Oily Scalp Treatment Tips: 8 Things You Should Stop Doing, According to Experts

Some people can go a few days—a week even—between wash days. My friend is a prime example: Every Wednesday, like clockwork, she’s washing her hair. Me? I wash my hair (which is fine and thin, BTW) every day. With the help of some dry shampoo, I can last a second day, *maybe* three. Though, even if my hair looks OK…how it feels is a completely different story. For those with oily scalps, there are plenty of things to help mitigate, from the best shampoos for oily hair to conditioner and scalp serums. And there are also habits you should probably drop. Below, I spoke with five experts in hairstyling and trichology to learn the nine things they wish people with oily scalps would stop doing. 

• Gretchen Friese is Bosley MD’s certified trichologist and education authority, specializing in hair loss and hair thinning. Friese has over 25 years of experience in the industry, working in salons, stylist and consumer education. She holds a certification in trichology/hair loss from the United States Trichology Institute. 
• Sara Mertz is a licensed cosmetologist and the community manager of The Hair Lab and The Body Lab by Strands. She has been in the business for over a decade, training with brands like Redken, John Paul Mitchell and American Crew.

All the experts I consulted advised that doing a deep scalp cleanse two to three times per week is probably sufficient. Though, you may need to experiment at first. Washing too frequently can cause excess sebum production, Reid tells me. If you use a lot of hair products, you might want to consider double shampooing on wash days. Mertz explains: “If you notice that your first shampoo lacked suds, you more than likely had excess oil or old hair products that needed to be removed. The first wash helps to break down the build-up, and the second shampoo helps to clean everything away. You will always notice increased suds on the second shampoo, signifying that your hair is now squeaky clean.”

“Someone who has an oily scalp will need different cleansing ingredients than someone who has a dry scalp,” Mertz says. “Using a shampoo not made for your scalp type can increase wash days because it is not cleansing as well as it could be.” She recommends The Hair Lab’s shampoos that are customized to your specific scalp type. PureWow editors with oily scalps have also had great results with Prose and Function of Beauty’s custom lines.

News flash: There is a *correct* way to suds up. First, Mertz tells me, you want to lather the shampoo in your hands, and focus the application on your entire scalp, rather than smothering it randomly on your hair. Camp adds: “Correct shampooing includes generous friction with your fingertips to achieve a healthier scalp and avoid the buildup of styling products.” Then, be sure you’re rising all the product away thoroughly. Tompkins says that residual product can buildup and cause excess oil at the nape of the neck. “To ensure a thorough rinse, putting the head down while rinsing and creating partings with the fingers allows water to reach the scalp evenly.”

No shame here; I was guilty of doing this for years and always wondering why my hair looked so oily at the roots. Turns out, it was my conditioner. “Conditioning too close to the scalp can weigh hair down and make it look greasy faster,” Tompkins explains. “Instead, it’s best to apply conditioner from mid-length to ends, where the hair actually needs the most moisture.” For fellow fine-hair folks like myself, she recommends using a lightweight conditioner, like Nutrire’s C.1 Densify Conditioner. Other lightweight, volume-boosting formulas I’ve been loving: the Kristin Ess+ Peptide Restore Conditioner and MONDAY Haircare Volume Conditioner.

Conditioner on your scalp is a no-no, but if you want a little moisture, consider a scalp serum. Similarly to other hair products, you still want to shop according to your scalp and hair type. Those with oilier scalps will want to gravitate towards a lightweight formula like TK.

Sure, running a hand through your hair, playing with it when you’re nervous or constantly readjusting it seems harmless…but it’s actually not. Per Mertz, “This habit can lead to premature hair breakage; it also leads to extra oils being added to your hair/scalp. Your hands are a great vessel to carry extra oils they pick up throughout the day. As you continue to touch your hair, you transfer the oils to your hair or scalp, which can make oily hair look more severe than it is.” This conundrum has an easy fix—a ponytail, headband, claw clip and the like will keep your hair out of your face and eliminate the need for constant adjustments.

Dry shampoo is great to tie you over to wash day, but you don’t want to rely on it too heavily. As Camp underlines: “Dry shampoo is not a replacement for a deep scalp cleansing with quality shampoo. Overuse of dry shampoo can dry out your scalp, clog pores and lead to more oil production in the long term.” Tompkins likens scalp care to skincare—you wouldn’t go days without washing off your makeup and moisturizing. Reid suggests only using dry shampoo on days two and three before doing a deep cleanse.

I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t get into a regular hairbrush cleaning habit until recently, but Freise tells me this is a must. When it comes to pulling the hair out of my brush, I turn to this weirdly simple but very useful Hair Brush Brush by Jenny Patinkin. Then, I swish my brushes through warm (bordering on hot) soapy water to remove the oil and built-up product. Depending on your styling frequency and how much hair you shed, aim to wash your brush at least once a month, or as frequently as once a week to prevent buildup.

According to Friese, there are several factors that can cause an oily scalp:

• Hormonal changes (puberty, pregnancy and menopause)
• Not washing hair regularly (poor hygiene, sleeping on a dirty pillowcase or using a dirty hairbrush)
• Stress (excessive cortisol can cause an increase in oil production)
• Poor diet (a diet high in saturated fat and sugars can contribute to an oily scalp)

However, it could also be a culprit as simple as the wrong shampoo, Tompkins says. “Harsh or sulfate-heavy formulas strip the scalp’s natural moisture, causing it to overproduce oil to compensate.” Additionally, she adds that product buildup can clog follicles and exacerbate an oil imbalance.

Things like dry hair/oily scalp and oily/itchy scalp can seem antithetical, but they are totally possible. Reid tells me that dry hair is often the result of lack of distribution of your scalp’s oil—this can particularly affect those with longer hair. Meanwhile, an oily and itchy scalp is often attributed to an out-of-balance scalp environment.

“Increased sweat can dry out the scalp and when mixed with oil can feel heavy and clogged,” Tompkins says. “In some cases, allergic reactions to products and product build up are the culprit. PH balancing can help to regulate these conditions. More severe forms might be the result of some form of dermatitis.”

The expert’s resounding answer here: Nope. While Reid notes that an excessively oily scalp can, at times, indicate an underlying health issue since oil production can be affected by things like age, diet, genetics and stress, for the most part, sebum is a natural component of a healthy scalp.

• Colleen Camp is a certified trichologist and the Global Education Director at Keranique. Camp is an education authority in the hair loss community and sought-after expert regarding treatment and prevention. She is a leader in salon education with 30+ years of beauty industry experience.
• David Reid is a Los Angeles-based cosmetologist and hairstylist specializing in cutting, color and styling for natural hair. Reid is the brand ambassador for Thank God It’s Natural, a textured haircare brand, and has previously collaborated with the likes of Wella, Sebastian, and R+Co.
• Aga Tompkins is a celebrity hairstylist, board- certified trichologist and the Director of Style Services & Education at Tricoci Salon & Spas. She served as Carly Rae Jepsen’s Global Tour Image Director for nearly a decade, where she traveled the world working on music videos, red carpets, TV shows and photo shoots for major publications. Her expertise was also sought out by the Backstreet Boys, and she has styled members of Panic! at the Disco, Deftones and The Killers, among others.