12 balancing shampoos that are perfect for oily hair types

Oil seems to love to invite itchiness wherever it goes, so the cooling sensation this minty delight offers is a definite win. It'll help to eliminate excess oil and build-up, but won't leave strands super stripped – a common and frustrating side effect of balancing buys.

$12.99 at Vital Pharmacy

An oily hair type generally means you're dealing with lower levels of volume and fullness, something this shampoo is specifically designed to sort. It gives hair the lift you've been looking for, helping you to create an airier and more voluminous blowout post-wash.

$6.99 at Big W

With a 'dermatologist-recommended' stamp of approval, this shampoo is a gift to both your hair's oil levels and your scalp's comfort. Able to fight dandruff (a common concern when buildup and oil are present), it addresses the issues of itchiness and flakes while also leaving hair fresh, clean and grease-free.

$21.49 at Chemist Warehouse

A clever blend between a shampoo and a scalp scrub, this formula tames hair, combats oil and builds body all while eliminating any pesky scalp flakes. It also nixes the need for a multi-step congestion-clearing routine, exfoliating and cleansing in one shea butter and himalayan salt-powered hit.

$31.99 at BodyBlendz

Another formula that fights oil with oil, this purifying cleanser concoction is all about leaving locks feeling light, clean and airy (AKA the opposite of heavy, greasy and flat). Not only will it evict the oil currently haunting your hair, but the yuzu extract it includes will actually help to slow down oil overproduction altogether.

$68 at Adore Beauty

Combination hair is a thing, too; maybe your roots are grease-covered but your ends are bone-dry, and so you need to concentrate the balancing action on your scalp rather than all the way down. Luckily, that's precisely the conundrum this celery extract and rosewater scalp shampoo is here to solve.

$50.95 at Adore Beauty

Designed to drink up excess oil without drying out your hair, this shampoo contains cleansing, cooling peppermint, as well as tea tree oil – an all-star antiseptic which proves to be as bigger blessing in the oily hair-addressing arena as it is in the oily skin one.

$39.95 at Adore Beauty

The fact that this wash centres around orange oil (yes, an oil) may seem counterintuitive, but fear not; it's a contamination-clearing and irritation-easing ingredient bound to soothe your scalp and get grease under control in no time. The zesty scent factor isn't exactly a con, either.

$27.95 at Adore Beauty

Unfortunately your strands can even look oily fresh out of the shower if you're using a wash too heavy for your hair. That's where this weightless smoothing shampoo can help; it's light enough to be used on the daily if you desire, offering a gentle cleanse and smoothing frizz (which yes, can coexist with flatness somehow; rude) without dragging hair down.

$19.99 at Amazon

Is your hair oily and stressed? Join the club. Luckily, this detoxifying shampoo deeply cleanses the hair and scalp to reduce the damaging effects of pollution for a clean refreshing feeling. Mineral-rich thermal mud balances and purifies the scalp and relieves the sensation of oily roots. A deep sea mineral complex supports the scalp’s barrier function to improve protection from pollution, while Baltic Sea red algae smooths the cuticle and extends the length of time between washes.

$49 at Oz Hair & Beauty

Heralded as a quality cleanser that doesn't dry out the hair or scalp, this silicone-free shampoo is enriched with lemongrass and juniper berries known for their purifying properties, to cleanse, clarify and reduce excess oil.

$26.95 at Oz Hair & Beauty

There’s greasy hair, and then there’s perpetually oily hair. And if you fall on the side of constant despair then this is going to be the shampoo for you. Designed with a unique formula that targets oil at the root (pun intended), this shampoo actually works to control your scalp’s sebum production, leaving your strands renewed and refreshed in just a matter of washes. 

$18.99 at Chemist Warehouse