Greasy hair: Causes, nutrition and natural remedies

Greasy hair is a big problem: on some occasions, like a smile and hands, hair is our calling card, for some it’s a weapon of seduction. So it goes without saying that the hair should be beautiful, strong, shiny and shiny, not opaque, greasy and untouchable.

Fatty seborrhea unfortunately affects many people, who struggle to find miraculous solutions to eliminate the excessive greasiness of the hair. Very often people do not take into account that there are natural remedies for oily hair.

The causes of greasy hair

In normal cases, the sebaceous glands secrete a proper amount of sebum that coats the hair with a protective film that keeps it hydrated and also clean (this is why it is advisable to comb and brush several times a day). But in stressful conditions, frequent washing or with aggressive shampoos, inadequate nutrition and hormonal changes, the glands produce too much sebum that mixes with cellular debris, sebum from the dermis and sweat, thus giving the hair a sticky, dirty and sometimes smelly appearance.

Useful and effective tips for greasy hair care …

• Wash your hair at least 2 times a week.
• Use a shampoo that has astringent properties and that can regulate sebum secretion.
• Wash your hair with nettle or clay-based shampoos, tar or sulfur; (the most recent studies recommend more the use of tar based products because sulfur tends to dry the scalp excessively).
• Remember that if the hair is greasy, the scalp is delicate and sensitive, so it should be treated with products that do not attack it.

Greasy hair: Things not to do

There are certainly things to do when dealing with the problem of oily hair …

• Do not do continuous washing with inappropriate shampoos because this will worsen the problem (if the hair is completely degreased and will be induced to produce more sebum).
• Do not use too delicate formulations that do not completely degrease the hair, do not brush the hair too often (as opposed to those who do not have fat on it) so as not to distribute the sebum on all the hair (which then also comes into contact with the face favoring acne).
• Do not dry the hair with the hair dryer too close to avoid drying them and causing the glands to produce more sebum.
• Touch the hair continuously or touch the face and then the hair and vice versa and avoid the conditioner, unless it has a specific formulation for oily hair. Essentially, you need a shampoo for oily hair, a suitable shampoo as we will see.

Nutrition and greasy hair

On the food front, something concrete can be done for oily hair, as there are elements that improve the health of the body and hair.

Omega 3 and omega 6 (salmon and walnuts), vitamin C and E (citrus fruits, kiwi and asparagus), cysteine and lysine should be used above all to help synthesize keratin (red meat and fish), taurine and arginine (eggs and fish), vitamin A (egg yolk, green leafy vegetables), vitamin B2 (eggs, broccoli and green beans), vitamin B4 (meat, cereals, potatoes, tomatoes), vitamin B5 (peanuts, mushrooms, liver and broccoli).

Furthermore, hair needs mineral salts such as copper, magnesium, zinc and sulfur (spinach, crustaceans and potatoes, vegetables, peanuts and white meats). Sausages, dairy products and milk derivatives, as well as foods that are too fat and fried foods are not recommended.

Natural remedies for oily hair

One of the best solutions is to find a shampoo for oily hair that balances (so a sebum-balancing shampoo) the production of sebum, nourishes the hair and does not damage the protective film. When washing the hair it is necessary to do a thorough massage of the skin, not too long not to stimulate the sebaceous glands, just enough to activate the micro circulation and distribute the shampoo correctly. The hair should not be washed more than twice a week and should be dried at a warm temperature.

1. Shampoo for oily hair

The best shampoos for oily hair are those based on: nettle, clay and aloe vera. Beware of tar and sulfur, many recommend it but can dry the hair excessively. An excellent shampoo for oily hair can be produced with chickpea flour (from 3 to 5 tablespoons depending on the length, about 200 ml of water and two tablespoons of apple vinegar and lemon juice. A typical homemade shampoo against oily hair is: lemon, vinegar and baking soda.

Naturally occurring sebum-balancing masks are also very useful.

2. Oily hair packs

It is true, all these cosmetics can be bought in herbal medicine, but if you want, with the raw materials you can also make excellent packs for oily hair at home. For example, by mixing a tablespoon of green clay and a glass of apple vinegar, an excellent pack is obtained. If, on the other hand, you have mint and nettle, you can boil two bunches of it and you get a perfect lotion (to use cold clear or at best warm). Or you can add lemon juice to the shampoo or add essential oils (orange, sage, lavender, tea tree oil, thyme, rosemary, bergamot and lemon) and ask a dermatologist for advice before.

In case of itching and reddened skin it is good to wash with chamomile. Greasy hair masks can also be prepared with clay, yogurt, honey and lemon.

Let’s recap what the elements that can constitute our natural shampoos for oily hair …

• Lemon: excellent for removing excess grease;
• Vinegar: the white one is fine too but the apple one is better, it degreases, brightens and removes odors;
• Mint: refreshes, balances and cleans;
• Nettle: cleans, degreases, nourishes and eliminates dandruff;
• Chickpea flour: it is a natural soap;
• Rocket: contains degreasing agents;
• Bicarbonate: cleans, soothes and restores seborrheic balance;
• Green clay: cleans and purifies;
• Aloe vera: balances, moisturizes, refreshes and is emollient;
• Honey: degreases, balances, hydrates, antibacterial;
• Yogurt: hydrates;
• Chamomile: soothing.

Then there are herbal remedies for oily hair: infusions of peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme, alchemilla, echinacea and burdock, which is purifying and decongestant. We also mention the oil of St. John’s wort, which is healing, and emollient, borage oil, linseed oil. Also noteworthy are the birch-based treatments that are disinfectant and anti-inflammatory, the juniper that is antiseptic and the ivy that is astringent.

There is no shortage of homeopathic remedies and therefore we mention Crab apple for seborrheic dermatitis.

Among the curious remedies, but it seems useful, there is that of swimming in the sea to ward off stress, but also because the sea salt would help the oily hair regularizing the sebum and the classic remedy of the grandmother who is washing greasy hair with cabbage boiling water.