Home Remedies for Oily Hair and Natural Treatments to Reduce Greasy Hair

Are you looking for home remedies for oily hair that work? Are you tired of having to wash your greasy hair every time because it is all dirty and messed up? Well, there are effective solutions for oily hair that can balance your scalp’s oil production without stripping your hair of its natural shine. Below, find different natural remedies for oily hair and scalp with recipes for homemade shampoo and conditioner for greasy hair.

Best Home Remedies for Oily Hair or Greasy Hair

Does your hair get all dirty, smelly and greasy just a few hours after you wash it? You are not alone. You, like many other women and men have oily hair. The scalp contains sebum which is natural oil that keeps the hair moist, soft and healthy with an attractive sheen. Sebum is produced by the sebaceous glands . Too much production of this oil is what causes oily hair. Most times, oily hair comes with dandruff and itchy scalp . This condition makes the hair look unattractive, dull and clumpy making it unmanageable. Oily hair can be categorized into two; greasy hair from roots to ends with greasy and oily scalp or just a greasy scalp and roots with dry hair from the roots outwards to the ends.

What causes oily hair ? The primary cause of oily hair is build-up of the natural secretion from the sebaceous glands in the scalp. Oily hair may often come alongside oily skin conditions and acne . Other causes of oily hair include; genetics, hormonal imbalances, stress, poor diet, illnesses, improper hair care products and washing hair too often.

Most people tend to overly wash their hair as a quick fix for greasy hair. However, washing hair too often is not a good idea as this will only make the glands produce more oil to replace the one lost and stripped off with water and harsh chemicals in shampoos. If the oily hair condition comes on too suddenly, talk to your doctor to rule out the possibility of an underlying illness. Otherwise, here is how to get rid of greasy hair with natural home remedies for oily hair;

Beer for Oily Hair

Beer is an excellent natural hair care product with loads of benefits for the hair and scalp. It can be used in form of a spray, rinse or shampoo.  It easily penetrates the scalp and nourishes hair with essential vitamins like vitamin B; sucrose and maltose sugars which coat strengthen and tighten the hair cuticle giving a natural sheen. Beer can be used as a simple hair rinse, a shampoo or conditioner to get rid of oily hair problems. Here is how to treat oily hair with beer oily hair solutions.

How to Wash Greasy Hair with Homemade Beer Shampoo

DIY homemade shampoos cleanse the scalp, detoxify the hair follicle and nourish hair without leaving any residue.

1. Measure one cup of beer. It can be any beer from any brand as long as it is flat
2. Boil the beer in a pan for 15 minutes
3. Allow it to completely cool at room temperature
4. Now measure one cup of shampoo and pour it in the cooled beer
5. Mix well and use it to wash your hair

Beer Rinse

Rinsing is equally important, so:

1. After shampooing and conditioning, apply warm flat beer over your hair
2. Rinse out with lukewarm water
3. Then top it up with cooled chamomile tea. Let it sit for 5 minutes and rinse off

Alternatively,

Beer and Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse

1. Mix 1 liter of water with 1 liter of flat beer
2. Add in 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and lavender essential oil for fragrance
3. After shampooing, apply this mixture to your hair and gently massage for 3 minutes
4. Rinse out with warm water
5. For extremely oily roots and scalp, squeeze 1 fresh lemon to the mixture and omit the essential oil

It is recommended that you do not leave the beer on for too long as it may dry your hair. Beer is not a cleanser; do not use it in place of shampoo. It does not matter what brand of beer you use as long as it is flat. The smell of beer will not linger-so you do not have to worry about smelling like a walking brewery.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has natural cleansing properties and can be used to clarify hair once to remove build up. The absorbent properties of baking soda make it ideal and can be used as a dry shampoo to remove excess sebum.

1. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to your shampoo, you can adjust these amounts with the length of your hair
2. Apply this mixture to your hair and leave it for 5 minutes
3. Rinse with warm water and splash on some vinegar to seal hair cuticle
4. Do this monthly to clarify hair
5. To make a natural dry shampoo , sprinkle some baking soda to dry hair and brush through to distribute the powder evenly. Cornmeal can also be used in the same way to make homemade dry shampoo for oily hair. Dry shampoo will remove the greasy mess from your hair without washing

NOTE: Using vinegar after baking soda normalizes the PH of hair sealing the cuticles. Baking soda is a strong abrasive that should be used in small amounts and well dissolved in water before use to avoid destruction of hair protein.

Apple Cider Vinegar to Get Rid of Oily Hair

Apple cider vinegar is an effective oily hair solution. Although white vinegar may work just fine, ACV is recommended for hair care as it softens hair leaving it shiny and manageable. It balances the PH of the scalp, controls oil secretion and gets rid of buildup on hair.

1. In a cup of water add 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. The greasier your hair, the more ACV
2. Use mild shampoo to first cleanse your hair
3. Rinse your hair with this ACV solution
4. Let it sit on for a few minutes and wash out with cool water
5. Repeat this twice a week tailoring down the frequency with how better your hair gets

Do not use ACV rinses too frequently because it can dry hair. For a fancy treat add in some herbs and essential oils to the apple cider vinegar. ACV should only be used on the length of the hair and not the roots.

Lemon Juice Fix

Lemon juice is one of the best home remedies for oily hair. It is ideal for different types of hair problems. Lemon juice has astringent properties that cleanse hair and mild acids that balance the PH of the scalp controlling excess oil production.

• Mix together 2 cups of water with freshly squeezed lemon
• After shampooing your hair, apply the mixture to your hair and massage gently
• Leave it on for 5 minutes and rinse with cool water
• Do this twice weekly

CAUTION: Too much lemon can dry out your hair. It can also lighten hair color with time and should therefore be used in moderation.

