There are a million and one things I love about summer – picnics in the park, rooftop drinks, not having to wear 10 layers every time you leave the house. Tbh, I’ve been ready for my hot girl summer since January. It’s only now that summer has *arrived* arrived, (for good this time, I hope) that I realise the absolute havoc it is wreaking on the carefully composed hair and beauty routine I spent my lockdown months working on.
Yep, the idyllic dream of sun-kissed skin and carefree beach hair has been replaced with an altogether much sweatier and stickier reality. From the humidity-induced frizz to the sweat-induced breakouts, I’m currently in a constant state of feeling just plain gross.
One of the worst parts about this heat? Greasy hair. If you’ve noticed your hair getting much greasier, much faster in the warmer weather, you’re not alone. It seems that I’ve barely hopped out of the shower with freshly washed hair before my lustrous locks have been transformed into an oily nightmare. If this sounds familiar, read on. We’ll talk you through how to handle the heat.
By Beth Ryan
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1 What causes it?Greasy hair happens for a tonne of reasons. The root cause is essentially the oil and sebum produced by the sebaceous glands in your scalp. These products are actually great for hair health, and help to keep hair glossy and strong. When they build up, though, or combine with other factors and substances, they can leave hair looking slick and greasy.
This is massively heightened in warmer weather – anyone else been so hot you can actually feel your scalp sweating? Bc same, and this sweat can mix with the sebum to increase greasiness. The increase in humidity can also contribute to greasier locks, as well as sun cream being applied close to the hairline or on the scalp (centre-part gang, wya?)
All of these factors combined mean that greasy hair is sometimes inevitable during the summer months. So, what can we do about it?
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2 Don’t over-wash
Okay, so it might seem that the obvious move is to wash your hair as soon as it’s showing signs of greasiness. As tempting as this is, it’s actually one of the worst things you can do in the war against the big slick. This can strip the essential oils from your hair, and your scalp overcompensates by producing more and more oil. It basically throws you into a cycle of having to wash your hair more and more, which is obvs not what we want.
If you’re already used to washing your hair a little too often, then you can gradually ‘train’ your hair to need it less, and transition to a less frequent washing routine. For a full breakdown of how to do this, read more here.
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3 Think about your products
When you do wash your hair, it could be worth opting for a clarifying shampoo. Use this once per week before your usual shampoo and conditioner to remove product buildup and excess oil.
Stay away from shampoos and conditioners which contain sulfates, which can strip away too much natural oil, and again cause your hair to compensate by overproducing oil and sebum. It’s also better to avoid silicones in your hair products, which can weigh your hair down and leave it feeling limp and oily.
In terms of conditioner, make sure to only apply this at the ends. You can smooth some through the mid-lengths, if your hair is colour-treated or really dry, but the roots are a big no-no. This will instantly add weight to the root, which will accelerate greasiness big time.
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4 Try a scalp scrub
We’re all familiar with the benefits of exfoliating our faces and bodies – it can help shift dead skin cells and product build-up, and leave our skin feeling silky smooth and healthy. The same goes for our scalp.
A scalp scrub can help with pesky issues such as dandruff by removing dead skin cells. Moreover, it can also remove dirt, stubborn product buildup, and excess oil that gathers at the root of your hair. This excess oil and product buildup is a key contributor to (you guessed it) greasy hair. Using a scalp scrub once per week can stop grease, sweat, and oil from building up, and decrease the rate at which your hair reaches peak greasiness.
Just like with your skin, you’ll want to pick a scrub that best suits your needs and scalp concerns. There are options for every scalp type – from dry and flaky to sensitive or irritated. For our main concern here, though, it’s great to look for ingredients that specifically target excess oil and grease, such as BHAs or zinc.
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5 Dry shampoo might be your bestie
Dry shampoo has always been (not to be too dramatic) a lifesaver when it comes to greasy hair, and has saved me from many a greasy-hair-day over the years. These days, dry shampoo has majorly levelled up. It comes in everything from aerosols, sprays, powders, and foams, and caters to every hair type.
Apply your dry shampoo of choice directly to your roots to absorb excess sweat and oil, or apply it to your hairbrush and brush through, still making sure to reach the roots.
Avoid using too much, too soon, though. We’d recommend only reaching for the dry shampoo when your hair is feeling and looking visibly greasy. Using it too early will cause product buildup, which will mean washing it sooner (enter: vicious washing cycle once again).
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6 Try some grease-preventing hairstyles
In summer, our faces also tend to sweat much more, not to mention the sun cream that we are (or most definitely should be at least), applying liberally to our face. All of this is easily transferred from our faces to our heads. If you wear your hair down or have any sort of fringe or face-framing pieces, this is especially true.
There are a few things we can do to combat this in terms of styling our hair. Any hairstyle which keeps your hair from your face is a winner – as any hair hanging around your face will be the first to get greasy (from the oil and sweat from your face, but also from your hands if you’re having to move your hair away from your face). Similarly, keeping your hair from touching your neck or any other skin will stop sweat from transferring to your hair.
Going for any bun or slicked-back style is your best bet. Keeping your hair away from your face and neck will also help keep you cool, which will in turn result in less sweat. (Less sweat = less grease, we know the drill by now.)
If you do opt for a hair-down look, some of this summer’s fave hair trends play well into this theory, luckily. Take the face-framing mini braids, for example. Cute, model-approved, and great at keeping that pesky grease at bay. Winner-winner.
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7 Or embrace the grease with these slick-friendly styles
If all else fails, and the grease is starting to show – we feel you. In this heat, it feels like greasy hair can sometimes be unavoidable. Fortunately enough, though, some of the year’s biggest hair trends are greasy-hair friendly.
The supermodel slicked-back bun is still going strong as a firm summer fave, and actually benefits from a base of greasy hair.
The bubble braid is also perfect for when your hair is feeling oily, as is the claw-clip trend which isn’t going away anytime soon. So, if you’re really feeling the heat and have tried everything – don’t worry, these styles are perfect for embracing or disguising your greasy roots. Greasy hair stress? I don’t know her.
