Oily Hair

What to look for in a shampoo for oily hair

The best shampoo for oily hair cleans your scalp without stripping it because a stripped scalp just produces extra oil to compensate. These three types each do a different job:

• Daily oil control: An oil control shampoo like Oribe Serene Scalp or muk Head Muk Oily Scalp Shampoo keeps your roots balanced between deeper washes. Use it as your everyday cleanser, but skip it if your ends already feel brittle.
• Weekly reset: A clarifying shampoo such as Olaplex No. 4C or Joico K-Pak lifts weeks of product buildup in a single wash. Once a week is enough, and colour-treated hair should stretch that to once a fortnight.
• Deeper cleanse: A deep cleansing shampoo like Davroe Clarify Deep Cleansing Shampoo or Schwarzkopf BC Clean Performance Balance suits anyone using heavy styling products or training most days. Keep in mind this is a stronger cleanser, not an everyday wash.

Look for peppermint if you want a cooling sensation on your scalp or cleansing clay if you prefer an absorbing formula over a foaming one. Both leave your lengths feeling moisturised without weighing them down.

Why your scalp produces more oil than your hair needs

Your scalp makes more oil, or sebum, than your hair can absorb, so it gathers at the roots while your ends stay dry. Genetics and hormones set your natural oil levels, and some people's sebaceous glands are simply busier than others. Everyday factors play a role, too.

Hot showers and hot air both push your scalp to work harder, so rinse with lukewarm water and drop your hair dryer down a setting. Touching your hair throughout the day drags excess oil along the shaft, and so does a hairbrush you haven't washed in months. Australian summers make all of it worse, because humidity and sweat give that oil more to cling to.

Sebum isn't the enemy, though, as it protects your hair & scalp. Scrubbing it away too hard makes your scalp overcompensate, leading to greasy hair by the end of the day. Also, product buildup from styling creams and heavy silicones can make your roots look oilier than they actually are. That's why a weekly reset wash to remove that buildup often helps more than switching your daily shampoo.

How often should you wash oily hair?

Wash every second day, or daily if your scalp runs very oily or you exercise often. That's the honest answer, and it holds for most people whatever their routine looks like.

Washing less often does not retrain your scalp to produce less oil. That myth costs people weeks of greasiness for no payoff. What changes the result is what you use and how you use it. Shampoo only the scalp rather than the lengths, then let the suds rinse through your ends on the way out.

Build your haircare routine around one balancing cleanser you like enough to reach for often. Compare formulas across our oily hair shampoo range.

Which oily hair products suit your hair texture?

Oil slides down straight strands fast, while curl patterns make it hard for natural oil to reach the ends. Because of this, the best oily hair products for you depend heavily on your natural texture. Here's how to match the right formula to your hair type:

• Fine hair: The best shampoo for fine, oily hair is a lightweight one that won't flatten your roots. Fine hair shows oil within hours because the thin strands get coated quickly. Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two is the most affordable pick in our range, though it cleans deeply, so keep it to once or twice a week. Also, apply conditioner only to the last few centimetres.
• Thick or coarse hair: You can handle a richer wash and will often need two rounds of shampoo to clear oil from the scalp properly. Redken Hair Cleansing Cream works well here, and a KMS Conscious Style Cleansing Mist refreshes roots on the days between washes.
• Curly and textured hair: Traditional cleansing shampoos can leave curls squeaky and frizzy. Davroe Curlicue Cleansing Clay or Wella Nutricurls Cleansing Conditioner clean your hair without that harsh, stripped feeling.
• Oily roots with dry ends: A shampoo for oily scalp and dry ends asks one product to do two different jobs, so it helps to treat them separately instead. Use an oily scalp shampoo at the roots, then apply a lightweight conditioner from the mid-lengths to the ends to nourish dry hair.

How to layer your oily hair products

Order matters far more than how many products you own. Rather than using everything in a single wash, spread these steps across your week for the best results:

1. Exfoliate weekly: Use a scalp scrub once a week before you shampoo to lift buildup. For options, BondiBoost Pink Salt Scalp Scrub uses pink Himalayan salt, Malia's peppermint scrub cools your scalp as it works, or you can try Moroccanoil Purifying Scrub. Always patch test behind your ear first if you have sensitive skin.
2. Double cleanse: Shampoo twice on scrub day. The first wash loosens oil, while the second properly cleans your scalp.
3. Condition carefully: Condition your lengths only, never your scalp.
4. Treat your lengths: Add a hair mask for oily hair, like the L'Oréal Scalp Advanced Anti-Oily Mask, on your weekly wash and rinse it off after a few minutes.
5. Balance on non-wash days: Massage a scalp serum, such as Biolage Scalp Sync Oil Balancing Serum, into a towel-dried scalp on non-wash days. Moroccanoil Oily Scalp Treatment is another great option here.
6. Prevent oil buildup: Use a dry shampoo for oily hair before your roots actually look oily, not after. Products like Biolage All-in-One and ghd Once Again both work better on hair that is still clean.

Get a Hairhouse stylist to look at your scalp first

Book a consultation at your nearest Hairhouse salon before replacing everything. Swapping multiple hair products at once makes it impossible to tell which one actually helped, so getting professional advice first saves time and money.

Let a stylist take an in-person look, as they can catch scalp issues that a product page cannot. This helps because different scalp problems need completely different fixes.

If you have clogged pores, you’ll need a targeted scalp treatment, whereas sensitive skin needs a soothing tonic like Alfaparf Semi Di Lino Scalp Relief. If hair loss is your main concern, options like Kérastase Genesis Homme target shedding rather than oil. Our stylists work across 100+ Hairhouse stores around Australia, and they will tell you if your current routine is already working.

Once you have a plan, introduce new products slowly. Change one product at a time, give it three weeks to see real results, and only then change the next.

When you’re ready to start, visit your nearest Hairhouse store to speak with us, or shop our oily hair range online. Orders over $70 get free delivery.