Greasy hair fall

[HairPlease]

I haven't noticed this until I turned about 17. My hair starts to fall out horribly when I try to stretch washes, and it seems the greasier it is the more falls out. I lose excess of 300 strands on day 3 of no shampoo.
I also get this thick, disgusting coating of what I believe is sebum/dandruff mixed. It's white, gritty, and smells like sebum. If I scratch my scalp I get a nail-load every time. I can't see it on my scalp, only if I itch. And boy does this goop itch. Cones seem to make it worse but my hair texture loves them.
Is it really true that what they say about balding young because of this problem?
I'm scared!

I tried doing a forum search but it was hard to find something like this. I see you folks just seem to stretch washes like it's easy (relative to my problem).
The internet in general just comes up with scary "hair loss product give me your money" articles about how sebum means you'll go bald by some ridiculous age (30?).

What should I do? Should I just wash every day and not try to stretch? Is it really the cones? I don't style my hair or blow dry or anything. But if I touch it on a 3rd day stretch, I shed like an old cat.

[Kendrix]

How long have you gone? I have a similar shedding pattern and I have always had the white gritty goop! (Because of the goop I am not very kind to my scalp. Too much picking and scratching and breaking the skin.) I would try to push it to at least a week even though my hair was falling out and it adjusted. Sometimes I pushed it a bit longer. I find it helps to just get it wet. A water rinse really helps the goop. Or a scalp combing.

[Nique1202]

If you're using conditioner right up to your scalp, that could be causing at least part of the problem. A lot of folks are sensitive to conditioners and oils on their scalps, and that can cause significant hairfall and/or the scalp getting very greasy in a very short time in response (my scalp responds to oil with NO, BEGONE FOUL SUBSTANCE, I WILL WASH YOU OUT WITH MY OWN OIL, BAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!!!!). Unless you have a dry scalp naturally (unlikely, if your hair looks/feels greasy within a day or two of washing) you shouldn't need to put conditioner above your shoulders after washing with shampoo, let alone right up to the roots.

I doubt that shedding like that would result in permanent baldness, though. Temporary bald patches, maybe, but it should still grow back once the follicle calms down.

Some people just can't stretch washes for various reasons beyond every day or every other day, and as long as you're treating your hair gently (no piling it up and smushing it around while wet, no ripping a comb or brush through tangles, etc.) washing more often will not damage the hair itself. If you need to do it, then you need to do it.

[catasa]

Some people are able to "train" their scalp to produce less oil, and so can stretch washes by slowly increasing the number of days between washes. But some people just have greasy scalps, and no amount of "training" will change it. I am one of the latter, I have always needed to wash every second day, that is the most I was ever able to stretch without scalp getting too greasy/icky. I also get markedly increased shedding and itching if I stretch washes longer than this, so I have simply stopped trying... Many people, me included, also get increased shedding when using oils or conditioner on the scalp.

I certainly don´t think that you will go bald, but maybe hair will get unnecessarily thin (I thinned my out by sticking with CO washing for way too long, but it grew back when I finally stopped). Everyone is different, so I think that you should just go with a routine that works for you, without worrying about what others say or do :) If your lengths are not happy with frequent washing, look into scalp-only washing and see if that would work for you.

I also get this sebum-gunky coating (lately more bad-smelling than usual :( ) and I also kind of wonder if that is "normal", so I will be watching this tread! If cones makes it worse, maybe you can try a cone-free shampoo and use coney conditioner on lengths only?

Good luck! :blossom:

[lapushka]

I would wash with a sulfate shampoo that has NO silicones in it. Don't let silicones or conditioner get near your scalp (only ears down). And see what that does. Take it one day at a time. If you are used to daily washing, then once a week, try and go a day longer, then do this for a few weeks, then try stretching one time longer, and do that for a few weeks. This needs to be done *slowly*, so your scalp can get used to it.

[henné]

I had a similar problem before. Plus my scalp itched something fierce and I also had red patches around my scalp. It was caused by sulphates in my shampoos and various chemicals (including silicones) in the conditioners I used. I had to 'reboot' my scalp and then I found out I can go much longer between washes with zero itchiness ...

I can't remember exactly how I went about rebooting my scalp, but I know it included lots of WO - water only - over the summer some two or three years ago and then through some trial and error I arrived at diluted sulphate-free shampoo washes 1-2 times a week (or one WO+1diluted shampoo wash) a week, plus using conditioner (only on my length - never even coming close to my scalp) most of my washes (not all) and clarifying (only my length) about once a month.

