Going crazy with oiliness

[mommy101405]

I have very oily hair. I hate it. I have to wash every day and still it can get oily before the next wash. So I know oil production can be worse if you keep stripping the hair. So I decided to try this Hair One cleansing conditioner (supposed to be similar to Wen). I washed last night and my hair is already an oily mess.

Has anyone cut out the SLS to help with oiliness? How long did it take your hair to stop being a big grease pit?

[Amara]

My scalp used to be pretty oily even after just 1 day.

I cut out the SLS and started washing with shampoo bars. I went from washing once every three days to washing once every 5-7 days. That whole process took about half a year.

Part of that was taken up by finding a 'poo bar that worked really well with my hair. It was trial and error. By that point, my scalp had gotten used to producing less oil and it was just a matter of finding a bar that worked well for me.

After a few weeks I noticed my scalp was producing less oil, and it continued. Every time I could manage, I tried to extend the washings. Now I am good for 2-3 days, then start to notice some oiliness on day 4. I put it up for a few days (and scritch and fluff at bedtime) and then wash when it's no longer good-looking or comfortable.

HTH!

[MsBubbles]

I am working on trying to reduce chronic oiliness too, and am currently at every other day wash. This doesn't mean it's working, it just means I walk around dirty-looking every other day. Using a regular drug store type shampoo (L'oreal kids, to be specific!), I was able to reduce greasiness by a half a day after two months or so, so only started getting a gunky scalp nastiness halfway through the second day...then...I decided to push my luck and switch to Aubrey Organics shampoo for 'oily hair' - the green tea clarifying shampoo. So far (about 3 weeks) it has been an oily disaster but I am still using it because it makes my hair feel so ridiculously soft. I am in denial, partially because I spent $10 on the bottle so I am making myself use it all up - at least before giving up that idea and going back to good ol' l'oreal kids.

Anyway, I don't have a wonderful solution for you but I wish somebody would jump in here and give us some ideas and/or hope!! I would suggest to you, however, not to bother with the Aubrey Organics green tea clarifying shampoo.

If you find another non SLS shampoo that works for you to give you less grease, please let me know!!

[ClareDee]

My scalp used to be pretty oily even after just 1 day.

I cut out the SLS and started washing with shampoo bars. I went from washing once every three days to washing once every 5-7 days. That whole process took about half a year.
*snip*

Hey, you'll probably know this! Do shampoo bars generally not contain sulfates? I have found a website of someone here in Ireland selling shampoo bars, but she hasn't listed the ingredients. I'm just wondering if I can order these safe in the knowledge that they're sulfate-free (or if I'll have to email her and ask). Thanks if you can advise :)

I'm a one-woman oil-rig myself, so I'm also looking for products that might help. :o

Good luck, Mommy101405 :thumbsup: Hope you'll find something that works for you.

[burns_erin]

I have had the best luck with oil decrease using Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat. i alternate with that and a shampoo bar. I wash my hair Sunday night, Tuseday night, and Thursday night. And my hair does not really look greasy at the end of the second day. I am not the longest washing stretcher but I have had some luck. It took a couple of months before my scalp settled down.

[heidihug]

That's me, too. My face, my scalp, my back, all oily oily oily. Honestly, it's pretty much not what I put on my skin that affects it, it's what comes from within - my body's chemistry, hormones and such. My skin pumps out oil all the time, but it's extra-special bad the two weeks around my period.

What have I done to try to cut down on the oilies?

Switched to a tri-level birth control pill, which helps with the hormonal fluctuations. That's helped reduce oiliness and breakouts by about 15%. YMMV.
I've cut back to washing my hair 3x per week from just about every day, but really only because I'm lazy, not because I've seen any big improvement in oil reduction. I walk around with 2nd day oilies quite often. Sometimes I just CO, but not very often. I experimented with CO for a couple of months and it was a big fail.
I do use diluted shampoo and massage it gently in, only on the roots and just rinse through the length. 2% improvement.
I finger comb only, then do a cinnabun on the first day after washing, and try not to touch my hair after I put it up (I wash in the evening before bed). The night of the first day, it goes up into a high scrunchie bun straight from my updo, with minimum handling and no combing or brushing. On second day hair, I use only my clean fingers to comb and untangle in the morning, and a Denham vented brush (with not a lot of bristles, so it's a lot like a comb) to finish styling my hair. That evening I take it down and gently work any oils from scalp as far down the length as I can. What doesn't get any scalp oil gets a dose of coconut oil. Then I wash and condition. 5% improvement.
On weekends I let it go for two or three days if we are not going anywhere. I can have just about a whole head of hair's worth of my own oil by Sunday evenings! 3% improvement.So, overall, I'd say my hair is about 25% less oily than it was before I started consciously combatting the oilies. Good luck, I hope you have success!

