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View Full Version : Scalp Question - No dandruff but not oily in the slightest - ever



desisparkles
October 17th, 2018, 08:34 PM
Sorry if it's long, I don't know how to explain it any shorter.

So I have been on the curly girl method for the past 7 months so no silicones and no sulphates.

I don't have dandruff and I have never had a greasy scalp. A lot of people experience a transition phase when they first go off sulphates. I never did.

I love washing and styling my hair and usually did every 2 to 3 days these past 7 months while I was experimenting with diff creams, gels etc. *before curly girl i'd S/C twice a week*

But after reading so much on this forum I decided to try to wash just once weekly.

I last washed Sat and it's wed nite and my roots, scalp are completely dry right now, no slip, no oil, no grease.

I do have hypothyroidism and take daily meds for that (was hyper then had thyroid removed a decade ago) been on synthroid meds daily ever since. *?only including this part in case this may have something to do with it?*

I figure I should just hold out to see how long it takes my hair to get greasy. Maybe I don't produce sebum (I read lapushka say her mom doesn't produce sebum at all and only washes monthly and that is mainly due to hairspray)?

anyone have a scalp similar to mine? Advice? I love oils and use them to heavily pre poo before every wash. Just find it so weird I'm so dry but I feel like I do have dry hair and I deep treat at least once a week too.

desisparkles
October 17th, 2018, 08:44 PM
Also, I wonder, if I am so dry should I be adding oil to my scalp? I have them all - sweet almond, jojoba, avocado, coco, sesame, evoo, rice bran and essentials - you name it.

Jo Ann
October 17th, 2018, 08:47 PM
I usually wash my hair once a week, whether it needs it or not. I would characterize my hair as "dry," but I rarely brush it--I just use a wide-tooth comb twice a day on my hair.

I've gone as long as two weeks between washes, and my hair starts to look "dirty" and/or "flat" after about ten days.

It could be due to your thyroid issues, but it could also be how your body is. Personally, I wouldn't fret over it much--I would put that into the column of "Things I Can't Change," like your height or eye color.

desisparkles
October 17th, 2018, 09:00 PM
Thanks Jo Ann!
It's not a bad problem to have right?
I just wondered - if you are supposed to try to wash less to let your hair be covered in it's natural oils
but
I have no natural oils -
I wondered if it'd be more beneficial to just oil my scalp and hair a few nites a week the wash the next day instead.

Rebeccalaurenxx
October 17th, 2018, 11:09 PM
Its not that i dont produce oil, its just my scalp does it at a slower rate.
i have a mixture of dry scalp and dermatitis, so when i use a sulphate shampoo i can sometimes go a whole week without washing and my scalp will be only a little oily.
i notice my scalp has a lot easier of a time getting "oily" again when i co wash/use a sulphate free shampoo.
just how it is, as long as you keep the scalp clean once it actually gets dirty, and your scalp isnt itchy, theres nothing to worry about.
some people are just dry and dont produce as much sebum as others.

akurah
October 17th, 2018, 11:53 PM
Also, I wonder, if I am so dry should I be adding oil to my scalp? I have them all - sweet almond, jojoba, avocado, coco, sesame, evoo, rice bran and essentials - you name it.

Approach oiling your scalp with caution. It can cause excessive shedding/ hairfall in some folks.

desisparkles
October 18th, 2018, 02:39 AM
thanks ladies, good advice and I'm gonna take it.

Joules
October 18th, 2018, 03:24 AM
Thanks Jo Ann!
It's not a bad problem to have right?
I just wondered - if you are supposed to try to wash less to let your hair be covered in it's natural oils
but
I have no natural oils -
I wondered if it'd be more beneficial to just oil my scalp and hair a few nites a week the wash the next day instead.

Stretching washes and rocking greasy hair is actually quite harmful. Scalp doesn't need to be oiled for moisture (oils aren't even moisturizing), healthy scalp shouldn't even need additional moisture, if it's so dry that it bothers you I'd suggest going to a trichologist or dermatologist.

My mom has been washing her hair once a week all her life, maybe twice if she feels like it, and she's ok with such routine. If nothing's itchy or uncomfortable and the only *symptom* you have is that your hair doesn't get oily, then just enjoy the freedom :)

Sarez
October 18th, 2018, 03:39 AM
It's been four days since my last wash as well and no grease/oil/flaky/itchy/dryness. Could be the hydrating shampoo + conditioner combo I'm using that says it's sulfate and cone-free. But I'm also getting to the point of laziness, where I only want to wash once a week anyway.

desisparkles
October 18th, 2018, 03:59 AM
I just decided to give myself a good scalp massage and after I noticed flakes. It sure didn't feel oily or greasy or dirty but I went ahead and oiled my scalp and lengths (about to go to sleep) since I'll be washing tomorrow anyway due to those flakes. I find that I know next to nothing about my hair. I need to pay closer attention and just do what feels right I suppose. I enjoy washing my hair but I assumed if I held out longer in between washing that'd be more beneficial for it.

