Moisturizing an oily scalp

[TreesOfEternity]

I’ve searched for a thread like this with no luck.
As a lot of people I have an oily scalp but it is sensitive at the same time, sulfates are to harsh and make it itchy so I don’t use them.
On the other hand, I’ve had breakouts when oiling my scalp (only castor oil seems to be ok but I don’t use it regularly as it is too thick).
I thought it would be cool to share how we deal with oily and sensitive scalps/dry ends!

When I do my weekly hot oil treatment I moisturize my scalp using two teaspoons of clear aloe vera gel and one teaspoon of lemon juice or green tea. I leave it for 1 or 2 hours and wash. My scalp feels so clean not in a squeaky way but really soft/moisturized :) What are your tricks?

[lapushka]

If you have break-outs oiling the scalp, then I would not do that again. Even if castor oil "seems" to be OK.

I don't moisturize my oily scalp - at all; that is the last thing it needs.

I wash with a harsh sulfate, mainly to keep SD (seborrheic dermatitis) at bay, and it works for me. I go a week without washing and by Friday my natural oils start to break through, I go Saturday with a little more oil up top, and Sunday is wash day for me. I think that is "moisturizing" the scalp enough, just with my natural oils.

You could try stretching your washes. There is nothing better than natural oils for your hair!

[TreesOfEternity]

That’s true, I should keep any oil far from my scalp.
I’m stretching washes since December last year, I usually wash once a week but on 3rd day my hair is already a grease ball, it attracts dust and I can scratch sebum residue from the top of my head yikes. I’m just trying to trust the process and stick to it hoping my scalp will eventually normalize.

[lapushka]

That’s true, I should keep any oil far from my scalp.
I’m stretching washes since December last year, I usually wash once a week but on 3rd day my hair is already a grease ball, it attracts dust and I can scratch sebum residue from the top of my head yikes. I’m just trying to trust the process and stick to it hoping my scalp will eventually normalize.

If you stretch washes the key is to go slow. If it gets oily on day 3, go for a day 4, then wash, then do that for a couple weeks to see how your scalp does. If that's OK, then in the next few weeks try going a day 5, for one time, then keep your other days the same, do that for a few weeks, and so forth and so on. Don't immediately go a whole week, it messes with your scalp big time!

[TreesOfEternity]

Thanks for the advice lapushka! :) Today is wash day so I’ll be doing what you say this week and stretch just one day at a time and see how it goes

[Margarita]

Keep in mind that your natural oils of your scalp are actually moisturizing your hair. So, i suggest you to not over-moisturize your hair even if its oily. Use sulphate-free shampoos if you can, and put conditioner only on the tips of your hair :) And ofcourse NEVER wash your hair daily, buy a good shampoo for oily hair. You can find good ones in a pharmacy. Apivita has a very good shampoo for oily hair but, you can buy it online :D
https://www.apivita.com/hair-care/oily-roots-and-dry-ends

[lapushka]

Thanks for the advice lapushka! :) Today is wash day so I’ll be doing what you say this week and stretch just one day at a time and see how it goes

You say you aren't using a sulfate shampoo.

What sulfate-free options do you have in Spain? I'm curious. :)

[TreesOfEternity]

You say you aren't using a sulfate shampoo.

What sulfate-free options do you have in Spain? I'm curious. :)

At drugstores I’ve been able to find Garner original remedies, some Kerastase lines, Klorane...

I usually buy products online though as I don’t have much time to search them at stores, the shampoo I use is Avalon Organics scalp normalizing shampoo, it’s the only sulfate-free one I’ve tried so far since I started taking care of my hair not long ago.

[TreesOfEternity]

Keep in mind that your natural oils of your scalp are actually moisturizing your hair. So, i suggest you to not over-moisturize your hair even if its oily. Use sulphate-free shampoos if you can, and put conditioner only on the tips of your hair :) And ofcourse NEVER wash your hair daily, buy a good shampoo for oily hair. You can find good ones in a pharmacy. Apivita has a very good shampoo for oily hair but, you can buy it online :D
https://www.apivita.com/hair-care/oily-roots-and-dry-ends

Thanks for the advice :) I wasn’t sure natural oils were moisturizing enough but I’m really glad they are!

[Glitch]

If you have break-outs oiling the scalp, then I would not do that again. Even if castor oil "seems" to be OK.

I don't moisturize my oily scalp - at all; that is the last thing it needs.

I wash with a harsh sulfate, mainly to keep SD (seborrheic dermatitis) at bay, and it works for me. I go a week without washing and by Friday my natural oils start to break through, I go Saturday with a little more oil up top, and Sunday is wash day for me. I think that is "moisturizing" the scalp enough, just with my natural oils.

