Advice please!

[AmberJewel]

I have a problem with my scalp getting greasy but my length remaining dry and frizzy. Using a BBB helped, but I'm worried about damage to my fine, tapering ends. I've considered stretching washes but my scalp gets really itchy and annoying after 3-4 days and it just looks bad. I've made it to day 5 or 6 in the past but by that point I'm fed up and just want it clean. I'm currently using a Head-and-Shoulders shampoo (diluted) and then conditioning twice.
Would a vinegar rinse help?
Any advice would be appreciated.

[Seventy7]

3-4 days doesn't sound that bad. You shouldn't stretch your washes further than your scalp can manage. A happy scalp is the start for happy hair.

Have you tried scalp only washes?

Head & Shoulders isn't a shampoo that makes my hair happy, when have you last tried something else? I now have the cheapest shampoo from our supermarkt, which contains hardly anything else than sulfates. I add some aloe vera gel, dilute it, and my scalp gets nicely clean. But if your scalp is happy with what you do now, you might not want to change it.

Do you apply conditioner only on the length, shoulder or ear down?
What conditioners do you use?
Do you use any oil on your hair?
Have you tried an SMT?
When did you last clarify the length?

Oh my, I've only got loads of question for you. Troubleshooting isn't easy and there will be no quick fix. There are loads of options to try though. You should keep track of what works for you and what doesn't.

[MsPharaohMoan]

Head and shoulders is pretty powerful stuff. Maybe it's stripping too much oil from your scalp and causing you to overproduce oil to compensate. Ever tried going sulphate free or trying less intense sulphates?

[Nique1202]

If your ends are getting dry and troublesome before your scalp starts feeling greasy, you could look into a light oil or serum to even things out. I use a couple of drops of a silicone-and-oil serum (Garnier Marvelous Oil) worked through the ends when they start to feel dry and tangle-prone, and it makes a HUGE difference for me. Wearing your hair up (buns, braids, whatever you like to do with it) helps to make the greasiness at the roots look intentional since it usually holds down the flyaways too, so you get that slick tidy look. Make sure no conditioner is getting near your scalp because everything above your earlobes gets plenty moisturized by your sebum, you don't need ANY conditioner up there ever if your scalp gets greasy, and you don't need to shampoo your length if it gets dry through the week, the suds that rinse down are usually plenty even with diluted shampoo.

All that said, if your scalp starts getting itchy at 3-4 days that's the upper limit of how far you want to really stretch your washes anyway. If that routine works for you, and if you're otherwise pretty happy with your hair, then you don't need to mess with a good thing. Tend to the ends (you could try a thicker conditioner, or add an oil or serum or leave-in of some sort) and wash your scalp whenever it needs it.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

If your ends are getting dry and troublesome before your scalp starts feeling greasy, you could look into a light oil or serum to even things out. I use a couple of drops of a silicone-and-oil serum (Garnier Marvelous Oil) worked through the ends when they start to feel dry and tangle-prone, and it makes a HUGE difference for me. Wearing your hair up (buns, braids, whatever you like to do with it) helps to make the greasiness at the roots look intentional since it usually holds down the flyaways too, so you get that slick tidy look. Make sure no conditioner is getting near your scalp because everything above your earlobes gets plenty moisturized by your sebum, you don't need ANY conditioner up there ever if your scalp gets greasy, and you don't need to shampoo your length if it gets dry through the week, the suds that rinse down are usually plenty even with diluted shampoo.

All that said, if your scalp starts getting itchy at 3-4 days that's the upper limit of how far you want to really stretch your washes anyway. If that routine works for you, and if you're otherwise pretty happy with your hair, then you don't need to mess with a good thing. Tend to the ends (you could try a thicker conditioner, or add an oil or serum or leave-in of some sort) and wash your scalp whenever it needs it.

This is excellent advice.

[lapushka]

More moisture for the ends is certainly necessary if they're that dry feeling. You could try the CWC method, or use an oil or deep conditioner (DC) on your lengths before you wash. Don't let the conditioner/oil get near your scalp though, reserve that for the ends. A serum or oil on damp hair, or a leave-in + a serum might do wonders after your washing method of choice.

[AmberJewel]

Wow, thanks for all the help, ladies! I've only used the Head and Shoulders shampoo a couple of times because I figured that maybe a stronger shampoo would help me not need to wash so often. I would love to wash only once a week, but every time I've tried it, my scalp has just been a constant irritation.

Basically, I wash (scalp only) every 4 days and condition the length (sometimes twice) with whatever conditioner is available in the house. Lately that's been Pantene. I don't rub conditioner into my scalp, but I haven't been super careful to keep it below the ears either. I did CO washes for a while, but that eventually made my hair too lank and greasy feeling. I like to use a wide-toothed comb while the conditioner is in to distribute it better. I usually apply either a leave-in or coconut oil after washing.