My scalp has been totally flake and itch free for about two years now. Halelujah!

[rosey4exclaim]

If you're using conditioner right up to your scalp, that could be causing at least part of the problem. A lot of folks are sensitive to conditioners and oils on their scalps, and that can cause significant hairfall and/or the scalp getting very greasy in a very short time in response (my scalp responds to oil with NO, BEGONE FOUL SUBSTANCE, I WILL WASH YOU OUT WITH MY OWN OIL, BAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!!!!). Unless you have a dry scalp naturally (unlikely, if your hair looks/feels greasy within a day or two of washing) you shouldn't need to put conditioner above your shoulders after washing with shampoo, let alone right up to the roots.

THIS EXPLAINS SO MUCH! The other day I did SMH for the first time with a cone-y conditioner, and I put it on up to my scalp and left it on overnight. When I rinsed it out in the morning, I had a TON of hair loss. I thought it was because it had been over a week since I washed my hair last (I was using it as the 1st C in the CWC method) and I'd been wearing it up every day, but this probably contributed to the hair loss quite a bit. Now I know.

The only thing is the top of my hair gets so frizzy if I don't put conditioner up there. Any tips from anyone? Oils just make my hair shiny/greasy; they don't really help tame the frizz.

[HairPlease]

Interesting!
I have never even tried a sulfate free shampoo. I'll stop putting conditioner anywhere near my roots to begin with. I just ran out of product so now's a perfect time to change up a little.
Good to know it will grow back. That's a sigh of relief for me... oh man. Phew.
I might still use cones (processed hair, you know how that goes) but perhaps I'll clarify more and use them less.
Also, it's good to hear my scalp goop isn't a me-only issue. I thought I was a mutant.

Thanks for the replies so far. :)

[ravenreed]

I don't think that stretching washes is beneficial or necessary for everyone. I CO wash every other day and my hair gets down to fingertip length before I trim it back to classic. When I used a regular shampoo and conditioner method to clean my hair I did have to wash every day because shampoo makes my scalp get greasy faster. Even so, I almost never go more than two days before washing my hair because I hate the way greasy hair looks. That said, I often have to treat my hair and my scalp separately. My hair LOVES SLS shampoos. So, I usually shampoo from my ears down at least once a month, even though I still stick to conditioner on my scalp.

[meteor]

Hmm, honestly, reading your original post sounds a bit like it could be SD... :hmm: Greasy hair, itchy scalp with dandruff and hairfall... I'd try a dandruff shampoo and see if it helps, something with ketoconazole (Nizoral, Regenepure DR), for example. Dandruff shampoos are good at zapping excessive greasiness and itch, by the way.

Since you are out of your current hair products and want to change things up, check out this article that discusses dandruff aspects and treatments: Medicated Shampoos, Conditioners, Co-washes and Treatments For Itchy Scalp, Dry Scalp, Seborrheic Dermatitis (List) - http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2015/03/medicated-shampoos-and-conditioners-for.html

[cathair]

I don't think I could have stretched my washes at 17. My hair was just too greasy. My hair has got drier and less greasy with age. The grease is somewhat protecting your hair from shampoo anyway. If you want to protect it even more, coconut oil does a great job left on over night then washed out in the morning. I would just wash it more, it isn't worth losing the hair that sheds out from stretching. If you end up with a sore or aching scalp, then you definitely know you have gone too far.

[HairPlease]

You're making good points cathair. My hair has only gone even greasier (I'm 21) without letup.
I'll look up more on coconut oil. It's cheap, may be worth it.
Thank you :)

[yahirwaO.o]

Oh yes streaching watches can cause severe shedding on some people, like it used to happen to me. I wash between 2 or 3 times a week and my scalp is much happier with 3 rate aka everyother day. If u must do it every day or every other day then diluting shampoo is going to make a huge favour. Like others said, streaching doesnt work for all people and there no point on having soft but super thinned out ends if shedding continues its way.

I do my diluted mixture with a very soft SLS shampoo and some aloe vera drops in plastic recipe. It works so good, cleanses without stripping and I shed between 5 to 15 hairs every time in the shower and no more than 15 the next days, sometimes as little as 5. I still have from time to time troubles with flakes, but brushing my hair gets the job just fine.

Hope you can find a nice solution! :o