My hair is oily but my hair started falling heavily only the last two years. Many people told me it is because I am aging (40yrs). Some people advised me to wash my hair using an organic shampoo every day to remove the oil but others said that washing hair regularly is the cause for falling hair and loosing the natural oils that the scalp produce. I don’t know who is right and what to follow!
This is a very common question. Some people think you should leave the natural oils to protect your hair and some people think you should not let your hair get too oily. It’s true that sebum (the oil secreted through your skins pores) protects your hair from damage. However it’s also believed that sebum contains ‘DHT‘, which is the primary cause of hair loss.
My opinion on this is that you should not let your hair get too oily.
It’s important to keep your scalp clean and hygienic. Washing your hair will not cause hair loss. It may make the hair loss more evident because you see the hairs shedding while you shower or bathe. but it does not cause hair loss. So it’s better to keep your scalp clean and your pores clear by shampooing whenever you notice your hair and scalp start to get oily, than to let the oil build up.
Furthermore, sebum is very sticky, which means pollutants in the air stick to it. This includes car engine emissions, cigarette smoke, dust, air born toxins and so on — all of which can be absorbed into your scalp.
My recommendation
Whenever you notice an oil build up, wash your hair and scalp well (this is likely to be at least once every three days for people with oily hair). Ideally use a nutrient rich natural organic shampoo that does not contain sodium lauryl sulphate. Here is a great list of quality organic shampoos:
What you should concentrate on doing
If you want to regrow your hair you need to treat the underlying causes of hair loss. Take a look at these key areas on nicehair.org:
- How to reduce DHT in your scalp and protect the hair from DHT
- Increase blood circulation in your scalp to promote hair growth and
- Feed your hair with the nutrients that build hair structure
Also, check out my two minute a day hair regrowth technique, which immediately gets the blood flowing to your follicles, feeds the hair and protects it from DHT.
