Scalp no longer produces ...sebum?

[Dreams_in_Pink]

It does actually, but in tiny amounts.
My hair's always been dry, i can get away with washing once a week. But now that i stopped using SLS, i feel as if no oil is produced on my scalp. Even my dandruffs are white and dry and it's been 2 weeks since i didn't wash.
Not only that, but also my scalp seems to absorb all the oil i apply on it, even thickest ones like castor. Now my hair looks so weird, roots are dry and flaky while length and ends are glued together

What's going on over my head?? Is this good or bad?

(by the way, that dandruff/flake problem isn't new, i've had it since forever)

[Anje]

Just checking -- you haven't started any medications (like Accutane), have you?

ETA:
Scalp massage and/or brushing might help. Using a BBB seems to make my hair greasy really fast, though it might simply be distributing what's there.

Make sure you have sufficient fats in your diet. I can't say this'll make a difference, but balanced nutrition is always wise.

Any chance that your body is going through hormonal shifts right now? That also might affect sebum production.

It also occurs to me that this might be a seasonal change, rather than specifically related to not using SLS. I get greasy every winter, though it took me two consecutive years of washing only as often as needed to realize this.

[melikai]

I found that making sure I had enough Omega-3s in my diet helped with sebum production.

[sapphire-o]

Oh I wish I can give you some of mine.

If you have dandruff, maybe it's not just dry scalp. Maybe those anti-dandruff shampoos would help?

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Just checking -- you haven't started any medications (like Accutane), have you?

ETA:
Scalp massage and/or brushing might help. Using a BBB seems to make my hair greasy really fast, though it might simply be distributing what's there.

Make sure you have sufficient fats in your diet. I can't say this'll make a difference, but balanced nutrition is always wise.

Any chance that your body is going through hormonal shifts right now? That also might affect sebum production.

It also occurs to me that this might be a seasonal change, rather than specifically related to not using SLS. I get greasy every winter, though it took me two consecutive years of washing only as often as needed to realize this.

No, i'm not on any medications, but recently i used two bottles of antibiotics (for flu and a cut on my hand) maybe that's a side effect?

I massage my scalp every day and brush a few times. when i was greasier i wasn't doing any of these

As for seasonal changes, i cannot remember how exactly my scalp reacted to winter months (i didn't care LOL ) but i do remember not needing to wash as often as summer.

I found that making sure I had enough Omega-3s in my diet helped with sebum production.

my mom's very sensitive about a healthy diet; if this problem persists, i'll ask her about omega-3 (i also have very dry skin)

Oh I wish I can give you some of mine.

If you have dandruff, maybe it's not just dry scalp. Maybe those anti-dandruff shampoos would help?

those anti-dandruff shampoos are no good. I used head & shoulders for years and seen no improvement. I don't think it's dandruff-related though, when i had greasy hair, i had oily dandruff and now i have dry dandruff that's another problem i'm trying to cure.

[Pierre]

No, i'm not on any medications, but recently i used two bottles of antibiotics (for flu and a cut on my hand) maybe that's a side effect?

Antibiotics for flu don't make sense. Antibiotics kill bacteria, including good ones in the gut. A flu is a viral infection.

my mom's very sensitive about a healthy diet;

Could you explain this?

I agree about sufficient fat. Not just omega-3, but also olive, coconut, and others. My main source of fat is avocados, but I include others in small amounts.

[danacc]

...
those anti-dandruff shampoos are no good. I used head & shoulders for years and seen no improvement. I don't think it's dandruff-related though, when i had greasy hair, i had oily dandruff and now i have dry dandruff that's another problem i'm trying to cure.

Oily dandruff and dry dandruff are usually 2 very different things. If you haven't tried Head and Shoulders with the dry dandruff, it may help.

Also, there is usually a balance between good bacteria and yeast on the skin. Antibiotics don't discriminate, and kill the good with the bad. The result can be more yeast/fungus on the skin. Yeast usually thrives in oil, though, so if anything, dryness is opposite of what I would have expected. ...?

Are you on a low-fat diet?

[Dreams_in_Pink]

The only problem I had when my scalp was too...sebumless , was that my scalp would get itchy, I'm assuming because it was too "dry" in a sense. If you don't get that itchyness, then it's probably fine.

it's not itchy, i'm glad I think itch is an outcome of some kind of "allergy" or irritation. I had itchy head back when my hair was greasy and i thought it was because of greasiness :/ go figure.

I've noticed this too, recently! My scalp like, produces NO oil. When I massage it, I can just hear my roots moving around. I don't see any oil on my fingertips or anything. It's as if it just doesn't exist anymore.

wow, i found someone with dry head!

My scalp is really dry too and hardly produces any oil.
Did you ever try Aubrey Organics White Camellia conditioner? I love it so much ... it's the only conditioner I've found that actually leaves some oil in my hair when I rinse it (and my hair really wants that oil so this is a good thing). I also use it as a leave-in conditioner when my hair looks dry. It is so useful. Without it my hair would be a dry frizzy puffball.

I'm afraid we don't have brands like suave and aubrey organics in stored here (also coconut oil, can't find it anywhere!) besides, i can always put some oil on my scalp and length, no need to wash it less

Antibiotics for flu don't make sense. Antibiotics kill bacteria, including good ones in the gut. A flu is a viral infection.

Well, everytime we go to the doctor's for flu they always prescribe us some kind of antibiotics. They say it prevents infection in lungs

Could you explain this?

I agree about sufficient fat. Not just omega-3, but also olive, coconut, and others. My main source of fat is avocados, but I include others in small amounts.

I consume good amounts of olive oil every day. Besides, my diet hasn't changed since my greasy times, so i assume it's not diet.

Hmm...

It makes sense within normal ranges of oil, but sebum is a weird excretion in that whole cells die off and get excreted along with the oils they held while alive, instead of just secreting oil. So, as the cells die off and get replaced, they *need* to be excreted as sebum.

This is why stripping oils makes the scalp over produce it, the rate of cell death and replacement amps up, almost like inflammation.

In the case of a majorly under-secreting scalp, adding oil is unlikely to reduce that secretion more.

OP: what is your haircare routine?

wow, i didn't know that! What happens in case of dry dandruff then?

I'm in a trial and error phase in my routine now. Currently, i'm massaging my scalp and brushing every day, deep treatment the day before wash and then washing with a cone-free conditioner. I've only done this once though, maybe dryness can be caused by not having a constant routine?

Oily dandruff and dry dandruff are usually 2 very different things. If you haven't tried Head and Shoulders with the dry dandruff, it may help.

Also, there is usually a balance between good bacteria and yeast on the skin. Antibiotics don't discriminate, and kill the good with the bad. The result can be more yeast/fungus on the skin. Yeast usually thrives in oil, though, so if anything, dryness is opposite of what I would have expected. ...?

Are you on a low-fat diet?

I used head and shoulders for months, and i came up with dry flake covered head. It was totally useless.

about antibiotics, well, i guess it's not the reason then my hair always behaves in the opposite direction though, nothing works on my hair! : and no, i'm not on a low-fat diet (i've never been)

[Heidi_234]

That's pretty much how my scalp behaves. I'm rather grateful for this, because there are no greasies that force me to wash my hair often.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

yeah it's pretty awesome that hair doesn't get dirty but, i'm concerned it might cause some problems in the long run.