Hydrating shampoo / hair that gets oily quick and dry ends

[Katyusha]

Can someone please tell me what ingredients to look if I want hydrating shampoo? I found one that is nice but has cones in it and I'd like to replace it with different.

My hair gets oily really quick and only hydrating shampoo helps. I tryed CWC but it doesn't work for me so now my new method is WCWC :D I wash first with shampoo than add conditioner to tips and wash my scalp again and then conditioner for tips again.

Also I would really appreciate tips for hair that gets oily quick and dry ends.

[bunnylake]

Shea Moisture is a very gentle and hydrating shampoo, you might like that. The ingredients are natural and minimal, and it lathers nicely. It caused some build up on my hair after a while but a clarifying wash fixed that. Ultimately it was too heavy for my hair but you might have luck with it.
Giovanni also makes great products that are very gentle and moisturizing. I also recommend Dermorganic, but it's a bit pricy.

[Katyusha]

With what did you clarify?

Anyone else here that would know what ingredients to seek in hydrating shampoo or what to avoid with quickly greasy hair?

[florenonite]

I'm curious, why are you looking for a hydrating shampoo if your hair gets greasy fast and you have to shampoo twice? Would it not be easier to use a normal shampoo and only lather once?

[Katyusha]

I tried that but my hair gets straw like after that.. I really have no idea what to do :confused:

[florenonite]

Does all your hair dry out, or just the length?

If it's just the length, have you tried pre-shampoo oiling? This blog post (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/oil-pre-shampoo-or-pre-wash.html) contains some good information about pre-shampoo oiling that you might find useful. Do you use a mister? That can help you restore some moisture to your hair between washes.

Another option might be scalp washes, though your hair may not be long enough for those to be useful.

If all your hair dries out, even at the scalp, that's a bit more difficult, especially as I think a lot of mainstream moisturising shampoos contain cones. One possibility would be to try the oil shampoo method, which essentially involves adding some coconut oil to a basic shampoo (you know those clear ones with sulfates and no cones or fancy moisturising ingredients?). You may also have success with shampoo bars, although they're very water-dependent.

[renia22]

My hair is similar to yours (drier ends, outlier roots) and I happen to like Biolage Hydrating shampoo for when my hair is feeling dry. Sally's also makes a generic version if you are in a location that has Sally's. I personally haven't had much luck with sulfate free ones, except Desert Essence coconut, but they recently changed the formula and it's no longer an option. I'm not sure what specific ingredients to suggest, but I know a lot of people on this board like conditioner washing and sulfate free, but I found CO washing wasn't enough & made my hair lank and gross, and sulfate free didn't clean well enough, or made my hair dry, stiff and tangled. You might have a different experience with either of those methods, though, lits of people seem to like them. Good luck

[renia22]

My hair is similar to yours (drier ends, oilier roots) and I happen to like Biolage Hydrating shampoo for when my hair is feeling dry. Sally's also makes a generic version if you are in a location that has Sally's. I personally haven't had much luck with sulfate free ones, except Desert Essence coconut, but they recently changed the formula and it's no longer an option. I'm not sure what specific ingredients to suggest, but I know a lot of people on this board like conditioner washing and sulfate free, but I found CO washing wasn't enough & made my hair lank and gross, and sulfate free didn't clean well enough, or made my hair dry, stiff and tangled. You might have a different experience with either of those methods, though, lits of people seem to like them. Good luck

[Katyusha]

Sometimes I use coconut oil before washing and leave it over night. Can you please tell me what mister is because I have no idea?

My hair doesn't dry at scalp but it gets oily really quick. Ends are really not so problematic because I manage that with drop or two of jojoba oil. Bigger problem is my oily scalp, my hair dresser suggested that I lack moisture and that is the reason that my scalp produces so much oil.

renia22 thanks, for suggestions, but unfortunately I can't get to any of the shampoos that you suggested.. Thanks anyway.

[renia22]

Let's see if I can get through a post without making an error or double posting, seeing as how this site won't let me edit for some reason?

You might do a search on here on some threads related to diet, there were a few recently that suggested dietary changes for less oily scalp.

You location says Europe..have you tried Klorane? The oat milk one cleans nicely without being too moisturizing or too drying, just nice, clean hair.

