There’s a frustrating hair type that nobody warns you about. Your roots are greasy by lunchtime, but the ends feel dry, rough and a bit sad. It’s often called combination hair, and it’s far more common than you’d think, especially if you’ve coloured, heat styled or grown your hair long.
The trouble is that most advice treats hair as either oily or dry. Fix one and you can make the other worse. The trick is to treat the scalp and the lengths as two separate jobs, so here’s how I’d approach it.
Start at the scalp
Your scalp is skin, and like the skin on your face it can get oily, dry or sensitive. If your roots are the problem, the shampoo you choose matters. Oily hair shampoo is designed to cleanse excess oil from the scalp without leaving the whole head of hair feeling stripped, and a formula along those lines is a good starting point if your roots go flat by mid afternoon. Concentrate the shampoo on the roots only, massaging gently with your fingertips, and let the suds rinse through the lengths. That’s usually all the cleansing the ends need.
If you’re not sure whether you’ve got an oil problem or a product problem, try going back to basics for a fortnight. Use a simple shampoo and conditioner, skip the serums and sprays, and see what your hair does by itself. It’s a handy way to find out what your natural baseline is.
Be kind to your lengths
Ends are older, drier and more fragile, so they need a different approach altogether. Apply conditioner from the mid lengths down, avoiding the roots completely. Leave it on for a couple of minutes while you do something else, then rinse thoroughly. Once a week, a richer mask on the ends only will give them an extra boost without making the top of your head greasy.
If your ends are really parched, a few drops of hair oil on damp ends before you style can seal in moisture. Think pea sized, not palmful. Too much will drift up to your roots and undo all your hard work.
Get the water right
It’s a small thing, but water temperature changes how your hair behaves. Very hot water can irritate the scalp and roughen the lengths, which is a double whammy for combination hair. Lukewarm is kinder. If you can finish with a splash of cooler water, it helps smooth the hair surface and add shine.
Between washes
It’s worth thinking about how much product you’re really using, too. With combination hair there’s a temptation to add a bit of everything: a mask here, a serum there, a volumising spray at the roots. More isn’t always better. Layering too many products can leave the roots heavy and the ends no better off. Pick one or two that earn their place and use them consistently, so you can tell what’s making a difference.
Dry shampoo is your friend, but use it wisely. A light spray at the roots, left for a minute and then brushed through, can extend a wash by a day. Don’t layer it for days on end, though, because build-up can leave your scalp itchy and your hair dull. Every few days, give things a proper wash.
Brushing is another thing worth thinking about. A boar bristle brush can help distribute natural oils from the roots down to the dry ends, which is handy for this hair type, since the oil that’s making your roots greasy can help condition your ends. Clean your brush regularly, along with your pillowcase and any hats you wear often, otherwise you’re just putting the grease back.
Styling and heat
Heat tools tend to hit the ends hardest. Always use a heat protectant, and keep your tools at the lowest setting that works for your hair. Try to avoid going over the same section again and again. If you can, let your hair air dry a little before you pick up the dryer, and aim the airflow down the length of the hair to smooth the surface.
Pay attention to how you dry your hair as well. Rough towelling creates friction and frizz, so squeeze out excess water with a soft towel or an old cotton t-shirt instead. It’s gentler on the ends, and it cuts down on the time you need with a hairdryer.
Hairstyles help as well. Wearing hair up in a loose style on day two can disguise roots that have seen better days, while flipping your parting to the other side gives some instant lift.
A regular trim helps too. Every eight to twelve weeks is a good rule of thumb, and it stops dry ends from splitting further. A trim isn’t glamorous, but it makes everything else you’re doing work better.
Give it time
Combination hair doesn’t sort itself out overnight. Try a new routine for three or four weeks before deciding if it’s working. Keep things simple, change one thing at a time and see how your hair responds. Once you’ve found the balance, you’ll spend a lot less time fighting your hair and a lot more time enjoying it.
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