A downside of living a busy life is trying to fit in a manageable hair-washing routine with the best shampoo and conditioner in your crammed week especially for those of us who need to fight grease and lots of buildup in one shot.
We don’t have the time to do the detox and cleanse our scalps and strands on the regular and with the thoroughness that is needed. When we do get a moment to reset our roots and ends after a long week on the hot tools and products – from dry shampoo to hair oils – we here at Who What Wear UK turn to a stable of super-powered shampoos specifically designed to target and treat oily hair.
Regular shampoos do a lot of heavy lifting, but shampoos for oily hair do even more heavy lifting, and our editorial desk has a few tried-and-tested cleansers we rely on to really clean things up. “When you are choosing your shampoo you will generally be thinking about what you think is the best thing for your hair, be that moisture, volume, colour protection or so on,” says Stephen Buller, hair specialist and co-founder of the first ever sustainable salon group in London, Buller and Rice.”Shampoos geared towards oily hair will provide a deep clean to the scalp, get rid of buildup and balance oil production without completely stripping the hair, which can cause even more oil production,” he says.
That’s a delicate balance to strike, especially when we’re looking for powerful, multitasking shampoos that add shine while banishing flakes and dandruff. You don’t have to use harsh chemicals or drying ingredients to achieve a deep clean that will leave your hair brittle and prone to breakage. In fact, after the hard yards, our team of beauty experts have found the best shampoos for oily hair that strengthen, revive and keep grease at bay.
So, how do these shampoos work on greasy hair? “You need to avoid certain ingredients, especially those found in moisturising shampoos, if you don’t want to make your hair more oily,” says Buller. Instead, our editors swear by purifying and reparative ingredients such as activated charcoal, apple cider vinegar and essential oil extracts to keep their hair cleaner longer.
Keep scrolling for everything we want you to know from our beloved rinsing essentials to the expert tips and tricks you need to take your hair-washing game to the next level—and, of course, the best shampoos for sorting out oily hair of every hair texture.
How We Tested
Here at Who What Wear UK we are an oily-haired bunch and have tried everything from clarifying shampoos to purple shampoos and even the best affordable shampoos, so who better to test out the best shampoos for oily hair than the team themselves.
To ensure we’re suggesting the best of the best, we didn’t just trial the shampoos for one wash. We trialled each shampoo over a number of washes to ensure they left our hair and scalp feeling squeaky clean. We also looked at how quickly, post-wash, our hair became greasy again — a good sign of a truly great shampoo. These are the ones that made the list…
Ouai Detox Shampoo
Key ingredients: Apple cider vinegar buffs away dead skin cells Hydrolyzed keratin for a radiant gloss
“Someone (I can’t remember who!) recommended the Ouai Detox Shampoo to me about a year ago when I was complaining that although I was washing my hair regularly, it was always greasy and oily,” says managing editor Poppy Nash.Whoever he was, I owe him greatly. “The detox shampoo has become one of my favourite products and something I won’t go without,” continues Nash. I use it once a week, to clarify my scalp and hair, and get all of the oil build-up from the week before.it is my in-shower ride or die product because it not only takes out oil but it also helps to smooth and hydrate my hair. I’ve tried other oil removing shampoos and masks before and while they have worked they haven’t left my hair particularly soft and healthy. This is a different product. The combination of this with the Ouai hair mask (that I use once every two weeks) is a total game changer. It is very gentle so you can use it as a replacement of your daily shampoo but I like to use it at the end of the week for a more intense result.
Living Proof Clarifying Detox Shampoo
Key Ingredients Activated charcoal detoxifies hair and absorbs odours and impurities.
Review: “One of my yardsticks for a good shampoo vs a bad one is whether or not it instantly leaves my scalp feeling free from grime, especially as someone with oily hair,” says SEO writer for Who What Wear UK Ava Gilchrist. Living Proof’s Clarifying Detox Shampoo, which is dark grey in colour, uses a gentle combination of cleansing agents to wash deeply without scrubbing.”This product is meant to be used only once a week, but my scalp felt healthier, more regulated and just less dry overall,” Gilchrist adds. I don’t think this stretched out the days between hair washes, but I think my scalp was generally less greasy to take off with each rinse. I also loved that this shampoo didn’t just take away that shiny look that oily hair gets, but took care of things I hadn’t even thought about like hard water build-up.
Philip Kingsley Flaky/Itchy Scalp Shampoo for Dandruff
Key Ingredients: Anti-microbial piroctone olamine soothes and clears your scalp of stubborn flakes and skin cell build up.
