extremely greasy scalp

[Mocca]

Hi!

About 2 years ago I started not to shampoo my hair with regular shampoo anymore. I'm a natural woman who still likes to shave and smell nice.

I read massive amounts on the internet of women who stopped using shampoo and decided to try the no poo method (I stayed away from baking soda altogether and learned from those who said their hair was dry and ruined) So just water then. And tons of using a bore bristle brush. Can I just say "yuk!!!!" After two days I couldn't even touch my hair anymore, it became a greasy mass and I was disgusted to be honest.

I thought I need to stick it out, so my scalp can get back to its original state. But I couldn't stand the smell, the dandruff and having to force my long hair in a bun every single day. and it wasn't a fluffy victoria woman bun, it just stuck to my head. And my scalp was itchy as hell! It was awful.

I resorted to using a teeny tiny amount of baby shampoo and my hair was grease free, but felt horrible, because it was now stripped of the natural sebum.

Next I used rye flour and water which I thoroughly enjoyed - it was like a hair mask. but the residue looked like I had a massive problem with dandruff. I don't, but it looked like it, because I just couldnt get it all out.

What I have been doing for a year now is a shampoo of one egg, a little water and a teaspoon of honey. My hair is greasefree and my scalp feels nice. I brush it twice a day fr 10 to 20 minutes. So, I was hoping that after a year of egg-honey-shampoo my scalp would calm down and I would need to wash it just once a week, but no!

After two days my scalp seems to shoot up enormous amounts of oil and then I brush and brush and brush the hair, not the scalp. The result is a grease-free scalp, but the rest of my long hair is full of grease like you just pust an oil mask in it. yuk!!!!

I tried dry shampoo from the shops - didn't do anything for my at all.
I tried baby powder - fantastic results!!!!! it's just cancerous, so I stopped using it.
I tried cocoa powder - the colour mess was unbelievable! Brown powder everywhere.....
I tried corn starch - left it in my hair over night and you can see little white powder dots after extensive brushing in the morning. Plus it doesn't get all that grease out.

At the moment I doubt that there will ever come a time where my hair is grease free for more than 2 or 3 days in a row.


Do es any of you lovely ladies have any ideas of what could calm my greasy scalp down?
I'm desperate, I hate it and I don't want to wash my hair 2 - 3 times a week.....

Thank you loads!
Mocca

[lapushka]

Hi!

If your scalp protests heavily to new methods, I suggest going back to what did work and didn't give you scalp issues (like dandruff or flakes). It seems you have found your HG method in an egg wash. That still doesn't mean you can stretch washes. Not everybody can do that. You just have to experience that for yourself, unfortunately. There is nu miracle out there.

Have you ever tried sulfate-free shampoos? Maybe they would help. Or CO-washing? Maybe that would help? Two methods to try that you might not have tried before.

Shea Moisture does sulfate-free shampoos, and I bet there are other brands out there. And for CO-washing, you just need a cheap, light conditioner. Have a look at the CO-washing thread.

[Mocca]

Merci beaucoup for your reply, Lapushka!

I am going to look into sulfate-free shampoos and or co-washing.

I had hoped that I could somehow stretch washes :-) I am not giving up just yet. Do you happen to know more about how it works and why it doesn't in some cases?

Thank you!

[Simsy]

Some scalps like only being washed occasionally. Some scalps will tolerate occasional washing but are happier with more regular cleaning. Some scalps insist on regular cleaning, no arguments. Unfortunately, no one has yet found a fool-proof way to work out what your scalp will do units you try it; although you can sometimes guess based on past experiments.

If you are determined to stretch washes, go slowly. Let your scalp and hair adjust to the new wash schedule, new products or new routine before you go changing it again. This will allow you to trouble-shoot and solve any problems before they become major issues. It might take 6 months, it might take a few years but you can't rush hair.

Good luck

[lapushka]

Merci beaucoup for your reply, Lapushka!

I am going to look into sulfate-free shampoos and or co-washing.

I had hoped that I could somehow stretch washes :-) I am not giving up just yet. Do you happen to know more about how it works and why it doesn't in some cases?

Some people "overwash", out of habit, because that's how they were taught or raised; they never wait until their scalp gets naturally oily, the hair has gotten used to it and starts producing the oil at the end of the day or 2 days, or how ever often they wash. These people *can* usually stretch.

