What is the best products for oily hair at the roots?

Your hair may be reacting to the shampoo. Most shampoos contain something called sodium laureth sulfate (or amonium lauryl sulfate…if it ends in sulfate, it’s bad!). It strips your hair of natural moisture, and really has no benefits. It provides the lather in the shampoo, but that’s about it. “So why do they put it in shampo?” you may ask, and here’s my answer: I don’t know! Those hair companies only care about making money. Your hair has probably been stripped from it’s natural moisture and is responding by over-producing oil.

Try using a gentle shampoo, sulfate-free. Ditch those horrible drugstore shampoos…Herbal Essences, Dove, Biolage, Pantene, Suave, Nexxus, Paul Mitchell, and whatnot. They’re all horrible. Try a natural alternative, like Trader Joe’s shampoo if you have one nearby, or Giovanni shampoos, which are available in the natural body/hair care section at Target. Say Yes to Carrots, Cucumbers and Tomatoes is also good. Burt’s Bees has a shampoo bar, which doesn’t have sulfates. ALso, if you ave a Whole Foods, Henry’s grocery or health food store nearby, they have great natural shampoos. You may also want to try a gentle baby shampoo…they usually don’t have sulfates. But check anyways.

Here’s how to use it: When you shampoo, don’t scrub vigorously…this will just cause your hair produce more oil. Get a quarter sized puddle of shampoo, and massage your hair for 1 minute with it. Leave it in for 2 minutes while you do other shower stuff. Then rinse with cold water, and start massaging again. You can use a light conditioner, only at the ends of your hair.

Next, ditch the leave-in, and don’t use any greasy products. And don’t brush your hair. It’ll cause your hair to produce even more oil, and distribute oil to your scalp. It also causes breakage. Gently comb your hair with a wide toothed comb when it’s wet. If you have knots, spray your hair with lots of detangler, and gently comb the knot out with your fingers.

Please try everything I’ve told you! Your hair will take a little time to adjust, because it’s been stripped of moisture for so long. It’ll adjust to not having sodium laureth sulfate, and stop producing so much oil.

Good luck!