Scalp and oiliness issues

[Petite Simone]

In my searches I have come across a few threads addressing causes of greasy hair and potential cures BUT I have a question, well more an explanation then a question.

I have EXTREMELY greasy hair. I'm talking I have to shampoo every day and if I don't it looks like I've not showered for a week. My hair looks very "piecey," lank and dark. And you can TELL it's greasy. Severus Snape-esque if you will (*facepalm* yes I'm a potter geek lol)

I keep seeing the "it is getting over washed and stripped so your scalp is compensating." which makes a lot of sense, but this has been a problem for years. Even before I started washing every day.

I am overly sensitive to the whole what people will think thing due to a LOT of teasing and being called "gross" when I was little because, like many little kids, we just didn't get it that our hair looked nasty. So I can't wait the four, five, six weeks for my hair to readjust and stop being grimy.

In about a month I'll be going off to college where I want to finally free myself of the harmful daily shampooing, but not have my first impression be "that really grimy chick."

My hair is a little above shoulder length now so it's hard to style even if I wasn't as hair style challenged as I am.

So my question is this: Is there anyway at all to save me from this perpetuating cycle of nastiness? Tips, tricks, or advice? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks and sorry it's such a long post.

[heidi1990]

what shampoo are u using? have u tried gentler cleansings such as CO?

[Petite Simone]

I've used a lot of different shampoos, some for oily hair some to moisturize hoping that would tell my scalp it doesn't need to freak out, even baby shampoos. Also I've tried using henna n' placenta treatments (again going with the try to keep my scalp moist theory). I have not tried CO because I'm scared it will make my hair even greasier.

[Tabihito]

It's partly the age. I call it the "greasy teenager-head" stage, which I'll be stuck in probably for the next couple of years at least, though it's slowed down some for me. What I'm trying, and what seems to be working, is very slowly weaning myself off of shampoo. I still wash every day, but alternate between CO and CWC as best I can. If it feels too greasy on a CO day, I'll do CWC again, but that's only happened once. Eventually I'm going to try cutting out a few days of washing, so that it's more CO -> CWC -> No wash, and work with that for a while, then go to CO every other day and see if I can stretch it further from there. But I won't do it until I'm sure that my scalp can deal with it.

The hardest part for you is probably the length, because if something goes wrong for me, I can shove it in a ponytail and forget about it for a while, where you don't really have that option.

The daily shampooing probably isn't doing much for your hair, and the age certainly doesn't help. I think the no-water/sebum-only thread also has some information on cutting down greasies without washing, involving dry shampoos and a boar bristle brush, which could help you get through the worst of any transition periods you may encounter.

And in the end, it could be that you just have a scalp that naturally produces a lot of oil and nothing you can do will stop that. And that's okay. Having to shampoo every day isn't the end of the world. It may not be the best possible thing for your hair, but it might be for your scalp.

[slythwolf]

I can tell you, CO will not make your hair even greasier. My first time trying it was after actually not washing my hair for a week, and it took all the grease out.

[Petite Simone]

Tabihito: Have you seen any improvement yet with the method you are using? I'm wary of BBB since when I use it it looks as though I've shellacked my hair to my head. I am definitely willing to give it a go though given some tips from the WO/Sebum only threads.

Slythwolf: Did CO help you stretch out the time between your washes? Will it turn my hair to mush or breakage-prone?

[RancheroTheBee]

Are your ends really dry? Are you suffering from an itchy scalp?

There might not be anything wrong with washing your hair every day if you just truly have an oily scalp. That said, I heard tea tree shampoos can help a little bit.

[Petite Simone]

Are your ends really dry? Are you suffering from an itchy scalp?

There might not be anything wrong with washing your hair every day if you just truly have an oily scalp. That said, I heard tea tree shampoos can help a little bit.

No my ends are surprisingly alright, but my scalp does get itchy when it needs a wash.

[Tabihito]

Yes, I have. It took a couple of weeks as I switched from regular wash and condition (sometimes, mostly just wash), but it did slow down after a while. I don't know, and am not really willing to test and find out, whether it was a result solely of the change in routine or because I'm naturally just producing less oil now and due to that my hair was actually able to adjust to the reduction in shampooing.

As I said, not all methods work for everyone. Some people do wash their hair with shampoo every day, and find it helps. You may have to shampoo your scalp and then either skip conditioner or just hit the very ends until it gets a little longer. Unfortunately, you may not hit on the right method at first, there's a lot of trial and error involved. I went through quite a few before I settled on mine after I abandoned my old shampoo-only routine because my hair felt horrible. But eventually, you'll find something that works.

[Petite Simone]

I find that shampoo only is a nightmare on me. I had to go this weekend without conditioner since the house I was in had NONE! I could hear my hair stretching and breaking when i tried to de-knot it. Horrible

When it took a while to get used to did you have days where you looked like a greaseball or did you just keep going until you found that one day you could go a little longer before it started looking icky?