How to Have Less Greasy Hair and Shampoo Less Often

Do you have hair that, towards the end of the day or the next day looks oily and weighed down?

Ugh. I have ALWAYS struggled with greasy hair. You know, the kind that will make you look straight up funky. I should start a club so we can all look funky together.

There are a lot of suggestions for this problem on the interwebs. A few of the “conventional” suggestions have worked for me, but many, I had to figure out for my own self.

And I’m going to share those with you now. Please note that this post may contain affiliate links and if you make a purchase, I may make a small commission, at no extra charge to you. Thanks! Now, on with the info!

What Causes Oily Hair

There can be a lot of greasy hair causes.

The main one is an over-production of the oil in your scalp, called sebum.

Now, many hair “gurus” will tell you that the less you wash your hair, the less greasy it will become over time.

I have tried this method, and I somewhat but also barely agree.

For whatever reason, I think I have been predetermined to just plain have greasy hair for life.

I can go about 2 days (with some of the products and tactics below), for it to look alright, but towards the end of day 2, it’s starting to look a bit oily.

No fun.

But here are some things that have worked. The first one is probably the most popular and easiest, fastest option.

How to Use Dry Shampoo to Control Oily Hair

This is one of the best hacks for those of us who are lazy but don’t want to look like it. 

Dry shampoo is not actually shampoo, it’s a makeup of chemical ingredients that coat your hair shaft, intended to soak up the oil that is currently residing there.

My favorite new hack for when I know I’m not going to shampoo the next day is this: Spray the dry shampoo on your whole hair area the night before.

It works sooooo well. You will even feel how soft your hair is overnight, and I have found that this not only keeps my hair from getting too oily, but it also preserves some of the volume, which gets lost when hair gets weighed down by grease.

My Favorite Dry Shampoos

1. This non-toxic one that is specifically designed to nourish your hair, not scrape your hair shaft like other brands, and also not clog your hair follicles. (Clogged hair follicles can lead to hair falling out and bald spots.)

Here’s a little video I did all about this wonderful dry shampoo (when I was a blonde). Also notice that the bottle has changed to a more sleek, silver bottle but hasn’t otherwise changed.

To use: Shake it up well to get ingredients combined. Spray it in greasy areas sparingly with short bursts (you won’t believe me, but try it that way, it actually works), and wait a minute or two (it works best that way). Then, rub well in as normal.

Enjoy your beautiful, nourished-and-not-greasy hair, like this (obviously unstyled) day 4 hair (remember, I can barely go 2 days) with my favorite dry shampoo.

Did I mention it will also give you lots of va-va-va-volume?!

(sorry for the weird glasses filter, I look like Garth from Waynes World. Party on, Wayne!)

Next Favorite Dry Shampoo Options:

If you’re looking for a more budget friendly brand (even though the above one will last a long time if used sparingly, as directed (you get what you pay for), I have two options for you:

Option 1: this brand. I really like it, and it’s very budget-friendly.

This is one of the only brands that I know of that a. doesn’t have talc, which has been linked to cancer concerns, b. smells good, and c. comes in a brunette color.

This one is good for anyone, but it can leave a little bit of a light powder color, which is fine for blonds and lighter redheads, and I use it when I have colored hair (pink, green, blue, whatever mood has hit), since I like it lighter.

However, if you’re a medium brunette, you’ll want this one and if you’re a darker brunette, you’ll want this one. I’ve used this one and it smells D.I.V.I.N.E. You will smell like a snacc, just trust me on this. 

Option 2: This hack is non-toxic also, is inexpensive, and you can probably find the ingredients already sitting around your house. Use powder.

However, this hack, unlike my other non-toxic option, is NOT formulated to not scrape up your hair shaft or clog your scalp follicles; it does work well in a pinch, though.

There are lots of recipes out there for this, but I like to keep it simple, and you can use three simple variations: baby powder (the non-talc kind made of cornstarch, read the back of the bottle ingredients section to verify), straight cornstarch, or, for brunettes, cocoa powder.

Seriously. Just sprinkle some in, rub it in your hair, and not only will it absorb grease, but it will also give you volume.

Generally, you will spray dry shampoo on your hair and then rub it in. It often comes out in a white form if it’s from a spray bottle, so if you don’t have a brunette option, rub it in as well as you can, and you can use a little water on top to dilute the color.

Will Dry Shampoo Make You Lose Hair/Have Bald Spots?

Again, as discussed above under the My Favorite Dry Shampoo Options, my favorite is formulated to be gentle on your hair as well as your scalp. However, in doing some research, this is why I prefer it even more.

