Oily and greasy hair isn’t much fun, and nobody understands that fact better than us. The feeling that no matter how much you shampoo, it still looks like you haven’t washed your hair. We also understand just how difficult it can be to find the right shampoo for oily hair. While many different formulations claim to tackle this very real and distressing issue, there are very few shampoos that do actually handle this type of hair well.
Fortunately, we were able to find the shampoos that could address this particular hair issue. Not only that, but we found ten of the best oily hair shampoos. And we’ve presented them in a convenient list so that everyone can choose the one they feel is appropriate for them. Now, let’s get on with the list and check out these shampoo products, shall we?
Table of Contents
Our Top Picks for the Best Shampoos For Oily Hair
Maple Holistics Tea Tree Shampoo
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This shampoo contains one of the most powerful ingredients used in the war against oily hair, tea tree oil. This ingredient helps this formula not only reduce oil levels on the user’s scalp but also helps to remove dandruff as well. And it also has an anti-fungal quality that helps to protect the scalp from infections. This shampoo also helps to soothe the user’s scalp and help remedy itching. Other essential ingredients which can be found in this shampoo include vitamins A and C and jojoba oil. All of this makes this shampoo suitable for anyone looking to reduce their hair’s oil levels and restore balance to their scalp.
Maple Holistics Moisture Control Formula
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Formulated to be a degreaser shampoo that helps reduce oil levels on a person’s scalp, this product can be used by anyone wishing to restore balance to their hair. It’s made with lemon essential oils that break down and help remove oils from the person’s scalp and has jojoba and peach kernel oils which help hydrate the scalp and prevent further scalp irritation. This product is also infused with cypress and rosemary oils, which can help stimulate hair growth and add volume to a person’s hair. And since this product is a natural formulation, it doesn’t contain sulfates, parabens, dyes, or silicones.
Amaze Special Edition Shampoo
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The manufacturers of this product know that oily hair needs a special formulation shampoo to adequately address it, and that is why they have manufactured this product. It’s made with natural oils, which include lemon oil, basil, and argan oil, that work to dissolve oil deposits and help reduce oil production. This product also helps to maintain a proper scalp environment and helps to increase circulation around hair follicles. It’s a high-quality shampoo that can be used by people of all hair colors and types and can be used by both men and women. And since it’s a chemical-free formula, it’s especially ideal for individuals with sensitive scalps.
Maple Holistics Degrease Shampoo
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This cruelty-free and paraben-free shampoo can be used on straight hair, curly hair, or wavy hair. It’s formulated in such a way that it not only removes excess oil but also helps to remove dead skin cells, too. This product will bring life back to flat or dull hair and helps to balance the scalp’s PH environment. It’s manufactured using natural ingredients such as basil oil, cypress oil, rosemary oil, and lemon oil, all products known to reduce oil levels. Other ingredients which can be found in this formula include keratin for stronger hair, peach kernel oil, and jojoba moisturizers. It’s also suitable for sensitive skin and won’t irritate the scalp.
Tree to Tub Soapberry for Hair
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The manufacturers of this shampoo believe that most hair conditions are the result of an imbalance in the scalp and hair follicles, and that’s why they’ve made a shampoo formula to address these issues. This shampoo for oily hair uses natural ingredients to return the user’s hair, hair follicles, and scalp to their natural state. It does this by using a formula that doesn’t contain sulfates, parabens, silicone, toxins, gluten, or even artificial fragrance. All that’s in this product are ingredients that help to reduce oil levels and restore the scalp to a healthy state. These natural ingredients include peppermint oil, Aloe Vera, chamomile, olive leaves, and Moroccan argan oil.
Honeydew Oil Hair Volumizing Shampoo
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A number of ingredients are formulated in this shampoo which makes it a great product for reducing excess oil production. Some of the ingredients which can be found in it include rosemary oil, tea tree oil, lemon essential oil, sage, and argan oil. All of these ingredients combine to clarify the hair, prevent dandruff buildup and add volume to the hair. It also helps to soothe itchy scalps and balances the scalp’s PH levels that, allowing it to provide an optimal hair growth environment. And it combats oily hair but does it in a way that doesn’t affect the hair’s natural shine factor.
Natural Oily Hair Shampoo with Essential Oils
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Dealing with oily hair is difficult enough without having to worry if a particular product is natural or not. Fortunately, users of this shampoo don’t have to worry about that fact. That’s because it’s made with 100% natural ingredients and is manufactured in a modern facility in the United States which meet or exceed all GMP standards. This product is manufactured with organic lavender, rosemary, evening primrose oil, and yarrow. All ingredients not only have a positive effect on the PH balance of the user’s hair but also help to loosen and remove excess oils. All of which makes it a product suitable for anyone with oily hair problems.
Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle
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Since hard water or water with impurities can cause a person’s hair to produce too much oil, this product is designed to be used without water. It’s a dry shampoo for oily hair that uses micronized powders and nettle extract to absorb the person’s natural hair oils in under 30-seconds. This product is not only sulfate-free but is free of colorants, silicone, parabens, and sodium chloride–ingredients that can irritate sensitive scalps. And since the user of this product doesn’t have to have water available to use it, this product is suitable for travelers or people on the go. It’s a shampoo that isn’t harsh and can be used on a regular basis.
