Oily scalp but dry hair?!

[peppermintgomez]

I have started stretching my washes to every other day recently. The good news is that my hair feels softer and more moisturized. The bad news is that my scalp gets super oily and gross...and as a result, I shed much more. I am reasonably certain it isn't just the result of having 2 days' worth of shed. When I wash daily, I tend to lose about a quarter's size worth of hair in the shower, and maybe a very small amount more when I brush. But when I skip a wash, I lose a lot more hair in the shower despite having brushed a lot of it out already. Id rather have denser dry hair than sparse moisturized hair, so I'm not sure I want to continue this experiment if I have to go through a minor panic attack every time I wash and brush.

When I wash, I try to focus on the scalp and never run shampoo through my ends, but I can't exactly control it, and it will run down the ends when I rinse no matter what, resulting in dryness. It's a low sulfate shampoo with coco betaine as the cleanser. No poo does NOT work for me...just makes my scalp itch and smell weird.

does anyone else have this problem? More importantly, have you found a solution?

Thanks:o

[Firefox7275]

What is the pH if your low-poo? The betaines are amphoteric/ zwitterionic so much gentler on skin and hair in an acidic formula than an alkaline one, that should also help your cuticle lay flat which helps hair feel slippier/ silkier. You should be able to condition-wash-condition without getting build up from the interaction of shampoo and conditioner.

Overly oily, itchy or smelly scalp if you don't use a strong surfactant daily could denote an undiagnosed dermatological issue. Have you sought a medical diagnosis (family doctor or derm), or reviewed your diet and lifestyle making it as anti inflammatory and anti stress as possible?

[GoddesJourney]

I had a similar problem. I had to slowly phase into "stretching washes". I could not simply start skipping a day. I had to start by switching to a milder shampoo and then wait until my scalp got used to it. Then I went to loading my hair with cheap conditioner for protection, washing my scalp with shampoo, then conditioning as usual. Once I got used to that, I started doing conditioner only (CO) washes every other day. Of course, I had to find silicone free conditioner and for your fine hair, you will probably have to choose a very light one like Suave. If this isn't enough to get your scalp clean, CO twice. Slowly but surely my scalp became accustomed to producing less oil. My scalp was happier and my hair was happier not having to go through as much wear and tear just to keep my scalp clean. By the way, I exercise almost daily and spend a lot of time outdoors, so that's not an issue because I still technically "wash" it every day. Anyway, the whole process took months, maybe six? Have patience. I now shampoo once or twice a week and CO all other days. I can CO twice a day if I shower in the morning and work out at night. It doesn't seem to harm my hair. If I start shampooing more frequently, my scalp will start producing more oil again within a week or two.

I hope this helps.

[sarahthegemini]

Is your hair long enough for you to braid it and hold it up whilst you wash your scalp? You could avoid getting your length wet completely then.

[peppermintgomez]

What is the pH if your low-poo? The betaines are amphoteric/ zwitterionic so much gentler on skin and hair in an acidic formula than an alkaline one, that should also help your cuticle lay flat which helps hair feel slippier/ silkier. You should be able to condition-wash-condition without getting build up from the interaction of shampoo and conditioner.

Overly oily, itchy or smelly scalp if you don't use a strong surfactant daily could denote an undiagnosed dermatological issue. Have you sought a medical diagnosis (family doctor or derm), or reviewed your diet and lifestyle making it as anti inflammatory and anti stress as possible?

I am not sure of the pH. How would I find out?

I don't think there's a derm issue. The skin on my face is also naturally very oily (as it is for all women in my family until menopause), so it doesn't surprise me. It only itches when I don't cleanse it regularly, or when I tried co-washing or low poo. I can't see a doctor now anyway, I don't have insurance.

I'm not sure what about my diet could change. I'm vegetarian and take flaxseed supplements. Don't eat a lot of oily or high fat foods...mostly stews and stir-fry type things. I do eat eggs as well. Too much sugar might be my worst vice, but even so it isn't too terrible...mostly just in my tea.

Stress is something I can't control. I am stuck in an endless loop of freelancing, which means looking for/ starting new jobs every 3-4 months and having no insurance or benefits. I do yoga to cope. That being said, I don't think it's stress. This isn't an issue when I cleanse every day, as I said. It's very strongly correlated to when I attempt to skip a day...so I think it's more superficial than that. This might sound incredibly stupid, but is it possible that if the follicle is sitting in too much oil, some hairs might prematurely slip out?

[GoddesJourney]

...This might sound incredibly stupid, but is it possible that if the follicle is sitting in too much oil, some hairs might prematurely slip out?