You could try stretching your washes. There is nothing better than natural oils for your hair!


Keep in mind that your natural oils of your scalp are actually moisturizing your hair. So, i suggest you to not over-moisturize your hair even if its oily. Use sulphate-free shampoos if you can, and put conditioner only on the tips of your hair :) And ofcourse NEVER wash your hair daily, buy a good shampoo for oily hair. You can find good ones in a pharmacy. Apivita has a very good shampoo for oily hair but, you can buy it online :D
https://www.apivita.com/hair-care/oily-roots-and-dry-ends

Agreed :) I even clarify often, it's just what my scalp needs to be happy. It moisturizes itself enough as it is on its own. To keep my length happy, using a heavy/oily conditioner for a few minutes in the shower does the trick.

Anyway, OP, I used to think I "have" to moisturize everything everywhere, but really it can be completely unnecessary, and even harmful sometimes when an area is already fine. I know I've dealt with moisture overload a few times and it was really hard to fix!

[TreesOfEternity]

I’m glad I found out before that happens, thank you all :flower:
I tried clarifying to get rid of the sebum/build up a couple of times but it came back fast, on top of dryness and itchiness :( I’ll stretch washes slowly as lapushka said and use heavy conditioners so my length doesn’t get mad at me haha.

[lapushka]

At drugstores I’ve been able to find Garner original remedies, some Kerastase lines, Klorane...

I usually buy products online though as I don’t have much time to search them at stores, the shampoo I use is Avalon Organics scalp normalizing shampoo, it’s the only sulfate-free one I’ve tried so far since I started taking care of my hair not long ago.

Avalon Organics is a good one if you're going sulfate-free. Garnier Original Remedies, (or Ultra Doux, Whole Blends, Ultimate Blends, Loving Blends in other countries) is not sulfate-free. Not in Belgium it's not, or the US, or UK, or The Netherlands. As far as I know...


I’m glad I found out before that happens, thank you all :flower:
I tried clarifying to get rid of the sebum/build up a couple of times but it came back fast, on top of dryness and itchiness :( I’ll stretch washes slowly as lapushka said and use heavy conditioners so my length doesn’t get mad at me haha.

Yep, go slowly. This way you can keep evaluating your scalp. If it gets flaky, you need to take a step back and wash!

[enting]

One of the best tips I've gotten from these forums is to gently rub the dry ends against the oily roots to transfer some of the oiliness from the roots to the ends. It helps even things out a bit.
You may need something very very gentle to cleanse your scalp, like conditioner only washes, or perhaps something else. Especially if clarifying it made your scalp grease back up again with a vengeance, cleaning too well may be counterproductive for you.

[TreesOfEternity]

It seems like it reacts better to gentle cleansers, yes. I’ve never tried using conditioner on my scalp, is it advisable for oily hair?

[lapushka]

It seems like it reacts better to gentle cleansers, yes. I’ve never tried using conditioner on my scalp, is it advisable for oily hair?

I wouldn't put conditioner on the scalp if you have oily hair, no. Not at all! :)

[leayellena]

I have flaky dry scalp but oily hair. for me co-wash works perfect as long as I don´t forget to cleanse once in a year. summer cleansing is a must for me. as a cleanser I use a cone-free conditioner, unless my hair starts to feel strange and I can´t get rid of grease and flakes, then either a sls/sles-free or sls/sles shampoo is a must.

[MusicalSpoons]

It seems like it reacts better to gentle cleansers, yes. I’ve never tried using conditioner on my scalp, is it advisable for oily hair?

I don't know that it's advisable but in several co-washing threads there are people who had good success with using conditioner to wash, as it helped their scalps decrease sebum production. On the other hand, for the sake of balance, there are people who find oils on their scalp cause shedding, including oils found in conditioner. So it really is up to you whether you try it or not - and it also seems co-washing is very much a process of trial and error, refining one's technique and trying to find the right products (but that also can apply to shampoo as well!)

I have an oily scalp that gets dehydrated and flaky quite easily (there's a difference between truly dry from not enough oil, and dehydrated which is lacking moisture) and haven't found a real solution yet. My current shampoo contains mild cleansers and keeps my scalp happy enough, though it's not perfect - I still get flaky patches (but it isn't dandruff due to yeast, that's been ruled out). I have to really make sure to massage well when washing, to make sure it is thoroughly cleansed but it does the job. Oh, and the last time I used a shampoo with sulphates (SLES), my head was an itchy greaseball by the next day!

[TreesOfEternity]

Thanks for the input everyone :)
I usually avoid trial and error as my hair is really thin and I want to avoid shedding, sometimes my scalp is really visible in my part and crown area and I freak out, even more when my hair’s wet and looks like a little rat’s tail.

