My last chance to save my hair before I get a pixie cut/shave :'(

[LittlePrincess]

Hi. I've been having a problems with my hair, which I hoped had fixed but it turns out it's been steadily getting worse for about 3 months. I have been to doctors, a trichologist, hair stylists, and none of them have been helpful just telling me to "wash my hair". Ugh. I really feel I can't live with it any more and if anyone can help or reassure me I'd be so grateful. I'm actually considering cutting it and getting a wig.

I noticed a few months ago when I wash my hair the strands just in front of my ears sometimes looked super shiny and clung together like they were greasy. Since then it's been getting worse and it now happens every time I wash, to all of the underneath layer (the nape area). Straight after washing it looks stringy, clumping together as though it's greasy and really shiny. After a few hours it starts to look wet with grease, and after one day it feels sopping wet with grease, right down the length to the ends! It's horrible and gross, and the feeling of washing it thoroughly to have it look unwashed is so depressing. I cry every time I get out of the shower and see my hair. As you can see (if the photos work) the top is still nice and normal. These photos are half a day after washing.

http://oi59.tinypic.com/28gz7e8.jpg http://oi57.tinypic.com/hwl8p4.jpghttp://s30.postimg.org/ug885bgql/DSC_0224.jpg?noCache=1408457614


I wash every 2-3 days with a mild medicated shampoo the trichologist gave me and a light conditioner just on the very ends. Though recently I've tried clarifying shampoo (made it worse and also static), a bit of dish washing liquid, argan oil, tea tree shampoo, head and shoulders, SLS free shampoo, ACV rinse, all with no luck.

The trichologist did tell me a while ago I had seborrheic dermatitis but when I told my GP he said your scalp is perfectly healthy it can't be that. Which is true, I've never had dandruff or scalp problems.

Has anybody ever seen anything like it at all? It's so strange. I had no idea grease from the scalp could cover the hair that quickly, it's like it's absorbing it from the atmosphere or something. Also, sorry for the grossness of this post, I'd like to assure you the top layers of my hair is lovely texture, and the rest used to be like that too! I'm scared it's always going to be like this now so does anyone have any ideas on styles to cover it up?

[Anje]

Just curious, has anyone done any blood tests on you? Checked your thyroid or the like? Something's definitely got that patch of scalp in overdrive....

It's not a solution, but have you tried dry shampoo on it? At least that could help reduce the greasiness of that spot.

It might help, it might not... but it might be worth trying something like conditioner only (CO) washing. Just use something really cheap like Suave, slather it on your dry hair, and let it sit for maybe 10-15 minutes, then hit the shower. Rinse excessively. Sometimes scalps get funny about reacting to drying by producing more oils (not everyone's does, but mine does), and your saying that some of the harsher washes made it worse makes me think you're like that. Don't keep CO washing if it makes you shed kittens, but do realize that the added lubrication can make some hairs slip out in the shower that would otherwise come out when you next combed.

[renia22]

Which clarifying shampoo did you use? Any chance you've been using anything with shea butter in it?

(It doesn't sounds to me like it's scalp oils reaching the ends, more likely it seems like perhaps you applied something to your hair that built up & isn't washing out?)

[Maelyssa]

While I'm no expert, my first thought is that your scalp is overproducing oil/grease because some ingredients you have been using are drying it out. Before you go for the cut you are going to have to experiment some more but keep in mind that it will take your scalp/hair a while to adjust itself to a routine that works for you.

A few things to consider would be to checkout the shampoo bar thread. If you do try out shampoo bars, I love Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve bars. They are high quality and HUGE.

Also, cut out sulfates. I know you mentioned going SLS free but its possible that other ingredients in the shampoo were counterproductive. A lot of Sulfate free products still contain sulfates which could potentially be part of the problem. My daughters use L'Oreal EverSleek Reparative shampoo. It's sulfate and silicone free.

It could be oils in the shampoo. Even with hair that leans toward dry I've found some shampoos have enough oil to make my hair lank and greasy.

I've found that prescription things can sometimes do more harm that good. I encourage you to do tons of research than give something new a try before you decide to cut.

Good luck!

[Caraid♫]

I was going to say maybe you were over-washing, but then read you wash every 2-3 days, so I doubt that's the culprit, every 2-3 days shouldn't cause over-oil production..
This must be horrible to go through, but if it makes you feel better, the pics from 1/2 hour after washing don't look bad to me :) You could totally go out like that and still look presentable. (Although I know you said it just looks much greasier within a couple hours, though we hate to hear it because it makes it sound like people dont understand, keep in mind that it will most likely look worse in your eyes than it will to others :) Just meant that as a reassurance- I totally get that this is still a problem for you and would appreciate more advice than "it doesn't look so bad")
Well, I've never dealt with this, so might not have great advice. Have you tried dry shampoo or a bit of cornstarch on the greasier parts of your hair? It might not work, but could be worth a shot to help at least a little bit. The top layer of your hair like you say, is lovely!! It would be such a shame to shave it all off! Maybe while you try to continue figuring out this problem, you can focus on wearing updos that showcase the canopy of your hair and cover the underlayer, wearing wide headbands, and frenchbraids etc. Sometimes when I feel like just shampoo isn't making my hair clean enough, I sprinkle just a tiny little bit of baking soda into my palmful or shampoo and mix it in, maybe that's worth a shot?

[Nebulae]

First I just want say that I think your hair looks completely normal.. In fact mine looks pretty much the same. I wouldn't worry :) (though it getting greasy so fast after that is odd.. but that's why we are here to help!)

My first thought was to clarify but then I got to the part where you wrote you already tried that. :p I'm sure someone else will think of something! (ETA: and they did, before I hit the post button! xD)
Do you have oily skin? Maybe it is because of contact with your neck? (Brainstorming here!) What's the environment like, does it matter where you are, at home, at work? Have you tried wearing your hair up, in that case, does it help?
I would think braids or low buns would be good to cover up nape greasies.
Oh, and have you tried dry shampoo? :)

[LittlePrincess]

Hiya, thanks for the replies :)

Anje, I had thyroid tests at the doctor's but they came back normal, I was hoping to have hormone tests soon too but I am on the pill so I kinda guessed my hormones were pretty controlled. The doctor seemed pretty stunned sadly. Using the clarifying and drying products do seem to make it worse (definately don't help wash it out anyway) so maybe you're right that they're making my scalp produce even more grease. I just assumed that was the "cause" whatever it is getting worse over time, but maybe it's that too. I'll try a couple of CO washes to see if it calms it down a bit and watch out for the shedding, thanks!

renia22: I used pantene classic clarifying. And another time tried mixing baking soda with a shampoo but neither seemed to help. Don't think I've ever used anything with shea butter because my hair is fine and gets weighed down easily even without this problem.

[slynr]

My scalp gets greasy within a day if I don't use sulfates at least every other shampoo. I pre poo the length with coconut oil and then I use ever pure loreal shampoo. Condition twice..one lighter then one heavier. Follow by acv rinse I do not wash out. That has been the only thing that keeps my scalp from being a greasy mess. Brushing my hair too much between washes also makes it worse. Use loc method for 'styling'

Tried sulfate free, tried co, tried shampoo bars none of which worked.

Now I don't question it..I just stick to it.

May not work for you but figured I'd add my experience.

[kaydana]

How do you wash your hair? Not the products, but what methods are you actually using to wash it? The first thing I'd try would be to make sure you're actually washing the problem area properly. Flip your head upside down in the shower and shampoo and rinse that area really, really well. I get an icky patch at the back if I don't do this every now and then, because it's so difficult to rinse that section properly with your head upright.

[morrigan*]

Also in what position do you wash your hair ? Maybe try wash it bent forward so you can put shampoo directly on nape hairs ? If i wash my hair standing up i can't get it as clean as when washing it bent forward.
Also try use lukewarm to cold water rather than hot.

[LittlePrincess]

Thanks so much for the reassurance :)

I think while it might not look TOO bad in those photois, that was just a couple of hours after washign and like I said after one day it literally feels dripping wet which I don't think is normal :S!

I meant to say, dry shampoo really does help so I'm using a lot of that at the moment. It must help soak it up and the hair underneath lies less stringy and more like top layer so I can keep washing every 2-3 days instead of washing it all the time. I'm going to try and lay off the harsh clarifying stuff as it's not helping anyway.

With the overproduction of oils by the scalp due to overwashing, I didn't know that could happen in a specific place and not the whole head? Has anyone ever has that before?

[LittlePrincess]

Thanks morrigan and kaydana, I should add since this started a few months ago I've really been making sure I wash this area really well. I've tried the bending forward and putting extra shampoo in the underneath area, and also tried washing rinsing in the bath with no luck. So odd.

[morrigan*]

I think it's possible that overproduction of oil is in just part of scalp. My problem oily area is crown of my head where is cowlick, and it get oily first then follows the rest of hair.

[SkyChild]

Definitely sounds like your scalp is being overstimulated to produce a lot of oil. Try stretching washes, it will take a little while for it to balance out

[morrigan*]

Also be gentle and start wearing it up.

[LittlePrincess]

What scared me is that it just didn't seem to wash out even straight after my shower, does that happen with oil overproduction? (haha sorry I really don't know much do I?)

I guess I've tried the clarifying an that didn't work so yeah I should be gentler with it and give it time to balance out, it makes sence, finger crossed :(

[StellaKatherine]

This still sounds like something isn't washing out from the hair... That kind of effect of getting hair looking greasy right away after it dries I get when I over do on some products. Over oil it, put too much of honey in my conditioner, put too much of leave in. Anything of too much and I get the hair just like you showed on the photos! And then it feels that I need to wash my hair the next day ( usually I was every 7-10 days without my hair looking dirty ). What comes to my mind. You said it started at some point and you noticed it. Could you think of any changes in your washing rutine? Did you add something, changed any shampoos or anything ? If you had , then stop using them or go back to the shampoo you were using and see if it will start helping ? I really do not know what else.... it just really sound and looks like my hair when it has too much of products in it.

[hippie girl]

I think your hair looks fine, too.

I agree that changing the position you wash your hair can certainly help get it cleaner. I loved the way my hair looked and felt when I washed it with my head flipped over in the bathtub. I don't do it so much anymore, but agree that it does clean the under canopy better.

If you wear your hair down, perhaps the hair underneath it is coming in contact with some other product you use on your skin.
Do you use a heavy moisturizer on your back, or some type of oil on your skin?

I imagine that something like this could transfer. I've used conditioners over the years that I swear have made the skin on my back break out at times. Keeping it off my back helped, as well as figuring out that was the wrong conditioner for me.

Are you using something during your routine that may be transferring from your skin to your under layer? Maybe just transferring off from your hands somehow?

[PraiseCheeses]

I came in here to suggest washing in the bent-forward, head upside-down position as it sounded like maybe shampoo wasn't reaching the nape hairs or wasn't being washed out, but I see that's been covered. Sorry that didn't work for you.

A couple other thoughts - first, long hair is capable of handling a lot more oil than short hair, so if your scalp is overproducing oil, having shorter hair will just exacerbate the problem. You'll still have just as much oil - but it won't have anywhere to go so your hair will look greasier even faster and you'll have to wash more. Please rethink chopping - also, your hair looks perfectly normal (and gorgeous and healthy!) in the photos. :)

Another thought - is your scalp itching at all? Do you have flakes? (Apologies if this already came up in-thread and I missed it... :oops:) Oily hair is not necessarily unhealthy. If your scalp feels okay and you don't have anything indicating a skin condition, I'd leave your hair alone, try gentler products, and have faith that this will eventually resolve without chopping off years of growth. :flower:

hippie girl makes a good point - if you are wearing your hair down, any products you put on your skin will get picked up by your hair.

[Anje]

For what it's worth... it looks like your hair is dark and was dyed blond a while back. Dark hair does seem to be a lot better at disguising the fact that it's a bit oily than light hair does. :) It tends to look shiny instead of getting darker. (I realize that doesn't solve the problem, but if it's less visible to others, maybe you won't feel so down about it.)

[Nimia]

Your hair looks normal to me; is it very fine?

I get the greasies along my hairline, too, by the end of one day. Forehead, in front of and above ears… I don't look at the underneath back. I always assume it's because the hair is finer there, plus it picks up oils from my face and neck. I have to wash those areas daily.

I second the recommendation to try a dry shampoo type thing; what I used to do when my hair was blonde was to dust baby powder into the greasy spots, then brush it out. Worked well as a temporary fix.

[renia22]

Can you clarify again where you are getting this greasy feeling in your hair? Do you mean the underneath layer from root to tip, and the top layer is okay? Meaning it's not an issue with oily roots all over?

[Sarden]

First of all, Im a newbie so Im sorry but I dont have any advice about your actual hair, however it sounds like the knowledgeable hair peeps have made some good suggestions...

For my two pence, I also think that your hair doesn't look that bad in the photos but I also realise that isn't particularly helpful - it's how YOU feel about your hair that's the main thing and also, you mentioned it gets worse.

It must feel horrible to be so down about your hair, but cutting it all off would be very drastic and wouldn't actually solve the problem... You would just have shorter hair with the same problem (and the bottom bit would be more difficult to cover up if you had a very short style). I realise that sounds a bit negative but all I mean is that if you're that unhappy with it, much better in my opinion to not lose hope with getting to the root of the issue.

Good luck! :)

[Johannah]

For me, this sound like a sudden over production of oil. And yes, that could be in only one place. If this is the case, you should find a way your scalp find its balance back. Washing with harsh shampoos and washing often will probably make it worse. This might be why the clarifying thing doesn't work. Like Anje suggested, I'd go for CO because it's softer. Maybe even washing with honey? You could buy essential oils and use it in your washing conditioner. Some essential oils could balance the production of sebum, like cedarwood. Maybe it's worth a try? Other EO's are good for your scalp as well, like tea tree oils. There are SLS-free shampoos which contain tea tree oil, maybe that's something to try? Dry shampoo is definitely something you could use to cover it up, or even to stretch washes.

I really hope you find something that works :blossom:

[cat11]

A couple other thoughts - first, long hair is capable of handling a lot more oil than short hair, so if your scalp is overproducing oil, having shorter hair will just exacerbate the problem. You'll still have just as much oil - but it won't have anywhere to go so your hair will look greasier even faster and you'll have to wash more. Please rethink chopping - also, your hair looks perfectly normal (and gorgeous and healthy!) in the photos.

^this x2. Even though you plan on getting wigs, hair is so much greasier shorter.

Also I wanted to say that if dry shampoo works for you, you should really consider switching from the can kind (of thats what your using) to cornstarch (mixed with cocoa powder if it's too light, but I saw you have blonde hair). I love dry shampoo and I use it to stretch my washes since I have an oily scalp and skin. I found that cornstarch actually works ALOT better than the can stuff and it doesn't leave any stiff or undesirable textured buildup like the can kind tended to. And I wanted to mention like a lot of other people did that the less you touch your hair the less chance it has to get greasy and if you wear your hair up you would find it got greasy a lot slower- dirt from hands (you probably don't even notice how much you touch it!), your neck , face, and generally being exposed just makes it get dirty so much quicker. Throw it up in a cute bun and don't touch it and chances are it won't really get any greasier, the greasy spot for a bun it pretty much the top or your head because you might want to smooth it and use your hands to do so, and since your top layer is normally dry that wouldnt be too bad, maybe. Just some ideas. Hope you get it fixed, your hair still looks really pretty to me and you shouldn't cry when you look at it anymore :)

[LongHairLesbian]

Definitely going to recommend switching up your washing products. SLS shampoo and conditioner may work for some, but are terrible for others. This is particularly fresh in my mind, as I tried to CO with a coney conditioner when I was staying at a friend's place, haha. It was the nastiest thing I have ever done to my hair. The conditioner smelled awful, wouldnn't rinse out even though I was under the shower for 20 minutes, and it left a nasty, greasy film over my head and length. Yet, some people CO with silicone conditioners, and it works beautifully. I am not one of those people, so I use low-sulfate shampoo and cone-free conditioner. There are lots of threads on this site about different washing methods; CO, CWC, Water only, shampoo bar :) I really hope you find something that works.

[Gertrude]

I have very fine hair and am blonde and that's normal for me in summer. If you have fine hair and it's blonde you have a lot of hairs. Lots more than most people, even though you have less thickness than most people. Every hair follicle comes with an oil gland. And sweat gland. So all fine hair produces more oil than other hair types. Now some with dry fine hair have far less than others, some with very high oil production a lot more than most, but fine straight hair is the transport of delight for oil.

The hair on my nape and around my hairline is finer than anywhere else, so very fragile but that's another story. Also if I transpire those areas get west super fast. In hot conditions. Much more than other scalp areas. They trickle. The job of sweat is to transport sebum down to the end of your hair. Your natural conditioner.

I keep my hair up so I can mop my neck and my ears and at the front without involving the rest of the hair. I also don't brush my hair when it's been sweaty and compacted as that will transport whatever sebum and transpiration mix all over so I look like I can fry chips on my head. Lovely.

Any handling the hair makes it more oily and transfers grease from hands and face as well as sweat and sebum. So for me it is hands off and braided bun as that one holds all day with a four prong fork.

On the shampoo side of things you don't need any super strong shampoo to get rid of sebum. Any detergent, all non SLS ones, left to sit for a minute or two on your scalp before rinsing will break up sebum nicely.


I find that keeping my hair up copes with the grease in summer up to day four or five. if I wore it loose I would look greasy and stringy. If I wore it down I really would need to wash every other day or at most third day.


I CWC and coat my hair in conditioner in a bun, as in I don't condition my hairline or nape. If they get dry I use a bit of leave in after.

There's no point cutting my hair off as I would just have very greasy short hair I would need to wash daily ........... it's the scalp and roots that are the problem. .

[FrannyG]

(edited by me)

It might help, it might not... but it might be worth trying something like conditioner only (CO) washing. Just use something really cheap like Suave, slather it on your dry hair, and let it sit for maybe 10-15 minutes, then hit the shower. Rinse excessively. Sometimes scalps get funny about reacting to drying by producing more oils (not everyone's does, but mine does), and your saying that some of the harsher washes made it worse makes me think you're like that. Don't keep CO washing if it makes you shed kittens, but do realize that the added lubrication can make some hairs slip out in the shower that would otherwise come out when you next combed.

I have the same hair type as you, and when I was going through a spell of really oily hair, it was exactly this CO method that helped me. First of all, oil removes oil. Secondly, harsh cleaners in a shampoo really can set off the sebum production. If you haven't tried COing at least once or twice, I highly recommend it.

Lastly, I have to say that your hair looks gorgeous in the photos that you showed us. Perhaps you could show us a photo of when you think it looks bad.

[brickworld13]

I'm going to hop on the EO wagon with peppermint oil. I use it in my henna mud as well as a couple times a month for scalp massage. It's just a little tingly and helps with my oily issues. It's worth a shot, but please make sure you dilute it thoroughly with a carrier. It can cause some serious irritation without dilution.

[LittlePrincess]

Thank you soo much everyone for the helpful ideas and reassurance!

To the people that said that shorter hair shows grease even more, oh my gosh I had no idea I'll have to rethink my last resort and I'm really glad I find out now rather than after having it cut, thankyou.

To answer a few questions, I have naturally dark blond hair than was lightened using a spray (like Sun in) nearly a year ago. I don't use any moisturizers on my neck since this started just in case it was getting in my hair ( similarly I though it was just that at first). I'm not sure if the greasyness is slowed down by having it up or not. I don't tthink it is, my bun seems to get grosser and soggier throughout the day...

[embee]

I don't know how old you are but when I was young (20s-30s) my hair became greasy within a day. So I had to wash every day. Of course at that time I had no idea how to make an updo, so my hair was down always, or maybe pulled back to a low ponytail. I tried bangs but oh that was terrible. They became stringy greasy things within hours of my shampooing.

So to me, your hair looks very normal. You've had lots of advice on this thread already, and good luck.

[LittlePrincess]

Thank you :). I'm 21. This seems to have happened very suddenly to me though, when my hair used to only get oily after about 2-3 days. The stringy greasyness also seems to be there on some strands straight away after washing, which is worrying me.

I just tried doing a CO wash and it seemed pretty similar. I always love the silky soft feeling CO washes give my hair but a few seconds after drying I notice the strand by my ear is back all stringy and gross about five inches down the length. What's strange is the actual roots of that strand aren't greasy or the scalp, it's just super clumpy and looks permanently wet lower down. By the time I go to bed later the whole nape area will be the same :'( gross.

[Elven_Escapist]

My hair wasn't quite that bad, but I would have to wash it everyday because it was noticeably greasy by the time I came home from school. This one patch was usually worse than the rest. Once I started CO washing it took a little time for my hair to adjust but now my hair is only a bit greasy by the end of the day besides this one stubborn piece that picks up oils from my forehead XP It takes some time for hair to adjust to CO washing but after your scalp realizes you won't strip all the oils away every wash it starts producing less oils. Maybe if you give it some time it'll settle down.

[renia22]

Thank you :). I'm 21. This seems to have happened very suddenly to me though, when my hair used to only get oily after about 2-3 days. The stringy greasyness also seems to be there on some strands straight away after washing, which is worrying me.

I just tried doing a CO wash and it seemed pretty similar. I always love the silky soft feeling CO washes give my hair but a few seconds after drying I notice the strand by my ear is back all stringy and gross about five inches down the length. What's strange is the actual roots of that strand aren't greasy or the scalp, it's just super clumpy and looks permanently wet lower down. By the time I go to bed later the whole nape area will be the same :'( gross.

Is the Pantene clarifying shampoo you tried the clear, silicone free one, or the new white/ opaque one with silicones?

It really sounds like something is in your hair that isn't washing out, especially since you're saying its not the roots that are having the issue, and it's not all over. As far as ACV, baking soda, etc, despite the buzz about them, they aren't "clarifiers" and don't clarify oil or product build up, so using those wouldn't help. ACV can help with mineral deposits and won't nevessary hurt, but baking soda is highly abrasive and "scrubs" your hair, so any effect people see from it are from the abrasive quality, but it's highly alkaline and drying, and chances are the drying you said you had from the clarifying shampoo may very well have been from adding the baking soda.

I would keep trying, definitely try adding a plain, silicone free clarifying shampoo or conditioner to your hair before adding water, as water binds oil to your hair and makes it hard to wash out. You could try a hot oil treatment, applied to dry hair, then apply a plain condition without a lot of ingredients that can build up (like Anje said, suave), then add water as a final step to wash it out. You might have to do a clarifying shampoo after that. These are the steps I had to take a few months ago when I used something high in oils/waxes/butters and I swear something binded to my hair like superglue and not even prell shampoo would get it out. But eventually it worked. Good luck!

[Lyv]

I have the same thing happen at the front of my hair. No matter what I've tried I always have this one area that is greasy immediatley after washing and even when I use dry shampoo on it it's greasy again within an hour. So far I've tried sulfate free shampoos, co washing, shampoo bars, acv, baking soda, clarifying shampoo (sorta worked), and not using any conditioner but it nothing gets rid of it. I think it may be because it's close to my skin so my moisturizer might be getting on it or that the area needs sulfates to keep it clean.

[Johannah]

Thank you :). I'm 21. This seems to have happened very suddenly to me though, when my hair used to only get oily after about 2-3 days. The stringy greasyness also seems to be there on some strands straight away after washing, which is worrying me.

I just tried doing a CO wash and it seemed pretty similar. I always love the silky soft feeling CO washes give my hair but a few seconds after drying I notice the strand by my ear is back all stringy and gross about five inches down the length. What's strange is the actual roots of that strand aren't greasy or the scalp, it's just super clumpy and looks permanently wet lower down. By the time I go to bed later the whole nape area will be the same :'( gross.

Try to use it for a while. CO might need some time before it has some effect.

[LadyCelestina]

Do you touch /inspect the area a lot? ETA: Perhaps some oils from your hands or face travel onto your hair.Also,do you put your hair under the water if you bathe? Do you clean your hair tools (combs,brushes)?

Other than that I think it doesn't look bad,in fact I can't see the grease you are describing.Maybe just resort to washing daily with gentle stuff.

[AnqeIicDemise]

Thank you :). I'm 21. This seems to have happened very suddenly to me though, when my hair used to only get oily after about 2-3 days. The stringy greasyness also seems to be there on some strands straight away after washing, which is worrying me.

I just tried doing a CO wash and it seemed pretty similar. I always love the silky soft feeling CO washes give my hair but a few seconds after drying I notice the strand by my ear is back all stringy and gross about five inches down the length. What's strange is the actual roots of that strand aren't greasy or the scalp, it's just super clumpy and looks permanently wet lower down. By the time I go to bed later the whole nape area will be the same :'( gross. (emphasis, mine)


I know this sounds super silly but... do you wear your hair loose a lot? I only ask because you just said the roots are fine its the length that gets greasy. I'm wondering if maybe its sopping up product around the neck and face area, like lotion, face cream or make up.

