How To Make Your Hair Less Greasy (10 Easy Methods)

Everyone hates when their hair gets greasy, especially when it occurs so frequently sometimes. Dry shampoo can be an easy fix, but it is not always the best solution for your hair. Many alternatives can help you reduce the frequency of your becoming greasy.

You will find that you can use alternatives, but other processes can help you reduce the amount of oil from your scalp.

Easy Methods To Less Greasy Hair

If you need a quick fix, these are the many alternatives that you can use:

  • Use alternatives to dry shampoo.
  • Use oil blotting paper.
  • Give products like toner a chance.
  • Give yourself a mini blowout.
  • Change your hairstyle.
  • Add a little spritz of water.
  • Embrace the wet hair look.
  • Add an accessory
  • Create a distraction
  • Use a little product

These solutions are great when you are low on time and need to find something that will help you quicker than a shower can.

Use Alternatives To Dry Shampoo

Although dry shampoo is a great solution to reducing your oily hair in a fix, it can make things worse in the long run. Shampoo strips your hair and can make your scalp depend on it (which causes grease to occur more quickly).

You also don’t want to damage your hair by becoming dependent on dry shampoo. Alternatives rotated into the mix will lower the likelihood of your hair becoming damaged.

Baby Powder

Baby powder is a multipurpose beauty product that has been used against greasy scalps for many years, even centuries. You won’t need a lot for this to work. You just need to sprinkle a little here and there throughout your roots.

After you have sprinkled the baking powder, massage it through your hair like you would dry shampoo. You would then brush it out or try to shake it out of your hair. You don’t want the white particles to remain in your hair.

Cornstarch

If you are less likely to have baby powder around, you can always use the next best thing: cornstarch. It is not always the best option for darker hair because it can leave a white residue in your hair that may not always be easy to get rid of.

If you really would like to use cornstarch, mix a little cocoa in it to darken the color. This technique will make it less likely for the white residue to show up in darker hair. Cornstarch absorbs the oil and can help with any oily roots.

Use Oil Blotting Paper

Blotting paper is normally used for absorbing oil on your face, but it can also be used for your hair. If you don’t have anything on hand, try these out. You can get this easily at the store and store it in your purse or car for later use. This is the best on-the-go option.

You can get blotting paper at any store, and sometimes it is available where you check out. Here are some of the best brands to use that won’t put a dent in your wallet:

Many of these you can find at your local store, or you can find online.

Give Products Like Toner A Chance

Face toner can get rid of that oil in your hair. It has properties that thin the grease and allow you to have fuller-looking hair. You can take a cotton swab with a little toner on it. Dabble it throughout your roots to help get rid of that oily look.

Give Yourself A Mini Blowout

If you are short on time but are at home, you can always give yourself a mini blowout. This method can decrease the appearance of oily hair. All you need is a blowdryer, and you can be ready in a matter of minutes.

While blowing out your hair, use a round brush to give it a little fluff. It also spreads the oil throughout the hair. Using this method allows you to have a fresh look rather than your hair remaining greasy.

Change Up Your Hairstyle

Surprisingly, changing up your hairstyle can train your hair to be less greasy. It can also save you when you need a quick fix. There are many hairstyles you can utilize to hide or mask oily hair.

Messy hairstyles are one of the best options when your hair is oily, and you need to mask it quickly. Many up-dos are great when you need this type of fix. You can try some of these:

  • Half-bun
  • Messy bun
  • Sleek side bun
  • Double dutch bun
  • Low bun
  • Add a headband
  • Side braid with headband
  • French braid
  • Fishtail braid
  • Slicked back
  • Bubble ponytail

Many of these techniques can be used in a matter of minutes so that you don’t have to wash your hair. These are popular hairstyles that you can master, and you’ll look good in your fashionable messiness.

Add A Spritz Of Water

If you used products in your hair the night before like hairspray or gel and it it is making your hair look greasy, add a spritz of water. Spraying your hair with a little water will activate these old products and give it new life.

Embrace The Wet Hair Look

Add more than just a spritz of water and wet your hair. The wet hair look is quite fashionable and if the setting it right, you can get away without a wash and have that wet hair look. You don’t have to worry about people thinking your hair is oily or greasy.