If you cannot stretch and you've tried every method, it is just not meant to be. I don't know why that happens.

I myself needed to wash 2/3 times a week and that never changed. Then due to medical reasons, I couldn't wash but every 2 weeks, for a long time. I got a massive case (flare-up) of SD (seborrheic dermatitis - I do have SD) and after that magically I could stretch to a week; my scalp had somehow normalized. I wouldn't recommend doing it that way; I would recommend going slow in stretching. In my case it was out of necessity.

That all doesn't mean I don't get oily during the week, I get oily at around Thursday/Friday. Length of hair helps with stretching as well. The longer the hair, the easier it is to stretch.

But it's not a given that you *can* stretch. It's different for everyone.

[vampyyri]

Have you tried scalp-only washes with a clarifying shampoo? I'm a greaseball myself and need to wash my scalp every 2 days, and my bangs daily.

Some people just can't stretch washes, especially if your scalp is protesting.

[Mocca]

well, well, my scalp is definitely protesting. But both my parents have washed their hair once a week and don't have greasy hair at all. that's why I was thinking, that my scalp will readjust eventually. But greasy hair drives me nuts! :-) I have hair as long as my lower back and I look sort of "gender-free" if you know what i mean :-) I would love to show the world that I have long flowing hair and really enjoy it.

I just thought I might be doing something wrong and totally understand that using shampoo too much means, of course, that the scalp needs to recompensate. So I thought let's not use something aggressive and the egg-honey wash is really nice.

Maybe I do need to wash every 4 days and then gradually get to 5 days and so on? Am I simply expecting too much of my scalp to go 7 in one go? But Lapushka had to succumb to 2 weeks only and then the scalp "normallized". So, I wish my scalp would calm down and my hair would be a full and nice as all the ladies' hair 100 years ago. It makes total sense that hair is thicker and healthier if you don't touch it as much and leave it alone for most of the time. How women only washed their hair 8 times a year and not have horrid greasy hair is a mystery to me.

It's one I would like to crack tho!.....

[lapushka]

Maybe I do need to wash every 4 days and then gradually get to 5 days and so on? Am I simply expecting too much of my scalp to go 7 in one go? But Lapushka had to succumb to 2 weeks only and then the scalp "normallized". So, I wish my scalp would calm down and my hair would be a full and nice as all the ladies' hair 100 years ago. It makes total sense that hair is thicker and healthier if you don't touch it as much and leave it alone for most of the time. How women only washed their hair 8 times a year and not have horrid greasy hair is a mystery to me.

Maybe that had to do with age as well, and length.

You can only do what's best for your hair. I would get yourself a sulfate-free shampoo (where in the world are you, so we can better advise you on brands), and see what that does. If you still have scalp issues with the egg wash, then that is a no-no as well!

If you are in the EU, Urtekram is a good brand to try.
In the US, I'd go with a Shea Moisture shampoo, their Jamaican black castor oil one would be great, I think.

[Obsidian]

So, I wish my scalp would calm down and my hair would be a full and nice as all the ladies' hair 100 years ago. It makes total sense that hair is thicker and healthier if you don't touch it as much and leave it alone for most of the time. How women only washed their hair 8 times a year and not have horrid greasy hair is a mystery to me.

It's one I would like to crack tho!.....

I think they did have greasy hair. All vintage pics I see of long haired ladies, the roots always look nasty and the length looks dry or lanky.

[spidermom]

I agree with Obsidian. Most pictures from "back in the day" are kind of blurry, so it's hard to make an accurate assessment of how oily the hair was, but I have noticed that sometimes the hair looks very piecy and shiny at the scalp but dull in the length. That's not what I want for my hair.

For several decades now, I've had to wash my hair every 3-4 days, otherwise my scalp gets itchy and/or stinky. Very occasionally I've been able to wash even less frequently, but I'm good with about twice per week. Usually I use diluted shampoo at my scalp only, and everything comes clean with the rinse. About every other month, I'll wash scalp to ends to clarify. I use styling products, and they build up.

[Ophidian]

The "stretching washes" thread has a lot of good info and experiences from people who are interested in increasing the time they can go between washes. For some people this means washing every other day rather than every day, and for others it's washing once a week (for example). And there are a bunch of tricks like the ones that vampyyri mentioned for keeping things under control between full washes if you have an oily scalp. The point being that it's all about finding that sweet spot where you aren't over washing, but your scalp is happy and you have hair that you feel good about leaving the house with. Anyway, here's the link:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56574

Hope this helps!

