Imagine you’re at a restaurant. The waiter brings you a salad. Now imagine that salad is delivered to you with only limp, wilted lettuce.
This is what having oily hair can feel like.
So, how do we make oily hair much more manageable? Simple: use the best shampoo for oily hair available in your nearest drugstore.
6 Best Shampoos for Oily Curly Hair Available in Drugstores
I have reviewed 6 best drugstore shampoo for oily hair to combat your oily hair problem. The top two things we considered when we selected these shampoos are their ingredients and effectiveness. This includes any positive hair bonuses, such as added volume and hair growth.
For your benefit, all of the shampoos listed here are formulated for oily hair and scalp.
1. Apivita Propoline Balancing Shampoo for Very Oily Hair
Apivita is a fantastic balancing shampoo for oily hair. Thanks to its natural ingredients, it cleanses the hair without irritating the scalp. This shampoo ships from Greece, and it’s unusual ingredients certainly give it exotic, luxurious feel.
The Apivita shampoo contains thyme and nettle. Nettle is great for regulating oil production. It also contains peppermint oil which gives a nice cooling effect for an itchy scalp. As a bonus, this stuff smells great! If you’re not a fan of the minty smell, trust me, the benefits still win out. Your hair will be more soft and manageable. You might even be able to skip a few more days between washing.
This shampoo combats oiliness, and at the same time offers volume and glow to lifeless hair. It does this thanks to the natural lemon, thyme, and peppermint. Additionally, Apivita maintains your hair’s natural hydration, while leaving it fluffy and shiny. It cleanses deeply without causing irritation, and promotes scalp health.
Key Features:
- Balances oil production
- Strengthens hair
- Natural ingredients
2. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo
If you’re looking for a no-fuss method of dealing with oily hair, this is the best option. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo is a classic product that has the backing of dermatologists. It has a reputation of removing dulling damage caused by other shampoos, conditioners, and other haircare products. This shampoo cleans hair thoroughly, yet easily.
The Anti-Residue from Neutrogena is not meant for everyday use. It acts more like a hair treatment than a shampoo. The intended use is to help your favorite shampoo work better. What does this mean? Essentially, it means that you can keep using your regular shampoo and simply add this to your routine. This shampoo will just help it perform much better at cleansing the hair and removing excess oil. For more extreme cases of oily hair, you can still switch to shampoo formulated for oily hair. Using both an oil reducing shampoo and the Neutrogena Anti-Residue shampoo will have an even more effective result.
With this shampoo you even have the option of simply using it alone, once a week. Sometimes less really is more.
Key Features:
- Volumizing
- Once-a-Week
- Residue Removal
3. Degrease Shampoo by Maple Holistics
For the nature and holistic medicine lovers we have this wonderful shampoo. Degrease Shampoo is one of the few oily hair shampoos that is also safe for colored hair. This shampoo maintains moisture control by utilizing natural components to balance oil production. Degrease is also paraben, phthalates and fragrance free.
This product contains a whole host of fantastic ingredients. It contains rosemary, french cypress, basil, and one of my favorite ingredients, naturally cleansing lemon. Rosemary is the ingredient that made me the most excited. Rosemary oil contains verbenone, which stimulates hair growth! The other easily recognizable ingredients, french cypress and basil, control oil production and increase circulation respectively.
This shampoo provides a solution to many hair afflictions all at the same time.
Key Features:
- Sulfate-free
- All-natural
- Hair growth
4. Desert Essence Organics Lemon Tea Tree Shampoo for Oily Hair
Calling all vegans! Desert Essence creates vegan shampoo for oily hair! Not only is this great product 100% organic, it also has a whole host of fantastic natural ingredients. This means that this Lemon Tea Tree shampoo is effective and gentle on your hair.
This shampoo contains lemon extracts. As discussed previously, these extracts are one of the best ingredients for treating oily hair. It also contains organic maca root extract, an ingredient known to strengthen and protect hair. The tea tree oil is wonderful for treating an oily scalp and is good for your skin. In fact, tea tree oil is good for treating oily hair for the same reason it’s used for acne. Ironically, tea tree oil reduces oil production.
Desert Essence is a great option for those who worry about the high price of organic options. It’s pretty rare to see an all-natural shampoo that also works amazingly. What’s even rarer is the price being as reasonable as this one.
Key Features:
- Strengthens hair
- Organic
- Gentle
5. T-Gel Anti-Dandruff Shampoo for Greasy Hair
Another great oily hair shampoo by Neutrogena. This is one of my favorites because it provides two benefits in one. It is great at reducing oil and eliminating dandruff. I recommend this one for anyone with a combination of an oily scalp and dandruff.
T-Gel shampoo is formulated to treat itchy, flaky scalps caused by anything from mild dandruff to seborrheic dermatitis. It contains coal tar extract which limits scalp cell turnover, reducing dandruff. It also contains salicylic acid, an ingredient also found in acne-targeted skincare. If you find that you get acne along your hairline from your oily hair, T-Gel will help that as well.
Neutrogena makes impressive products that can benefit anyone with greasy hair. Their products are so effective that they’re even recommended by dermatologists. This product also gives incredibly fast results. If this is the product for you, you will notice the difference from day one!
Key Features:
- Anti-dandruff
- Reduces oil production
- Fast results
6. TRESemme Shampoo Deep Cleanse, Purify and Replenish
Tresemme is a very well known brand. They are known for their salon-style products at affordable prices. Tresemme is easily found at the grocery store and won’t break the bank. One bottle of this will last you a very long time. It also contains vitamin C which will make your hair healthier!