Should I use only one or both, and in what order? I'm still not entirely sure what my hair likes. Is it just trial and error? And I'm wary of using coconut oil in the winter.

My hair is worn up most days, especially when I'm at work. On my days off I like to let it down and give the roots a rest but I still don't really like it getting into my face. So on those days it goes into a low ponytail or braid. That's about it. Thanks again for giving such great responses so quickly. That's one of the many things I love about LHC. :crush:

[Nique1202]

Wow, thanks for all the help, ladies! I've only used the Head and Shoulders shampoo a couple of times because I figured that maybe a stronger shampoo would help me not need to wash so often. I would love to wash only once a week, but every time I've tried it, my scalp has just been a constant irritation.

Basically, I wash (scalp only) every 4 days and condition the length (sometimes twice) with whatever conditioner is available in the house. Lately that's been Pantene. I don't rub conditioner into my scalp, but I haven't been super careful to keep it below the ears either. I did CO washes for a while, but that eventually made my hair too lank and greasy feeling. I like to use a wide-toothed comb while the conditioner is in to distribute it better. I usually apply either a leave-in or coconut oil after washing.

Should I use only one or both, and in what order? I'm still not entirely sure what my hair likes. Is it just trial and error? And I'm wary of using coconut oil in the winter.

My hair is worn up most days, especially when I'm at work. On my days off I like to let it down and give the roots a rest but I still don't really like it getting into my face. So on those days it goes into a low ponytail or braid. That's about it. Thanks again for giving such great responses so quickly. That's one of the many things I love about LHC. :crush:

Mostly, finding what makes you happy with your hair is trial and error, and trying not to change too many things at once so that if something DOES go catastrophically wrong, you know what you changed last and can reverse it.

If the H&S shampoo seems to be working for you, you might as well keep using it for a few more washes to see if it is making much of a difference. I definitely find that my scalp does NOT get clean with anything less than SLS and SLES in the first four ingredients of a shampoo (no CO and no sulfate-free for me!) and the fewer the moisturizing things that hit my scalp the longer I can go between washes, though it doesn't necessarily work that way for everyone.

If your scalp gets greasy, making more of an effort to keep conditioner away from it might help it not get greasy quite so quickly. If you find your length is getting dry, then using both leave-in and oil instead of just one or the other might make a difference (check out Lapushka's signature for the LOC method, which uses a combination of leave-in conditioner, oil, and cream to ensure maximum moisture where it's needed) because your ends clearly need more moisture.

There's nothing wrong with using coconut oil in the winter if it works for you during the rest of the year, especially if your concern is just "coconut oil will be solid and make my hair more fragile". A lot of hair-friendly oils will solidify at below-freezing temperatures (I know olive oil gets solid in the fridge, and that's another common one around here) but they don't get fragile the same way that, say, water becomes ice that can crack off. You can technically crack a long, thin, rolled-out chunk of coconut oil (or cocoa butter, or shea butter, or any other solidified oil) when it's solid but it's still smushy and kind of soft. If you're not using so much oil that your ends look greasy, I'm pretty sure your hair will be fine even out in the cold.

[AmberJewel]

Thanks to Nique1202, Lapushka, and everyone else who's taken the time to respond.

I'll keep experimenting one tiny little change at a time. The hardest part seems to be patience. My ends definitely need more moisture so I'll try the LOC method next... but probably leave off the cream since that seems like it would weigh down my fine hairs. In the mean time I'll keep reading up on all the other suggestions and decide which one to try next.

Here's a flower for you all. :blossom:

[spidermom]

My method is to wait until my scalp is oily, then oil the length. I like coconut or olive oil. After washing, I use a few drops of CHI Silk Infusion or Renpure argan oil formula massaged through the length. Both of these contain silicones, which I like but only sparingly.

[x0h_bother]

I have a problem with my scalp getting greasy but my length remaining dry and frizzy. Using a BBB helped, but I'm worried about damage to my fine, tapering ends. I've considered stretching washes but my scalp gets really itchy and annoying after 3-4 days and it just looks bad. I've made it to day 5 or 6 in the past but by that point I'm fed up and just want it clean. I'm currently using a Head-and-Shoulders shampoo (diluted) and then conditioning twice.
Would a vinegar rinse help?
Any advice would be appreciated.
As someone who ditched h&s and can go longer without washes or killing my ends,---I advise you to please consider it. Not all shampoos work, but with trial and error I reached a non- greasy non- dry balance. Good luck. I'll never go back. Using the h&s to clean my tub :D

[Christine_O]

I can't add oil to my dry hair, it looks and feels awful. I can and do add a very light oil like sweet almond oil with my conditioner. It's well below freezing where I am, and the air is bone dry. This keeps my hair looking nice and not flying all over the place after washing.