What is the best shampoo for greasy hair?

Greasy hair is something we all experience each week. Whether it be a quick in-and-out of the shower to spritz up your hair, or a scheduled ‘wash day’ to pamper and prep your hair for the week ahead, it’s something we all have in common. Our greasy hair is caused by the natural release of sebum on our scalps that builds up and is absorbed by our hair, leaving a ‘greasy’ feel and look to our scalp.

The good news is that there’s an abundance of products out there that help cleanse greasy hair, but the real struggle is finding one that best suits you and your hair type. In this article, we’ll go through the best types of shampoos for greasy hair that will leave your hair feeling fresh, light, and bright!

Why Does My Hair Get Greasy So Quickly?

The reason for our greasy hair is actually a good sign that our body is working as it should. As well as hair follicles on our scalps, we also have sebaceous glands that produce sebum that keeps our scalp nourished and healthy. Over time, the sebum builds up and starts to become visible through our hair - so it’s more like a greasy scalp that creates greasy hair - and we start to notice a different look and feel to our hair, labelling it as ‘greasy’.

What makes our hair get greasy faster, though, can be a whole range of things. Ranging from the products we apply to it to our natural hair type. It’s something that’s different to us all, and if you notice that your hair does get greasy quicker than usual (washing every 1-2 days), then it’s worth doing a little investigating as to why.

Are certain hair types more prone to greasy hair?

In short, yes. If your natural hair type is straight and/or fine hair, then the sebum buildup is more likely to show a little faster. This is simply due to the hair sitting much closer to the scalp and the hair absorbing the sebum at a faster rate, as opposed to curly-haired women whose hair tends to grow away from the scalp instead of wrapping around it.

Your hair products could be making your hair greasy

This is an important one. So, depending on your hair type, your hair will require either lighter or heavier ingredients depending on its moisture needs. For example, if your hair is naturally light and curly, then a dense olive oil shampoo will weigh down your hair and add excess oils to your scalp, creating greasy hair, when in reality you’ve just added too much oil to your hair, not your scalp.

The best solution is to first define the best shampoo for your hair type, which we wrote a great article about here. Once you’ve determined your hair type and you require a shampoo specifically for greasy hair, you can opt for one of our specially formulated shampoo bars for greasy hair such as the Cleanse Me bar - it’s a win-win for everyone!

Touching your hair can make it greasy

Not touching your locks may not be the saviour of greasy hair, but it’s a surefire way to delay it. The sebum on our scalps is spread throughout the hair when we’re in constant contact with it, so whether we intend to or not, we’re accidentally making our hair more greasy by rubbing it from our scalp and into our hair with every hair flick. Along with an oily scalp, we also have oily hands, so swiping your hands through your hair will only add further oils and grease, speeding up your next hair wash date.

Your hair is greasy, not dirty

A lot of us have been misinformed that greasy hair is also ‘dirty’ hair, yet that’s simply not true. Greasy hair is a positive sign that our scalp is in good health and is releasing natural oils. Dirty hair, however, can have a more brittle, dry or matted texture and has typically gone a long time since its last wash. In the end, they’re not the same, and it’s a pity to look at the natural and wonderful processes of our body as something dirty.

Other common mistakes that can make hair look greasier

When it comes to the small and subtle mistakes we make that contribute to greasy hair, the list is endless! Most of the time we don’t even realise we’re doing it or that it will result in excess oils on our hair, so we’ve listed the most common mishaps we make when trying - and accidentally failing - to get rid of greasy hair:

• Applying conditioner on the roots
• Too much shampoo
• Not rinsing thoroughly after shampoo or conditioner
• Styling product build-up
• Applying heavy oils near the scalp
• Using dirty hairbrushes

What Should You Look for in a Shampoo for Greasy Hair?

If you know your hair type and you’ve established that your hair is naturally more on the greasy side, then the next step is to find a shampoo that includes high-quality and specially formulated ingredients.

Effective cleansing

The aim of a good shampoo is to remove excess oil and clean the scalp without stripping your hair of any of its essential vitamins and nutrients. This means you’ll want a shampoo that includes effective cleansers and gentle surfactants (chemicals that break down oil and dirt) that cleanse yet protect your hair from drying out.

The right formula

Finding the right formula can be a little tricky sometimes, as there are usually a variety of factors at play. Your hair type, your hormones, and even the type of water you use can all contribute to greasy hair, creating a bit of confusion as to what shampoo is best suited to you. Our recommendation is to purchase the shampoo based on your hair concern, including your hair type, and also includes a variety of natural, organic ingredients.

Lightweight conditioning

Although it’s shampoo that does the deep cleaning of our hair, conditioner also plays an equally important part. The conditioner effectively adds a nourishing layer to our hair after cleansing it, giving it a boost of moisture and leaving it with a luscious shine. However, if we choose conditioners that aren’t suited to our hair, we can undo all the magic that our shampoo did by dumping a bunch of heavy oils back onto our scalp, creating a greasy, oily texture once our hair is dry.

Our best advice is to opt for a conditioner that targets your hair complaints and is also formulated for your hair type. At Kinkind, our conditioner collection is especially designed for all kinds of hair types and hair complaints so that everyone can walk around with luscious locks!

Switching to a shampoo bar

This may not seem like the most helpful advice; however, opting for a shampoo bar over a bottle can help save you money, protect the environment, and also give your hair and scalp a good dose of all the wonderful nutrients, oils, and ingredients packed into each bar. Bars are concentrated, meaning your hair and scalp get immediately drenched in natural, cleansing ingredients in comparison to bottled shampoo, which can contain up to 80% water.

KinKind's CLEANSE me! Shampoo & Body Wash Bar

When it comes to treating greasy hair, we wanted to create a one-stop-shop product that cleanses, strengthens, and nourishes your hair and scalp, so we got to work and made the CLEANSE me! shampoo and body bar.

Absolutely packed with naturally derived ingredients, you’ll find sea minerals to deep clean the skin, and Dead Sea salts to absorb any extra oils on the hair and body. Our bars also include a juicy boost of citrus to help revitalise the scalp, remove oils, and even strengthen your hair!

Our concentrated formulas also mean you get a lot more bang for your buck, with one bar typically lasting 50 washes, making it a handy travel essential as well as an environmentally-friendly replacement for plastic bottles. All our shampoo bars are 100% vegan, cruelty-free, plastic-free, and are all made in the UK.

Conclusion

Let’s not forget that greasy hair is something we all experience and is completely normal. Knowing what to do - and what to avoid - as well as knowing what products are best-suited to your scalp can do absolute wonders for making your hair feel fresher for much longer.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to managing your greasy hair, as factors like hair type, lifestyle, and washing routine all play a significant part. By understanding what causes excess oil and adopting a haircare routine that works for you, you can keep your scalp feeling balanced and maintain cleaner, healthier, and more manageable hair.