[florenonite]

A mister is basically a spray bottle filled with water and optional moisturising ingredients (aloe gel, glycerin, conditioner, oil, etc.). You can spray it on your hair, for example before you put it up, to give it more moisture and help make updos sleeker.

This (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1064) thread has loads of ideas, with this (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=277) being a particularly popular recipe.

[Katyusha]

I also can't edit, I have no idea why :confused: I might check some threads for dietary changes but I doubt it will help because my scalp was like this since I can remember. It does help if I blow dry my hair with my head upside down, but I'm worried I'll damage my hair. I have never tried Klorane either, never seen it in my country. I'm from Slovenia btw ;)

[Katyusha]

Because I can't edit I guess I'll add just another post because I didn't see your post florenonite. I guess I'll try mister, that should help with my ends and it's not oily that's also + for me. Thank you very much ;)

[teela1978]

1) don't use shampoo on your length. ONLY wash at your scalp, use as little shampoo as you can get away with, let suds run down the length.
2) don't touch the hair at your scalp very often. Doing so will just make it greasier faster.
3) deep oil regularly, i.e. a few tablespoons worth of coconut oil for a few hours before washing.
4) condition the heck out of the length. Again, several tablespoons (30-50mL total) of conditioner, only from the ears down (do NOT condition your scalp hair), let it sit for a bit, then rinse.
5) To avoid washing your scalp so often (to help "stretch" washes), find a dry shampoo, or use some corn or rice starch/powder on your roots. I use http://www.batistehair.com/ <-- that stuff because it's easy for me to get and not too expensive. For greasy roots I flip my head upside down, and spray into my scalp. It works great.

Also... some people find that overshampooing causes more oil production from their scalp, so it's possible that using less shampoo or a more gentle shampoo could help your problem. It never worked for me, but could be worth looking into (e.g. conditioner-only washing, stretching washes, soap-bar shampoo, etc...).

[ErinLeigh]

If you are looking for a cone free SLS shampoo I can recommend Nexxus Color Assure. It's very nice for a sulfate shampoo. They carry trial sizes at drugstores so you can test it. They are fairly large for travel size bottles do you can get quite a few washes out if it. It doesn't dry or tangle my hair.

If cones are ok nexxus has apt of other shampoos in their line. Biolage is great and Paul Mitchell. All of those can be found in huge bottles in generic form at Sally's for around $6. They have buy one get on half off sales all the time. They also carry sample sizes of a lot of product. I find those great for experimenting.

If you like SLS free I can name a bunch as I went thru a lot of them. They are so individualized tho to what people like so recommending one that will work is hard.

For dry ends, have you tried..microtrimming and applying a good leave on damp hair after each wash to help seal in moisture. Leave in conditioners, oils, mister bottles with various stuff in them all help. Deep conditioning could help also. Conditioners are good for removing oils so maybe it can help on "greasy" hair? It could help the length and the ends possibly.

[Marika]

I know a lot of people here don't like Body Shop but their Rainforest Volume shampoo (cone & sulfate-free) is the gentlest shampoo I've ever used. And I've used a lot :p It doesn't help with the oily scalp but it's fine to use frequently because it isn't drying at all. My hair feels like silk after I've used it. It's quite expensive but it lasts a long time because it's runny and you don't need much.

Which brands are available to you?

[Katyusha]

Teela1978 thank you very much for detailed help. I'm already doing similar that you suggested. Maybe I only have a problem with "not touching my hair" that much. Instead of dry shampoo I use baby powder. I heard dry shampoo is bad for your scalp on the long run and can cause baldness. Is this wrong information maybe? I really liked dry shampoo though.

Thank you all for advices, but unfortunately no brands that you suggested are available in my country. I guess I'll have to order on the internet or something.. That's why I asked what ingredients to look for in a shampoo and not what brand to use.

[florenonite]

Teela1978 thank you very much for detailed help. I'm already doing similar that you suggested. Maybe I only have a problem with "not touching my hair" that much. Instead of dry shampoo I use baby powder. I heard dry shampoo is bad for your scalp on the long run and can cause baldness. Is this wrong information maybe? I really liked dry shampoo though.


