You just got out of the shower. You wash your hair with shampoo and dry it off. Still, you feel your hair waxy. Don’t worry because you are not alone.
Are you wondering why my hair feels waxy? Well, there can be different reasons for that. But in reality, it is often linked with the fact that you have too much oil in your hair. That could be because your scalp generates more oil, but that could also have something to do with a shampoo full of oil that can leave a residue in your hair.
We will talk about the main reasons behind waxy hair below.
Why does my hair feel waxy?
Washing your hair can be refreshing for most and a chore for a few. The amount of time and effort to clean your hair can differ from one person to another. Nonetheless, dealing with waxy hair afterward can be a real struggle for anyone and leave you feeling defeated.
The initial step to solving any problem is finding the cause. You may think that your waxy hair problem is a simple fix or could bring attention to an underlying problem.
It is time we explore some of the main reasons why you could not have clean and fresh-smelling hair. Perhaps you are going through one of these problems and have not noticed it yet.
- Health issues or hormone imbalance
Changing your hair routine is simple, minimizing the use of hair products. However, if you’ve adapted your routine and tried everything and your hair is still greasy or waxy, it may be time to call your doctor for some check-ups.
Most people aren’t even aware that they could be having a hormone imbalance. They are tough to locate, and their symptoms can be confused with other problems. For instance, your hormones and health influence the health of your scalp and hair.
Diet, vitamin deficiencies, stress, and different other factors that trigger your hormones and health will, in turn, impact your hair. If your hair is dull, greasy, or limp, it may be time to determine if there are any underlying causes of your waxy hair.
After all, health is wealth. A doctor’s check-up can help identify the real cause behind your waxy hair strands.
- A new environment
Have you relocated to a new town, climate, or environment? What changes have you observed in your hair since that move? Perhaps you lived in an extremely polluted place. Shockingly enough, the environment can substantially affect your hair.
A study discovered that air pollution was producing an oily scalp in individuals living in cities, together with other scalp problems like dandruff and itching. You probably know that pollution is awful, but did you know it impacts your strands?
Environmental damage can affect the hair being greasy and waxy, particularly if you live in a densely polluted region. Also, hair can absorb the air around you, and it makes sense why pollution can impact the skin, scalp, and strands.
Air pollution can contribute to dandruff, excessive sebum secretion, itching, redness, scalp irritation, hair loss, and pain in the roots. Thus, changing your hair routine and diet to fight your environment is essential for your health.
- Product buildup
Do you often style your hair regularly or use different hair products daily? That can weigh your hair down over time. What’s more, massive amounts of hair products can coat the strands and hold your hairstyle, but they might not wash out properly.
Even conditioner and shampoo with sensitizing ingredients can result in product buildup. The remaining residue from all the hair products can leave you feeling greasy and gradually damage the hair over time. That will lead to limp hair and breakage.
Conditioners and shampoos can also cause product buildup, especially if they’re not formulated with quality ingredients. Extra hair products such as sprays, gels, and creams can also affect or clog hair follicles, affecting hair growth.
- Seborrheic dermatitis
Seborrheic dermatitis is categorized as eczema of the scalp. It is a skin condition that most people have experienced. Symptoms may include itching, red skin, skin flakes, oily scalps, etc.
This condition can be treated, but you may need some assistance from a doctor. Oily areas are the most prone to seborrheic dermatitis and can cause greasy or waxy hair.
Take note that your hair’s health begins with your scalp’s health. The scalp can pass on its traits to the strands. Thus, if you’re dealing with this condition or flaky, oily scalp, it can trickle down into the ends, leading to a greasy or waxy texture.
- Poor blood circulation
Maintaining your scalp and hair is also vital to living a healthy life.
When we talk about your scalp, ensuring proper blood circulation is important. You can do small things to support proper blood circulation, like combing your hair, massaging it with oil in intervals, and eating healthy.
How do you get rid of waxy hair?
There is an unlimited list of causes that contributes to waxy hair. Fortunately, waxy hair is treatable. From long-term solutions to quick fixes, check out the following methods below to solve your waxy and filmy strands.
- Stop ignoring your scalp
In the war against waxy hair, your pores and skin are vital. Stay away from silicones that can clog your pores. Alternatively, go for products made to clean the scalp and preserve its natural pH balance.
Make sure you give up scalp treatment every few months with a decent organic hair mask.
- The right combination
You need to use the right shampoo and condition to accomplish the perfect balance to keep your scalp and hair healthy. They don’t need to match the same brand.
You must be good to go as long as you don’t overdo it with your shampoo and conditioner. Consider using a lighter conditioner if your shampoo has lots of moisture.
- Learn how to rinse your hair properly
You should do your best to rinse the hair products from your hair, no matter how rushed you are. Not doing this means the ingredients will become trapped, secreting more oil to the hair.
When rinsing, you should stay away from using too much hot water. Lukewarm or warm water must be used to wash your hair. When the cuticles can open, the shampoo can easily do its job.
You can also stop dehydrating your scalp by avoiding the use of very hot water and causing it to produce too much oil.
