Distinctive Features Of Oily Hair

Sebaceous glands are particularly large and abundant (approximately 66/inches) in the human scalp.  What are sebaceous glands?

(Image of Phyto Phytocedrat Sebum-Regulating Shampoo designed to assist with oily hair issues - Available at HairBoutique.com in The Marketplace - Image by HairBoutique.com - All Rights Reserved).

They are microscopic glands in the skin which secrete an oily matter (sebum) in the hair follicles to lubricate the skin and hair of animals. In humans, they are found in greatest abundance on the face and scalp, though they are distributed throughout all skin sites except the palms and soles.

Very high at birth, sebaceous activity drops during childhood then rises once again at puberty, reaching a peak in adult years. Excess sebum spreads onto the hair shaft, making the hair limp and flat. Oily hair looks dull, greasy and sticky.

Causes

Internal causes might include genetics, nervous or nutritional imbalance, intake of some types of medicines and/or side effect, certain types of physical illness or a sebaceous gland with excess enzymatic matter which becomes very large and secretes high quantities of sebum.

External causes include pollution, local climate conditions such as excessive heat and/or humidity, harsh hair care treatments, usage of detergent shampoos, etc.

(Image of Phyto Phytopanama Shampoo designed to assist with oily hair issues - Available at HairBoutique.com in The Marketplace - Image by HairBoutique.com - All Rights Reserved).

Hair consumers with fine, straight hair texture and/or an abundance of hair tend may tend to have oilier hair than those with wavy or curlier tresses and/or less density of hair.  There are always exceptions to every rule and tendency but for the most part straight hair will show oil easier than wavy or naturally curly hair.

The PHYTO Solution To Oily Hair

To help combat oily scalp problems, PHYTO offers products targeting several different factors:

- Minimizing the size of pores in order to reduce sebum production with astringent plant decoctions (Nettle, Tormentil, Comfrey, Burdock, etc.)
- Slowing down sebum migration along the hair shaft by coating it with an amino acid (Lysine)
- Helping regulate sebaceous glands with essential oils and sulfur-rich compounds.

All PHYTO shampoos contain a mild washing base (Saponaria and Panama Bark decoction) intended to prevent excess stimulation of the sebaceous glands.

(Image of Phytopolleine Scalp Treatment - Helps to regulate scalp conditions whether oily or overly dry - Available at HairBoutique.com Marketplace - Image from HairBoutique.com - All Rights Reserved).

The PHYTO shampoos designed to assist with oily hair issues include:

Phyto - Phytocedrat Sebum-regulating Shampoo
Phytolactum is a scalp regulating shampoo for all hair types. Sweet almond oil nourishes and softens. Phytolactine® rebalances the scalp and gently cleanses

Phyto - Phytopanama Shampoo
Phytopanama is a mild shampoo for normal hair and slightly oily scalp. This extremely mild, frequent use shampoo contains 65% panama wood to cleanse while respecting hair’s natural moisture. 6.8 oz.

Phytopolleine Scalp Treatment
Phytopolléine is a 100% botanical scalp treatment for weak, anemic, slightly thinning hair & dry or oily scalp. Essential oils cleanse, purify & balance the scalp, stimulating the hair bulb.  A “must” for regular maintenance & health of the scalp.

Other Oily Hair Management Tips

To optimize the action of the PHYTO oily hair treatments, avoid excessively energetic massaging of the scalp, using scorching hot water or violent blow-drying or other hot tooling.

Remember to use only mild products that will not cause further reactive secretions.

Avoid Fine Line Between Healthy Hair Shine And Excessive Oil

Should oily hair be cleansed every day?  It depends on which hair care expert you talk to.  Some will say yes, others no.

One problem with daily shampoo is that if the shampoo utilized is full strength or is naturally drying, over time it may potentially dry out the scalp which means the body will increase normal oil production to the scalp to overcompensate for the dryness.  Which ultimately means the hair may become even more oily.  Any shampoo or cleansing products which contain excessive surfactants will most likely dry out the scalp.

The best shampoo products for cleansing oily scalp and hair often contain salicylic acid which helps to unclog the follicles on the scalp and to assist in the normalization of oil production.

Other Oily Hair Management Tips

1.  Avoid wearing naturally oily hair in styles with forehead or face hugging fringes or panels of strands.  Oil often travels from the scalp to the face and adjacent skin.  Wearing hair close to the face may encourage the hair to become even oilier.

2.  Work with your hairstylist to select a hairstyle which will minimize limp or lank strands and give your strands more volume and movement.

3.  If you desire to wear your hair hair long, experiment with dry shampoo formulas that you can utilize daily, if necessary, to keep oily strands at bay.

4.  Minimize styling products which are designed to add moisture or oils to tresses.  Such products might include moisture enhancing leave-in conditioners, silicone rich sprays or oils, pomades, creams or styling spray.   If you decide to use oil producing styling products select sprays rather than creams or gels.  Use as little as possible and apply at least one inch from your scalp.

More Information

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Tags: face and scalp, hair follicles, hair of animals, lubrication of the skin, Oily hair, oily matter, sebaceous glands, sebum

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2009 at 4:03 pm and is filed under Fine Hair Cuts, Hair, Hairstyles, Hairstyling Tips, Shampoo Treatments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.