[LaurelSpring]

Here is the delimma I am having. Is it better to oil and then have to shampoo more often to get the oil out, or is it better to stretch shampoos and not oil. If I am oily do I even need the added oil? I have been using an essential oil blend for scalp health. Should I just use it pre shampoo whenever I do shampoo. Of course then I would probably need to use something with SLS because so far the shampoo bars and CO have not been able to get the oil out. To oil or not to oil...that is the question!

[LutraLutra]

My hair and skin are sooooo much less oily now that I'm using normal/sensitive products rather than oily specific ones. I found that stripping the oil from my skin and hair just made my body produce more. I've also found that using cooler water helps, as it seems to be less agressively 'cleansing' than hot.

Apparently it can take up to 30 days for the body to get used to a new regime, so you might need to wait a bit while your body settles down a bit.

[Dolly]

Well, I used to have hair so oily that I would wash in the morning and it would be greasy by evening. I did CO for about a year, and now am on shampoo bars (the CO worked fine, I just wanted a change).

When I started CO washing, my hair was an oil slick. It took fighting through about 3 weeks of gross hair. It was oily and lank. BUT, now, I can go 2-3 days.....that is, if I don't do my morning workout. If I workout I do a scalp only wash. I do a FULL head and hair wash every 2-3 days. No greasies. Maybe 1-2 days a month, I will have a day that is oilier than normal. Then it goes away.


ClareDee....there are some bars that DO contain sulfates (Lush, for one). I would be very leery of any company that does not spell out their ingredients.

[ClareDee]

ClareDee....there are some bars that DO contain sulfates (Lush, for one). I would be very leery of any company that does not spell out their ingredients.

Thanks for that, Dolly. It does kinda get to me when companies list their products with "all natural ingredients" as the only information on it :confused:
I mean, any ingredient can be called "natural" if you take a broad view of it... Ah well, I'll have to contact her and be a fustomer (fussy customer) :)

[Anje]

I think most of the shampoo bars out there (at least the ones that folks here love) are cold-process soaps. They're often made with saponified (read: soap-ified) oils that are good for hair washing, and many (at least Ida of CV's) are less super-fatted than typical soaps, which means that they have less extra oil beyond what reacts with the lye to make soap.

If you're going the shampoo bar route, you might want to check out the enormous thread on the topic. If your water is hard (maybe even if it isn't), you'll probably want to use an acidic rinse after sudsing with them, probably made from a bit of vinegar diluted in water.

Incidentally, I learned from WO washing that a vinegar solution poured into the hair, scrubbed against the scalp a bit, and rinsed, leaves hair less oily that doing the same thing with just water will. It probably won't make a big difference, but you could give it a try as part of your wash.

[Golden21]

My hair seems to get oily quickly.
I have been able to cut down on washes and the oiliness a few ways-
I try to handle it as less as possible
I wear it up a lot. When it's getting slightly oily, you can disguise it in an updo, but if you wear it down it is very noticeable.

[Kirin]

Alternate methods of washing never decreased my oiliness, even long term use of them. I wash daily, and now i just use alternate washing methods and switch it up, which works the best.

[mommy101405]

I guess its just as I add length daily washing gets to me more and more of a hassle. I'm afraid I might give in and cut. I think I may have more luck cutting back on the oiliness when my bangs grow out. They are always in my face so I touch them a lot which really adds to the oiliness.

[tina1025]

I am in the same boat as you MsBubbles. i wash my hair every other day. On the 2nd day they look oily but i still dont wash them unless i have some big plans. i just put my hair up and go to work and i hate it but refuse to wash it everyday. i have been using prairieland herb's shampoo bars. i am trying out different poo bars and hopefully i will find the right one soon. I dont think its my shampoo though i think its the hair gel i use which has tons of oils but since i dont blow dry or straighten my hair i have to use herbal hair gel. I will try using a different hair gel to see how that works...... I try to rinse my hair with ACV once a week and it seems to work.......
I am working on trying to reduce chronic oiliness too, and am currently at every other day wash. This doesn't mean it's working, it just means I walk around dirty-looking every other day. Using a regular drug store type shampoo (L'oreal kids, to be specific!), I was able to reduce greasiness by a half a day after two months or so, so only started getting a gunky scalp nastiness halfway through the second day...then...I decided to push my luck and switch to Aubrey Organics shampoo for 'oily hair' - the green tea clarifying shampoo. So far (about 3 weeks) it has been an oily disaster but I am still using it because it makes my hair feel so ridiculously soft. I am in denial, partially because I spent $10 on the bottle so I am making myself use it all up - at least before giving up that idea and going back to good ol' l'oreal kids.

Anyway, I don't have a wonderful solution for you but I wish somebody would jump in here and give us some ideas and/or hope!! I would suggest to you, however, not to bother with the Aubrey Organics green tea clarifying shampoo.

If you find another non SLS shampoo that works for you to give you less grease, please let me know!!