Many of us create clever hair extensions to hide the messiness of our hair, but if you find yourself relying on updos and dry shampoo despite washing your hair regularly, it could be a sign that your oily hair needs the best refining shampoo.
Askume’s favorite shampoo for oily hair
Best Overall: Neutrogena T/Sal Scalp Build Control, $10
Best for Thin Hair: Ouya Fine Hair Shampoo, $32
Best for Dry Scalp: MoroccanOil Scalp Balancing Shampoo, $28
Best silicone-free shampoo: Biolage Scalp Sync Clarifying Shampoo, $24
Best Detox: Christophe Robin Advanced Purifying Shampoo, $41
Best for scalp buildup: Bumble and Bumble Sunday Clarifying Shampoo, $35
Best for Sensitive Scalp: Sisley-Paris Gentle Purifying Shampoo, $90
Best Moisturizer: Crown Affair The Ritual Shampoo, $36
Best product for colored hair: ROZ Foundation Shampoo, $39
Board-certified dermatologist Morgan Rabach, MD, co-founder of LM Medical in New York state, says oily hair is caused by an excessive production of sebum (the skin’s natural oil), and though it can be frustrating, it’s actually vital for scalp health. “The scalp produces oil for several important reasons, including protecting the scalp and hair and preventing flaking and irritation,” she explains. “Sebum has antibacterial properties that help protect the skin from infection and dandruff.” Additionally, sebum helps nourish hair, keeping it strong and shiny. Ahead, you’ll learn everything you need to know about minimizing oily hair — from why your hair gets greasy to the best products to buy.
in this story:
What causes oily hair?
Which shampoo keeps hair from getting sticky?
What should I pay attention to when using shampoo for oily hair?
If you have oily hair, how often should you wash it?
Meet the experts
Best Overall: Neutrogena T/Sal Scalp Buildup Control
Why we love it: Our experts are big fans of this medicated formula and often recommend it to patients with excess scalp oil. “I like that this formula uses salicylic acid,” explains Kenneth Marks, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY. “This beta-hydroxy acid is an exfoliating and anti-inflammatory ingredient that has been one of the top recommendations for treating seborrheic dermatitis and scalp psoriasis for nearly 30 years.”
Key Ingredients: 3% Salicylic Acid
Sulfate free: yes
Size: 4.5 fl. ounces.
Best for Thin Hair: Ouai Fine Hair Shampoo
Why we love it: Ouai’s formula, with fortifying biotin and keratin along with lightweight hydrating chia oil, is designed to volumize thin hair by removing the oil and buildup that weigh it down. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention its lovely scent, which actually doubles as a hair fragrance—it features heady floral notes like magnolia, jasmine, and peony, as well as a heady aroma of tart citrus.
Key Ingredients: Biotin, Keratin, Chia Seed Oil
Sulfate free: yes
Size: 10 fl oz.
Best for Dry Scalp: Moroccan Oil Scalp Balancing Shampoo
Why we love it: If your hair often feels dry and tight, even if your hair is oily, give this a try. “I love how moisturizing this formula is for people who have a dry scalp but don’t have full-blown psoriasis,” says Mark. In addition to salicylic acid to help remove dead skin, this Moroccan oil shampoo contains niacinamide and nourishing argan oil to help restore the scalp’s balance.
Key Ingredients: Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide, Argan Oil
Sulfate free: yes
Size: 8.5 fl oz
Best silicone-free shampoo: Biolage Scalp Sync Clarifying Shampoo
Why we love it: Those looking to avoid silicones in their hair care products will love how this Biolage formula leaves hair feeling incredibly clean, light, and fresh (with a bright mint scent). AHA glycolic acid helps break down buildup, while fermented tea and green tea extract help soothe your scalp.
Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, Black tea ferment, Green tea extract
Sulfate Free: No
Size: 13.5 fl oz
Best Customizable: Prose Customizable Shampoo
Why we love it: For a truly perfect wash day, Prose tailors each shampoo to your specific needs. To develop a personalized product with ingredients tailored to your concerns and goals, simply fill out the brand’s questionnaire, which includes over 80 pieces of information including water hardness, hair density, oil content, and more. When it comes to tackling oily hair, your custom formula can use ingredients like licorice extract, probiotics, apple cider vinegar, or deer seaweed extract to gently cleanse and purify hair.
Key Ingredients: Ingredients vary depending on your custom recipe
Sulfate free: yes
Size: 8.5 fl. ounces.
Best Detox: Christophe Robin Advanced Purifying Shampoo
Why we like it: Christophe Robin’s shampoo has an unexpected whipped texture that shows off the warm clay in the formula—an ingredient that helps absorb oil and moisturize hair at the same time. When you mix the product with water, it creates a light lather that rinses out easily, leaving hair thoroughly clean without drying it out.
Main Ingredients: Thermal mud, red seaweed extract, seawater extract
Sulfate Free: No
Size: 8.4 fl. ounces.
Best for Scalp Buildup: Bumble and Bumble Sunday Clarifying Shampoo
Why we love it: The name of this Bumble and Bumble formula nods to the most common way it’s used: as a deep cleanse to freshen up your Sunday and start the week off right. Infused with a blend of botanicals and sulfates, this clarifying shampoo effectively removes oil and product buildup, leaving hair clean and shiny, setting the stage for beautiful hair for weeks to come.
Key Ingredients: Ginseng extract, Sage leaf extract, Rosemary leaf oil
Sulfate Free: No
Size: 8.5 fl. ounces.
Best for Sensitive Scalp: Sisley Paris Gentle Purifying Shampoo
Why we love it: When you start lathering up with Sisley Gentle Purifying Shampoo, you know you’re in for a luxurious experience because its spa-like scent lingers long after you’ve finished styling. While many clarifying formulas can irritate the scalp, this product is extremely gentle despite its effectiveness. Essential oils and minerals help detoxify hair, while bisabolol soothes tender scalp. The result: shiny, bouncy, hydrated hair.
Key Ingredients: Bisabolol, Panthenol, Rosemary Extract
Sulfate Free: No
Size: 6.7 fl. ounces.
Best Moisturizer: Crown Affair The Ritual Shampoo
Why we love it: Not all clarifying shampoos are made with moisture in mind (they’re naturally drier than other formulas), but this one is specifically designed to remove excess oil without overly moisturizing your hair. That’s important if you have brittle or textured hair. That’s because it contains camellia seed oil, which provides lightweight nourishment, and coconut-based surfactants, which wash away oil while leaving hair soft and hydrated.
Key Ingredients: Camellia Seed Oil, Coconut Based Surfactants, Glycerin
Sulfate free: yes
Size: 8.1 fl oz.
Best for color-treated hair: Rose Foundation Shampoo
Why we love it: Beloved hairstylist Mara Roszak, whose clients include celebrities like Zoe Saldana and Karlie Kloss, certainly knows how to make any hairstyle look great, all in one. Known as “the only shampoo you’ll ever need,” the brand’s Foundation Shampoo uses coconut-based surfactants and a variety of nourishing, soothing, and strengthening ingredients to control length, curl, and frizz, solving all of their problems so far. Needless to say, the neutral earthy scent adds to a pretty luxurious cleansing experience (lots of lather!), leaving you with clean, dynamic, and shiny hair. AskAum’s senior shopping editor Talia Abbas also uses it almost every day.
Key Ingredients: Ginger root extract, Walnut extract, Grapefruit extract
Sulfate free: yes
Size: 10.1 fl oz.
Best for Curly Hair: Curlsmith Core Strength Shampoo
Why we love it: Specially formulated for the needs of curly hair, this shampoo is enriched with plant-based proteins, lipids and vitamins that strengthen brittle hair, define texture and remove excess oil. Although it doesn’t lather like other shampoos you’ve tried before, don’t worry—it will leave your hair feeling clean and fresh after you wash it off.
Key Ingredients: Hemp seed extract, pumpkin seed extract, rice protein
Sulfate free: yes
Size: 12 fl. oz.
