Chronic oily scalp and oily hair are most often the result of over-active sebaceous glands. Combined with dirt, bacteria accumulation and hair product build-up, oily scalp can lead to itchiness, flaking, and in some cases, scalp psoriasis or dermatitis. Sebaceous glands are co-located and found with follicle pores. Their function is to produce and secrete hair oil (sebum) for the follicle shaft, root, and cuticle. Hair oil coats the shaft and provides nourishment and flexibility. It can also provide shine and control if your hair is dry or dull. If your glands are over-active, excess oil can be produced and can accumulate on the scalp, hair and can clog follicle pores. Excess oil can trap dirt and combine with yeast to create bacteria, irritation and inflammation.

Many of our customers contact us for what is the best shampoo for oily scalp. Our experience and feedback from customers leads us to recommend shampoo formulated specifically for oil scalp and hair – specifically products that include either Zinc PCA or Peppermint, Spearmint, or Menthol in their formulations. Zinc PCA helps regulate the sebaceous glands and slows oil production. Used in shampoos (and some conditioners), Zinc PCA is highly effective both for deep cleaning – as in a “clarifying” shampoo – and for washing away oil, dirt and grease found on the scalp or in the hair. Zinc PCA also has other benefits related to hair loss. DHT is the leading cause of hair loss in men. DHT is created by a conversion of enzymes and restricts blood flow, nutrients and growth of new hair. Zinc PCA helps block this conversion and is a frequent active ingredient in hair loss shampoos.

An effective alternative to Zinc PCA is Menthol. Menthol is derived form the “mints” – Peppermint and Spearmint, in particular. Menthol has many of the same properties of Zinc PCA with several added benefits. One, it smells great – refreshing and stimulating. Not a bad trait for a shampoo used first thing in the morning. Secondly, it makes your scalp “feel” clean. As popular advertising goes “the tingle tells you its working”. The best shampoos for oily scalp also have other ingredients we recommend. Sodium Laureth Sulfate as a surfactant. Surfactants produce the foaming action. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is gentle on the scalp and help reduce inflammation, itching and the risk of allergies. Jojoba Oil is also helpful. Jojoba Oil mimics sebum yet is super-effective for deep cleaning and irrigating follicle pores of trapped dirt and oil.

Zinc is a trace mineral that has many important roles in the human body. All of these roles are essential for the growth of thick, healthy hair. Zinc helps the body reproduce cells, absorb vitamins, controlling hormones and the synthesis of proteins. Whilst all of these are obviously important one of the more important ways zinc helps the body is by controlling hormones, most importantly testosterone. By keeping an eye on your testosterone levels zinc is doing its part to not only hold on to your precious hair, but also help you grow more.

So now we all know that zinc is important to stop normal hair loss the next question is how do we get enough zinc in our bodies? The most obvious choice is through our food. Food that is rich in zinc include: shellfish, wheat germ, veal liver, squash seeds and peanuts. Unfortunately their are a few issues when it comes to getting all of your zinc from food. The main issue is that the body only absorbs a small amount of zinc that is present in our foods, between 25-30% in fact. The other is that what you consume the food with affects how much zinc is absorbed. Both calcium and fibre prevent the body absorbing zinc completely. Calcium competes with zinc for consumption whilst zinc and fibre bind together so that your hard earned zinc ends up in the toilet bowl.

With normal consumption of zinc through eating food being hit and miss at best, then getting zinc through supplementation seems to be the obvious choice. Whilst most zinc supplements aren’t primarily considered a thinning hair product they do help against normal hair loss and aid growth. Another option to make sure that your body and hair get all the zinc they need is to take a hair growth supplement that not only contains zinc but also other vitamins for hair loss, such as b6 and biotin. This shouldn’t be difficult as all of the best hair loss treatment products contain a range of vitamins and minerals that will give you luscious, sexy hair.