6 Best Drugstore Shampoos for Oily Hair that work
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In need of a great drugstore shampoo for oily hair? Look no more!
No one can better understand your struggle with flat, oily, dirty hair than I. You could wash your hair every single day and still end up with heavy hair by the end of the night (and it’s not even funny, brb crying). What’s even worse? I have ultra-long hair, and it takes at least 2 hours for them to air dry.
Life is already tough. And I know washing your hair daily is just an additional task you want to get rid of. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be expensive.
So here are 6 best drugstore shampoos for oily hair that are so good that you won’t ever want to switch again. Trust me, these are game-changers!
What to look for in a shampoo for oily hair?
I know it is hard to find the best drugstore shampoo for oily hair when all the other shampoos probably dry your ends and suck out all the oil of your hair, signaling your scalp to produce even more oil just like your skin.
So when shopping for the best shampoos for oily hair, it’s crucial to check the ingredient first. Anything moisturizing or hydrating is a big no-no as they’ll just contribute to the natural oil and weigh the hair down, making them appear less bouncy and fresh.
Ingredients like tea tree oil, rosemary oil, or apple cider vinegar will be great to zap the oil and dirt without stripping the scalp, and ingredients like glycerin and jojoba oil will naturally nourish your hair, so your scalp doesn’t get triggered to produce more oil.
Sulfates may be harmful in the dictionary, but it is essential to know that they work the best to eliminate excessive build-up and oil like no other. So if it works for you, there’s no harm in trying a shampoo with it.
Now that you know that, you can better judge what drugstore shampoo for oily hair suits you better.
6 best drugstore shampoos for oily hair
1. OGX Hydrating + Tea Tree Mint Shampoo
And I hereby stand with OGX hydrating and tea tree mint shampoo that helps to cleanse your scalp and does not trigger it to produce excessive oil. It also doesn’t dry out your hair ends, so don’t worry about that.
Trusted by more than 12,372 positive reviewers, this shampoo is great for oily hair because of its key ingredients – tea tree oil and peppermint, which helps soothe the scalp and keeps oil at bay. And if parabens and sulfates trouble you, you’ll be glad to know that it doesn’t have them!
The shampoo adds a gorgeous volume and bounces along with nourishing and restoring its natural softness. Also, it comes with a tea tree + mint conditioner that is just as good and makes the hair look naturally healthy.
Works absolutely amazing for all hair types and textures. But not for colored hair (even though they say it does). Overall, it is a pretty good affordable shampoo for greasy hair, and it costs nothing to try once.
2. Degrease Shampoo for Oily Hair
As the name suggests, Degrease from Maple Holistics is one of the most popular drugstore shampoos for oily hair that helps tackle a dirty scalp and leave it fresh and dry in one wash. Suitable for all hair types, this sulfate-free formula contains some nice essential oil like Rosemary oil, Jojoba oil, Lemon oil, and basil oil that can nourish your hair but also gets rid of excessive oil and grim naturally without drying your scalp.
It has an added fragrance of lemon, which I personally like, but if you are fragrance sensitive, you’ll want to avoid it. Also, it has glycerin to moisturize the scalp and botanical keratin that can help strengthen your hair in the long term.
And yes, don’t worry if the shampoo doesn’t lather in one wash because it won’t. But this shampoo lathers the second time.
Pro Tip: To clean your hair properly, it is always advised to shampoo twice, once to clean all the dirt and oil, and another to completely get rid of them. This also allows you to extend the life of your fresh dry hair, meaning you will not have to wash your hair every other day.
All in all, for less than $10 and with more than 6,501 people giving it 5 stars, I think it is a great clarifying shampoo for oily hair that doesn’t rip your scalp off oil.
3. Aveeno Scalp Soothing Shampoo
No doubt, this is one of the best drugstore shampoos for oily hair and my personal favorite. Every oz of this shampoo works for oily hair. With all the goodness of Apple cider vinegar and oats, this shampoo stands true to its claims of clarifying the scalp and adding shine and volume to dull hair.
It helps clean out the scalp with the help of ACV (apple cider vinegar) and restores a healthy pH balance in the scalp. And oats help soothe the scalp and keep it well-hydrated (not greasy) all the time.
I have always loved Aveeno for doing its best with natural ingredients. This shampoo is not disappointing since it is a sulfate-free, dye-free, paraben-free formula suitable for all hair types, textures, and colors.
4. Ethique Shampoo Bar for Oily Hair
Not the most affordable shampoo but this bar for oily hair has my heart! It is a 100% sustainable, ethically sourced product made from natural and extremely effective ingredients. The bar is equivalent to 3 bottles of shampoo (I mean, wh…hatttt?), is PH Balanced, and is 100% soap-free are all the more reasons to love it.
