Our Best Shampoo for Oily Hair

If you have greasy hair, you know using the right shampoo for oily hair is essential. Otherwise, you can wash your hair in the morning, only to develop greasy roots by the time the day’s done. Of course, your hair does need natural oils to stay hydrated and healthy, so it’s also important not to completely strip your strands of oil. It’s all about finding the right hair care products, especially shampoo, that will help you achieve a balance. Not sure what the best shampoo for greasy hair is? Here, we’re sharing our best shampoo for oily strands, plus walking you through exactly how to use it as part of your oily hair care routine. But first, let’s answer a few common oily hair questions.

WHY IS SHAMPOO MAKING MY HAIR GREASY?

Is your shampoo doing you a disservice and actually making things worse? It’s possible! Not every shampoo is a good shampoo for oily hair. If you’re using a shampoo with lots of moisturizing ingredients, perhaps one meant for dry hair, it could leave you with locks that look extra oily. That’s one reason it’s a must to use a shampoo meant for your hair type.

The culprit could also be overwashing your hair. See, your hair follicles contain sebaceous glands that work to produce the sebum (oil) on your scalp. With every shampoo sesh, you’re removing dirt, oil, and debris from your hair and scalp. As a result, your hair follicles naturally produce more oil to replace what’s lost. So, constant washing can strip your strands of their natural oils and cause an increase in sebum production. This leads to another important question...

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU WASH OILY HAIR?

There’s an old beauty myth out there that goes like this: If you wash your hair less often, you can train your hair to produce less oil and thus become less greasy. However, this just isn’t true! According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), you should actually wash oily hair more frequently—not less! How often you wash your hair should directly correspond with how much oil your scalp produces. So, if your scalp is very oily, you may need to wash it as often as once a day. However, you shouldn’t just reach for any old shampoo to do so. Instead, you’ll want to use our best shampoo for oily hair. Keep reading for all of the details.

OUR BEST SHAMPOO FOR OILY HAIR

Now, allow us to introduce you to our best shampoo for greasy hair, the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Clay Shampoo. Formulated with three refined clays, this shampoo works to instantly purify oily roots while also keeping the lengths and ends of hair hydrated—giving you the right kind of shiny hair! The result is a clean, fresh feeling from root to tip.

Editor’s note: Clay is a powerful hair care ingredient for those with greasy strands. To learn more, head over to our article on The Benefits of Clay for Greasy Hair.

HOW TO USE OUR BEST SHAMPOO FOR GREASY HAIR

As with many things in life, our best shampoo for oily hair works best when it’s used as part of a complete hair care system. For best results, follow this hair care regimen.

STEP #1: SATURATE YOUR STRANDS

Before you use any shampoo, make sure that your hair is fully saturated with water—preferably lukewarm water since washing your hair in super-hot temps can strip it of its natural oils. Although the goal here is to keep greasy roots at bay, you don’t want to completely take away the natural moisture (aka oil) produced by your scalp.

STEP #2: SHAMPOO

Reach for the aforementioned shampoo and suds up as usual. Make sure to focus mainly on your scalp whenever you shampoo, rather than on your lengths and ends, as this is where the oil is coming from. After you’ve massaged it onto your scalp and lathered up, rinse the shampoo out completely.

STEP #3: CONDITION

All hair types—we repeat, all hair types—need conditioner! And yes, this is still true if you have oily hair. For that reason, reach for the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Clay Conditioner, next. Apply the product onto the lengths and ends of your strands. Leave it on for up to three minutes before rinsing out.

STEP #4: T-SHIRT DRY YOUR HAIR

Rather than reach for a towel to dry your hair, which can be rough on your strands, grab a soft, old T-shirt. It will dry your hair just as well, sans any damage!

STEP #5: STYLE AS USUAL

That’s it; it’s that simple! Whether you typically air-dry your hair or opt for heat styling, go about the rest of your hairstyling routine as usual.

Next: 10 Hair Hacks to Help Hide a Bad Hair Day