How many times have us greasy girls been told “you can train your hair to become less greasy and go longer without washing – just hold off washing”? Yet here we are, still hosting a head of hair suitable for cooking a morning fry up (yak, sorry!).
I for one am a greasy haired girl. I have fine, mousey hair which I feel is one of the most common types of grease-prone hair. I can stretch to washing my hair every 2nd day, but on that day, I sport shiny roots. Batiste Dry Shampoo is literally an everyday must-have for me, and applying it is a non-negotiable ritual, as is brushing my teeth and cooking dinner. I’ve tried countless dry shampoos but the OG’s do it best, and fine hair girls, you won’t find better than the volumising version!
My eyes widened last week when I saw a dermatologist on Instagram sharing the news that for us greasy girls, hair cannot be trained. In her words: “Hair isn’t a dog. You cannot train it to stop producing oils. You natural hair type is just that”.
Abolishing the hair training method
Hearing this about training hair made me feel better, but also worse. In one aspect, I hoped there would be a way I could train my hair to produce less oil. On the other hand, I’ve tried it and it hadn’t worked, nothing reduces that slick root look I often ‘rock’ (or not rock too well).
When abolishing the hair training method, I found out that if you feel like you need to wash your hair daily to combat grease – just do it. Gentle clarifying shampoos get recommended a lot for this, and one that came up a lot for being brilliant for daily washing is the Aussie Might Mega Everyday Clarifying Shampoo – which is actually super affordable too.
We’ve spoken to Anabel Kingsley, Consultant Trichologist and Brand President at iconic hair brand Philip Kingsley, to uncover her thoughts on this topic. We really need knowledge, tips, and overall, an answer to the question: can greasy haired girls really train their hair?
Why do I have greasy hair?
Every hair follicle on your head has an oil gland that produces sebum. Those with finer textured hair, tend to have a more hairs per cm on their head that those with thicker, coarser or coiled hair textures – therefore more oil glands producing more sebum. This is the reason those with fine hair often feel their hair gets greasy quickly, and they feel the need to wash it daily to avoid the appearance of flat, limp roots.
Greasy hair also is a result of not shampooing frequently, or not taking your time when you cleanse your scalp with shampoo to effectively remove oil and product build up.
Anabel says “You should spend approximately 1 minute gently but firmly massaging your scalp when you shampoo and pay attention to all areas – people often forget to massage the back of their scalp. Rinse well to ensure shampoo residue, and the dirt/oil/dead skin cells trapped in it are washed away, for some a double shampoo may be required. “
What makes greasy hair greasier?
Just like the skin on our face, our scalp can be prone to oiliness to the foods we eat such as eating a fatty or sugary diet. It is often thought that dandruff is a dry scalp condition, however it is actually an oily scalp condition and thus eating foods that contribute to an oily scalp could also be a trigger for dandruff. Importantly, you should also not apply oils to your scalp if you have dandruff as this will likely exacerbate the issue.
What shampoos and conditioners should you use on greasy hair and are there any to avoid?
Anabel recommends choosing a shampoo that suits your hair texture, providing the right levels of cleansing and moisturising ingredients. “For those with fine hair that gets oily fast, the Philip Kingsley Body Building Shampoo. gives the most amazing weightless volume.
Another favourite is the Philip Kinglsey Flaky/Itchy Scalp Shampoo, effective at exfoliating away any flakes as well as getting through grease. It is gentle enough to use daily with exceptional ingredients including anti-microbial Piroctone Olamine and Lauryl Betaine to deeply cleanse without causing irritation.
And the key question: Can you train your hair to last longer between washes?
“You can not train your hair to be less greasy by washing it less!” Anabel commented, which confirms our dermatologist findings are right!
“It would be quite difficult to over-wash your hair, but you can over-style your hair as a result of frequent washing, causing mechanical damage from heat, brushing and styling. When it comes to hair washing, more often than not is always a good principle. I advise most of my clients to shampoo frequently to obtain the best scalp conditions for healthy hair growth. Every day for fine hair, every other day for medium hair and no more than 3 days apart for coarse or coiled hair textures.”
Final thoughts
Anabel goes on to advise that you should simply choose products that work for you. You cannot ‘strip’ your hair or scalp or natural oils, as oil is produced on the scalp (not the hair), and once your scalp is cleansed it will simply continue producing oil at the same rate.
So if you’ve been fretting about holding onto your greasy hair ‘just a day or two longer’ – you probably just need to give in to a lovely cleansing hair wash!
