Fine and oily hair has its share of benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, hair that produces a lot of oil has a clearer natural shine. On the other hand, oily hair can be too oily and appear greasy and unclean.

Although washing your hair as much as possible seems like the best way to keep the oil at bay, the right approach is a bit more nuanced than that. When washing your hair, there are a few steps that require you to be more careful, while there are others that you should avoid entirely.

Table of Contents: 

• The Dos When Washing Your Hair
• Do Pay Close Attention to Your Products
• Do Take Special Care of Your Scalp
• Do Strengthen Your Fine Strands
• The Don’ts When Washing Your Hair
• Don’t Wash Every Day
• Don’t Overdo Your Conditioner
• Don’t Use Heavy Products

The Dos When Washing Your Hair

Although washing your hair is necessary, it is easy to overlook some basic factors that can have a large impact on the health of your hair. Considering some simple practices when you wash your hair can go a long way to making the most of your washing routine.

• Do Pay Close Attention to Your Products

No matter what your hair type is, you should always strive to give your hair the quality ingredients it deserves. This is especially true when it comes to oily hair since it can be hard to keep under control. Unfortunately, not all shampoos are the same, and some may contain harsh ingredients that can be harmful or irritating to your hair.

Common ingredients like sulfates, parabens, and synthetic fragrances can dry out and irritate your hair and scalp. By drying out your hair, these ingredients actually encourage more oil production, as your scalp works to overcompensate for dryness by producing more oil.

By choosing natural alternatives, you can provide your hair with additional nutrients and hydrate your hair more than dry it. For a natural product free from harsh additives, browse WOW’s sulfate-free shampoos.

• Do Take Special Care of Your Scalp

Since your scalp produces oil, it is vital to consider the health of your scalp when dealing with oily hair. Taking care of your scalp means paying special attention to your scalp when managing your hair, not focusing solely on your hair. After all, the health of your scalp directly contributes to the health of your hair.

When washing your hair, remember that your shampoo is not only for your hair but also has important benefits for your scalp. The shampoo helps to cleanse the scalp from dirt and oil build-up, and with the right ingredients, it also helps to nourish the hair follicles and promote the health of the skin. As you work the shampoo into your hair, make sure to also massage the scalp.

• Do Strengthen Your Fine Strands

Fine hair can be more susceptible to damage, like split ends and breakage, than coarse hair. As a result, you should aim to choose products that reinforce your strands of hair. Your hair is made up of a protein called keratin, which keeps each strand firm and strong.

Choosing hydrating ingredients is one way to keep your hair flexible and resistant to potential damage. It also helps to coat the strands with ingredients that benefit the structural part of your hair. To support the proteins in your hair and reinforce each strand of hair from the root down, use WOW’s Activated Charcoal & Keratin Shampoo.

The Don’ts When Washing Your Hair

Despite the benefits that obviously exist from washing your hair, it can end up being counterproductive when done improperly. Your hair is often a lot fickler than you may think, so it is important to avoid a few key mistakes.

• Don’t Wash Every Day

Washing your hair every day seems like a good idea, especially when trying to combat oily hair, but it may actually end up contributing to the problem. Every time you shampoo your hair, you rinse natural oils out of it.

For oily hair, this is a great short-term solution, but removing the oils just encourages your scalp to produce more of it. Over the long term, your hair adjusts to the need to produce excessive amounts of oil, leading to hair that is constantly oily and quickly becomes greasy.

In actuality, you only need to wash your hair three to four times a week to keep it healthy. If you are worried about excess dirt and oil build-up from not washing as often, try WOW’s Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo, with clarifying capability that targets dirt and oil build-up in the hair and scalp. This formula is strong enough to allow you to only need to wash once or twice a week.

• Don’t Overdo Your Conditioner

Although using conditioner in your hair can have some great benefits for its hydration, fine and oily hair is less in need of conditioning than other, drier hair types. With thin, fine hair, conditioning one to two times a week is more than enough.

The natural sebum in your hair will make up for any lost moisture in between conditioning. This also helps encourage your hair’s natural rejuvenation process, allowing your scalp to produce oil naturally. WOW’s Green Tea and Tea Tree Conditioner benefits your hair and scalp without making your fine hair too oily.

• Don’t Use Heavy Products

Although you may want to moisturize and hydrate your hair, fine hair does not respond well to thick, heavy products. Heavy products can weigh down your hair, leaving it dull, hard to style, and, most of all, looking extra greasy.

Using oily products is, as you may guess, not the best complement to already oily hair. Great options for light ingredients that can hydrate your hair without weighing it down include light oils and botanicals like:

• Jojoba oil
• Almond oil
• Argan oil

Fine and oily hair may present more questions than answers when trying to manage its oil production. It is especially difficult when you feel like your hair care routine is taking you in circles. By addressing common misconceptions and incorporating some proven tips into your hair care practices, you can start to manage your oily hair the right way.

Stop spinning your wheels in your hair care process and start using products that consider all of your hair’s needs. Turn to WOW Skin Science for 100% plant-based products that give your hair and scalp the nutrients they deserve. Browse through our complete collection of hair care products to see how you can take your hair care to the next level.