Add An Accessory

Adding a headband can do wonders to hiding that greasy roots. There are so many different styles of headbands, ones with bows or flowers. If a headband isn’t your style, you can also add a hat. A cute hat can go a long way. You won’t have to worry about adding product to your hair.

Here are some great accessories you can use:

  • Hat
  • Bows
  • Headband
  • Scrunchies
  • Scarf or sash
  • French Combs
  • Head Wrap
  • Stretch combs
  • Barrette
  • Clips
  • Tiaras

Create A Distraction

If you are unable to do anything about your oily hair at that point, you can add a little bit of a distraction. Be bold in your attire or with your sunglasses. People will be paying attention to this bold adornments instead of your hair.

Add A Little Product

Adding too many products can be harmful in the long run, so try not to use this method every time you need to fix your greasy hair. But if you need something to fix it promptly, add a little mousse to your hair. It will mask your greasy roots, and you can style your hair with curls.

How To Train Your Hair To Be Less Greasy

While many methods can help you pinch to make your hair look less greasy, there are many methods to train your hair to be so. Knowing these methods is great for those whose hair becomes greasy or oily more frequently. Here are ways to train your hair to look fuller and fresh more often.

There are many ways you can train your hair so that you aren’t having to shower as often or use dry shampoo in between washes. Here they are:

  • Use Sulfate-Free Shampoo
  • Use Baby Shampoo
  • Limit Using Your Products
  • Try A Little Apple Cider
  • Deep Cleanse With Aloe
  • Try A Scalp Scrub
  • Use Texture Spray
  • Rinse With Cold Water
  • Wash Less Frequently
  • Skip Brushing In Between Washes
  • Clean Your Brush
  • Air Dry Your Hair
  • Take A Vitamin
  • Change What You Eat
  • Drink Greet Tea
  • Stay Hydrated
  • Don’t Touch Your Hair
  • Change Your Pillowcase
  • Shampoo Correctly

Use Sulfate-Free Shampoo

Sulfate-ridden shampoos may help initially, but soon, issues don’t have your scalp will overproduce oil to balance the shampoo’s stripping powers. Because of this, your hair will get greasier more easily.

Try to pick shampoos that don’t use sulfate. Sulfate-free shampoos affect your hair more gently, so you don’t have to worry about having more oils show up sooner rather than later. When looking for these brands of shampoos, look for ingredients like avocado or argan oil.

Use Baby Shampoo

If you find that shampoo seems to make your hair greasy, you can try baby shampoo. This is a gentler shampoo and may help with your greasy situation. It doesn’t have the sulfates that many popular shampoos have that increase oil production.

Limit Using Your Products

Your hair can become reliant on products like dry shampoo, which makes it even greasier more frequently. Shampoos sometimes have detergents and chemicals that dry your scalp. Because of this, your pores will produce more oil to counteract the dryness.

Try reducing or limiting your use of products. It may seem like your hair is getting greasy quickly initially, but after several washes, you will see that your hair will last longer between showers.

Products That Make Your Hair Oily

Some products aren’t always the healthiest to use in your hair. Manufacturers may be creating cheap products that are meant to sell in mass rather than help you. Here are some products to stay away from if you want healthy and less oily hair:

  • Silicone-based products
  • Alcohol-based products
  • Cheap products
  • Protein-based conditioners
  • Plastic brushes
  • Zinc Pyrithione and Coal Tar Products
  • Heat Protectants
  • Products with fragrances
  • Products with parabens

Try A Little Apple Cider

The oil, even in hair, has a pH of around eight and is considered basic, so your hair is more basic when it is extremely oily. To help change this, you can add more acidic solutions. The best natural solution is apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar is naturally acidic and can combat your greasy hair. Be cautious when using vinegar. If you use it excessively, you can damage your hair more. To help combat the greasiness, try to make a concoction made from apple cider vinegar and water.

The best apple cider vinegar to get is Bragg’s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. It has natural properties that are better for you than some other apple cider vinegar types. It has a nutrient called “mother” that consists of proteins, enzymes, and good bacteria.

