Oily hair with dry skin on scalp - Help?

[aforestfae]

Sorry it's a bit gross but I have fairly oily hair and I need to wash every 2nd-3rd day but I also have dry patches on my scalp.
I've tried head and shoulders which helped reduce it but there is still a lot of dry skin on my scalp, what could I do to clear my scalp?

[Anje]

It might be worth getting a doctor to take a look at the dry patches. It could just be dry skin, or it could be one of several other things that might benefit from a specific treatment.

But, if we assume for a moment that it is just dry skin... How does your scalp respond to conditioner? I often like CO washing (though I'm off that wagon right now) because my scalp tends to respond to being harshly washed and dried out by making more oil. So I end up with the lovely combination of oily, dry skin. My face does the same thing, incidentally, with flakey patches forming right in the T-zone. It takes a few weeks for oil production to adjust if it's going to, but my end result is hair that needs washed less frequently and a scalp that doesn't feel dry and tight.

That said, some people get horrible shedding when they condition their scalps, for reasons I don't fully understand. (My conditioner ingredients look a lot like a lotion without the oils or silicones. Would lotion cause shedding? If so, how can I use this to stop shaving my legs? ;)) So CO washing suggestions tend to come with that precaution. Still, it might do the trick for a dry scalp that causes oily hair too quickly.

[Firefox7275]

Are you sure it is dry or are you just assuming that due to flaking? You would do best to get a medical diagnosis, then we can make targeted suggestions.