An experiment I would do would be to towel dry and then tie my hair up while damp. sure it may take longer for it to dry this way but I'd want to know if it'd clump up or get greasy/matted as it usually does. If it doesn't, we now know its some form of product build up and it'd be a matter of monitoring to see how often it rubs up against the skin -- or how often you inspect the lock of hair and WHEN. Did you just put lotion on your hands? aha!

[texangrrl]

Your hair looks gorgeous and healthy to me! Have you thought about switching to natural products? I have started using Chagrin Valley Soap's shampoo bars. They have a nice selection of 'poo bars that are made specifically for oily haired people and the products are all natural. Sometimes our bodies will over-produce sebum in reaction to using synthetic and chemical ingredients. I know that my hair has been much healthier after switching from commercial products. There is a huge thread on LHC about shampoo bars. I would suggest reading through some of that to see if you would like to try that route. Either way, I do not think that cutting it short will solve your problems. Good luck and keep us posted!! :)

[Anje]

I do agree with the putting it up and trying not to touch it. If nothing else, the less you touch it the less the oils will spread down the length. I don't think hair really does much capillary action with oil....

But I had a random thought this morning:

Have you changed pillowcases (probably material, but maybe got a new set or different color or something) or laundry detergents or fabric softeners or anything? Maybe got a new washing machine since a little before this whole saga began? I'm wondering if something from your pillow is transferring to your hair or irritating your scalp in some novel way, and the oiliness is in response to that. Especially if you're one of the folks who flips her hair over the top of her pillow to sleep and sleeps on her back or side.

[LittlePrincess]

Thanks for all the rreplies, I'm so grateful to not feel alone like I have no help with this problem.

To the people who suggested tying it up while its drying to see if it stops it absorbing oil or lotion from my skin - I've tried this quite a few times because I often shower before work and have to throw it up quickly afterwards and go straight out (I'm a dominos delivery girl haha). This didn't help or actuallyare it worse because it never dried properly, just always stayed soggy all over even when I took it down.

The pantene clarifying shampoo I used was the clear one, bit yes it totally looks like there's still some build up in there, but as I say it's not coming oit with anything at all!! :'(
I don't remember changing anything in my routine just before this began. It was around when I moved home from uni but before I went to uni I showered here for 18 years so surely it can't be that.

Someone mentioned that hair doesn't have much of a capillary action when it come to grease spreading down the length.. This worries me because it seems to take half a day for nape area only to get really soaked with it, even if it's up or I'm not touching it. It actually feels damp. Makes me think there must be sosomething pretty wrong :S

I think for now maybe I'll stick with CO washing and the odd mild shampoo to not stimulate it more.. And LOTS of dry shampoo.

[catasa]

I am very sorry for your problems :blossom:

You have already had many good suggestions and mine is a long shot I guess... but was the clarifying shampoo you tried also chelating (i e formulated to remove mineral deposits from for example hard water)? And, is the problem the same when you wash your hair in different locations (i e, different water sources)? I am just asking because to me also it sounds like some kind of buildup maybe isn´t being removed from your hair, and even though I haven´t had your kind of problem I have definitely had problems with mineral buildup, and my experience is that not all clarifying shampoos are good at removing that. I don´t know about the Pantene shampoo you tried however, maybe that is chelating as well as clarifying. Otherwise I know that Joico (among others of course) makes a chelating shampoo, sorry can´t remember the exact name now.

Also, as far as I have read, hair can get over-moisturized, resulting in hair feeling stringy/mushy/too soft when wet, and (being hair :p) behaving in a lot of different problematic ways when dry. In such a case I think a protein treatment could be a good idea to try. I think I saw that you had bleached hair/lengths, which may make a protein treatment a good idea anyway. Again Joico makes one that I personally think is good, but there are of course many others probably less expensive (no, this is not a Joico promotion thingy, those products are just some that I have tried myself :) )

I really hope you find some solution, good luck!

[Angelica]

It seems odd that a trichologist can't find a solution. My experience is that my hair doesn't like just conditioner, too much of it does nothing for it and can make the hair look horrible. Rinse it thoroughly out with cold water. I am also wondering if you are having a diet issue here? if your skin is greasy, so will your hair be. Unless you find the solution, cutting your hair will not be the answer, unless you plan to keep it always short because as soon as the hair grows the same problem will arise. I do hope you find a solution.

[embee]

Ok, you are just the right age to have greasy hair, in my experience. ;) So sad, too bad, it's the way it is, it's what young healthy skin does.

When I was your age I had to be *very careful* about conditioner (we called it creme rinse then) because it would turn my hair stringy at once. But without any I had trouble combing and the tangles were awful.

If I were you, I might consider diluting whatever shampoo you might wish to use - I mean a lot of diluting, like a squirt of shampoo in a cup of water. And gently work that over/through your hair. And the same with the conditioner. Rinse very well. It's summer, we sweat more, that makes everything look greasy and feel icky. In winter the air will be drier, the heat is on, we're not sweating as much, etc.

I'd try dilute for a week and see if anything is better. And if you're hanging around in the Domino's shop your hair may be picking up grease in the atmosphere or your fingers may be putting grease on your hair without your being aware of it.

