?

If so, take yourself off to a skin care specialist as soon as you can!

A Health Disorder

A health disorder such as polycystic ovaries syndrome can cause excessively greasy hair. The problem is that this kind of disorder is really hard to self-diagnose. As such, you might have it without even realising it.

The best thing to do in any case is to take yourself off to the doctor for a full health assessment.

How come polycystic ovaries syndrome causes excessively greasy hair? It’s because it causes your ovaries to produce more androgens than usual, which in turn causes your body to produce more sebum in your skin and scalp.

Genetics

Sometimes we can’t do anything else except blame mom and dad for the genes they’ve given us!

“Why do I have greasy hair, mom? Oh, you wanna know why, do you? Because of you, mom! Because of you.”

There’s only one practical way to find out if genetics are the root cause (sorry again) is to check your mom and dads hair for signs of greasiness.

Or just ask. And if your mom gets all shifty and evasive when you ask her if her hair ever used to get so greasy, it clearly means that she’s hiding something!

Sadly, there isn’t really much that you can do if it’s in your genes except the usual – look after your hair and try to live an overall healthy life.

Hopefully, our article has made things a bit clearer for you now. Hopefully, you now have an idea as to what’s causing your oily hair. If you do, carry out an investigation and see what’s what. And if it isn’t genetic, the good news is that there’s always something you can do about it.

Good luck!

from Beauty And Tips Magazine