I Have Oily Hair — These 3 Hacks Have Cut My Dry Shampoo Use in Half

If you have hair that’s on the oilier side, you will understand how time-consuming basic hair maintenance can be.

Whether you’re washing your hair daily, or frustrated that your hairstyle loses its shape, working with oily hair can feel like an uphill battle.

As an oily scalped beauty writer, I have some of my own hacks for minimising the daily wash cycle.

Go Easy on the Brushing

The 100 stroke method had been touted as a hack for sleek and shiny hair – but that shine is created by oil from the scalp being deposited through to your ends. Instead, try brushing your hair in sections to avoid distributing oil — this will also prevent hair breakage. Since switching from a paddle brush to very wide-toothed comb like the Dyson Detangler Comb ($19), I’ve found my hair gets far less weighed down.

Skip the Straightener

When your hair can’t hold a curl, it’s natural to “lean in” and reach for the straightener. When my hairdresser told me this could be compounding my problem – my mind was blown. Super straight hair facilitates the movement of oil down the hair shaft, and the process of blow-drying and straightening pushes your roots closer to your scalp. Instead, I blowdry and create movement with the ghd Creative Curve Wand ($230).

Keep Your Hair Off Your Face While You Sleep

I personally apply a lot of heavy skincare at night. While I didn’t realise it, as I tossed and turned, a lot of my lush night serums, face moisturisers and oils were ending up… in my hair. I’ve found sleeping in a soft headband keeps the hair close to my face clean, and has cut my dry shampoo usage in half. You probably already have one, but in the event, you’re looking I like the Beauty Body Headband ($20) mainly because it’s softer than my pillow.

Long-Term Solutions

Those are my short-term oily-hair girl hacks. What about longer-term solutions? Jaye Edwards from Edwards and Co has some tips.  

He says it’s important to focus on the cause and not the problem when it comes to managing oily hair. Edwards explains: “Not only does oily hair make us feel icky and greasy, but it also makes styling more difficult than it ought to be, by weighing down our strands, deflating all that fabulous volume we spend an hour creating.”

“The real culprit behind oily hair is actually an oily scalp, which is usually caused by an overproduction of sebum, and though sebum usually is a substance that keeps our hair healthy, too much can cause oily roots and difficult to manage hair.”

“The easiest way to manage oilier hair long term is to improve your scalp game. Just as dehydrated skin can overproduce oil, an unbalanced scalp will generate more sebum. ” 

Edwards suggested hair care routine for an oily hair type involves working with your oily scalp, rather than against it. 

“A healthy, balanced scalp is the foundation and key to growing strong, healthy hair! Prevent over-drying, boost skin cell turnover process and promote new growth with oil cleansing shampoos and scalp exfoliation products. In terms of styling, never condition too close to the root and invest in a good quality dry texture spray that won’t cause further damage. These double as dry shampoos and absorb excess oils!”

I personally am a big fan of the last suggestion, which is why despite the painful-price point, I handover heart recommend Oribe’s Dry Texture Spray ($68) to anyone who finds themselves reaching for dry shampoo on a regular basis. Do your scalp a favour.