4 "Strange But True" Causes for Greasy Hair
Let’s take a moment...and check in with how your hair feels to the touch today.
Sweep your fingers over your scalp...then slip them down the full length of your strands.
If you’re picking up a lot of slick, slippery dampness...you could be dealing with an excess of greasy buildup throughout your locks.
GREASE IS THE WORD
The truth is, your hair should always be carrying at least some natural oils.
And in fact, these oils are vital for giving body, shine, and radiant color to your tresses.
But sadly, it’s all too common to find your hair weighed down by way more oil than it needs…
...making you look drab, and feel unclean, no matter how carefully you wash and condition!
“There’s nothing worse than washing and washing your hair...and STILL feeling limp, greasy, and lifeless!”
Now obviously, the best way to fight any problem is to attack it at its source.
And that means to bring back your hair’s naturally healthy oil balance, you need to figure out:
WHAT’S MAKING YOUR HAIR FEEL THIS WAY?
Of course, sometimes, that greasy residue is caused by something fairly predictable.
Maybe you work in an environment where the air is heavy with grease-generating pollutants.
Or a genetic hormonal imbalance could be making your scalp produce too much oil.
But we’re not here today to discuss those things you already know can make your hair greasy.
Instead, we’d like to call your attention to five unexpected factors that aggravate greasy hair.
Making you aware of these strange hair-greasing agents is the first step to treating their effects…
...and restoring a level of beneficial oil that will keep your hair at its shiniest, sleekest, and most eye-catching!
1. TOO MUCH PONYTAIL TRUSTWhen you’re facing a to-do list that leaves you barely a moment to pamper your hair, it’s awfully tempting to just pull together a cute, maintenance-free ponytail.
But too many “ponytail days” is a sure-fire shortcut to oil and grease buildup on your scalp!
“That ponytail can be a second- or third-day hair lifesaver… but if you wear your hair in a tail every day, you may soon find yourself fighting a greasy scalp!”
That’s because the ponytail holder blocks those oils from working their way down your tresses.
Instead, they pool up around the base of your tail...resulting in matted, unclean-looking roots.
To avoid this problem, experiment with a weekly washing-and-conditioning routine that suits your schedule.
This will both prevent your hair from accumulating too much unwanted grease…
...and leave your locks fresh and free...to explore far more trouble-free styling options!1
2. GETTING TOUCHY-FEELY
Think about how many different things your hands come in contact with every day...
...from the foods you eat...to the steering wheel of your car...to your loved ones and pets!
Now...how often do you find yourself running those same hands through your hair?
If touching, stroking, or playing with your hair is a consistent habit of yours...all that hair-handling could be transferring a lot of unseen oil and residue to your strands.
We understand, of course, that touching your hair is something you often do without even thinking about it.
For example, when you’re feeling nervous or stressed, hair-handling is a fairly common reflex.
“Lots of women touch their hair when they’re feeling flirty...but all that touching could leave your locks looking less than alluring!”
But, if you can take a moment to pause before your fingers reach your hair…
...we think you’ll find that far less excess oil and grease will wind up cramping your style!2
And speaking of stress…
3. YOU’RE FEELING TOO TENSE
No doubt about it...you live in a lighting-paced, high-pressure world.
And when that stress builds up, one way your body responds is by increasing its production of a hormone called cortisol…
...a hormone with a number of noteworthy side effects...including excessive scalp oils!3
So, to keep your body from building up too much grease-enhancing cortisol, you want to make sure you have a few easy-to-do stress-relieving activities to try.
Some powerfully effective stress-lessening choices include:
- Basic deep-breathing exercises, to lower your blood pressure and calm your nerves
- Simple, focused meditation practices, including guided meditations
- Stress-easing relaxation exercises, such as yoga or tai chi
- Listening to ASMR programs, with soothing, tension-releasing sound patterns
A quick search on YouTube will show you literally dozens of videos...packed with techniques to lower your body’s anxiety, slow down your cortisol production…
...and keep your scalp oil levels right where they should be!4
“Yoga is a dynamic way to release built-up bodily tension, and ease back on your scalp’s natural oil production.”
4. HOT, HOT, HOT
One of the most invaluable hair-nourishing oils your body produces is called sebum.
It’s made by your sebaceous glands, which are located all throughout your scalp.
The problem is, when these glands become over-stimulated, they release too much sebum... greasing up your scalp and dirtying your strands.
And one of the most pervasive sebaceous over-stimulators:
TOO MUCH HOT WATER!
That means, if you’re regularly shampooing and rinsing your hair with the hottest water you can stand…
...that water could be amplifying your sebum production...leaving your hair dirtier than when you started!
So, during your regular hair-cleaning ritual, try using lukewarm or even cold water.
You may find easing back on the high-heat rinsing helps your shampoo do just what it’s supposed to do!5
OIL FOR THE BEST
Naturally, you may be conditioned to think that any oily feeling in your hair is bad.
That’s understandable...but it’s important to know your hair needs some level of oil to stay strong, shiny, and easy to style.
But when you’re facing a greasy buildup that’s got your hair looking lifeless...feeling dirty...and unable to hold any style you attempt…
...that’s when it’s time to take the necessary steps to get your hair to healthy oil levels.
If you haven’t considered this quartet of greasy-hair-buildup causes, we hope this knowledge proves helpful…
...and that you can soon bring back your hair’s outstanding body, cleanliness, and glamour!
CITATIONS
- Sinrich, Jenn. “6 Unexpected Reasons You Have Greasy Hair.” SELF, SELF, 16 Nov. 2017, www.self.com/story/greasy-hair.
- Hayes, Miki. “This Is Why Your Hair Seems Greasy All Of A Sudden.” Bustle, Bustle, 25 Apr. 2018, www.bustle.com/articles/188116-7-reasons-your-hair-is-randomly-greasy.
- “Cortisol: Why the ‘Stress Hormone’ Is Public Enemy No. 1.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1.
- Rmunson. “9 Things You Didn't Know Were Making Your Hair Greasy | Look.” Look Magazine, Look Magazine, 7 Apr. 2017, www.look.co.uk/beauty/how-to-stop-greasy-hair-205158.
- Syeda, Arshiya. “15 Reasons Why Your Hair Is Oily And Greasy.” STYLECRAZE, IncnutIncnut, www.stylecraze.com/articles/10-reasons-why-your-hair-is-greasy/#gref.