Scalp oiliness correlation?

[Anje]

Some people have oily scalps no matter what they do. Some people have dry scalps, no matter what they do. And there are some of us who have scalps that react to how we cleanse them by producing more or less oil.

Does this correlate to oiliness of other parts of our bodies, like our faces?

In general, you probably have a good instinctual sense of what sort of scalp you have on the oily/dry spectrum, but I'll provide definitions. Please do not vote if you have not attempted several wash methods and extending your washes yet -- this is for people who have actually tested how their scalps react.

For this poll, an "oily" scalp is one that gets pretty obviously oily by the second or third day without washing, and despite attempts, washing with gentler substances (sulfate-free methods, conditioner-only, etc) and attempts to stretch washes have not made a difference.

A "reactive" scalp is one that has responded well to attempts to stretch washes, and/or produces less oil when gentler washing methods are used.

A "dry" scalp can go at least 3 days without washing and is like that no matter what wash methods are used.

[Anje]

As for me, I once thought I had a somewhat oily scalp and an oily face, used lots of oil-absorbing lotions and such, despite that my face also had dry skin. When I stopped treating it with drying substances and moisturized more, the oiliness of my combination face settled way down. Similarly, when I switched to CO washing, I went from having to was my hair every day or two to being able to wash roughly every 5 days. So my face has combination skin and my scalp is reactive.

[luxepiggy]

I have a reactive scalp. When I was using S&C I had to wash it daily, otherwise by day 2 my hair would be visibly oily. I starting CO-washing last year and was immediately able to decrease my washes to every other day. At this point I normally go 3 full days between washes, longer if I wear my hair up during the day.

My face is always slightly oily; currently I cleanse my face with Pond's cold cream, but in the past I've used a variety of specialized face washes, bar soap, Shu Uemura cleansing oil and makeup remover wipes.

ETA: The rest of my body is always insanely dry. I go through body moisturizing creams like water (>(oo)<)`

[Gabriel]

I have oily skin and an oily scalp. I can only go two days without washing my hair, maybe three if I have to.

I've tried lots of washing methods but my routine that works for my scalp is every other day scalp washes and once a week full washes.

I was using Pond's Cold Cream too to wash my face and it was working out well. Oil blotting papers are such a help!

[nobeltonya]

Everything is oily.. I have to wash both my face and my hair every day. And I have huge pores. Lately, using coconut oil every day on my scalp and length has helped cut down on that some.. it's supposed to have some cooling effect or something, which helps now that it's getting hot.

[Amber_Maiden]

My scalp is dry and my face is combination.

[shutterpillar]

I've had an oily scalp and skin since I hit puberty. I've tried everything in the book to try to reduce the amount of oil on my scalp in hopes of being able to go more than every other day without washing my hair, but to no avail. If I don't wash, my head turns into an itchy oily mess and I eventually begin to shed rapidly. I'd rather wash more frequently than lose all my hair.

[meeliah]

I voted reactive scalp and dry face.

I've always had dry skin and hair. As I've stopped washing with harsh shampoos and extended my washes, I've found my scalp to be more tolerable. It really likes what I'm doing with it.

My skin is still terribly dry and always will be since I have rosacea. I've done water only washing for years. I learned long ago not to come anywhere near my face with soap. About every two weeks I do an oil wash. At least once a day, I oil my face with a variety of different oils to try to keep the scaly/dryness under control.

[wendylai]

interesting poll..

I have oily scalp and combination skin. I CAN go, ofcourse without washing even for a week, but on third day of the wash, but hair is so oily it sticks in formation if I put it in one.. horrible really..

It would be interesting to have a similar poll about hair thickness / texture regarding oiliness and dryness!

[florenonite]

I have an oily scalp and combination skin on my face. Interestingly, though, the skin on much of my body is quite dry.