Tea Leaves

Tea contains tannic acid which is a natural astringent. It cleanses the scalp getting rid of excess oils.

1. To a cup of boiling water, add 2 tablespoons of black tea leaves
2. Let it simmer for 10 minutes and sieve off the leaves and allow the leaves to cool at room temperature
3. Apply this tea to your scalp and leave it on for 10 minutes before rinsing out with mild shampoo

Egg Yolk and Honey Mask for Oily Hair

Hair masks are an important part of home remedies for oily hair. They deeply condition and nourish hair without making the condition any worse. Honey and egg yolk mask regenerates hair follicles getting rid of greasy hair. It also strengthens and nourishes hair reducing thinning and hair damage.

1. In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 egg yolk
2. On freshly washed damp hair, apply this mask and massage into scalp to distribute evenly
3. Leave it on for 15 minutes then rinse off with cool water
4. Apply this hair mask twice weekly to get rid of oily hair

DO NOT use hot water to rinse out the egg to avoid cooking and clamping together which will make it harder to rinse out.

Multani Mitti for Oily Hair

Multani mitti(fuller’s earth is naturally absorbent and is one of the effective home remedies for oily hair which removes excess oil and balance the natural PH of the scalp. Here is how to treat oily hair with fuller’s earth hair mask.

1. In a bowl of water, soak multani mitti for 3 hours and mix to make a paste
2. Add reetha powder to the soaked multani mitti for 40 minutes
3. Divide hair into sections  and apply the paste to hair
4. Let it dry on before rinsing off with cool water
5. Do not shampoo hair till the next day
6. Use multani mitti hair mask once every week

Witch Hazel as a Hair Tonic

Witch hazel is another helpful home remedy for oily hair and highly recommended by Philip Kingsley in ‘ The Doctors Book of Home Remedies’ . It is a natural astringent which slows down amount of oil production. It is also excellent in skincare.

1. Take some witch hazel and mix with mouthwash in equal parts
2. Using a cotton ball, blot it on your scalp
3. Use a mild shampoo to cleanse your hair as usual

Witch hazel serves as astringent while mouthwash acts as an antiseptic.

Tomato Juice for Oily Hair Treatment

Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and have a lot of ascorbic acid. The ascorbic acid in tomato juice balances the PH of the scalp and controls oil production.

1. Depending with the length of your hair, mash enough tomatoes to a pulp
2. Squeeze the juice from it and add some multani mitti (fuller’s earth) to make the paste thick enough for easy application without dripping
3. Apply the resultant paste on your hair and scalp
4. Cover with a plastic cap and let it sit for 30 minutes
5. Wash off the tomato juice with cold water

Tomato juice gives a refreshing scent to hair and also stimulates sufficient blood flow to the hair follicles.

Aloe Vera

This great plant has natural cleansing properties that make it the best treatment for oily hair and dandruff. It is loaded with minerals and enzymes that help remove impurities from the scalp while nourishing the hair follicles. Here is how to make homemade shampoo for oily hair;

1. In a cup of mild shampoo, mix 1 tablespoon of fresh aloe Vera gel with a teaspoon of lemon juice
2. Apply it to your hair and use your fingers to spread it to the scalp and leave it for 10 minutes
3. Rinse out with warm water

You can use this remedy every time you wash to get rid of greasy hair.

Natural Remedies for Oily Hair

Excessive sebum production blocks the hair follicle from proper blood circulation and prevents the hair from receiving essential nutrients. Poor nutrient supply results in weak hair while build-up makes hair thick and heavy. This may attract growth of bacteria and fungi which present as dandruff, itching, thinning and hair breakage. Here are natural remedies for oily hair that you can try out to get rid of oily hair.

Wash Hair Less Often to Control Oily Hair

When dealing with oily hair, washing it often may seem like the right thing to do. One thing you have to realize however is that shampooing your hair everyday strips the hair off its natural oils and nutrients. This in turn makes the sebaceous glands to produce more oil to replace the ones lost. Spacing out your washes to every second day has been shown to slow down the rate or oil production.

Less Brushing

When looking for how to prevent greasy hair, brushing less often is essential as an oily hair solution. Excessive brushing stimulates the oil glands to produce more oil making your hair even greasier. This also means that you should keep your hands off your hair as much as possible. Cleansing your hair to remove build up- use natural treatments such as citrus or dilute lemon juice to give your hair a rinse and remove product build up from hair.

Shampoo and Condition Appropriately

When shampooing hair, use less shampoo and pay attention to the roots.  Since your hair is already oily, it is recommended to skip the conditioner. If you have to use conditioner just the right amount on the ends is what you need. Conditioner should only be used on the tips of the hair and never on the roots. When you wash your hair, be sure to rinse out every drop of shampoo from your hair. When shampoo is left on your hair, it irritates the scalp stimulates the oil glands to produce more.

Avoid Heat Treatments

Avoid heat by using warm water to clean your hair and blow- dry your hair on low temperatures. If possible allow your hair to air dry naturally. On very hot days, protect your hair by wearing a hat.

Eat a Healthy Balanced Diet

Maintaining a healthy diet is very essential in controlling oily hair. Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated. Avoid consumption of greasy foods. Instead eat healthy fats like olive oil and nuts. It is also important to make fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables part of your diet to keep your scalp healthy.

Balance Stress

Stress can lead to hormonal imbalances which can cause an increase in oil production by the sebaceous glands of the scalp.

Bottom line : when looking on what to do for oily hair, it is important to try en find out what is aggravating the condition. Home remedies for oily hair seek to reduce or balance oil production. This might however be redundant if the factor that causing your oil glands to produce more oils is not taken care of.