According to a few articles including this one, regular use of other brands of dry shampoo can potentially settle and clog your hair follicles, causing hairfall and bald spots.

So, please use other brands sparingly and only when you need it if thin hair is a concern for you.

Tips to Control Oily Hair with Shampoo

Well friends, most hair gurus will tell you that it starts with the shampoo & conditioning process. Here are some tips to help with that:

1.Use a sulfate-free shampoo. A shampoo with sulfates will strip your hair of the natural oils, and your scalp may overcompensate after a few uses. Thus, it’ll produce more oils.

My favorite shampoo for oily hair is this non-toxic one. Not only will it help you with your oilyness, it’ll leave your hair so soft and silky, plus, it’ll give it extra volume.

It is sulfate-free, non-toxic, and one bottle will last you a long time, used correctly (you don’t need as much as other shampoos, since it is so concentrated, it is only 40% water when most shampoos are 80% water.) Go here for instructions on how to use this revolutionary shampoo.

Note: generally people who have curly hair don’t have problems with greasy hair, but if you do, my fave for curly or dry hair is this one.

2.Use conditioner only on the ends of your hair. Conditioner is not meant as a cleansing agent, though it generally does have a touch of cleanser in it.

The purpose of conditioner is to give moisture to the hair shaft, which isn’t what you’re going for at the roots of your hair. So, I generally start the conditioner at about the tops of my ears and work it in well to the ends of my hair.

Or, you can use a leave-in conditioner (which can also be used as a wash-out, if you prefer.)

-Don’t shampoo every day. As a teenager and during college and for the first decade into my career, I shampooed every day.

Nowadays, I only shampoo every few days. I haven’t noticed a huge change in my oily status, but I also don’t go out of the house every day, either.

Other Strategies to Avoid Greasy Hair

• Change your pillowcase frequently. Think about it. You spend 8 hours or so lying on your hair in the same area, plus, if you’re a side-sleeper like me, you’ll have plenty of face oils in the mix.

That gunk is gonna cling to that pillowcase like white on rice.

So, changing your pillowcase frequently to a fresh one will lessen the exposure to all those face and hair oils, as well as any hair products you choose to use on your hair, many of which are actually toxic, but that’s another story for another time.

(This is also a good solution for acne, as well, because of the excess oil but also, you’re not exposing your face to the chemicals used in your hair which could aggravate your pores. Bonus!)

• Keep your hands out of your hair. Again, think about all the oils, products, inks, etc., your hands and fingers touch every day.

Now deposit that into your hair. Gross, right? But all of those products will also help grease and other things like dirt, sand, etc cling to your hair, weighing it down and generally making it dirty.

Ask me how I know after a long, hot, sweaty day watching my husband playing softball with dust being kicked up everywhere. Cling city. Gross city.

• Put Your Hair Up, Away from Your Scalp, Face, and Neck. Since your scalp and face and neck skin is where the majority of the oil comes from, keeping your hair up up and away from them makes more sense, for when you’re not needing a particular hair style.

Plus, if you do it right, you can also “train” your hair for that period of time so that it’ll get more volume.

For example, at night, I will get a small clip like these (trust me, get a multi-pack, those little boogers disappear somehow) and will pull up my side bangs and side pieces to the top of my head.

• Don’t use a ponytail, use clips instead.  When I work out, I will use these sectioning clips in lieu of a ponytail. They keep my hair up and off of my neck, but also off of my scalp, so I don’t get sweat on my longer hair and it also doesn’t collect at the gather of a ponytail.

This type of clip would work and is comfortable, but I like the lower profile of the sectioning clips.

Plus, when I’m doing weightlifting, I can also lay down or lean back on the bench. I have slept with them in, though they’re not terribly optimal for sleeping on your back.

• Take your ponytail down immediately after working out. If you do choose to use a ponytail (they are a generally cuter style), use this trick I learned from Brooke of NestingwithGrace.com. 

Now, she has very thick hair and only has to wash once a week, but immediately after a workout, she takes her hair down from her ponytail.

Genius idea. This allows your hair to air out, instead of letting the oils, sweat, and any debris collect and almost infect other strands. 

• If you do put your hair in a ponytail/bun, don’t put it too tight to your head. That will only expose you hair to more oils from your scalp and sweat as well. This strategy won’t help as much as the others, but it’s worth a try.

So, those are all my suggestions to help your hair appear less greasy and for you to be able to go longer periods between washes.

Have you used any of these? What did you think of them? Are you interested in trying any? Which ones? I love feedback, and would love to hear from you in the comments!!

Thanks for being here, and thanks for reading! God bless!