Got Grease? Here's How To Hide It!

By BR Kellie

Oily hair. Ugh. I have had it for as long as I can remember. In fact I don't remember a time when it didn't plague me. Actually, that's not true. I once did that no-poo thing during the school holidays to see if your hair could actually stop being oily. It worked, but I recall having this feeling of grossness for a month to get to that stage, and by the end of it I washed my hair again and rendered the experiment useless. Sure, I could have kept it going, and since oil is the bane of my hair-life, it would have made sense to. But I missed shampooing and conditioning. I enjoy the ritual of wetting my hair, lathering it up with shampoo, giving my scalp a wee massage, then rinsing it out and conditioning it so it feels all soft and lovely. I especially enjoy how my hair feels silky and shiny, and smells really good after a wash - something that didn't happen during the no-poo experiement. However the flip side of this love of cleansing my hair means that when I wake up on day two I look like I've been dragged through an oily bush backwards. Oily hair. Once more with gusto - Ugh.

So what's a girl to do if she's running late, or is out camping (this does not apply to me, I do not camp), or for some cruel reason the water is out, and you can't wash your hair and the threat of oil-slick is real? Check out these hair hacks to beat the grease!

Perhaps the first and most obvious answer is to slap a hat on it. Beanies, fancy floppy hats, cute caps - they'll all do the job of hiding oily hair. And, as an added bonus, if you choose the right hat you can look seriously stylish while committing your slick subterfuge. 

Believe it or not your hair can be your ultimate weapon in hiding a greasy mess! It all depends on how you use it. Gather it together and tie it up into a sleek top-knot and you've a super chic look! Or plait around the frame of your face, milk-maid girl styles, and no one will notice your limp locks.

Of course, if you're in a jam and the sitch is really bad then you can grab some talcum powder or cornstarch, shake it in the roots and rub it in. This trick works better on fairer hair, but if you do have darker hair, you can tint the talc or cornstarch with cocoa powder in order to ensure you're not rocking a head full of greying roots. One thing (and I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but you know, better to be safe than gluggy), don't wet your oily hair and then try this trick at home. It won't result in anything good. 

Not only is rocking a head scarf the ultimate in old-school glamour - it's an excellent way to hide your hair! Pop on some oversized sunnies and slick on a bright colour lippy and you'll be ready to take on the world in a look so elegant no one would suspect your scarf is hiding one hot mess.

Of course, another way to keep your oily hair in check is to find products that keep it looking fresher, longer, like L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Clay system. It features a shampoo, coonditioner and dry shampoo, as well as - and this is what's really got me excited - a Clay Masque you use pre-shampoo! Apparently you pop it on, leave it for ten minutes to deeply cleanse your roots, then use the shampoo to rinse it out, followed by the conditioner. What are you left with? Non-oily hair that'll go the distance! No more daily washing! You can bet that product is going to be a mainstay of this oily haired girl's routine. 

So do tell my fellow oily haired beauties... when you're struck with a case of oily hair so bad you half expect people to set up camp on your head to save the poor birdies that are surely stranded in it... what do you do? What are your tips and tricks? As always, sharing is caring!