Oily scalp, weird frizzy halo... what to do?

[bunnylake]

I have this constant halo of frizz, or shorter curlier hairs that just spring up all over the canopy of my hair, especially around the back of my head down to about my shoulders. The rest of my hair is straight, sort of fine I think, medium thickness, nearly tailbone length. My scalp is oily, so I must wash at least every other day. I have tried stretching washes for years... doesn't work for me.
So what do I do about this frizz? My hair is easily weighed down. If I put conditioner anywhere close to my scalp (ears up) I turn into a flat greaseball by midday. I have tried the CG method with cheapie conditioners, heavy conditioners, light conditioners, leave ins, clarifying, plopping, damp bunning, everything. I henna regularly, which took my hair from 2a to 1b but the frizz stayed.
Im wondering if I should try Wen or something similar. Maybe it won't weigh my hair down but it will smooth out the frizz? Waa, I just want to love my hair! Any ideas?

[Charybdis]

I have a lot of curly hairs with very short terminal lengths around my hairline and crown, creating a 24/7 frizz halo. I have no words of wisdom, because the only way I've ever found to tamp the frizz down is with products that don't work well for my hair past shoulder length. At this point, I try to embrace my hair for what it is, and a certain amount of frizz is just part of the package.

Keeping my hair hydrated definitely helps by keeping the curly bits less flyaway and crazy-looking. Based on your location, I'm guessing your environment is not usually super-dry, so you might try using shampoos and conditioners with plenty of aloe and glycerin. I use a small amount of Queen Helene's Curl Shaping Creme (http://www.queenhelene.com/haircare_product_detail.php?id=82) on my damp hair after washing; I spread a little dab over my hands, and then run them over the crown of my head and through my ends. It's no miracle cure, though.

If you do come up with a miracle cure, be sure to let us know!

[Jenny31557]

I know you said you've tried everything, but does that include aloe Vera gel? I've heard a lot of people recommend it here.

[jacqueline101]

I've had halo hairs and used a leave in to smooth them down.

[feathers]

I have the same sort of frizz. It's annoying, isn't it? I wash every three days though, and it goes away by the second day for me, but if you can't stretch washes that's not an option for you.

This is only a problem when your hair is down and parted, right? When all of my hair is brushed back into an updo, the frizz gets mixed in with the well-behaved hairs and doesn't stick up. If you want to wear your down, how about a half-up without a part to hide the frizz?

As for getting rid of it, I don't have any advice. It might be that's just how our hair is. But since your hair is so easily weighed down, I would give the "sticky" types of products (aloe vera or conventional gel) a try if you haven't already, since I don't think those would be adding any more oil like conditioner or leave-ins.

[Firefox7275]

I have this constant halo of frizz, or shorter curlier hairs that just spring up all over the canopy of my hair, especially around the back of my head down to about my shoulders. The rest of my hair is straight, sort of fine I think, medium thickness, nearly tailbone length. My scalp is oily, so I must wash at least every other day. I have tried stretching washes for years... doesn't work for me.
So what do I do about this frizz? My hair is easily weighed down. If I put conditioner anywhere close to my scalp (ears up) I turn into a flat greaseball by midday. I have tried the CG method with cheapie conditioners, heavy conditioners, light conditioners, leave ins, clarifying, plopping, damp bunning, everything. I henna regularly, which took my hair from 2a to 1b but the frizz stayed.
Im wondering if I should try Wen or something similar. Maybe it won't weigh my hair down but it will smooth out the frizz? Waa, I just want to love my hair! Any ideas?

What are you using at present, are you considering dew points/ humidity when you choose products? Have you tried super gentle sulphate free shampoos to respect your skin's protective acid mantle/ beneficial flora, by which I mean no anionic surfactants, pH 4.5 to 5.5, not packed with potential irritants? This is actually within the Curly Girl method, you don't have to conditioner only wash.