Really it probably looks worse to you than to anyone else, that's how we are, we see our own flaw magnified. :)

[LittlePrincess]

Hmm, interesting thoughts.
My diet is pretty good I think, at the moment I'm dairy free to help with my eczemabut I eat lots of veg and fish etc and take vitamins.
I could try diluting shampoo, though I worry thatbif my current washing isn't getting it out it would build up even worse :s
I had wondered about chelating, I recently tested my water and it's medium-hard. Can this cause mineral build up like this?

Today was weird, I CO washed last night and dried and braided straight away. Then this morning I put it up and went volunteering all day when I got back the front bits that had been pulled back against my head were stringy and oily, and just the underneath on one side a bit. Still gross but less. than usual. I went downstairs to show my mum and dad, and about ten mins later when I look in the mirror againthe whole underneath had got greasy stringy and wet looking, worse that in the photo, right down the length.
It feels like I'm going crazy here. That just can't be happening right? It's like it's absorbing it from the atmosphere and clumping together within seconds of my hair being down. When I put it back up my bun felt damp, insanely odd.
Sorry to have such a baffling problem everyone :(

[Quixii]

:hmm: I wonder what would happen if you did a moisture treatment, like an SMT or just leave-in conditioner. Maybe for several hours, and then rinse it out?

[spidermom]

as water binds oil to your hair and makes it hard to wash out.

Say what? Water doesn't mix with oil; how would it bind oil to the hair?

[spidermom]

It definitely sounds like your scalp is oozing something right there. I'd definitely want to find out what it is. I've seen several people complain about similar problems over the years, but I've never dealt with anything similar myself.

[Horrorpops]

Hey I don't know if this will help but I used to use rosehip oil on my face and neck to help treat post-acne redness and scarring. Around that time my fringe and hair close to my face started getting super dooper oilly - and bingo it was the rosehip oil rubbing onto my hair. While this was an easy association to make, face oil=hair oily, I thought (like a PP) it might have something to do with a neck cream, perfume etc?

Hope something works for you deary. :) best of luck!

EDIT: just read it happens even if your hair is pulled away from your neck and face. Hmmmmm...

[renia22]

Say what? Water doesn't mix with oil; how would it bind oil to the hair?

I don't know if I'm using the right scientific language. Adding the water first interferes with the removal of oil. Adding the shampoo first, then water, helps the oil emulsify & aides in it's removal. I've personally experienced this and it sure feels like binding, since it does not come out! Maybe this explains it better than I did:

http://chemistrysimplified.com/lather-rinse-repeat/

Lather, Rinse and Repeat
Most of us just follow directions without giving it much thought – Lather, Rinse and Repeat. We wet our hair, apply enough shampoo to produce a lather, rinse, and then lather again. Although that’s what we’ve always done, all hair isn’t the same and the same procedure will not produce the best results on different types of hair.
Fragile, dry hair, that was just shampooed the day before, is still relatively clean and should be treated differently than resistant, oily hair that hasn’t been shampooed in a few days or longer. The shampoo procedure should vary depending on the type and condition of the hair and how often it’s shampooed.
A good shampoo usually starts by wetting the hair with water and even plain water damages your hair. Water breaks hydrogen bonds and swells the hair about 18%. Hot water swells the hair more than warm water. So always use warm or cool water, rather than hot. Although there is no reason to be uncomfortable, if you are willing to try a final rinse with cold water, your hair will tangle less and have more shine.
The surfactants in shampoo clean our hair in exactly the same way they clean our dishes and our clothing. Surfactants surround and enclose a drop of oil or speck of dirt to form a sphere called a micelle. The micelles attach to the water to form an emulsion and the emulsified oil and dirt is carried away with the final rinse.
Lather forms when surfactants form micelles around air instead of oil or dirt. It’s important to note that lather will not form until all the dirt or oil has been emulsified. At that point, any excess surfactant will produce lather. So, once you’ve applied enough shampoo to produce lather, you know that all of the oil and dirt is emulsified and your hair is ready to rinse.
Although everyone loves a rich, thick, creamy lather, it isn’t really necessary. A modest, uniform later indicates your hair is ready to rinse. Once you have obtained lather, there is no point in adding more shampoo. A thick, robust lather means you used more shampoo than needed and caused unnecessary damage to your hair. Excess surfactant may strip and damage hair. If you have fragile, dry hair and shampoo daily, a single lather may be enough. A second lather does nothing more than insure your hair is clean.
Oily hair should be treated differently. Oils, such as sebum, are insoluble in water. Sebum combines with dead skin cells and other dirt to form an oily coating on the hair and scalp that is difficult to remove. Wetting oily hair with water first, will make the oil more difficult to remove. Oily hair should not be wet with water before shampooing. Apply shampoo directly on the oily areas while the hair is still dry. Then add just enough warm water to massage the shampoo into the hair. Rinse thoroughly and apply enough shampoo to get a second lather. You’ll use less shampoo and get better results.
The same is true for removing peanut butter or any other oily substance from the hair. Always apply shampoo directly to the oily area on dry hair. Then add water and shampoo.