I've heard that dry shampoo can cause hair loss because the extra oil and/or powder clogs the follicles and can cause hair loss, but in that case baby powder would do the same thing. IMO that's either an overinflated truth (ie, you may shed a little bit more, but not enough to cause long-term harm), or it's a myth based on the fact that when you go longer between showers you do shed more in the shower, so it can look like the dry shampoo is making your hair fall out.

[Katyusha]

florenonite hmm maybe you're right! It makes sense, you always shed more after days of not washing.

I was thinking and searching on forum and I might have idea why my head is oily on top and dry on ends... Silicones and not clarifying may be the problem. I think I'll clarify and buy cone free shampoo and conditioner.


Btw does anyone know if I can clarify with baking soda (or something different) or do I need shampoo made specially for clarifying?

[Marika]

I would use a clarifying shampoo. Baking soda is wayyy harsher! Some people say they use any sulfate shampoo for clarifying but I don't understand that..:confused: I wash my hair every other day but I'm certainly not clarifying every other day. I use clarifying shampoo when "normal" sulfate shampoos don't get my hair clean anymore i.e. once in 1-2 months.

[Katyusha]

I have never used clarifying shampoo and only used SLS and cones also (until I found LHC I didn't know that was a problem). But currently my hair looks like there is an oily mess. If SLS would be enough I would not need clarifying shampoo. I don't think there is any other reason for this oily mess rather than build up. :/

[lapushka]

I'd try going with a shampoo specifically designed for "oily hair", then as far as your lengths getting dry goes, you could either try just washing your scalp (just let the suds run down without working it in), or condition twice after washing. Just WCC instead of WCWC.

[ErinLeigh]

That's a good idea Lapuska. OP that may be worth trying. The oil removing shampoo will take care of the grease with one wash then the CC will put back needed conditioning on the lengths.
Wouldn't hurt to give the method a try and if that works. :)

I didn't realize you live in Europe so my product suggestions wouldn't work I assume but I think you would basically be looking for a cone free shampoo marketed for oily hair if hair is not feeling clean after one wash.

I think with a little trial and error you can find one that works. Best of luck to you.

[lapushka]

I don't know whether or not you can get this shampoo, but this one is really nice on my oily hair (even prolongs the nice hair by a day). It's Ultra Doux 5 herbs:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garnier-Ultra-Doux-Revitalizing-Shampoo-with-5-Herbs-for-Lifeless-Hair-250-ml-/181246808210

[Katyusha]

http://i.imgur.com/ShnJ4NQl.jpg

I washed my hair on Monday and this picture was taken on Wednesday. My hair wasn't always that bad.. but it's getting worse with every wash and I didn't even change shampoo!

And as you suggested ErinLeigh and lapusha I have tried shampoo for oily hair and it was really, and I mean REALLY not a good idea... My ends were straw like even with conditioner and my scalp was itching like I had fleas. I even developed dandruff and terrible flakes. And I must mention I tried like ten or more different shampoos for oily hair and always the same :( I tried the one you suggested lapushka.. not good idea.

After reading this post again I feel like I've been rejecting all your suggestions, but that's not the case. I have tried everything that I could think of.. I guess I'm hoping for miracle or something :cry:

[florenonite]

If shampoos for oily hair are drying out your scalp, then perhaps your scalp is less oily than you thought? There are two things I can think of off the top of my head that might be at play here:

1) Your hair is non-porous and doesn't absorb the oil. If your lengths have low-porosity, too (have you done anything particularly damaging, like colouring or heat-styling?), this could explain why they dry out easily. In this case, there's not much to do besides shampoo regularly, and look into deep treatments like SMTs (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) and oiling for your length.

2) You're overshampooing, in which case you're causing your scalp to produce more oil. In this case, the best thing to do is to use a gentle shampoo, and only shampoo once. Give your hair a couple of weeks and see if it starts looking less greasy. If it does, then you may wish to try stretching out your washes. Otherwise, go back to what you've been doing.

[Katyusha]

florenonite Yes I've done quite damage one year ago when I went from black to natural brown. Two weeks ago I had to dye my hair with brown after one year because my ends were so washed out. I did cut almost all damage out in one year because I was stalling at the same length, but there is little damage still left on ends.