But this is not why it is amazing. Clearly, this shampoo bar is made with oily hair in mind. It features orange, lemon oil, and castor oil as its key ingredients, which help get rid of extra oil without stripping the scalp, and vegetarian glycerine that moisturizes the hair without adding additional oil to it.
And did I mention that your hair will feel a little softer than usual? No doubt, this has been a game-changer for so many people out there. You can check by yourself here.
Although, stringing this bar is a little problem because you have to buy a bar holder, which I strongly recommend if you want this to last longer. Ethique has its own plastic-free, vegan bamboo and sugar cane bar holder, but you can buy whatever you like.
Overall, I’m a fan, and I love the idea of a plastic-free world, which this brand boasts of. And it takes much less water to rinse off since it’s not dense like other shampoos and gets the work done without being too much for the hair. It’s safe to say it is one of the best eco-friendly drugstore shampoos for oily hair.
5. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying Shampoo
They say the best-clarifying shampoos should be clear because whatever is used to make them milky could make the hair greasier and should be avoided. I guess Neutrogena listened!
This is the number 1 drugstore oily hair treatment that you only have to use once a week to get rid of 90% of the heavy, dulling residue caused by shampoos, conditioners & hair styling products (as they claim). It is a mild, non-irritating formula that gets rid of all the build-up instantly and makes your hair oil-free, fresh, and voluminous.
No, it is not a voluminous shampoo, but when your hair is not pulled down by oil, it naturally bounces more. The best way to use it is to use it before your regular shampoo once a week for your daily shampoo to work even better.
But the only downside to this wonderful shampoo is that it has sodium Laureth sulfate as one of its ingredients. But the positive light is that sulfates can really help get rid of oil, and you don’t have to use them quite often.
I say you HAVE TO give it a try if you are really struggling with really oily hair. This shampoo treatment is amazing and worth every single cent!
6. L’Oreal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Shampoo
Clay is known to absorb excess oil and keep the area fresh and clean. And Loreal’s elvive shampoo is made up of 3 different kinds of refined clay that wash away dirt and oil like magic in order to keep the roots fresh and hair ends hydrated for up to 48 hours. It also contains salicylic acid that helps to remove all the residue from other hair styling and care products.
The only problem with this shampoo is that it is not sulfate-free, even though it is silicone-free. Despite that, people absolutely love this $5 bottle because it works for the purpose – of getting rid of the oily scalp along with hydrating the roots. So if you think you can make it work, Loreal Elvive shampoo is a cheap steal!
some useful oily hair tips
Sometimes changing your daily lifestyle habits can have a massive impact on your body, skin and hair. Here are some other useful tips that may help balance oil levels in your hair and make these drugstore shampoos for oily hair work better.
1. skip brushing between hair washes
While brushing your hair, you tend to bring the oil and sweat from your scalp to the hair ends which can signal your scalp to produce more oil. (I know this is stupid but this is how your hair works, don’t blame me!) So avoid brushing your hair often.
2. change your pillow cover often
You don’t even know how important your bed and pillow covers can be for your skin and hair. By not switching them often, you are going to the dirt and oil from the previous day. So try to change your pillow covers once a week.
3. do not overwash or under wash your hair
Over-washing can strip your scalp completely, signaling your scalp to produce more oil, and under-washing your hair, obviously, your hair is going to feel heavy with all the accumulated oil. So it’s like trial and error to find the best place and days for washing your hair.
4. use baby shampoo
If nothing works or you are very sensitive to the above-mentioned shampoos, try using baby shampoo, as it will gently clean the excessive oil and debris and won’t trigger more oil.
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Oh I feel your struggle too. Oily hair are tough. Hope this will help
Oh girl, I have extremely oily hair and I was totally fed up with them. It’s like I’ll get oil after 5 minutes of washing them. So I tried one of your recommendations of ogx shampoo and I cannot be happier. This shampoo is amazingggg and my hair gets oily now after 3-4 days which i can handle easily. It’s easier than 5 minutes, lmao. Thanks!
“Anything hydrating or moisturizing is a big no-no”
“#1: OGX Hydrating Tea Tree Mint Shampoo”
?????????????
Hey Codi, just because a product is hydrating, that doesn’t mean that it won’t or can’t work. There are some shampoos that are just hydrating without having active ingredients like tea tree or mint, those are the shampoos that are a big no no. Hope you’ve got the idea!
I’ve used the one from aveeno and I like it a lot!
Woah, the recommendations!!! Thank you gurllll
Thanks for sharing this helpful information.
The best recommendations so far! So real!
Oh yes! I have seen other people recommending poor products and these were amazing. She def is honest with her recommendations. And tips are life changing, right?
thanks for sharing these useful tips and information.