[elsiedeluxe]

I have an oily scalp, and I find that conditioner only washing works really well for me. I can't stretch washes very long, and I use a very gentle clarifying shampoo about once a week, so my co-washing is daily or every other day. I have softened well water at my house, which also seems to help.

[enting]

It seems like it reacts better to gentle cleansers, yes. I’ve never tried using conditioner on my scalp, is it advisable for oily hair?

I mentioned it because it does seem to work for some people, and because its purpose is moisturizing it should be less stripping. Less stripping might lead to less reactive sebum production. However, conditioner on the scalp does for some people increase shedding, so it would be taking a risk. It depends on whether you think the risk might be worth it. Maybe look around the co-washing threads?

Or perhaps trying something else entirely might work better for you, like washing with herbal rinses rather than either shampoo or conditioner.
For myself I find that vinegar rinses help distribute oils farther down my hair, but again, different people have different experiences with vinegar too.

Unfortunately, there isn't really a way to know what will work for you without trial and error, but since co-washing does have such a large percent of people for whom it causes shedding, I totally understand not wanting to risk that experiment in particular.

[TreesOfEternity]

I’ll look into it nonetheless, as well as herbal rinses at least so I know the different options out there :)

[FennFire911]

I'm one of those rare unicorns that has an oily scalp yet I apply conditioner to the full length of my hair and massage my scalp with it. I started this about 8 or 9 years ago. My logic is that scalp skin is as delicate as face skin, and every time I wash my face, even though oily, I always apply moisturizer to re-balance it. So any time I wash my scalp, I should replenish it too. My sebum production simmered way way down when I started this. Without stripping my hair all the time, my scalp didn't have to go crazy and overdo it with the sebum.
In this same time frame I went sulfate and cone free. I use mainly Nature's Gate Daily Herbal shampoo and conditioner. No sulfates in the shampoo, yet it lathers nicely, and no cones in the conditioner and yet it provides nice smoothness. I first found it at Food Lion, but Kroger also sells it. $6-$7ish a bottle, and it's also on Amazon. I dilute the shampoo half and half with water and use a condiment bottle with a pointy top to apply it.
It was in this time frame that I was also able to begin stretching my washes. I used to have to wash every day. Now I can easily go every 3rd day, and if I'm not in the mood to take the time to let it air dry I can SMP and go to 4 or 5 days. It looks a bit shiny but in a bun it just looks like I've used hair gel.
I also sometimes use Loreal 6 In 1 conditioning cleanser for curly hair. Ever-Curl I think? I'm not a curly, but it feels very nice. Gets it clean without over drying. Annoying that it doesn't lather though. I also dilute that about 1/3 cleaner in 2/3 water.
As we love to say around here, your mileage may vary. I just wanted to let you know that an oily most definitely has the potential to condition their scalp and come out the better for it.

[TreesOfEternity]

I'm one of those rare unicorns that has an oily scalp yet I apply conditioner to the full length of my hair and massage my scalp with it. I started this about 8 or 9 years ago. My logic is that scalp skin is as delicate as face skin, and every time I wash my face, even though oily, I always apply moisturizer to re-balance it. So any time I wash my scalp, I should replenish it too. My sebum production simmered way way down when I started this. Without stripping my hair all the time, my scalp didn't have to go crazy and overdo it with the sebum.
In this same time frame I went sulfate and cone free. I use mainly Nature's Gate Daily Herbal shampoo and conditioner. No sulfates in the shampoo, yet it lathers nicely, and no cones in the conditioner and yet it provides nice smoothness. I first found it at Food Lion, but Kroger also sells it. $6-$7ish a bottle, and it's also on Amazon. I dilute the shampoo half and half with water and use a condiment bottle with a pointy top to apply it.
It was in this time frame that I was also able to begin stretching my washes. I used to have to wash every day. Now I can easily go every 3rd day, and if I'm not in the mood to take the time to let it air dry I can SMP and go to 4 or 5 days. It looks a bit shiny but in a bun it just looks like I've used hair gel.
I also sometimes use Loreal 6 In 1 conditioning cleanser for curly hair. Ever-Curl I think? I'm not a curly, but it feels very nice. Gets it clean without over drying. Annoying that it doesn't lather though. I also dilute that about 1/3 cleaner in 2/3 water.
As we love to say around here, your mileage may vary. I just wanted to let you know that an oily most definitely has the potential to condition their scalp and come out the better for it.

