There’s nothing quite as annoying as spending time washing your hair, to discover that your hair is still greasy, just after you washed it.
Sure, if it’s been a couple of days, having greasy hair is absolutely normal, but if it’s immediately after you shower?
That’s a red flag, and it signals that something is wrong with your hair care routine, or quite possibly, your hormones.
When you wash your hair, you clean your hair, and you pretty much expect your hair to remain fresh.
Noticing that your hair is greasy right after you shower is incredibly annoying, especially if you have an event planned.
We know how difficult it is to manage this, and while it’s not the end of the world, it can be upsetting to experience.
We’ll discuss a couple of reasons why your hair could be greasy, so you can correct your steps.
However, if you are truly worried about your hair, or if it doesn’t get better with our tips, then you should consult a medical professional.
Why Your Hair Gets Greasy After Washing It
Below, we will discuss a couple of reasons why your hair gets greasy after washing it, so you can correct your steps.
You Have A Buildup Of Product
Having a buildup of product on your hair is a very common reason why you might be experiencing greasy hair.
So, think about all the products you might use on your hair. Any heat protectors, hair sprays, hair serums, and forth, can create a buildup of product.
The more products you use on your hair, the more buildup these products create. Even if you only use a couple of products, you can still get a buildup of product on your hair (yep, even if it’s just one item).
When you apply shampoo to your hair, it’s supposed to clean your hair, removing any dirt, grease, and buildup from your locks.
However, if you have a lot of product buildups, it could be that the shampoo you are using is not the right formula for your hair.
To fix this, you should invest in a clarifying shampoo. They can be inexpensive, and you only use this type of shampoo once a week.
You also do not need to stop using your hair products, but if you do use a lot of products, maybe try reducing the number of overall products you use daily.
Clarifying shampoo should remove all of this product buildup, as well as any excess dirt, that is making your hair look greasy.
You will notice an improvement immediately, and it can be one way of fixing greasy hair. In fact, if you have naturally greasy hair, a clarifying shampoo can also be effective.
You do not want to use a clarifying shampoo more than once a week, because as well as removing any dirt from the hair, it also removes the natural oils.
Your hair has natural oils that are vital for the health of the hair, and for hair growth. If you remove these oils, it can make your hair very dry, and can actually lead to greasier hair.
Related: Conditioner Buyers Guide
You Use Too Much Conditioner
Yes, using too much conditioner is a thing, and it can wreak havoc on your hair.
It makes sense why anyone might use too much conditioner. After all, we all know how important it is to condition our hair, so, can you ever really use too much conditioner? Well, yes, you can.
When you apply conditioner to your hair, you should only be applying conditioner to the ends of your hair.
The roots, generally, do not need conditioning. In fact, if you condition your roots, it could be a reason why your hair is getting greasy.
By adding conditioner to the roots of your hair, it can make the oil on your roots trapped, which can lead to excess greasiness.
So even if you have properly showered, and you’ve used all the right products, if you add too much conditioner, then your hair is going to get greasier.
The same notion applies to ‘conditioning treatments’ that might be applied before, or after, you use conditioner.
You should avoid putting these treatments on the scalp and roots unless the product specifications specify.
Otherwise, you are adding far too much conditioner to the hair, trapping all the oils, and making your hair greasy – which isn’t what you want.
Related: Shampoo Buyers Guide
You Don’t Shampoo Enough
Okay, so if you notice that you do not use much product, and you do not over condition your hair, you might just have naturally extra greasy hair.
In this case, you should use a clarifying shampoo, like we already stated, once a week.
However, if that’s still not enough, you might need to shampoo your hair twice, when you wash it.
So, the first time you apply shampoo to your hair and rinse the shampoo, you will be removing all the dirt, grease, and excess oil from your hair.
The second time you apply shampoo to your hair, you will be cleansing your scalp. That means if you have any excess grease on your scalp, that did not rinse out the first time, it should be removed the second time.
If you use too much shampoo, it can dry out your hair, and make your hair feel a little brittle.
However, if you notice that no matter what you do, your hair remains greasy, you may need to shampoo your hair twice.
In this case, your hair likely will not go overly dry, because you are removing the excess product and grease from your hair. Apply conditioner as normal, and you should be absolutely fine!
You Rinse With Very Hot Water
If you’re the type of person who likes to shower in very hot water, then this could be the reason your hair is getting greasy.
Look, there are two types of people in the world. Those who like super hot showers, and those, who do not.
If you’re someone who can only shower in extra hot water, then the temperature of the water could be your issue.
This is because the scalp can be affected by the temperature of the water. If the temperature of the water is too high, then this can dehydrate the scalp.
When the scalp (and the skin, in general) becomes dehydrated, it can cause oil production to increase.
This increase in oil production can make hair greasy, or further contribute to the reason why your hair is greasier.
What we mean is, if you dehydrated your scalp, and it produces extra oil, and you also use too much conditioner, or too many products, it’s going to be a lot more greasy.
Hence, there are a lot of combined factors that can lead to greasy hair.
If you shower in very hot water, and you don’t want to change this habit, you don’t totally have to.
You just have to make sure that the temperature of the water changes to lukewarm when you rinse and wash your hair.
You Use Too Much Product
If you apply product straight after the shower, this could be the reason your hair is greasy.
Applying product after a shower is normal, and in many ways, part of a healthy hair care regime. People use a variety of products – from shine serums, heat protectors, to frizz controllers.
The problem is, these products generally only require a tiny amount to be applied to the hair. For most hair products, you do not want to use more than the size of a pea.
While it might seem small, these products can make hair look greasy immediately, if applied in excess.
In fact, you might not even realize you’re applying an excess of product because it might seem like a small amount – but if it’s larger than the size of a pea, reduce the amount of product that you use.
Likewise, you might be using a product that simply does not agree with your hair or your scalp. This is very common and happens to everyone.
Not every product will be compatible with your hair type. It could make your hair greasy, it could make your hair dry, or it could just be overall uncomfortable.
When it comes to hair care, it’s often trial and error, so if the product constantly makes your hair greasy, you should probably consider giving the product to a family member, or a friend.
This is much better than throwing the product away, because the product may be compatible with someone else’s hair, and you avoid wasting materials.
You Have A Medical Condition
Some people have medical conditions which affect the amount of grease that is produced by the scalp.
This is nothing to be ashamed of and is incredibly common. Usually, it is not a sign of anything serious, but you should consult a doctor to make sure.
Likewise, your doctor will be able to provide you with specialized shampoo, or medication, that will fix your problematic scalp.
A common condition is called seborrhea. This can occur when the sebaceous glands produce an excess of oil, or an excess of sebum, which makes the scalp oily.
An oily scalp can then make the hair greasy, which is why you may be having problems with your scalp, even straight after washing your hair.
This condition is more common with fine, or straight hair. This is because the oil, or sebum, produced by the scalp can easily latch onto the entire strand of hair if it’s straight or fine, as opposed to curly hair.
With that said, if you have curly hair, or if you have thick hair, you can also suffer from seborrhea, so don’t be afraid to consult a medical professional.
Summary
If you find that your hair is greasy after just washing it, then this is a red flag. Your hair should not be greasy just after you wash your hair, and you do not need to live with this issue.
By changing some of your hair routine habits, or by consulting a medical professional, you can fix your scalp.