You know, I wouldn't think that they slip out but rather whatever fungus or bacteria grows in the greasy scalp my cause irritation or hair loss. A lot of people seem to have success with a healthier scalp and better hair growth with anti fungal products like monistat and even just anti-dandruff shampoos. My hair growth seems to slow if I don't shampoo it at all (CO only). Also, I do shed a bit more. I also shed more if I shampoo too frequently so I had to find the amount that my hair and scalp could agree on.

[peppermintgomez]

I had a similar problem. I had to slowly phase into "stretching washes". I could not simply start skipping a day. I had to start by switching to a milder shampoo and then wait until my scalp got used to it. Then I went to loading my hair with cheap conditioner for protection, washing my scalp with shampoo, then conditioning as usual. Once I got used to that, I started doing conditioner only (CO) washes every other day. Of course, I had to find silicone free conditioner and for your fine hair, you will probably have to choose a very light one like Suave. If this isn't enough to get your scalp clean, CO twice. Slowly but surely my scalp became accustomed to producing less oil. My scalp was happier and my hair was happier not having to go through as much wear and tear just to keep my scalp clean. By the way, I exercise almost daily and spend a lot of time outdoors, so that's not an issue because I still technically "wash" it every day. Anyway, the whole process took months, maybe six? Have patience. I now shampoo once or twice a week and CO all other days. I can CO twice a day if I shower in the morning and work out at night. It doesn't seem to harm my hair. If I start shampooing more frequently, my scalp will start producing more oil again within a week or two.

I hope this helps.

That does help. I think maybe even if I don't use shampoo, just getting my hair wet and scrubbing my scalp might help. I was just wearing a shower cap and threw it up in a ponytail.

[Firefox7275]

I am not sure of the pH. How would I find out?

I don't think there's a derm issue. The skin on my face is also naturally very oily (as it is for all women in my family until menopause), so it doesn't surprise me. It only itches when I don't cleanse it regularly, or when I tried co-washing or low poo. I can't see a doctor now anyway, I don't have insurance.

I'm not sure what about my diet could change. I'm vegetarian and take flaxseed supplements. Don't eat a lot of oily or high fat foods...mostly stews and stir-fry type things. I do eat eggs as well. Too much sugar might be my worst vice, but even so it isn't too terrible...mostly just in my tea.

Stress is something I can't control. I am stuck in an endless loop of freelancing, which means looking for/ starting new jobs every 3-4 months and having no insurance or benefits. I do yoga to cope. That being said, I don't think it's stress. This isn't an issue when I cleanse every day, as I said. It's very strongly correlated to when I attempt to skip a day...so I think it's more superficial than that. This might sound incredibly stupid, but is it possible that if the follicle is sitting in too much oil, some hairs might prematurely slip out?

The common health issues (not just skin) generally do have a genetic component, that doesn't mean there aren't improvements to be made with lifestyle modification and product choice. It's more likely underlying irritation/ inflammation (which is linked to stress, not just life events but anything the body finds stressful from smoking to insomnia) than simple clogged pores, going July the published research.

A vegetarian diet can be highly inflammatory or anti inflammatory. Fats are essential for health, you should not be restricting them when you already eat a restrictive diet. A good veggie diet would be rich in nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, non starchy vegetables, low sugar fruits, omega enriched eggs, natural dairy. Protein and healthy whole fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, coconut, cocoa, eggs) at each meal. Sugar is highly inflammatory and puts the body into a state of stress, ditto processed grains like most wheat based foods. Your anti stress nutrients are the long chain omega-3s (marine algae extract or PILES of flax or chia) and magnesium (seeds, cocoa); bioavailable vitamin D plays a role in mental health and is tough to get in winter without fish.

Effective stress control is a combination of diet, physical activity/ exercise, stress management techniques and sometimes prescription medication like a very low dose beta blocker (non drowsy, non addictive). Yoga is great but also be sure to get your 10,000 steps every day or equivalent, plus some very high intensity activity if you are physically well enough to. It really can work, I've 'experimented' on myself (state and trait anxiety) as well as seen it with my clients.

[bunnylake]

The best solution for a dry scalp and seriously damaged hair is a good dose of argan oil! I highly recommend the one from pro naturals!

But her scalp is oily, not dry... ?


I also have an oily scalp but I find that sulfate free shampoos clean my scalp well enough without drying the rest of my hair. You could try a moisturizing sulfate-free shampoo. You might be surprised. I never thought a moisturizing shampoo would leave my hair feeling clean but it does. I recommend Shea Moisture. The ingredient list is minimal and natural.

[lapushka]

If you can't skip washes, then simple... don't do it. Nobody says you have to stretch washes and it's not a rule to good hair care, that's for sure. Some people just need to wash daily.

Try conditioning twice, 2 minutes per conditioner is enough. It really helps.