Thanks for sharing FennFire! When I applied aloe vera to my scalp I was following the same logic, I have oily skin but after being washed it gets dry and over producess sebum unless I moisturize quickly.
Do you think using conditioner on your scalp helps with sebum/oil removal or only has a moisturizing effect? I love sulfate free shampoo and my length loves it as well, but it can’t get rid of all the sebum my stubborn scalp produces and starts building up if I don’t use something harsher every two or three washes :(

[Joules]

I'm one of those rare unicorns that has an oily scalp yet I apply conditioner to the full length of my hair and massage my scalp with it. I started this about 8 or 9 years ago. My logic is that scalp skin is as delicate as face skin, and every time I wash my face, even though oily, I always apply moisturizer to re-balance it. So any time I wash my scalp, I should replenish it too. My sebum production simmered way way down when I started this. Without stripping my hair all the time, my scalp didn't have to go crazy and overdo it with the sebum.
In this same time frame I went sulfate and cone free. I use mainly Nature's Gate Daily Herbal shampoo and conditioner. No sulfates in the shampoo, yet it lathers nicely, and no cones in the conditioner and yet it provides nice smoothness. I first found it at Food Lion, but Kroger also sells it. $6-$7ish a bottle, and it's also on Amazon. I dilute the shampoo half and half with water and use a condiment bottle with a pointy top to apply it.
It was in this time frame that I was also able to begin stretching my washes. I used to have to wash every day. Now I can easily go every 3rd day, and if I'm not in the mood to take the time to let it air dry I can SMP and go to 4 or 5 days. It looks a bit shiny but in a bun it just looks like I've used hair gel.
I also sometimes use Loreal 6 In 1 conditioning cleanser for curly hair. Ever-Curl I think? I'm not a curly, but it feels very nice. Gets it clean without over drying. Annoying that it doesn't lather though. I also dilute that about 1/3 cleaner in 2/3 water.
As we love to say around here, your mileage may vary. I just wanted to let you know that an oily most definitely has the potential to condition their scalp and come out the better for it.

My scalp isn't particularly oily, but it's not dry, either, and I always apply conditioner on my scalp, whether after shampoo or just co-washing. My overall greasiness hasn't changed at all, my hair gets slightly oily towards the end of the second day, I wash it on the third day. No excess shedding, either. I remember I had a reaction to one specific conditioner back when I was 14, every time it touched my scalp my hair fell out like crazy, but it was only one conditioner and it hasn't happened since.

[FennFire911]

Thanks for sharing FennFire! When I applied aloe vera to my scalp I was following the same logic, I have oily skin but after being washed it gets dry and over producess sebum unless I moisturize quickly.
Do you think using conditioner on your scalp helps with sebum/oil removal or only has a moisturizing effect? I love sulfate free shampoo and my length loves it as well, but it can’t get rid of all the sebum my stubborn scalp produces and starts building up if I don’t use something harsher every two or three washes :(

Aloe is great. As long as you're getting the purest you can find. I use Lily Of The Desert. It's water soluble and not an oil so you can be pretty liberal with it. You can find a recipe on here called SMT, which is 1/2 cone free conditioner, 1/4 aloe, 1/4 honey. Talk about shiny and well moisturized!
I did notice that my sebum production slowed when I started using conditioner on my scalp. I've found that Nature's Gate and the Loreal 6 In 1 each can remove my sebum and leave my scalp perfectly clean. My sebum isn't the thick waxy kind, mine is wet. Up to day 3 it's Ok. In fact, on day 1 I'm usually feeling a bit dry. But on days 4 and 5 my hair, first to the length of my ears on day 4 and the nape of my neck on day 5, actually becomes damp. If I put the NG conditioner on my hair to soak in for a while before my shower, I feel it does help rinse away a good portion of the sebum making it so I don't have to be overly vigorous with shampooing.
I've tried CO washing. It works well the first time I do it, then on the NEXT 3rd day washing my hair doesn't come as clean. I may see about CO washing every other wash and my normal shampoo and conditioning every alternate wash. No need to be more harsh than absolutely necessary.
That being said, I don't generally have to clarify, as I no longer use any styling products. No mousse, no gel, no hair spray, no heat protectors because I've completely stopped using a blow-fryer, no commercial leave in conditioners. Just light oiling as needed, with conditioner to rinse that out at shower time.
I sure do wish I could WO. That would be very budget friendly! All in all it's been trial and error to see what works and what doesn't. I was skeptical about a gentle shampoo being able to clean my stubborn oily hair, but NG really really proved my worries unfounded.



My scalp isn't particularly oily, but it's not dry, either, and I always apply conditioner on my scalp, whether after shampoo or just co-washing. My overall greasiness hasn't changed at all, my hair gets slightly oily towards the end of the second day, I wash it on the third day. No excess shedding, either. I remember I had a reaction to one specific conditioner back when I was 14, every time it touched my scalp my hair fell out like crazy, but it was only one conditioner and it hasn't happened since.

Yea, no increase in shedding nor itching for me either. It's nice to see another scalp-conditioning unicorn! :D