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Oily Hair and Sceen

Oily Hair and Skin

You thought you’d left this problem in high school. But unlike vocabulary lists, algebra and cafeteria pizza, oily hair and skin have followed you into adulthood. The results? Limp hair caused by oil clinging to it and flattening it out, and shiny spots on your face where oil collects.

The problem starts in your sebaceous glands, which lie just below the surface of the skin. In some people, these glands produce an excess of oil, which flows through pores and onto your hair and skin. Oily hair and skin are usually hereditary conditions, say experts. The natural remedies in this chapter, used with your doctor’s approval, may help prevent or treat oily hair and skin, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When...

Your extremely oily hair is accompanied by acne, excessive hairiness or, in women, hair loss.

Aromatherapy

The best way to regulate oily skin may be to add more oil to it—essential oil, that is, according to Los Angeles aromatic consultant John Steele. “Essential oils don’t have the greasy consistency we associate with the word oil,” he explains. “They’re very light and quickly absorbed into the skin.” For a purifying facial oil that’s light enough for oily skin, Steele says to add two drops of lemongrass essential oil to 1¼2 ounce of carrier oil such as apricot or hazelnut (available in most health food stores) and apply to the face after every cleansing. “Lemongrass has antibacterial properties and does a wonderful job of degreasing the skin and regulating overactive sebaceous glands,” says Steele. Do not use more than two drops of this essential oil, he cautions, as it can irritate sensitive skin.

Essential oils can also be used to care for oily hair, says San Francisco herb alist Jeanne Rose, chairperson of the National Center for Holistic Aroma therapy, in Aromatherapy: Applications and Inhalations. To boost the cleaning power of your regular shampoo, she recommends adding eight drops of rose geranium essential oil and eight drops of lemongrass essential oil to an eight-ounce bottle.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Food Therapy

De-grease your diet, says Michael A. Klaper, M.D., a nutritional medicine specialist in Pompano Beach, Florida, and director of the Institute of Nutritional Education and Research, an organization based in Manhattan Beach, California, that teaches doctors about nutrition and its relationship to disease. “Oily hair and skin sometimes are the result of eating too many fats in your diet—things such as doughnuts and potato chips. The heavy fats in these foods work their way into the skin oils, contributing to overly oily skin and acne. If it leaves a grease spot on a paper towel, avoid it.”

Homeopathy

Personal treatment by a medical doctor or homeopath may be necessary to control oily hair and skin, but try these 6C remedies first, writes Andrew Lockie, M.D., author of The Family Guide to Homeopathy. He says to take one of these remedies every 12 hours. If you notice no improvement in a month, see your medical doctor or homeopath.

If you have greasy hair, Dr. Lockie suggests trying Bryonia first. If that doesn’t work, he says you may need to try a more specific remedy such as Mercurius, which helps people who have oily hair, a sweaty, tight sensation in the scalp, excessive saliva and intolerance of heat and cold. If you have oily, thinning hair, particularly after an extended period of stress or grief, try Phosphoricum acidum, he says.

If you have oily, shiny skin that is worse on hairy parts of your body and you feel constipated, Dr. Lockie recommends Natrum muriaticum. Mercurius is a good remedy for a trembling person who has sticky perspiration, increased saliva production and an unpleasant oily film on his face that is worse in cold and hot weather, he says.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

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