[NatNat]

I've read that listerine can help get rid of greasy spots on someone's scalp. Has anyone tried this? I wonder if it would help!

[Isilme]

Try a lighter conditioner. I myself for example have to be careful not to use heavy creamy conditioners, they have to be light and fluffy or my hair gets stringy.
Another thought, do you wear one of those baseball caps for work? I imagine those are very hard to ever get clean again.

[GetMeToWaist]

Going to suggest baking soda, this got rid of my greasy patch

[LittlePrincess]

Hmm I did try putting the shampoo in the hair while it was dry and washing but it still was very greasy after.
I also briefly tried a rinse with listerine, it made my hair smell nice and minty but sadly straight after it was stringy by my ears and a while later it looks soggy and greasy again.

I do wear a baseball cap at work, I do find it makes the crown go greadied a little more quickly butbthat bit isn't the partI've had this problem with to be honest. The greasy bits are actually underneath and not really affected by the cap.

I'm starting to worry the texture of my hair has actually changed to just go stringy and clumpy and gross :S

[RoseofCimarron]

I have this problem sometimes and it is usually because of the weather. Did your hair start doing this near a change in the weather? When it is hot, or humid, I have to rinse the back of my hair with cold water (fill a cup of with cool or cold water and pour it over the back of my hair) or it gets stringy, sticky, and oily. When it is cold, I just leave my hair be and don't do the cold water rinse.

[Beezle]

I don't know if I'm using the right scientific language. Adding the water first interferes with the removal of oil. Adding the shampoo first, then water, helps the oil emulsify & aides in it's removal. I've personally experienced this and it sure feels like binding, since it does not come out! Maybe this explains it better than I did:
renia22 a thank you for this. Such important info and I didn't know any of it before you posted.

[lapushka]

Maybe sudsing up your hair twice when you wash is an option. Works for me. I used to need my hair washed twice to even three times a week. Right now I'm stretched to a weekly wash.

[morrigan*]

What about changing conditioner, or stopping with it altogether ?

[renia22]

renia22 a thank you for this. Such important info and I didn't know any of it before you posted.
Hope it helps, Beezle! For the longest time I swore off using oils because I couldn't get them out of my hair, until someone clued me in about the water, and now I can happily use coconut oil without the nightmare of not being about to wash it out :)

LittlePrincess-Oh dear, it sound like we need to drive over there with an arsenal of stuff and start experimenting on you:

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/seniors/old-lady-driving-smiley-emoticon.gif (http://www.sherv.net/)

Seriously though, I second skipping conditioner and also catasa made a good point about your water...maybe it's really "soft"? Perhaps get a water filter if you don't already have one, or change the filter if you do?

[velorutionista]

Lots of great suggestions here and I don't have much to add, but I do have a styling suggestion that might help you out while you try different stuff...I use scarves to hide super greasy/oiled/messy hair once in a while--don't know if you like scarves, but thought I'd throw it out there. Here's a good tutorial (http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/03/26/3-easy-ways-to-tie-a-headscarf-retro-style/) on a couple non-frumpy ways to wear a scarf to cover hair up. Hope you figure out a routine that works for you!

[stephy190]

Clarify with neutrogena anti residue shampoo.. wash your entire head and length and maybe try washing with your head tipped upside down over the side of the bath instead of standing up in the shower.. this really gets all the areas if your hair is really greasy.. make sure to scrub all round the nape (which makes it easier if your head ia tipped upside down) and the front underneath parts and rinse thoroughly! This worked for me when I had horrible build up and nothing else seemed to work!

[Melispelos]

You know, I had this EXACT same problem a while back, only that it affected a portion of my scalp. I would wash it and no matter how I did it, there was a spot in the back of my head that turned greasy in excess in just an hour or so. It looked wet, even, and a little smelly. I knew it wasn't a normal thing for me because my hair was never too oily or dry, and it was happening only in that spot. I went to a dermatologist and he agreed that it was some kind of fungi. He gave a tonic that I applied for a week or so in that spot, and the problem dissapeared. Maybe you just need to see another doctor?

[ErinLeigh]

Maybe try dabbing some witch hazel on the part of scalp that seems effected and see if that stops some grease flow.
Sorry to hear you are dealing with this. I have zero experience with so don't have many guesses but hopefully something will work.

[Knifegill]

As a former grease ball, I can tell you that the less I wash, the less oil my scalp makes. When I quit using shampoo I was amazed at how I stopped needing it. I was trying baking soda and soaps and that made things bad. Anything basic/alkaline seems to make my scalp over-produce oils to repair the damage. Also, super cold water on my head will delay the oilies by a day at least. Now I stretch washes, CO wash, and often water-only. I get to day 5 without looking homeless. Used to be 2 days max.

And you are sure the oiliness isn't coming from a scrunchy or some kind of fabric somewhere?

Your hair looks great, by the way. I'd wonder if maybe you're paying too much attention and noticing things that aren't actually out of the norm. When I first noticed I had megapore on my nose I fixated on it for weeks and was convinced it was getting worse, etc. But it's just normal, always been there, shrinks with herb use, but whatever.