I will use your advice and find mild shampoo and see how that goes. Today I just woke up with itchy flaky scalp and it's driving me nuts. To be honest I'd be willing to put anything on my hair to make this stop :horse:

[ErinLeigh]

Don't feel bad for "rejecting" suggestions. That's all they are since we can't see, touch and experiment ourselves with the situation. If you tried them and they don't work it's better to say so and tick them off the list so others can try offering something different.

If we go by theory oil removes oil and moisture is good for ends..have you thought about trying a low poo? Scalp could be producing more oils since oil is being stripped. If harsher options aren't working try the opposite end of the spectrum and see if low poo works instead.
Deva Care Low Poo Shampoo for Normal To Oily Hair, Jessicurl Gentle Lather, Creme of Nature, Curl Junkie Daily Fix area few names of that type. Its worth maybe getting a few samples of some of those types to try and see if that covers both sides of the issue, greasy scalp and dry ends. You could also try adding honey to the washing product. When I mix honey with my wash (I co wash) my hair gets amazingly oil free yet moisturized.

EDEN BodyWorks Peppermint Tea Tree Shampoo or some other type of Tea tree based shampoo may be something to consider.

It sounds like this will be a lot of shot in the dark ideas and a lot of trial an error on your part and I am sorry you have tried so many things that haven't worked. The experimenting alone can be making things worse so I feel bad tossing so many ideas out there.
Can you think think to a time when you did not have this issue? If so what was your routine/situation then? Anything you could mimic now?

[Katyusha]

Well I didn't have this problem when I used this shampoo:

http://www.planet-lepote.com/members_data/caeda85393/images/600bbd/subrina-recept-sensitive-aampon-proti-prhljaju.jpg

This are the ingredients:

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco - Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Gylcol Distearate, Cocamide Mea, Laureth - 2, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol, Peg - 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Citric Acid, Piroctone olamine, Polyquaternium - 10, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis, Melaleuca Alternifolia, ButylPhenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate

As you can see ingredients are quite harsh I think. I have been using this shampoo for many years but my hair are straw like after this shampoo. But it does help with itchy scalp and dandruff and little bit with oily hair. I always return to this shampoo when everything fails.

Can anyone pin point what could be in this shampoo that does good for itchy scalp?

[sourgrl]

Pardon my technical problems.

Using a shampoo with humectants may be helpful. The shampoo you said works well has them as Propylene Glycol and Aloe Barbadensis

You will find a list of humectants here:

http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/01/proteins-humectants-and-conesoh-my.html

[sourgrl]

I think a shampoo with humectants would be helpfull. And they are in the shampoo you said worked well. Propylene Glycol and Aloe Barbadensis specifically.

ETA: This site has a list of humectants: http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/01/proteins-humectants-and-conesoh-my.html

[Katyusha]

Thanks a lot sourgrl I just started to really learn on ingredients so I had no idea what would be so good in that shampoo that made my itchy scalp go away :) Thank you!

[ARG]

2) You're overshampooing, in which case you're causing your scalp to produce more oil. In this case, the best thing to do is to use a gentle shampoo, and only shampoo once. Give your hair a couple of weeks and see if it starts looking less greasy. If it does, then you may wish to try stretching out your washes. Otherwise, go back to what you've been doing.

This is the only thing I can think of as well. Maybe a baby shampoo? It's mild and has humectants in it.

I'm going to repeat what Lapushka said and suggest CWC, WCC, or just plain scalp-only washings.

I have a feeling the straw-like feeling on your ends may have to do with the dying process.

[Katyusha]

I just bought organic SLS and cone free shampoo and conditioner. And I can't wait to try them!

Shampoo: http://exquisiteelixir.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/wp_20140113_008-640x537.jpg

Conditioner: http://static.webshopapp.com/shops/019663/files/011320511/natura-siberica-volumizing-and-moisturizing-condit.jpg

I'll report how it goes on washday :)

[IAgal]

I just bought organic SLS and cone free shampoo and conditioner. And I can't wait to try them!

Shampoo: http://exquisiteelixir.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/wp_20140113_008-640x537.jpg

Conditioner: http://static.webshopapp.com/shops/019663/files/011320511/natura-siberica-volumizing-and-moisturizing-condit.jpg

I'll report how it goes on washday :)


hopefully those will work for you- if not-when my hair gets like this I have to chelate- it means I have hard water buildup.have u tried chelating?

[Katyusha]

To be honest I have no idea what that means? Would you explain it for me please?

