Have you ever gotten out of the shower, dried your hair and still found that your hair feels almost waxy to the touch? You’re not alone.

Many people feel that even after washing their hair, that it can sometimes feel strange when running their fingers through it. It’s as if there is a residue lingering in the hair that didn’t come off even after you took a shower.

Waxy feeling hair can lead to trouble styling, itchiness and redness, and overall concerns with hair health. It’s important to figure out the root cause of your waxy hair so that you know how to solve the problem.

What Causes Hair to Feel Waxy?

The cause of waxy hair can be difficult to pin down as it may not be caused by one single element. External elements as well as an unhealthy diet can all be causing your hair to develop the feeling of residue left on your hair. Thankfully once you’ve discovered the root cause of the build up on your hair, you can begin to change what you do to your body and/or your hair to help combat the issue.

So, what is causing your hair to get that waxy feeling?

Quality of Water and Temperature

Hard Water is found in most homes in the United States and could be leading to unhealthy hair. Hard water has an excess of minerals like calcium and magnesium, which can leave sort of a film over your body. It can also cause your soap and shampoo to not lather as well.

Hard water itself isn’t detrimental to our health, but the minerals found in it can strip our hair of its natural oil leaving the hair more brittle and with that waxy feeling.

In addition to that, if you’re washing your hair with extremely hot water, you may be doing yourself a disfavor. High temperatures can lead to dehydration which can cause your scalp to expel more oils than it normally does, and this can also affect the texture of your hair.

Washing Your Hair Too Often

While it may seem counterintuitive, washing your hair too frequently could be leading to oily or waxy feeling hair as well.

As we mentioned above, our hair and scalp naturally produce oils to help keep it healthy and protected. If you’re washing your hair too often you could be constantly stripping the hair of those oils, which in turn can cause your scalp to go into overdrive to help replace it.

If your scalp starts to produce more oil than is necessary, you’re going to end up with waxy or oily feeling hair.

Of course, we still need to shower in order to keep good hygiene, but consider not washing your hair each time, showering less frequently, or switching up the type of shampoo and/or conditioner you’re using.  Shampooing 3 times a week is plenty for most people.

Product Residue and Harsh Shampoos

Do you use a lot of products in your hair?

Even the wrong type of shampoo could be adding excess oil to your hair that isn’t necessary. In fact, a lot of natural shampoos have added ingredients like coconut oil, which will add to the natural oils that our scalp already produces. This can lead to an unwanted build up of oils across your hair.

It’s not only the case with natural shampoos either. Traditional shampoos can be loaded with ingredients used to help deep clean your hair, but at the same time they may also strip the natural oils needed to keep your hair healthy.  It can be a tricky balance between excessive cleaning and oil buildup.

If you notice that your hair is feeling oily or waxy even after you shower, one of the first things you should do is think about switching the products that you use. Different types of hair call for different types of products, so make sure you’re using a shampoo and/or conditioner that is best suited to your type of hair. It’s best to rotate products rather than use the same shampoo and conditioner forever and ever.

Unhealthy Diet

We’ve all heard that eating food filled with excess fat and grease can cause our skin to look unhealthy, and even cause acne, but did you know that it could also be affecting your hair?

Eating unhealthy foods can cause a change in the oils that build up on your scalp which can then cause your hair to feel oily and waxy. Imaging the difference between the way butter looks when sitting on your counter vs. olive oil.  One is opaque and solid, the other is a translucent liquid. Saturated fats (like butter) are solid at room temperature. Did you know that every cell in your body is lined by a layer of fats that come from our diet.  Unsaturated fats (like olive oil) are fluid and possibly make our cells more pliable.  Cutting down on junk food that contain “transfats” or unhealthy saturated fats can do wonders for your skin and your hair.  You also need good amounts of protein to build healthy hair and skin.  If you know that you have poor eating habits and can’t figure out why the texture of your hair feels the way it does, this could be contributing to your problem.

Combating Residue Ridden Hair

If you find yourself dealing with waxy or oily hair, the first thing you want to do is get to the “root” of the issue. Is there too much oil and hard water debris collecting on your scalp and hair?  It may take some trial and error to determine exactly what is causing your hair to feel the way it does, but without figuring out the cause it will be hard to come up with a solution.

Improving your diet, using less abrasive shampoo, finding the right conditioner, and even washing your hair less frequently are great places to start when trying to get to the bottom of it.

Our hair is part of what makes us feel like ourselves, It’s one of the first things people notice when they meet you and you can’t help staring at your locks when you catch yourself in the mirror or a selfie.  If it doesn’t feel like it should then you’re not going to feel like yourself or achieve the self-confidence we want you to have. We want you to enjoy running your – or a loved ones- fingers through your hair. Take the time to figure out a solution and get back to feeling great about your hair!