OILY AND STICKY HAIR

Learn about the cause of oily hair and how to deal with a ‘sticky’ hair quickly and easily with tips and advice from our experts.

What is a sticky hair?

When people talk about oily or sticky hair, usually they mean the amount of natural oil - called sebum - that is visible on the hair.

This happens to everyone, though some secrete more sebum than others, making their hair look even more ‘slick and greasy’.

Sebum is secreted by the sebaceous glands and its main role is to moisturize scalp and hair, keeping the hair healthy.

The areas with the most sebaceous glands are face, chest, and scalp – in fact, there are 200 to 500 sebaceous glands in every square centimeter of your scalp.

Scientists believe that these natural oils are secreted to help protect your skin, and they might also have helped our ancestors recognize each other by scent.

Your body constantly secretes this type of oil, which can cause problems related to oily hair and scalp, for example, dirt and pollution particles can cling to your sticky hair, leaving it looking dull.

How to deal with a sticky hair

There is no way to ‘fix’ a sticky hair, as your body constantly secretes sebum. But you can control it by using a deep cleansing shampoo.

That means washing your hair at least 3 times a week - by washing your hair regularly, you can get rid of that oil build-up.

During summer or when the humidity is high, you may want to wash your hair more often as heat and sweat can cause the scalp to produce more oil and worsen the oily hair problem.

More tips and advice for oily or sticky hair: