Can You Train Oily Hair?

Author: Jenna White | San Francisco Hairstylist
August 11th, 2022

For years I've heard people talk about "training" the scalp to be less oily, with the training method being focused on washing your hair less frequently. However, this theory was disproven in 1982 by Kligman and Shelley, who showed that washing your hair has no effect on the amount of oil produced by your scalp because it is the result of hormonal and genetic factors. Additionally, your sebaceous glands have no way of responding to more or less oils being present on the surface of the scalp.

The uniqueness of your hair type becomes more apparent when you hear advice that could never work for you. How frequently you should wash your hair is that kind of advice. Whether it works for you or not often has to do with two factors (1) how much oil your scalp produces and (2) how fine your hair is. In this post, I outline who should consider washing their hair daily, along with methods/schedules for doing so.

Who benefits from daily washing?

If your scalp produces too much oil your hair can have a greasy appearance. For some, that means shampooing daily to maintain a "voluminous" and “clean” look. Daily washing tends to help those with:

Lower hair density (i.e. less hair follicles per square centimeter on the scalp). This hair type can appear sparser from excess oil reducing volume.
A narrower average hair strand diameter (i.e. the diameter of the circumference of a single strand of hair). A thinner, finer hair strand tends to be less porous than a thicker courser one, which allows more oil to cling to the surface and remain visible.
Oily skin. If your skin tends to produce more oil, often your scalp will too.
Hair that tangles easily due to breakage. Washing more frequently is a great way to remove shredded hair that causes tangles.
Scalp build up. Increased oil production can lead to scalp issues, and washing more often can help mitigate these. For abnormally excessive scalp build up, you may need to consult your doctor for additional treatment options.

Who does not benefit from daily washing?

Regardless of whether your scalp produces too much oil, there are hair types where it may not be beneficial to wash daily. It tends NOT to help those with:

Higher hair density (i.e. more hair follicles per square centimeter on the scalp). People with thicker hair may feel that it appears too "puffy" if they wash daily.
A wider average hair strand diameter (i.e. the diameter of the circumference of a single strand of hair). A thicker, courser hair strand tends to absorb more oil, which removes moisture from the surface of the hair.
Dry skin. If your skin tends to underproduce oil, then you may experience a dry scalp, which needs more oil rather than less. Washing too frequently can exacerbate this problem. An overall tight scalp signals when the scalp is being "overwashed".
Naturally voluminous hair. This applies to people with both curly and straight hair. They will want to use oil-based products to counterbalance the natural "puffiness" of their hair type.

Suggested Styling Products

These are the types of products that people who daily wash should focus on. The point is to avoid oil-based products to avoid adding more oil to your hair. If you find you like oil-based products, like leave-in creams, you can still use them. Just avoid your root area. It's important to note that sulfates and silicones are not inherently bad, especially for oily hair.

"Hold" Products (ex: Mousse)
Texturizing Sprays/Products
Sea Salt Sprays (aka Beach Sprays)
Dry Shampoos
Powder Products (ex: Dry Texture Spray)

Recommended Hair Washing Schedules/Methods for Fine Hair

Try the following schedules/methods to see what works best for your hair. If you live somewhere with seasonal changes, you may find different schedules/methods work better during different seasons. Generally you will avoid applying conditioner to your root area in all of these schedules/methods. However, if you have excessive breakage it may make sense to apply conditioner to your roots as well. For those that don't know, a co-wash (mentioned in #4) is a cream cleanser that acts as a combination shampoo plus conditioner.

Day of the Week	Schedule/Method #1	Schedule/Method #2	Schedule/Method #3	Schedule/Method #4
Sunday	Shampoo twice then condition once	Condition first once then shampoo once second	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once then condition once
Monday	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once first then condition once second	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once then co-wash once
Tuesday	Shampoo twice then condition once	Condition first once then shampoo once second	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once then condition once
Wednesday	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once first then condition once second	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once then co-wash once
Thursday	Shampoo twice then condition once	Condition first once then shampoo once second	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once then condition once
Friday	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once first then condition once second	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once then co-wash once
Saturday	Shampoo twice then condition once	Condition first once then shampoo once second	Shampoo once then condition once	Shampoo once then condition once

Schedule/Method #1

Sunday: Shampoo twice then condition once
Monday: Shampoo once then condition once
Tuesday: Shampoo twice then condition once
Wednesday: Shampoo once then condition once
Thursday: Shampoo twice then condition once
Friday: Shampoo once then condition once
Saturday: Shampoo twice then condition once

Schedule/Method #2

Sunday: Condition first once then shampoo once second
Monday: Shampoo once first then condition once second
Tuesday: Condition first once then shampoo once second
Wednesday: Shampoo once first then condition once second
Thursday: Condition first once then shampoo once second
Friday: Shampoo once first then condition once second
Saturday: Condition first once then shampoo once second

Schedule/Method #3

Sunday: Shampoo once then condition once
Monday: Shampoo once then condition once
Tuesday: Shampoo once then condition once
Wednesday: Shampoo once then condition once
Thursday: Shampoo once then condition once
Friday: Shampoo once then condition once
Saturday: Shampoo once then condition once

Schedule/Method #4

Sunday: Shampoo once then condition once
Monday: Shampoo once then co-wash once
Tuesday: Shampoo once then condition once
Wednesday: Shampoo once then co-wash once
Thursday: Shampoo once then condition once
Friday: Shampoo once then co-wash once
Saturday: Shampoo once then condition once

Related blog posts:
Hair Schedules
How Often Should I Shampoo?
Detoxing Your Hair