[Mocca]

Am I allowed to link to pinterest from here? I'd love to show you what I mean when I talk of the masses of full, beautiful hair. :-) In an article from around the 1900s one author recommended iris root powder to be put in the hair at night and brushed out in the morning. If that's a nice smell then yeah, but I don't want to make things worse.

My hair feels incredible after the egg-honey wash, no other shampoo has ever made my hair feel this soft. I love it! So that's why I stick with it.
I used to rinse with cider vinegar and did it for years, I loved it too. For reasons of laziness I stopped it tho.

However, I was thinking, I keep brushing my hair like a mad woman and only wash my long tresses every 3 days without actually touching the scalp.....
That should work, no? The only thing then that's left to combat would be the smell of the scalp.....oooh, dear. :-)

And ps: I'm EU based :-)

[Mocca]

I'll be sure to give it a go! Thanks!

[emptyque]

Dry skin on the scalp can cause flakes like dandruff, but dandruff can also be caused by a fungal infection on the scalp. If you're noticing a bad smell also, you might want to try a medicated shampoo.

[Arctic]

Urtekram shampoos are not sulphate free, JFYI. However they are really nice shampoos!

[lapushka]

Urtekram shampoos are not sulphate free, JFYI. However they are really nice shampoos!

Yes, but let's be real, it's not a regular full-on sulfate shampoo either. It is quite mild.

[Arctic]

Yes, but let's be real, it's not a regular full-on sulfate shampoo either. It is quite mild.

In my experience it it not milder than my other sulphate shampoos, in fact it cleanses very well as it doesn't have the kind of coating agents many shampoos do. The way the ingredient list is written is making it seem like it would be mild - I believe it's quite avarage. I possibly favour milder shampoos in general than you, but on my use, in my experience it is comparable to the other shampoos I use, not milder.

[sumidha]

For what it's worth, women a long time ago were using soap and vinegar rinses to wash their hair, as shampoo was not a thing yet. Plus all kinds of crazy pomades and oil concoctions.

To me an oily, itchy and flaky scalp after two days sounds like there's some kind of scalp condition going on, so I'd try and get that dealt with before trying to cut back on washes...

[lapushka]

In my experience it it not milder than my other sulphate shampoos, in fact it cleanses very well as it doesn't have the kind of coating agents many shampoos do. The way the ingredient list is written is making it seem like it would be mild - I believe it's quite avarage. I possibly favour milder shampoos in general than you, but on my use, in my experience it is comparable to the other shampoos I use, not milder.

I can tell it's milder because after a while of using it (about a month, so 4 times), my SD flared up. If it's not milder, it won't do that. :flower:

[meteor]

I'd check out scalp-only washes (with a bun, with a braid, with PonyDry, etc...) - they allow you to wash your scalp as frequently as needed while leaving the length alone.

[starlamelissa]

there are some daily washers on this forum who use sulphates daily and STILL grow nice hair. so its not the worst thing in the world to wash frequently. if your scalp responds well to baby shampoo, id continue with that, washing as often as necessary.

[MudderOfDragunz]

I tried going no poo/less poo/CO only/natural ingredients only, and honestly the best thing that works for my hair is a sulfate based shampoo and a cone based conditioner. I will use CO occasionally, but sometimes, the natural method isn't always what works best for your hair.

If you still want to try sticking it out, have you thought about ACV rinses? That might help cut through the grease, but if you don't like the smell, you can try using a lemon, honey, water mixture and get a similar effect.

I've tried baking soda occasionally to clarify, and it doesn't kill my hair, but I use it all of maybe three to four times a year.

Keep tweaking your routine until you find something that works for you! Everyone is a little bit different. :) Best of luck!

[cassidy_2711]

Try doing a clay mask on just the roots. Be sure to shower before it hardens.

[Nymphe]

Thinking out loud: I wonder if straight aloe can reduce oiliness...

[ChloeDharma]

Thinking out loud: I wonder if straight aloe can reduce oiliness...

This might be worth trying. I have used aloe straight from the leaf on my hair and scalp then bunned and left it overnight and it was wonderful in the morning. The gel does somewhat imulsify oil so it might work. Plus it's so good for the scalp.