If you have oily hair, you probably find that you want to shampoo your hair almost every day. Sometimes this is the cause of your problem, and I have a new technique to help you wash your hair better.
First off, let’s talk about washing your hair every day.
If I could help you spread that out to every two, three or four days, then that would make me very happy. Just think of all the time you’d save every morning! Imagine how much less heat styling you’d do to your hair. Think of the time saved that you spend waiting for your hair to dry. What could you do with all that extra time each day?
Now, there are some hair types which really will want to washing every day and which dry very quickly. But I have to say that’s usually a very small proportion of people.
For most of us, using shampoo every day actually makes our scalp drier, which results in our sebum glands producing oil twice as fast. This gives the impression of having an oily scalp when really it’s our hair just hair trying to find a balance.
So perhaps you think you’ve got an oily scalp but you may just have a normal scalp that’s simply trying to regulate being dried out every day by too much shampoo.
To break that cycle will take time and it can be a little bit uncomfortable. I’ve done it, so I know you can too. Focus on how worth it will be when you won’t have to wash your hair every single day. If you can bear those first few days of transitioning, you’ll be rewarded with better hair.
Here are three tips to help you break through the habit of shampooing every day.
How to break the habit of washing your hair every day
1. Dry Shampoo
If you don’t love dry shampoo, you’re probably not using it correctly. So take a look at these three dry shampoo mistakes you might be making.
Dry shampoo is so helpful when you’re trying to extend the time between washing your hair. As your scalp adjusts you find you may not even need to use it on day two, and only reach for it on day three or four.
2. Braids
Did you know that braids are so much easier to do on dirty hair? Braids also hide all kinds of hair issues like dirt, frizz and oil. It’s kind of the reason I got into braiding in the first place. Any time I save by not washing my hair and doing a braid is fantastic. If you’re a beginner braider, check my post here for five tips for better braids.
3. Stop touching your hair
I’m a bit of a nervous hair twirler, so I totally understand, but it’s really important to keep your hands away from your hair. The dirt from your hands transfers to your hair so easily.
This dirt from your hands will make your hair lank and oilier faster. Go back up to step two and braid your hair up so you won’t even be tempted to touch your hair during the day.
How to wash oily hair – the open palm technique
And now I have a new technique for washing an oily scalp.
Normally when we talk about shampooing, we talked about giving our head a really good scrub and a massage while we shampoo our hair. Most articles suggest that we use our fingertips and really scrub our hair to remove any dirt and give that head massage at the same time. This manipulation can actually stimulate the sebum glands in your scalp and make your hair oilier if you’re prone to an oily scalp.
So instead of using your fingertips, use your open palms. I’ve tried to include a photos to explain what I mean. But think about it this way: you want to spread the pressure out on your scalp, so instead of using your finger tips as points touching your head, you want your whole hand to touch your head at the same time. Use your whole palm to massage wet shampoo into your head. This means you will get those exact massage points in, but rather get an all-over clean to your scalp.
Give it a try next time you wash your hair and let me know how it goes for you.
Rinse your hair thoroughly
After shampooing with the open palm technique, make sure you rinse your hair completely. You need to make sure all the product is out of your hair, especially if you’re prone to oily scalp.
Conditioning oily hair
Don’t skip conditioner, but don’t apply it to your scalp either. Focus on applying it from your ears down and just work it through the mid lengths and ends of your hair.
Work the conditioner into the ends of your hair and rinse it completely to make sure that you’re left with fresh, clean hair.
Styling oily hair
The same goes with new styling products you use in your hair after washing it. If you have an oily scalp, avoid applying the product directly to your scalp and instead focus on the mid lengths and ends of your hair. This has a knock-on effect so that the next time you shampoo, you won’t have to concentrate so much on your scalp; you’ll be focusing more on your hair overall.
So tell me, do you suffer from an oily scalp? How often do you wash your hair? I’d love to know your tips, so let me know in the comments below.
fantastic tips.. thanks so much for sharing
I’very tried washing my oily hair every other day or every few days, but I ended up with dandruff. When I went back to everyday washing, the dandruff went away. I really wanted to stretch it out, but it just didn’t work for me.
It’s amazing how different our hair can be. Glad you’ve found what works for your hair, Tanya xx
Thanks for the advice! My hair tends to get really oily really fast, so I’ve had to resort to washing it every day, but I’m keen to get out of the habit. My hair is quite short, so unfortunately I can’t leave it the second day and put it up. I’ve had varying success with different shampoos, but find that after a week or so even the ones that were working leave my hair feeling oily by the next morning (even if I’m sure to rinse all of the shampoo thoroughly.