Head and Shoulders Instant Oil Control
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Most people recognize Head & Shoulders for its fine line of anti-dandruff shampoos, but few people realize that they also make an oil control anti-dandruff shampoo. And this is that product. It not only contains a 1% solution of Pyrithione Zinc which helps to reduce dandruff, but it also contains citrus derived from lemons and mango to dissolve excess oils. And although it uses Sodium Laureth Sulfate to reduce oil production, it balances its formula out with Magnesium Sulfate, also known as Epsom Salts. These Epsom Salts help to PH balance the hair and make this shampoo safe for even color-treated hair.
Desert Essence Organics Hair Care
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Infused with a variety of natural ingredients to help reduce oil production and to dissolve excess oils. It does this with the power of lemon peel extract and tea tree oil, two ingredients that work together to restore balance to a person’s hair and scalp. Other ingredients which can be found in this product that not only help loosen oils but also help protect the scalp include maca root extract and jojoba seed oil. This makes this shampoo suitable for just about any hair type. And because it uses a formula that doesn’t overly irritate the scalp, it can also be used on a regular basis.
How to Select a Shampoo for Oily Hair
As we said in our introduction, we understand the problems that accompany oily hair, and we also realize that the hair care industry doesn’t do enough to address these problems. That’s because they’re too busy trying to develop a formulation for dry or frizzy hair to worry about those of us who may have oily hair problems. It was this lack of foresight that prompted us to look for our own solutions.
As we did our own research, we found that it is pretty difficult to come up with a formula that not only cleanses hair adequately but does so without causing your scalp to overreact by producing a ton of oil. To accomplish this tightrope act, a product really needs to clarify the hair, and that often means using a product that contains sulfates. An ingredient that many people try to avoid at all costs.
Sulfates Strip Oils from Hair
Yes, sulfates are one of the most effective ingredients for removing oil from hair. It does it so well, in fact, that it can damage normal hair by stripping too much oil from the hair. And it’s definitely a product that can destroy dry hair. On the other hand, if you already have an overproduction of oil in your hair, then sulfates can be an effective ingredient.
However, since we understand the difficulties that many people have with using shampoo for oily hair that contains sulfates in it, and the fact that long-term use of sulfate shampoos can damage hair, we’ll present other alternatives. Besides, sulfates can strip too much oil from the scalp, and that can cause irritation and/or allergic reactions.
Using Products With Natural Oils
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, one method for combating too much natural oil in the hair is by using a product that contains natural oil. The theory behind why this actually works is that the presence of natural oils prevents your scalp from overproducing natural oils and that results in an overall reduction of oil in the hair.
A number of different natural oils are used in shampoos for oily hair, and this includes rosemary oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, wheat germ oil, and tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is one of the more effective ingredients found in shampoos nowadays and is used to fight not only oily hair but also a number of other hair and scalp conditions. This makes it a very versatile and helpful shampoo ingredient, and that’s probably why you can find it in so many different shampoos.
PH Balance is Crucial
Another important tool that shampoos use to combat oily hair is balancing the PH level of their formulations. Human hair has a PH level of around 5, so it’s important that shampoos are formulated in a way that doesn’t upset this balance. If the PH balance of the shampoo is too high or too low, then it can strip oils from the hair, and this can cause the scalp to overproduce oil to compensate.
Look for Citrus or Astringent Herbs
Citrus is a highly effective ingredient for dealing with oil. That’s because it tends to break down oil particles and helps to get rid of them. Astringent herbs are also good ingredients for these types of shampoos. They also tend to break down oils. Some of the more common astringent herbs used in shampoos include rosehip oil, peppermint oil, green tea, willow, and witch hazel.
Ingredients to Avoid
There are a number of ingredients that you should avoid when choosing shampoo. The shortlist includes such damaging products as parabens, formaldehyde, synthetic fragrances, Diethanolamine (DEA), Monoethanolamine (MEA), Propylene Glycol, and Triethanolamine.
Silicone is another product that should be avoided at all costs. That’s because this ingredient can build up over time and partially clog hair follicles. This can really mess up the hair’s oil balance. So if it’s possible, try to avoid products that have this ingredient listed on their label.
Tips for Dealing With Oily Hair
Now that we’ve tackled how to buy shampoo for oily hair, it’s time to turn our attention to some of the best practices for dealing with your oily hair problem. If you pay attention to the following suggestions, it will go a long way to getting your problem under control.
Install a Shower Water Filter
The first tip for dealing with oily hair is to install a water filter on your showerhead. A filter can reduce many of the impurities which can irritate a person’s scalp and cause them to overproduce sebum, their hair’s natural oil.
Don’t Shower Daily
While keeping your hair clean is an important consideration, washing your hair too much can actually cause oily hair. Therefore, try to avoid daily showering and either switch to showering every other day or only a couple times a week.
Use Warm or Cool Water
Showering with hot water can be detrimental to not only your hair but your scalp as well. It can dry out the scalp, which, if you’ve been paying attention, will result in your hair follicles overproducing sebum. And this will result in oily hair.
Don’t Over-Scrub Your Scalp
While light scrubbing of your scalp will increase blood flow and is actually healthy for your scalp, too much scrubbing can irritate the scalp. And, of course, we don’t have to tell you what condition that causes.
Avoid Conditioners
One of the last things you’re going to want to do when you’re dealing with oily hair is to use a conditioner. Conditioners just add extra oil to the hair, and some of them can even partially clog some of the hair follicles, resulting in the rest of them overproducing oil.
The Final Rinse
Hopefully, the above shampoo for oily hair products and the tips for dealing with oily hair problems will help you get control of your hair situation and help you achieve what you want to achieve. Following these steps should not only help control production but should also result in healthier and better-looking hair as well.