Oily hair and skin are common in both women and men. While it is nice to have hair that shines and skin that glows, excessive oil production can make hair and skin appear unkempt. Excess oils that sit on the surface of your skin can cause a greasy buildup. Excess oils on your scalp will coat your hair and weigh it down. There are, however, several effective methods of caring for and controlling oily hair and skin.
Cause
Your skin naturally produces an oil called sebum, via the sebaceous glands. Your genes and your hormone levels control the amount of oil your sebaceous glands produce, the MedlinePlus online medical resource explains. These oils serve to help protect and moisturize your skin and hair. Seborrhea is the term used to describe sebaceous glands that produce excessive amounts of sebum.
Treatments
Keeping your skin and hair clean is the most important factor in controlling seborrhea. Wash your face once a day using gentle cleansing products. Severe cases of oily skin may require treatment with a low dose of isotretinoin. Isotretinoin is a prescription drug that may help slow your body's sebum production, according to the DermNet NZ website. Wash your hair once a day with a clarifying shampoo to help control oily hair. Clarifying shampoos work by extracting oils and residue buildup from your hair and scalp.
Products
Oily skin can make your makeup smudge, creating a need for multiple touch-ups during the day. MedlinePlus recommends only using makeup products created specifically for oily skin. Choose a foundation that is water-based, oil-free and that contains oil absorbers. This will help keep your foundation from running or caking up. Using no-smudge mascaras and eyeliners will help keep your eye makeup intact. Stay away from heavy hair-styling products that can leave oily residues behind on your scalp.
Prevention
While there is no known way as of 2010 to permanently stop your body from producing excess oil, you can help prevent your seborrhea from getting out of control. Do not go too long between face-washings. Letting the excess oils sit on your skin for too long can clog your pores and lead to acne breakouts. Use oil-absorbing pads to blot the excess oils off of your face throughout the day when you cannot wash. Excessive sweating exacerbates seborrhea. If you sweat a lot or if you exercise regularly, take a shower immediately after to wash the sweat off of your scalp.
Considerations
Washing naturally oily skin too often can over-dry your skin, which can provoke your sebaceous glands into producing even more unwanted oil. Try to limit washing your face to just once a day. Brushing hair distributes the oils on your scalp throughout your hair strands, MedlinePlus explains. When grooming oily hair, avoid brushing the strands too hard or too often.
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