Oily hair and dandruff

Oily hair is a hair type, just like skin, which can be dry, oily or combination. In some people, sebum is produced in excess, especially during puberty. It is sebum that makes hair oily and look greasy. Is oily hair and dandruff related? What should I do if I have oily hair and dandruff?

Oily dandruff

Produced in normal quantities, sebum is beneficial, as it helps to maintain the skin's moisture levels and also protects the scalp from external aggressions. But if it is produced in excess, it can lead to an imbalance and make hair look greasy.

There are a number of micro-organisms that live in symbiosis on the scalp's surface. These include yeasts of the genus Malassezia. These yeasts feed on lipids, so they are present in greater proportions in areas rich in sebum. When sebum is produced in excess, Malassezia yeasts can therefore proliferate.

In people with dandruff, it has been shown that these yeasts are involved in the phenomenon of desquamation that characterises them.
This is why it is possible to see dandruff in people with oily hair. Dandruff in oily hair can be itchy and have a strong impact on quality of life, due to its unsightly appearance.

Managing oily dandruff

If you have oily hair and dandruff, there are a number of tips you can follow and treatment shampoos available in pharmacies for fighting this "oily dandruff". They absorb excess sebum and can sometimes regulate it, and they act against the factors that cause dandruff including yeasts of the genus Malassezia. Dandruff and oily hair are two closely related phenomena, because an environment rich in sebum is conducive to the development of dandruff, although this is not always the case. It is also possible to have a dry scalp and dandruff.