Greasy hair but dry scalp

[Iyashikei]

I'm at loss here. I really need to wash my hair every two days with a very strong shampoo to keep my hair from being incredibly greasy second day after washing. Nothing too bad if it weren't for some nasty eczema on the back of my head. I actually have a shampoo on prescription that I can use once a week but the stronger shampoo can nullify that by the end of the week. What can I do against this? My hair isn't long enough to do an updo yet so that's out of the question.

Before I forget, I use Schwarzkopf shampoo for men.

[Firefox7275]

What scalp condition have you been diagnosed with/ what shampoo exactly have you been prescribed? Flaky scalp with greasy hair suggests seborrhoeic dermatitis, not a dry form (eczema AKA dermatitis).

Your scalp may well be pumping out extra sebum/ grease because it is irritated.

Try something much gentler to wet wash your hair, and/ or experiment with dry shampoo. I find gently wiping off the excess powder with a very soft towel better than massaging it in.

[SleepyTangles]

Mmm, maybe there's a layer of old, dead skin cells on your scalp. But I suspect that your shampoo may be simply too strong and induce weird reactions in your scalp (overcompensating with sebum production, then drying up and flaking).
Let's hear others' opinions, tough...

A delicate massage with your finger pads, to relax and loosen up old skin cells before you shampoo, can't hurt. At worst, It won't solve your problem but still be pleasant :flower:

[jane_marie]

Seconding Sleepy here. I think a scalp massage (maybe with an oil your hair likes and a bit of chamomile or lavender oil mixed in) might help to nourish your scalp and lessen flaking.

I would also try a less harsh shampoo. What kind of conditioner are you using?

[Kalamazoo]

Generally, the scalp & hair need some oil to be healthy. Using too strong a shampoo to strip all the natural oils off, results in the scalp going into hyper-oil-productivity mode to compensate for it. Maybe you should try co-washing? (Washing with a conditioner instead of a shampoo?) Or if you continue to use your current shampoo, maybe you should use a conditioner afterwards? Maybe you should dilute your shampoo with water & make it less intense? Some people like to do CWC (Conditioner-Wash with shampoo-Conditioner).

The reason for so many alternatives is that I don't know your hair personally the way you do, and like all the rest of us here, you will have to do some experimenting to find what works best for your own hair.

I see that you're fairly new around here, having made only 10 posts so far. The magic number is 25. When you get up to 25 posts, then you'll be able to tap on a person's user name (in boldface blue, at the upper left corner of his/her post) and get a drop-down menu, the first option of which is "View Profile". Click on that, and you'll see a tab that says "About Me". Several people have posted details about their own hair care routines there. You'll get all kinds of good ideas from reading what other folks do. Just bear in mind that your own mane is unique, & it usually takes some experimenting before arriving at your own answers to "What's best for me?"

So, do some more posting, & Welcome :happydance: to LHC! :waving:

[lapushka]

I'm at loss here. I really need to wash my hair every two days with a very strong shampoo to keep my hair from being incredibly greasy second day after washing. Nothing too bad if it weren't for some nasty eczema on the back of my head. I actually have a shampoo on prescription that I can use once a week but the stronger shampoo can nullify that by the end of the week. What can I do against this? My hair isn't long enough to do an updo yet so that's out of the question.

Before I forget, I use Schwarzkopf shampoo for men.

I am curious as to what medicated shampoo they prescribed to you. Can I ask? :)

[Iyashikei]

What scalp condition have you been diagnosed with/ what shampoo exactly have you been prescribed? Flaky scalp with greasy hair suggests seborrhoeic dermatitis, not a dry form (eczema AKA dermatitis).

Your scalp may well be pumping out extra sebum/ grease because it is irritated.

Try something much gentler to wet wash your hair, and/ or experiment with dry shampoo. I find gently wiping off the excess powder with a very soft towel better than massaging it in.

It's actual eczema. I've been diagnosed with it and it's not only my scalp but my entire body. One spot just happens to be on my head.


