Oil wicks onto fine, straight hair very easily. But wiry hair doesn't seem oily. Intense heat and humidity can also accelerate oil production. So can hormonal changes. Androgen, a male hormone, can activate the sebaceous glands.
Stress boosts bloodstream levels of androgen in women as well as in men.
But androgen isn't the only factor that makes oily hair more of a problem for men. Men tend to have finer hair than women, says Kingsley. They average 311 hairs per square centimeter of scalp, as opposed to 278 for the average woman. Here's what our experts advise. Our experts agree that the most important thing you can do to combat an excessively oily scalp is to shampoo once a day, particularly if you live in a city environment.