3 Best Products for Natural Hair That Feels Greasy but Is Still Dry
by Team CurlyNikki
A brick of ramen noodles. Straight out of the plastic. Uncooked, hard, and dry. What’s your next move? Oil? Or water?
Oil would be wild work.
And yes, most instant noodles have already been fried or otherwise processed before they get pressed into that little brick, but that’s not the point lol.
To get them into the state you actually want them in- soft, flexible, supple- you must add water.
WATER.
Your hair is no different. If your natural hair feels oily and greasy on the outside but still dry underneath, the answer is rarely more oil. Your hair needs actual water, and better saturation. THEN, after the hair has been properly hydrated, you can add a light layer of oil to lock in the goodness. If you’re like me (and Nikki, too), you’ll reach for a cream that will do all of the above in one application of freshly cleansed damp hair. Think Qhemet. Think Oyin. Think Creams and butters. But first, you need to come clean! We got you:
| Pick | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kinky-Curly Come Clean Shampoo | Removing the stuff sitting on top | $12 |
| Oyin Handmade Hair Dew | Moisture without another heavy coating | $14.99 |
| Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Butter Cream | Dry medium-low-porosity hair needing lasting moisture | $21 |
Kinky-Curly Come Clean: when your hair needs a clean slate
Before you diagnose your hair as permanently thirsty or naturally dry, let’s make sure water can actually get to it. Oils, butters, grease, styling creams, and old product can accumulate on the strand. Kinky-Curly’s Come Clean Shampoo helps remove product buildup so you can start with a clean slate so you can build on solid ground.
And after you rinse? Stay under the water. Give the hair time to become fully saturated before immediately reaching for the next step.
Oyin Hair Dew: when you need moisture, not more grease
Oyin Handmade Hair Dew is a creamy leave-in, but it is still built around actual water. Oyin describes it as a lightweight daily moisturizer that can be used after cleansing or to refresh hair between wash days. This is all Nikki’s mom uses. She tried a few other things once, but when Nikki introduced this one to her, there was nothing else anymore lol. She grew her silver hair out from chin length to bra length using just Oyin products, twists, and Love. And the whole regimen is built around Hair Dew. Which is a moisturizer and sealant all in one.
When your hair already feels greasy, we don’t necessarily need to seal it harder. We need to get some actual moisture into the strand without making the surface feel like a 2-piece and a biscuit.
Apply to damp or wet hair first and see how little you can get away with.
Qhemet Burdock Root Butter Cream: when low porosity still wants a cream
Low porosity does not automatically mean your hair only wants watery sprays. Some of us still need cream, just not a cream that sits there looking back at us. Burdock Root Butter Cream is for extremely dry medium-low-porosity hair that craves lightweight moisture without heavy buildup. It works. But you don’t need much! If Oyin is the dew, this is the rain shower.
CurlyNikki Says
Open the door first. Then moisturize. Start with a clean slate, then finally use the right products in the right order or find the ONE that does.it.all. I’d add Qhemet’s Heavy Cream to this list if you want to take it all the way and moisturize + seal + protective style. That’s the real deal and you will retain much if not all of the length you grow. I love you!
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