Try A Scalp Scrub

Scrubs are wonderful if you have irritated skin on your scalp and product build-up; scrubs can help cleanse your hair of the products. It moisturizes and gets read of any irritants.

Scalp scrubs will exfoliate your head while other ingredients in the product help moisturize so you won’t feel dried out when you are through. These are great to use now and then but make sure not to use them too regularly. Too much moisturizing can also make your hair greasy. It’s all about balance.

Deep Cleanse With Aloe

Aloe helps heal any dry or irritated scalp. It removes any extra oil from your roots, fights against product buildup, soothes your scalp, and can protect your strands. You will find that its moisturizing effects will make you feel fresh and clean.

Use Texture Spray

Some hair types don’t do well when using dry shampoo. If you find yourself being one of these and you’re trying to wash your hair less frequently, you can use a texture spray instead. These sprays add volume without adding too much product or oil to it.

Rinse With Cold Water

When washing with hot or warm water, your pores open up. Opening your pores allows your natural oils to come out and can cause your hair to be greasier sooner. But there is an easy solution to this issue.

When you have completed your wash, rinse your hair with cold water. This closes your pores at the end of your shower and reduces the amount of oil released into your hair. You will see that your hair won’t get as oily as quickly as before.

This method also helps with the pores in your face. So if you have issues with oily skin, you will find that finishing off your shower or bath by rinsing with cold water will reduce this effect. You’ve solved two birds with one stone!

Wash Less Frequently

Washing less frequently may seem counterproductive, but your hair naturally relies on shampoo and conditioners to moisturize hair when you wash your hair frequently. This reaction causes your hair to get oily more quickly.

Washing frequently can also make your ends dried and split. When you put more time between these washings, you will find that your hair will adjust to the new schedule and get less greasy throughout the week.

Skip Brushing In Between Washes

You may think that brushing your hair in between washes can help, but it actually could make your hair oily quicker. Brushing your hair spreads the oil from your scalp and down your hair. This signals your pores to produce more oil. Thus, you have greasier hair sooner than intended.

Clean Your Brush

Your brush is constantly coming into contact with the oils in your hair. This means it will get oil build-up on the bristles. When you brush your hair with the oil residue on it, you transfer more oil into your hair.

Make sure to clean your brush before you use it after a shower. Not only should you clean your brush but be sure to remove any hairs that have broken off into the bristles. Those hair remnants can also transfer oil to your freshly washed hair., making,

Air Dry Your Hair

Although blow drying your hair can fix your oily situation in a pinch, you don’t want to rely on it too much. Your hair will be trained to rely on the blow dryer and can become greasier more quickly. You don’t want this happening.

Try letting your hair air dry. Just put in your hair products and let your hair air dry. Run a little leave-in conditioner to the ends of your hair and watch your hair look brand new. You will realize that your hair will get less greasy over time.

Don’t Heat Your Hair Often

Exposing your hair to consistent heat can not only damage your hair but make your hair get oily more frequently. Your hair overproduces oil to counteract the dryness of your hair. If your hair is getting oily too quickly, you will need to limit your use of heat.

Here are some things you will want to stay away from that can damage and increase the greasiness:

  • Blow dryer
  • Straighteners
  • Curling irons
  • Hot brushes

Take A Vitamin

There are many vitamins out there that help with hair growth. You can even find some that are labeled as hair supplements. Be careful with those types of supplements because the FDA does not properly approve them, so they aren’t certified to help.

You will find that some of these supplements have helped others in the past to have and maintain healthy hair. Some have even said that prenatal vitamins have helped with their hair growth. Remember, you will not see immediate results.

Here are the five best vitamins to take if you are trying to help with hair growth and health:

  • Vitamin A
  • B vitamins
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin E

You will find nutrients like zinc and iron can also help with the health of your hair. You can buy supplements for this, or you can try to include more of these nutrients in your diet.

Change What You Eat

What you eat can affect your hair health, affecting how frequently and how much oil is produced on your scalp. You can simply rid of some foods in your diet and add better foods for your hair health.