I’m keen to try your tips here, but I was also wondering if there was a particular type of shampoo you might recommend for very oily hair?
Hope this helps, Sarina. I find volumising shampoos can be better for oily hair as they are lighter formulas. You want to avoid anything for dry, damaged hair. Also shampoos that promote shine will also be too heavy for oily hair x
The most difficult time is after washing the hair, to comb without embarrassing, I suffer that rs
Believe it or not, for the last several years I have washed my hair every 7 days, typically on Saturdays! I usually wear a half up style, pony tail or any variation thereof. Now that it has been cut for curly hair I wear it down for three days and then start wearing it up. By day four I do a dry shampoo and the “up-do’s” hold even better after that! By day 5 or so I brush out all the curls and have my “smoother” look, still wearing it up. I do have to confess that I have color treated hair, which tends to be dryer than non-colored hair. Also, I’m post menopausal and that may make a difference in it not being too oily. My hair is super healthy and grows like a weed. Thanks for inspiring me to make peace with my curls!!!
I love your routine, Marjan! It sounds like you’ve got the ideal, low maintenance hairstyle plan. I’m the same as you, and my colored hair makes it easy to not wash as often. As a bonus, it helps keep my colour looking better for longer too! xx
My daughter is a blonde with medium thickness and straight hair and suffers from oily looking hair. I am so excited to try this method of washing. I currently have her washing her hair every other day to every two days. We use all Aveda products and I use a spray in conditioner that also doubles as a detangler because she has hair to the middle of her back. Are there leave in products that you do or do not recommend??
Hi Lisa, leave-in products are great but like conditioner, just focus on the midlengths and ends of your hair. 🙂
My scalp is super oily, especially after one day…so I have to wash my hair everyday. I think for me, I just have to make sure I use a shampoo/conditioner that’s gentle enough for daily use.
XO, Maggie | http://www.beautyphd.ca
Sometimes it can just be that way, but if you get a chance to see if you can break the daily washing cycle, you might be surprised. Good luck! x
My hair used to be really oily, so I washed it every other day. When I started dying my hair – especially those hip colors that don’t last long – I started spreading it out more. The granny-grey held really well – I could do with a wash every 6 days I think.
Also, braiding is proving to be a life-saver. When my sister got obsessed with it, she taught me, and I now wear more braids than I actually wear my hair loose 🙂 When it gets too frizzy, I just put in a new braid, so it’s not handled all day long, and that really seems to help to keep my hair from getting too oily.
I will be trying the open palm shampooing, see how that works. Especially since my scalp often feels rather tight (not sure if it’s because it’s too dry) so I tend to really massage it. I wonder what effect the new technique will have.
Let me know how you go, Danielle! Sometimes the sulfates in shampoo can be a bit irritating and that could be contributing to that tight feeling. Glad to hear you love braids as much as I do 🙂 they’re such a hair saver! x
This is great advice as always! I have oily hair and last week I went for a blow dry at a different salon. She applied conditioner TO MY SCALP and then massaged it in! I don’t know why I didn’t say anything because I knew how it would end – and I was right. My hair was limp and turned into a greasy mess faster than I could blink. So. Disappointing!
ugh what a waste of a blowdry! So disappointing 🙁
These are some good tips. I wash my hair every other day… except that there’s 7 days in a week, so one time it’s 3 days. My pattern is usually either Mondays or Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I actually don’t condition my scalp because it makes my scalp super itchy! 🙂
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I find the same, Brooklyn. My scalp gets itchy with a lot of products so I make sure to rinse really well, even when I’m applying conditioner to the ends of my hair. I also find rinsing with cooler water is better for my scalp and makes it less sensitive x
Hi Cristina! Nice article, I’ve never read before (and never crossed my mind 🙂 ) about using your palms on oily scalp while shampooning. Interesting! I don’t have an oily scalp, but lately I’m so tense that I touch my scalp, so it gets oily faster than it normally does. Thank God, I have my fingers on the keyboard most of the time!
Tension headaches are the worst. Why not give yourself a really good head massage before you wash your hair? I love a head massage! x
Thanks for the tips, Christina! I have really oily hair, and I’ve been washing it every day. However, I think I’ll start using your tips and maybe only wash it every-other day. I still have to wash my bangs every day, because they get really oily at the end of the day. Oh and by the way – this is a completely different subject, but I love your nail color!
Thanks Aria! It’s the X Rouge from Sephora’s formula X range 🙂 Washing your bangs is a great cheat to save you washing all of your hair! x