Review: Beauty editor Eleanor Vousden has put her hair through its paces in her quest for the best products on the market. As she’s constantly road-testing everything from hot brushes to hair-growth products, her strands have been through it all. But if there’s one thing she’s sure of, it’s that she has one go-to shampoo for oily hair. “I’ve got an oily and sensitive scalp,” Vousden says. I’ve tried a lot of shampoos, but this Philip Kingsley one is one of the few I trust to leave my scalp feeling clarified and comfortable. Having been recommended this by a trichologist, it is gentle enough for everyday use without stripping the scalp, but does a great job of keeping my roots clean and bouncy. “If you’re also prone to dryness and flakes, which can often go in tandem with oily roots, it works wonders.”
Kérastase Specifique Bain Divalent Hair Wash
Key ingredients: Vitamin B6, Glycerine.
“Everything about my hair and scalp is prone to oily, greasy roots,” says beauty director Shannon Lawlor. My hair is super long, really fine and poker straight, and all of these things add to oil on my scalp making its way down the strands of my hair. However, my hair is also very long and bleached, so my fine hair and fragile ends are prone to dryness and breakage. So, all in all, it’s not an easy mop to get a handle on.”That said, Kérastase Specifique Bain Divalent Shampoo makes things a whole lot easier for me,” adds Lawlor. The smart formula helps to clarify roots and control excess sebum production on the scalp, while an amino acid and vitamin B6 concoction works on dry, weak ends, leaving them feeling stronger and more hydrated. “I’ve gone through bottles of it and I plan to go through many, many more in the future,” she adds. Her favourite part of all? “Whilst clarifying shampoos can sometimes feel a bit medicinal and boring, this stuff forms a rich lather, smells wonderfully fresh and provides a salon-like luxury experience at home. “You win, as always, Kérastase.
Davines Shampoo Rebalancing
Main Ingredients: An invigorating blend of lemon leaf, cassia bark and ginger root.
Review: “This sounds odd, but I love nothing more than the sensation of tight and fresh skin. “It’s a feeling I usually only get after exfoliating my face or body, but something I’ve rarely had on my hair, to my disappointment,” Gilchrist says.
On the other hand I also hate the feeling of a scalp scrub. I know it’s supposed to get rid of any leftover gunk, but there’s something about rubbing an abrasive product into my roots that feels counterintuitive to my goal. That’s why, when I was told to try Davines Rebalancing Shampoo by top international hairstylist Diane Gorgievski, it felt like I’d found a miracle potion.”“First of all, the formula itself is silky smooth, so it glides effortlessly across my strands and lathers up beautifully,” adds Gilchrist. “B-Corp-certified Italian haircare brand Davines only uses sustainable and natural ingredients, so I know it’s nourishing from within, too. And most importantly, it’s a super-gentle everyday shampoo, specially formulated to restore balance to an oily scalp. It’s anti-inflammatory so you know, any itchiness or dryness is instantly soothed.The ginger-infused blend also provides a rich scent that lasts on my hair days after washing, while stimulating the scalp,” says Gilchrist. I straighten my hair once a week and I can honestly say I look forward to using this shampoo because of the squeaky clean feeling I get. My hair never feels stripped, but I always leave the shower with that fresh and new feeling I craved.”
Fekkai Apple Cider Triple Cleanse Hair Shampoo
Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, apple cider vinegar.
Review: “I have psoriasis and whilst it isn’t on my scalp as such (and this shampoo doesn’t claim to be for psoriasis), it does mean my scalp gets itchy and flaky quickly,” says copy editor Georgia Seago. Thanks to this shampoo and matching scalp scrub, I think Fekkai is a very underrated haircare brand. I use this every other wash with the scrub above and have had brilliant results.It has a nice fresh citrusy fragance and a scalp friendly pH level. I feel like it cleans really thoroughly but never leaves my hair feeling dry or stripped. After scrubbing, I only lather it into my scalp, and rinse it through my lengths as I wash it out.
Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
Key Ingredients Patented bond builder.
“I’m always trying different conditioners but when it comes to shampoo, I only use Olaplex’s No. 4 Bond Maintenance,” says editorial assistant Brittany Davy.It cleans all the build up on my scalp without my hair having that squeaky clean finish that makes it look dull and dry. “I also straighten my hair a lot, so I love that it’s formulated to strengthen and repair damaged hair!”
Davines Ol Shampoo
Key Ingredients: Roucou oil nourishes to create soft, shiny and voluminous hair.
Review: While other shampoos are boasting high-octane ingredients to really deep-cleanse and strip buildup, Davines’s OI Shampoo is taking a different approach to combatting grease. The texture of this shampoo for oily hair is milky and softens hair. It also has roucou oil, a “secret” ingredient that the natives of the Amazon rainforest use to protect themselves from environmental damage and daily stress. Yes, adding oil to your oily hair can sometimes be beneficial.