Foods That Make Your Hair Oily

It is not surprising that some of these on this list of foods make your hair oil, but you may be surprised by some. Here is a list of foods that can make your hair oily:

  • Fried foods
  • White bread
  • Sweets like candy or cake
  • Fatty meats
  • Dairy products
  • Salty foods

Understandably, unhealthy foods like fried, fatty, and sugary foods can cause oil, but many people may not realize that salty foods can have the same outcome. Salt can make you dehydrated and cause inflammation. These symptoms cause your body to produce more oils to fight the lack of water.

You can eat these foods in moderation and not see any change in the oil produced on your scalp. Moderation is key to a healthier diet, but you will begin to see an increase in oil production in your hair if you eat these in excess amount.

Foods That Make Your Hair Less Oily

Although many unhealthy foods make your hair oily, you can include healthier choices to reduce the amount of oil produced. Here are things to include in your diet to help with this issue:

  • Avocados
  • Olive oil
  • Nuts
  • Fish
  • Oats
  • Legumes
  • Whole grain
  • Vegetables
  • Fruits

Having a healthy diet and eating unhealthy foods in moderation, you will see your hair improve tremendously. You won’t have to take a shower as often, and your hair may even look fuller and more buoyant.

Drink Green Tea

Some studies have been shown that green tea can help reduce the production of oil. Remember not to add any sugar. Sugar will be counterproductive to you trying to reduce your oil production. Add a little honey, and you will be good to go.

Stay Hydrated

Hydration is important to anyone’s health. It can fix a lot of issues that many people don’t realize. It can even fix your greasy hair. When you don’t have enough water in your system, your oil production is increased, so it can make your hair oily.

Many organizations suggest that men should drink about 16 cups of water a day. A cup is equivalent to 8 ounces. For women, they should drink about 12 cups a day. Some say that the ounces you drink should be based on your weight. Listen to your body. It will tell you what you need and what you don’t need. Keep track of your hydration, and you will see the difference.

Don’t Touch Your Hair

Your fingers naturally hold oil, and so if you are constantly running your fingers through your hair, it can transfer oil from your skin to your hair. Touching your hair can make your hair greasy sooner than it normally would.

One way to help you is to comb with you to help style your hair when you need to. You can also make sure to wash your hands before messing with your hair. This method reduces the oils that you are transferring from your skin to your hair.

Change Out Your Pillowcase

The oils from your hair can sometimes transfer to other materials; this includes your pillowcase. If the other methods don’t seem to work for you, try to change your pillowcase more often. You may be transferring oils to your pillowcase and then back into your hair if you recently washed it.

Most people use cotton pillowcases which absorb the oil into the fibers and can make your hair greasy. To help reduce this problem, try getting a satin or silk pillowcase. These materials don’t strip the oil from your hair as cotton does.

Try To Go Natural

Some people have found success in going completely natural, meaning they don’t use any hair products. You will find that this isn’t an immediate fix. Your hair will be greasy initially, but as you continue not to use hair products and stay natural, your scalp will accommodate.

This option isn’t for everyone. Some people don’t like how oily their hair can get before the scalp begins to control the oil production on its own but if you want to give it a shot, give it a month or so before you start seeing results.

Shampoo Correctly

Often, people don’t recognize that they may be shampooing incorrectly. Most people use too much shampoo. Put a small amount into the palm of your hand and scrub it through the roots of your hair.

When you are scrubbing the product into your hair, your nails can scratch your scalp. Make sure not to use your nails so this doesn’t happen. Aggressive scrubbing will irritate your scalp, and it will cause an increase in production.

Focus the shampoo on the roots of your hair rather than the ends. Rubbing the product on the ends will cause your hair to dry out. Let the water just rinse the shampoo through your hair. It is better for you than scrubbing the shampoo in.

When you are applying your conditioner, put it on the ends rather than at the roots. Conditioner will make your hair greasier quicker because it moisturizes and increase oil production. Make sure to rinse your hair well.

Final Thoughts

Remember that not all hair types are the same. You know your hair the best and understand that not every solution will fit you. Try each out and see which one suits you and works with the texture of your hair.

There are many ways you can prevent your hair from becoming greasy, but it will happen over time. These quick tips to fixing your hair in a jiffy combined with these preventive measures will take you a long way. You won’t ever find yourself looking drab.