This shampoo is gentle enough that it can be used on all hair types, but is recommended for oily hair. The reason for this recommendation is that it is a clarifying shampoo. The average person should not use a clarifying shampoo regularly.
However, clarifying shampoo is ideal for those with oily hair. Clarifying shampoos will remove any product build-up. Build-up weighs hair down and diminishes vibrance. Who doesn’t want their hair to feel clean and shiny again? As an added bonus, it has a light, fresh scent.
If you can’t decide on a shampoo for treating your oily hair, this is a great one. It is very readily available and affordable, which makes it a pretty good starting point.
Key Features:
- Deep cleansing
- Vitamin C
- Gentle
Picking up Best Shampoo for Oily Scalp
Hair with too much oil is stringy; it often looks and feels dirty. Oily hair can make you self-conscious. You might find yourself looking for reasons to excuse yourself and check your hair. It can be acutely embarrassing, especially on a date night. Having to constantly be cautious of the way your hair looks can ruin your whole vibe. That dirty scalp feeling is uncomfortable and never seems to go away.
Having control over your oily hair will help you feel more confident and comfortable.
When picking a shampoo for oily hair, it’s important to be mindful. There is not one thing that works for everyone. Pay special attention to your hair’s specific needs. Make sure that the product that you choose will meet those needs. Hold your hair care to a high standard and be wary of shampoos with harsh ingredients.
Think of all the things you would have the time to do if you weren’t worrying about your oily hair!
Causes of Oily Hair
Your scalp produces oil naturally. This oil keeps your hair healthy and vibrant. Unfortunately, your hair can sometimes go overboard. Too much oil can make your hair look greasy and unkempt. There is a wide range of things that contribute to overly oily hair. Anything from diet to daily activities can have a huge impact on hair oil production.
For example, if you’ve been exercising you probably feel like you need to take a shower afterwards. This is because your level of activity triggered production of oil and sweat from your scalp. In the same way, someone who lives in a humid environment will have a bigger problem with oil production. The temperature of your body and the warm air also signals hair follicles to produce oil.
Your diet can affect your hair too. Eating too many fatty foods and carbohydrates can cause you to overproduce oil. This doesn’t mean you have to change your diet to fix your hair. If you want extra help there are dietary changes that you can make. Good fats such as omega-3 fatty acids have the opposite effect. Fatty fish is a tasty food to eat that’s rich in omega-3s. It won’t have a negative effect on your hair.
Possibly the biggest cause of oily hair is genetics. Sadly, genetics are unchangeable. If multiple people in your family have oily hair, this is likely what you’re dealing with. It may seem grim, but don’t let it get you down. Oily hair caused by genetics is still very much treatable.
What to do for oily hair
There are a number of products dedicated to alleviating greasy, oily hair. Shampoo products are the most common and easiest to integrate into your routine. After all, shampoo was created for the sole purpose of cleansing the hair. Unfortunately, many companies produce shampoo that actually has a negative effect on your hair. This is usually due to harsh chemicals that disrupt the natural PH balance of your scalp. The modern convention of shampooing daily can also wreak havoc on your delicate hair.
If you would like to create a healthier environment for your hair, the first step is choosing the right shampoo for your hair. Oily hair reacts differently to hair care. Products that make average hair look silky and smooth can have the opposite effect on oily hair. Shampooing too often with any shampoo can dry your scalp out too much. Your hair will then try to replace the oil and produce far too much. To avoid that, you should only use shampoos made for your greasy hair.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could end up making the problem worse.
Essentially, you want to choose a great, oil-controlling shampoo.
How to Pick the Best Drugstore Shampoo for Oily Hair
When you pick out your shampoo there’s a few things you need to be on the lookout for. The most important aspect of a shampoo is the ingredients. The ingredients tell you what the shampoo is best used for better than the label will.
You should avoid products with extra oils and silicone when you have oily hair . Silicone is a man-made ingredient that won’t do your hair any good. Adding more oils to your hair is counterproductive. One exception is if you have hair that is oily at the roots but dry along the ends. In this case, some oils are okay, and can prevent a shampoo from over-stripping your hair.
The best ingredients for your hair have natural origins. Salt and lemon extracts are both great treatments for oily hair. Your hair is naturally slightly acidic, so don’t worry about disrupting the PH with these types of ingredients! Herbs with medicinal properties are also safe and healthy choices.
If you’re overwhelmed from the sheer amount of choices, go with the simplest product. Shampoos with a shorter list of ingredients will contain less chemicals. The names of your shampoo’s ingredients should be recognizable. High quality products will often use both the common name and chemical name in their ingredient listing. When a product lists a specific extract, you should be able to find it this way. Products with appealing names need to have the ingredients to back their claims up.
Tips for Oily Hair
- Wash less! Sometimes oily hair is caused by over-washing.
- Use less styling products. Residue from styling products make oily hair worse.
- Avoid adding oil. Conditioners often consist of oils, so don’t add this to your roots!
- Use products formulated for oily hair.
- Don’t wash with hot water. The heat can stimulate oil production.
- Apply dry-shampoo in between washes. The dry shampoo sucks up oil and makes our hair look and feel clean.
Final Thoughts
Don’t forget, oily hair isn’t a death sentence. It’s just a hair type. Whether you have oily hair due to habits, climate, or genetics, there’s a solution out there for you. You deserve to feel good about your hair. You should spend less time worrying and more time having fun. All you have to do is make more conscious hair care choices. Any one of these six shampoos will help you with taming your oily hair. We believe that this buying guide with help you find the best shampoo for oily hair tailored to your needs.
If you still have trouble, consider contacting a dermatologist. Your hair may need extra medicinal help in addition to an oily hair regimen.