Mmm, maybe there's a layer of old, dead skin cells on your scalp. But I suspect that your shampoo may be simply too strong and induce weird reactions in your scalp (overcompensating with sebum production, then drying up and flaking).
Let's hear others' opinions, tough...

A delicate massage with your finger pads, to relax and loosen up old skin cells before you shampoo, can't hurt. At worst, It won't solve your problem but still be pleasant :flower:

That's a good tip. Thank you.


Seconding Sleepy here. I think a scalp massage (maybe with an oil your hair likes and a bit of chamomile or lavender oil mixed in) might help to nourish your scalp and lessen flaking.

I would also try a less harsh shampoo. What kind of conditioner are you using?

The problem is that I tried milder shampoos already. The reason why I went with that one is because my hair actually looked wet from greasiness with the milder ones. I don't use conditioner.


Generally, the scalp & hair need some oil to be healthy. Using too strong a shampoo to strip all the natural oils off, results in the scalp going into hyper-oil-productivity mode to compensate for it. Maybe you should try co-washing? (Washing with a conditioner instead of a shampoo?) Or if you continue to use your current shampoo, maybe you should use a conditioner afterwards? Maybe you should dilute your shampoo with water & make it less intense? Some people like to do CWC (Conditioner-Wash with shampoo-Conditioner).

The reason for so many alternatives is that I don't know your hair personally the way you do, and like all the rest of us here, you will have to do some experimenting to find what works best for your own hair.

I see that you're fairly new around here, having made only 10 posts so far. The magic number is 25. When you get up to 25 posts, then you'll be able to tap on a person's user name (in boldface blue, at the upper left corner of his/her post) and get a drop-down menu, the first option of which is "View Profile". Click on that, and you'll see a tab that says "About Me". Several people have posted details about their own hair care routines there. You'll get all kinds of good ideas from reading what other folks do. Just bear in mind that your own mane is unique, & it usually takes some experimenting before arriving at your own answers to "What's best for me?"

So, do some more posting, & Welcome :happydance: to LHC! :waving:

Thanks for the imput.

[SleepyTangles]

When I didn´t use conditioner, my hair was an oil slick! As soon as I started using it, and switching to gentler shampoo, the oiliness got back to a normal "oily scalp" person level.
In time, I learned that I have a very delicate skin/scalp, who easily freaks out.

Maybe you can try keeping your current shampoo, but adding a cone-free conditioner to the equation and see how it reacts?

[Firefox7275]

It's actual eczema. I've been diagnosed with it and it's not only my scalp but my entire body. One spot just happens to be on my head.

The problem is that I tried milder shampoos already. The reason why I went with that one is because my hair actually looked wet from greasiness with the milder ones. I don't use conditioner.
.

The stronger anionic surfactants/ detergents - sulphates, olefin sulfonates - are horrendous for atopic eczema because the skin barrier is weakened (all over your body not just the active patches). IIRC there is research suggesting some anionics cause visible issues as low as 1% and non visible issues as low as 0.1%.

Cocoamidopropyl betaine is an effective cleansing detergent/ surfactant but not nearly as irritant as the anionics.

I would also suggest avoiding fragrance ingredients, including essential oils. These and their components are well known allergens and well known irritants. You might try purchasing a 'sulphate free shampoo base' online to get a simple yet effective formulation. Baby shampoos are not necessarily milder surprisingly, they can be too alkaline ('no tears' or true soap) or include fragrance.

If the greasies still do not settle with cocoamidopropyl betaine but no anionic surfactants you would be best consulting a healthcare professional (doctor/ pharmacist). Take all the products with you so they can see the ingredients. It may be you have developed a second form of eczema/ dermatitis not only atopic: this is quite common.

[Iyashikei]

What scalp condition have you been diagnosed with/ what shampoo exactly have you been prescribed? Flaky scalp with greasy hair suggests seborrhoeic dermatitis, not a dry form (eczema AKA dermatitis).

Your scalp may well be pumping out extra sebum/ grease because it is irritated.