Best plumper: Redken Volume Injection Shampoo
Why we love it: People with oily, flat hair will notice a big difference in their hair after washing with this body-building shampoo. The key ingredient here is Philoxane, a lab-created molecule that plumps each strand without greasing it or weighing it down, making hair appear thicker and fuller.
Main Ingredients: Halothane
Sulfate Free: No
Size: 10.1 fl oz.
Oily hair problems can have many causes, with one of the most common causes being hormonal fluctuations. “These oil glands are very sensitive to hormonal regulation,” explains Tracie Evans, MD, board-certified dermatologist and medical director of Pacific Skin & Cosmetic Dermatology in San Francisco, California.
“So, children’s scalps are less oily, teenagers have very oily hair, and as we get older, the scalp starts to produce less oil and hair generally becomes less oily. Yes, similarly, menstruation, pregnancy, and so on.” Excessive oil production, increased stress levels (remember, cortisol is a hormone) and hormonal disruption due to menopause can also cause oiliness, says New York City-based dermatologist Howard Sobel, MD, a clinical attending cosmetic dermatology surgeon at Hill Hospital. Let’s talk about it.
Other factors that can cause oily hair include going too long between washes (which can cause a build-up of dirt, oil, and various styling products), using hair care products that are too heavy for your hair type, whether it’s high humidity or high humidity. Evans cites the example of sebaceous dermatitis, which is caused by yeast overgrowth on the scalp. “This can cause the hair to become very greasy and flaky,” she explains.
To prevent oily hair, you should use a shampoo specifically formulated to combat excess oil. “For patients with oily hair, I recommend using a clarifying shampoo to help avoid oil accumulation,” says Sobel. These may also be labeled “cleansing” or “detoxifying.” Laibacher suggests you should also look for foaming shampoos. “A shampoo that creates a lot of foam can help break up the oil.”
As mentioned earlier, the foaming formula in particular handles excess oil effectively. Remember, the foam comes from an ingredient called a surfactant, specifically sodium lauryl sulfate, which many people avoid because it can cause excessive stripping. While this is an obvious goal for shampoo, there are many surfactants that are less harsh on the hair and scalp, including cocamidopropyl betaine, which is derived from coconuts.
In addition, you need to look for shampoos that contain ingredients that help control oil. All of our experts recommend salicylic acid, which you may know about, in your daily skincare routine. “Salicylic acid helps exfoliate the skin, reduce inflammation and reduce oil secretion,” said Sobel. Evans also recommends the use of ketoconazole and zinc pyrithione, which she says are very helpful in controlling oil production and knots. Finally, consider looking for ingredients that help remove buildup and absorb sebum. Ingredients in the range include glycolic acid, purified clay, mud and charcoal, as well as plant extracts like rosemary and sage.
If your hair can tolerate it, our experts recommend washing your hair every day or every other day to remove excess oil, though everyone’s situation is different. “Thin, fine hair can get greasy quickly, so this hair type may need to shampoo daily,” says Sobel. “Thick hair can also go longer without washing.” She also points out that styling products, especially those that thicken, can leave greasy residue that may require more frequent washing.
We understand it—the thought of washing your hair every day might make you nervous and have to rely on dry shampoo to stretch your hair between washes. While the clay and starch in dry shampoo can temporarily make your hair look greasy, in the long run, you just add buildup to your hair, making it look greasy, Laibach says. Product buildup can also inhibit healthy hair growth, so regular cleansing is a must. If you need more motivation to wash your hair every day, know that cleansing can actually control oil: “Shampooing your hair regularly can help prevent your scalp from producing as much oil,” Laibach explains.
Morgan Rabach, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of LM Medical in New York State.
Tracy Evans, MD, MPH, is a board-certified dermatologist and the medical director of Pacific Skin & Cosmetic Dermatology in San Francisco, California.
Howard Sobel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and resident of New York, NY, is a clinical cosmetic dermatology surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital.
Kenneth Marks, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY.
