Oily scalp is a problematic condition that can cause greasy hair, dandruff, loss of hair or a skin disorder known as seborrheic dermatitis. Excess oiliness, also known as seborrhea, is one of the most common scalp conditions. If you have an oily scalp, you know how frustrating it can be to have hair that feels clean one minute and dirty the next.
What Causes An Oily Scalp?
To quote the celebrity hairstylist and hair thinning expert Angelo David Pisacreta of the Angelo David Salon in New York City: “The reason hair gets oily is because sebaceous glands in your scalp produce excess sebum, which travels down the hair shaft.” Causes For Oily Scalp or excess sebum (the natural oil produced by your scalp) can include genes, hormonal imbalances, humidity, your diet, or even a disease known as seborrheic dermatitis. This overproduction of oil sometimes results in a scaly scalp, greasy crusts on the scalp and even inflammation on the skin.
The scalp can also appear excessively oily if the hair is not washed often enough or if too much of moisturizing shampoos and conditioners are used.
Androgen hormones control the production of sebum, so a hormonal imbalance often leads to over-production. This is common in teenagers, especially teen boys because androgens are associated with males. Such hormonal imbalances can also occur during pregnancy.
An oily scalp tends to affect men more than it does women; this is because male scalps generate up to 50% more sebum than female scalps. Men are much more susceptible to the adverse effects of an excessively oily scalp, such as dandruff and greasy hair.
How To Get Rid Of Oily Scalp?
Treating your oily scalp is usually possible using home remedies and certain over-the-counter medicated products, although in extreme cases, you may require prescription-strength medications. Oily scalp treatments generally focus on reducing the amount of sebum that your scalp produces while cleansing and removing dead skin cells and other buildup from your scalp.
1. Home Treatments For Oily Scalp:
(i) Apple cider vinegar is a traditional natural healing remedy for oily scalp. Rinsing your hair with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and rosemary or chamomile essential oil can help to reduce scalp oiliness, alleviate dandruff and remove buildup and residue from styling products.
(ii) Aloe is another folk and natural remedy for oily scalp. Mix 1 pint of water, 1/2 pint of aloe vera gel and 20 drops of cypress, juniper or lavender essential oil to make a soothing hair tonic that can reduce excess oiliness and itching of your scalp.
2. Medicated Shampoos – Oily Scalp Treatment At Home: Certain medicated shampoos, specially designed for oily scalp conditions, like those containing salicylic acid, tar or selenium, may help to get rid of some oily scalp conditions such as dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. You may need to shampoo your hair twice because the excess sebum produced by your scalp tends to destroy the lather that actually helps to cleanse your scalp and hair. You can use a good quality over-the-counter shampoo as a solution for oily scalp to reduce oiliness and buildup of dead skin cells.
3. Prescription Remedies: If the above remedies do not relieve your oily scalp symptoms, you may need to consult a good dermatologist to get a stronger medication such as prescription-strength ointments, creams and gels containing 2 percent ketoconazole, 0.77 percent ciclopirox or 10 percent sulfacetamide to reduce the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis.
What Causes An Oily Scalp?
To quote the celebrity hairstylist and hair thinning expert Angelo David Pisacreta of the Angelo David Salon in New York City: “The reason hair gets oily is because sebaceous glands in your scalp produce excess sebum, which travels down the hair shaft.” Causes For Oily Scalp or excess sebum (the natural oil produced by your scalp) can include genes, hormonal imbalances, humidity, your diet, or even a disease known as seborrheic dermatitis. This overproduction of oil sometimes results in a scaly scalp, greasy crusts on the scalp and even inflammation on the skin.
The scalp can also appear excessively oily if the hair is not washed often enough or if too much of moisturizing shampoos and conditioners are used.
Androgen hormones control the production of sebum, so a hormonal imbalance often leads to over-production. This is common in teenagers, especially teen boys because androgens are associated with males. Such hormonal imbalances can also occur during pregnancy.
An oily scalp tends to affect men more than it does women; this is because male scalps generate up to 50% more sebum than female scalps. Men are much more susceptible to the adverse effects of an excessively oily scalp, such as dandruff and greasy hair.
How To Get Rid Of Oily Scalp?
Treating your oily scalp is usually possible using home remedies and certain over-the-counter medicated products, although in extreme cases, you may require prescription-strength medications. Oily scalp treatments generally focus on reducing the amount of sebum that your scalp produces while cleansing and removing dead skin cells and other buildup from your scalp.
1. Home Treatments For Oily Scalp:
(i) Apple cider vinegar is a traditional natural healing remedy for oily scalp. Rinsing your hair with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and rosemary or chamomile essential oil can help to reduce scalp oiliness, alleviate dandruff and remove buildup and residue from styling products.
(ii) Aloe is another folk and natural remedy for oily scalp. Mix 1 pint of water, 1/2 pint of aloe vera gel and 20 drops of cypress, juniper or lavender essential oil to make a soothing hair tonic that can reduce excess oiliness and itching of your scalp.
2. Medicated Shampoos – Oily Scalp Treatment At Home: Certain medicated shampoos, specially designed for oily scalp conditions, like those containing salicylic acid, tar or selenium, may help to get rid of some oily scalp conditions such as dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. You may need to shampoo your hair twice because the excess sebum produced by your scalp tends to destroy the lather that actually helps to cleanse your scalp and hair. You can use a good quality over-the-counter shampoo as a solution for oily scalp to reduce oiliness and buildup of dead skin cells.
3. Prescription Remedies: If the above remedies do not relieve your oily scalp symptoms, you may need to consult a good dermatologist to get a stronger medication such as prescription-strength ointments, creams and gels containing 2 percent ketoconazole, 0.77 percent ciclopirox or 10 percent sulfacetamide to reduce the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis.
0 comments:
Post a Comment