- Shampoo twice
Stylists suggest washing, lathering, and rinsing to get the best results. During the first round, buildup and debris will be eliminated. The second round will help the scalp to be thoroughly cleaned.
- Be aware of the presence of oil
Are you using natural shampoo? You may be contributing to your hair’s waxiness as these products are high in oils.
These can be tough to eliminate, leading to waxy hair. Go for shampoos made with lavender, aloe vera, and tea tree oil if you like to keep it natural but stop waxiness. A useful item to keep in mind is jojoba oil, which lessens the amount of oil your body produces.
- Shampoo with a mild formula
The kind of conditioner and shampoo you use might affect the oiliness of your hair. Therefore, the cycle of shampooing your hair to eliminate waxiness, chemicals depleting the hair of its natural oils, and the scalp making more to balance that out is disseminated in most shampoo products.
It will help if you use a glycosides-based shampoo as an alternative to a sulfate-based one. After all, natural oils are left in the hair after using that product to wash it.
- Don’t wash your hair daily
Dry scalp and hair can lead to too much hair washing. You see, the scalp is deprived of its essential natural oils. Your hair becomes waxy and oily because the scalp produces too much oil to compensate.
- Start a healthy diet
Consider cutting or removing particular food groups from your diet. Waxy hair might be triggered by blocked pores on the scalp caused by wrong diet consumption.
- Keep your combs and brushes clean
Between hair washes, make sure to wash your caps, towels, combs, and brushes. That stops the build-up of sebum on the hair goods that are subsequently reverted to the hair.
- Stay away from various styling products
It will help if you stay away from using styling products that involve a huge amount of wax or oil. Such can contribute to the accumulation of debris in the hair and cause it to overproduce oil.
- Use a light conditioner
It will also help if you start using a light condition and prevent the roots if possible. Remember that products that aren’t heavy on the scalp are less susceptible to accumulation over time.
- Start using natural products
Waxiness in hair can be substantially minimized by using green-tea infused products.
Another alternative is using apple cider vinegar. Get a bottle of apple cider vinegar and massage it all over the hair (while the hair is dry). You can leave it in your hair for ten minutes before washing it again.
- Stop too much conditioning
To prevent too much oil production, make sure you don’t slather condition all over the scalp and hair at once. The ideal way to apply it is to work your way down from the earlobes. A greasy and oily scalp can be prevented with this method.
- Shampoo your hair with clarifying properties
You can remove residue and buildup from hair products by using a clarifying shampoo every once a week. Less greasy hair must be the result of less buildup.
When to take advice from a dermatologist
There are instances when DIY is not working anymore. This is when a meeting with a dermatologist should be pursued.
Checking for hormonal imbalances or other health ailments that may trigger extreme oil production can help identify the root cause of waxiness.
Another alternative is to ask a dietician that can help you identify whether your diet is causing an excess of oil production.
Sign of healthy hair
Identifying the state of your hair is a crucial insight not only for hair health but overall health. There are a few ways to determine if your hair is healthy by the feel, the look, and response to regular styling and maintenance.
- Little no to breakage
When your hair is healthy, it has elasticity and will easily snap back into place. If it’s not healthy, it will snap into pieces when put under pressure.
That makes tiny pieces of hair that you may find on your counters or floors. It also makes scraggly and short hairs on your head when the breakage happens.
Hair breakage can be caused by over-styling, a diet low in protein or iron, over-drying, chemical damage, or heat damage.
- Fullness and thickness
While fullness and thickness are different from one head to another, they can be a great sign of whether your hair is healthy or not. Shedding and breakage can contribute to thinning.
- No split ends
Split ends are when a split happens in the hair shaft and is caused by too much heat, harsh combing, and dryness. After you have a split end, there is no way to remove it except by trimming the hair strand above the split.
- Shine and softness
We are not talking about the manufactured or store-bought shine. We are talking about the “real thing.” Shine and softness are good signs that your hair is properly moisturized.
- A regular amount of shedding
Normal hair can shed at least 100 to 200 strands every day. We know how you never counted the number of hair strands shedding from your head, but you can notice when your hair is shedding more.
That’s when you should know your hair is not as healthy as you think it is, and it’s missing something that it needs, like protein or moisture.
- Easy detangle
When you run your fingers through your hair, it should not be frizzy and tangled, and it should not feel weak or dry.
Anyone and everyone can be prone to tangled hair, but it’s likely to result from bleach damage, heat, dry hair, or products that have alcohol like gels and hairsprays.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that your hair must be as crucial to you as any other part of your body. If you take good care of your skin, the same goes for your hair as well to ensure it is completely healthy. There can be different reasons why your hair feels waxy or oily, even after you have washed it numerous times.
However, half of those concerns can be easily resolved by keeping a clean and healthy lifestyle. You should know your hair and pick products accordingly that you would think to suit your hair’s texture.
The above changes do not have to be overwhelming—start one step at a time. Through the process of elimination, you can determine why your hair feels waxy.
We hope this guide has been useful to you. What of these tips and methods will you add to your daily life? We’d like to know your thoughts. Feel free to leave them in the comments section below!