[florenonite]

If you live somewhere with hard water - that is, water with a lot of minerals dissolved in it - those minerals can build up on your hair and make it misbehave. Chelating removes those minerals. Chelating agents are things like citric acid, Disodium EDTA and Tetrasodium EDTA.

[sapphire-o]

My recent favorite is Giovanni Wellness system shampoo with Chinese herbs. It has cut down on oiliness a lot. My hair is still clean and fluffy right before the next wash. It's also supposed to reduce shedding and fix dandruff. I have tried a lot of stuff to make my hair less oily. Only this shampoo and Indian herbs seem to work for that. Must be the herbs.

[Katyusha]

Well to be honest I have no idea if my water is hard or not? Can I do some kind of test on this?

[florenonite]

There's no test that I know of, though good ways to guess it are if you get soap scum build-up in your bath or if you need a lot of shampoo or dish soap to get bubbles. You could also google something like "hard water map [your country]" or "water hardness [your city]".

[Katyusha]

Ok, so I did little research and found out we have medium hard water. On scale 0 (very soft) and 30 (very hard) our water is 9,6.

Today is my wash day and since I'm going SLS and cone free I tought I should clarify. I did a little research and decided I will clarify with water diluted soda bicarbona. Will that remove any water build up or should I do anything else?

And thanks everyone for support and help it really means a lot to me :flower:

[Freija]

No, bicarbonate of soda and water won't chelate. As others have said, I'd be very careful using this, as it is very drying and can really irritate your scalp. It is just much too alkaline for human skin; whereas skin is ph 4.5-5.5, bicarbonate of soda is around ph 8-9. It can damage the skin's protective acid mantle.

When I want to chelate, I buy a shampoo specifically labelled for use after swimming. Those are designed to chelate, because they have to get chlorine out of your hair, so they'll remove all your hard water buildup. They won't just have the right ingredients (citric acid, EDTAs), they'll have them in large enough amounts to work properly. : )

Because remember - an ingredients list only tells you so much! A wise person told me that on these forums, and it really is true. An ingredients list will give you an idea of what is and isn't in the product, but it won't tell you how *much* of any particular ingredient there is; or exactly how it's been made. So for example - you were asking whether sodium laureth (or lauryl) sulfate really is clarifying, because you didn't think you could be clarifying every time you washed. Well, yes, it is clarifying... but only if there's a strong enough concentration of it. Two shampoos can just list their ingredients as 'water, sodium laureth sulfate, citric acid, sodium chloride'; but one of them could be a gentle, moisturising shampoo, with 94% water, 5% SLES, 0.6% citric acid, 0.4% sodium chloride. That one wouldn't really clarify. The other could be a very strong, even harsh clarifying shampoo, with 79% water, 20% SLES, 0.6% citric acid and 0.4% sodium chloride. If you want a clarifying shampoo, your best bet is to look for one which is labelled as 'clarifying', or 'deep cleansing' or 'build-up removing', or possibly 'volumising'.

[Katyusha]

Ok so I did little research and found out that baking soda clarifyes and citric acid chelates. Please don't kill me but I felt little adventurous and did a little experiment :stirpot:

Well first I mixed two table spoones of BS in half litre water jug and poured that on my hair. Then I shampooed my head with diluted BS still on my hair. I rinsed that off. My hair felt squeaky clean and somewhat dry.
After that I mixed two tea spoons of ascorbic acid (vitamin - C) with half litre water and poured that on my hair. I went with that because I didn't have citric acid and some said it works similarly. Well after pouring this mix on my hair magic happened!:rolling: My hair became incredibly soft and silky. I was amazed and shocked because they were so crunchy after BS and now after vitamin - C so soft. I could comb them without conditioner and I could never do that. I left this mix on for ten minutes and rinsed off.
After that I shampooed again and put conditioner on and left it on for twenty minutes.

Well I'm satisfied with results. My hair feels really clean, my scalp doesn't itch. I did this washing yesterday and by now my hair should be at least little oily. Well my scalp is dry and happy :happydance: I will do coconut oil treatment before my next wash for ends and I think this will help with little dry ends after this wash.

I also changed shampoo and conditioner and am now officially SLS and cone free. I was amazed that this shampoo leathered really well.