Try something much gentler to wet wash your hair, and/ or experiment with dry shampoo. I find gently wiping off the excess powder with a very soft towel better than massaging it in.


Mmm, maybe there's a layer of old, dead skin cells on your scalp. But I suspect that your shampoo may be simply too strong and induce weird reactions in your scalp (overcompensating with sebum production, then drying up and flaking).
Let's hear others' opinions, tough...

A delicate massage with your finger pads, to relax and loosen up old skin cells before you shampoo, can't hurt. At worst, It won't solve your problem but still be pleasant :flower:


Seconding Sleepy here. I think a scalp massage (maybe with an oil your hair likes and a bit of chamomile or lavender oil mixed in) might help to nourish your scalp and lessen flaking.

I would also try a less harsh shampoo. What kind of conditioner are you using?


Generally, the scalp & hair need some oil to be healthy. Using too strong a shampoo to strip all the natural oils off, results in the scalp going into hyper-oil-productivity mode to compensate for it. Maybe you should try co-washing? (Washing with a conditioner instead of a shampoo?) Or if you continue to use your current shampoo, maybe you should use a conditioner afterwards? Maybe you should dilute your shampoo with water & make it less intense? Some people like to do CWC (Conditioner-Wash with shampoo-Conditioner).

The reason for so many alternatives is that I don't know your hair personally the way you do, and like all the rest of us here, you will have to do some experimenting to find what works best for your own hair.

I see that you're fairly new around here, having made only 10 posts so far. The magic number is 25. When you get up to 25 posts, then you'll be able to tap on a person's user name (in boldface blue, at the upper left corner of his/her post) and get a drop-down menu, the first option of which is "View Profile". Click on that, and you'll see a tab that says "About Me". Several people have posted details about their own hair care routines there. You'll get all kinds of good ideas from reading what other folks do. Just bear in mind that your own mane is unique, & it usually takes some experimenting before arriving at your own answers to "What's best for me?"

So, do some more posting, & Welcome :happydance: to LHC! :waving:


The stronger anionic surfactants/ detergents - sulphates, olefin sulfonates - are horrendous for atopic eczema because the skin barrier is weakened (all over your body not just the active patches). IIRC there is research suggesting some anionics cause visible issues as low as 1% and non visible issues as low as 0.1%.

Cocoamidopropyl betaine is an effective cleansing detergent/ surfactant but not nearly as irritant as the anionics.

I would also suggest avoiding fragrance ingredients, including essential oils. These and their components are well known allergens and well known irritants. You might try purchasing a 'sulphate free shampoo base' online to get a simple yet effective formulation. Baby shampoos are not necessarily milder surprisingly, they can be too alkaline ('no tears' or true soap) or include fragrance.

If the greasies still do not settle with cocoamidopropyl betaine but no anionic surfactants you would be best consulting a healthcare professional (doctor/ pharmacist). Take all the products with you so they can see the ingredients. It may be you have developed a second form of eczema/ dermatitis not only atopic: this is quite common.

I think I'll try that. Thanks.

[Iyashikei]

Update: I think I found the reason why my hair gets so greasy all the time. I noticed that I touch it with my hands quite often. Reasons are because it falls before my eyes quite often and because I tend to detangle when I have my hands free. Basically my hands are in my hair all day, so my mission right now is to keep them out.

[SleepyTangles]

Oooh, that's possibile! I also do that a lot. Having It bunned or braided really helps :flower:

[Iyashikei]

Oooh, that's possibile! I also do that a lot. Having It bunned or braided really helps :flower:

Yeah, I've been thinking that too. Unfortunately my hair isn't long enough to tie together yet so I guess it's going to be sheer willpower for me.

[menninkäinen]

Yeah, I've been thinking that too. Unfortunately my hair isn't long enough to tie together yet so I guess it's going to be sheer willpower for me.
You said it falls before your eyes, what about hairbands or scarves, or some nice pins, I don't know, something to keep it away from your face :) Or even have it on your phone background: "don't touch your hair", so you see it often. Good luck, I wish you a lot of willpower!