Alibran
October 18th, 2018, 04:10 AM
My scalp does produce a bit of sebum, but it's very, very little, and what it does produce is extremely thick, so it doesn't work its way down the hair shaft. It just sits there. I can comfortably go 3 weeks without washing, and could go longer if it was just about appearance, but I do start to get a bit of itchy scalp after that. It also takes a bit of scrubbing to feel that my scalp is properly clean if I leave it that long (I don't use shampoo), so I tend to CO wash once a week.

I once had my hair put in braids with artificial hair extensions. It cost a lot of money, and I left them in for 3 months because I liked them so much and wanted to feel like I'd got my money's worth. I didn't wash them in that time because the weight would have been too much, and just used a bit of braid spray to keep them looking fresh. By the time I took them out, the root of each braid was like a little pyramid where the new hair had grown through, and inside was a little ball of shed skin stuck together with sebum. Sorry, that's a bit gross, but it does demonstrate how little sebum my scalp produced in that time.

desisparkles
October 18th, 2018, 04:25 AM
My scalp does produce a bit of sebum, but it's very, very little, and what it does produce is extremely thick, so it doesn't work its way down the hair shaft. It just sits there. I can comfortably go 3 weeks without washing, and could go longer if it was just about appearance, but I do start to get a bit of itchy scalp after that. It also takes a bit of scrubbing to feel that my scalp is properly clean if I leave it that long (I don't use shampoo), so I tend to CO wash once a week.

I once had my hair put in braids with artificial hair extensions. It cost a lot of money, and I left them in for 3 months because I liked them so much and wanted to feel like I'd got my money's worth. I didn't wash them in that time because the weight would have been too much, and just used a bit of braid spray to keep them looking fresh. By the time I took them out, the root of each braid was like a little pyramid where the new hair had grown through, and inside was a little ball of shed skin stuck together with sebum. Sorry, that's a bit gross, but it does demonstrate how little sebum my scalp produced in that time.

I'm in shock about you going 3 weeks, I can't even imagine! Your hair is beautiful, stop and stare beautiful by the way!!

Alibran
October 18th, 2018, 05:44 AM
I'm in shock about you going 3 weeks, I can't even imagine! Your hair is beautiful, stop and stare beautiful by the way!!

Thank you. Don't forget that was taken on a good day, though. On other days, there could be birds nesting in it and I probably wouldn't notice!

lapushka
October 18th, 2018, 06:39 AM
I figure I should just hold out to see how long it takes my hair to get greasy. Maybe I don't produce sebum (I read lapushka say her mom doesn't produce sebum at all and only washes monthly and that is mainly due to hairspray)?

My mom hasn't washed for nearly 2 months right now!!! Her doctor told her to wash when absolutely necessary. So it is mainly because the hairspray has built up too much that she finally caves and does it (she hates washing her hair).

I would leave it alone, maybe just wet the hair to regain your texture a bit and to detangle, say weekly. If you can go a week, or 2 weeks without washing, then why not do it? Plenty of people do that!

Seems like it's so superfluous to wash when you don't strictly have to! I am a weekly washer myself and my scalp is normal/oily (SD, aka seborrheic dermatitis).

desisparkles
October 18th, 2018, 12:57 PM
Thank you. Don't forget that was taken on a good day, though. On other days, there could be birds nesting in it and I probably wouldn't notice!


Lol!


My mom hasn't washed for nearly 2 months right now!!! Her doctor told her to wash when absolutely necessary. So it is mainly because the hairspray has built up too much that she finally caves and does it (she hates washing her hair).

I would leave it alone, maybe just wet the hair to regain your texture a bit and to detangle, say weekly. If you can go a week, or 2 weeks without washing, then why not do it? Plenty of people do that!

Seems like it's so superfluous to wash when you don't strictly have to! I am a weekly washer myself and my scalp is normal/oily (SD, aka seborrheic dermatitis).

Thanks, 2 months, woah!! so much experimenting to do. That's what's so great about hair, you get to be a scientist everyday, it's been addicting to me that's for sure.

spidermom
October 18th, 2018, 01:26 PM
I remember a friend telling me years ago that she was going to wash her hair, and I told her that it didn't look oily or anything. She said "of course not! We're in our 20s now; hair doesn't get greasy anymore." Haha; I'm 64 now and my hair still gets oily at the scalp area 3-4 days after I wash it. There's a lot of variation in what is "normal".

lapushka
October 18th, 2018, 01:54 PM
Thanks, 2 months, woah!! so much experimenting to do. That's what's so great about hair, you get to be a scientist everyday, it's been addicting to me that's for sure.

Yeah I know. I keep telling her to at least do it monthly, it is sort of pampering, right? But then she goes, "Why?" and I'm baffled. LOL!