Or diet and lifestyle modification to help reduce the amount of sebum somewhat? Or non damaging film forming styling products like okra gel or flaxseed gel? Conditioner should not make you a greaseball unless you are sensitive to one of the ingredients or are using an oil based one. Given your hair is fine how do you gt on with products containing hydrolysed protein? That can also act as a film former and strengthen finer hair.

Last thought is are the short hairs at the back damage/ breakage or hairs that have been pulled at the roots and grown back from your styling techniques and tools? I use to have a ton of hairs sticking out at the back, right where my 24/7 ponytail sat and further down, even tho I used no snag elastics. If you have finer hair you would be at greater risk of such damage.

[nobeltonya]

Do you oil it at all? Maybe oil the night before you wash? I also have an oily scalp and skin. :disco:

[bunnylake]

To answer everyone's questions:

I have not tried aloe vera gel. Is it sticky? I hate the feeling of having product in my hair. If it dries soft and smooth, I will try it.

I'm currently using a Lush solid shampoo and Dermorganic conditioner. The shampoo has SLS in it, but I hadn't used sulfates regularly in many years until now. It seems to actually help my scalp feel cleaner longer, or perhaps it is something else in this particular shampoo bar. It's called "NEW" and contains cinnamon, clove, nettle, peppermint, and rosemary. The Dermorganic conditioner is thick but doesn't weigh my hair down at all and does not contain any silicone. I have tried MANY products and methods in the past... natural shampoo bars, no sulfates, drugstore brands, natural organic brands, everything.

I haven't done any heat styling in several years aside from the occasional blow dry on low heat. I only brush when my hair is dry.

[Firefox7275]

To answer everyone's questions:

I have not tried aloe vera gel. Is it sticky? I hate the feeling of having product in my hair. If it dries soft and smooth, I will try it.

I'm currently using a Lush solid shampoo and Dermorganic conditioner. The shampoo has SLS in it, but I hadn't used sulfates regularly in many years until now. It seems to actually help my scalp feel cleaner longer, or perhaps it is something else in this particular shampoo bar. It's called "NEW" and contains cinnamon, clove, nettle, peppermint, and rosemary. The Dermorganic conditioner is thick but doesn't weigh my hair down at all and does not contain any silicone. I have tried MANY products and methods in the past... natural shampoo bars, no sulfates, drugstore brands, natural organic brands, everything.

I haven't done any heat styling in several years aside from the occasional blow dry on low heat. I only brush when my hair is dry.

Realistically you likely won't get calm defrizzed hair with anionic surfactants and no producty feel at all, in any case manipulating/ touching hair increases frizz so it's best not to touch and not to know it feels in any way coated. Wavy or curly hair is better combed than brushed, and better only combed when very wet not damp or dry, any brushing and dry combing encourage frizz because it separates the strands instead of encouraging them to lie close together, and can affect the charge (negative = anionic/ positive = cationic).

Anything that is alkaline (shampoo bars/ soaps) or contains anionic surfactants (sulphates, many 'natural' shampoos, many commercial sulphate free shampoos) is going to alter the charge on the hair and/ or slowly strip the protective f-layer (lipid coating) and/ or raise the cuticle which can contribute to frizz/ poof/ fluff. Anything gentle that respects the skin's barrier function/ acid mantle/ skin flora and hair structure will probably not foam that much, needs more massage, sometimes it's easier to wash and rinse upside down to not miss a spot. How products are advertised doesn't necessarily bear any resemblance to how gentle they really are, you have to read the ingredients and check the pH.

AFAIK the only way to patch repair (temporary) any damage to the f-layer, make the cuticle lay flat and reset the charge on the hair is conditioner (contains cationic surfactants), if you are not applying that to the top of the hair then that may partially explain your fluff/ poof/ frizz. Not sure what you mean by your scalp feeling clean, you literally just mean sebum or do you mean white build up or flaking? Some of those plant extracts in your current cleansing products are naturally anti microbial, which makes me wonder if you might have a skin flora imbalance/ undiagnosed mild dermatological disorder.