Switch to organic - Hair gets greasy faster?

[nyemelis]

I want to know if this has happened to you, or if anyone can explain what's going on. I'm so frustrated with my fine, greasy hair. It lays so flat when it's oily, and it's hard for me to do things that are "better" for it when all that it seems to accomplish is make it look bad. I miss having people give me hair compliments, and I miss feeling good about my hair.

I have washed with organic shampoo on and off for about a year. Everytime I try to stick with it, I notice that my hair will last one day less without a wash. I'll go maybe a month just using organics and nothing changes.

For example, using silicone and mainstream shampoo = I can stretch to two days without a wash.

Using organic shampoo = On the first day of no-wash, it already looks a day ahead in "greasiness"

I have tried using shampoos like Pure Life, Burt's Bees, and am trying to finish off a shampoo from Thailand called Principle. It never fails to make my hair greasier faster. I'm so sad.

[11eleven]

Do what works best for your hair. Just because no cones works well for some on here does not mean that everyone on here follows suit. Your hair will tell you what it likes and dislikes.

[nyemelis]

Thanks for the advice...I have really been hoping to have my hair adjust, and I want to make more efforts to live a lifestyle with less chemicals....but I agree that it may just not work out for me.

[Elvi]

What about "pure soap" of some kind? Is that organic enough when followed by rinsing with dilute acetic acid like ACV or dilute lemon juice? At least this is cone free.

[MsBubbles]

Same thing happened to me. I went to Aubrey Organics after using some sort of L'Oreal kids shampoo or something. But since the bottle cost a whopping $10 I forced myself to keep using it and after a month or so my greasiness resumed it's regular schedule (which is to appear on my head 24 hours after washing). It's better for my scalp when I dilute the organic shampoo - a lot!! But yeah, do what works for you. It might take some trying to find something that works well. I think it's a never-ending process, for me, anyway.

[pineapples]

I don't seem to have that problem. I switched in January and it's going great. I can go almost a week. (do you wear your hair down a lot? I know that made a difference for me before I switched.)

[nyemelis]

I don't seem to have that problem. I switched in January and it's going great. I can go almost a week. (do you wear your hair down a lot? I know that made a difference for me before I switched.)
I've been transitioning to wearing my hair up more (especially since it's getting near my waist and my mother won't stop talking about it if it's down) and it does seem to make a bit of a difference in how long it stays presentable.

[kmangus]

I use Giovanni :D Its about 8 dollars a bottle, but totally worth it IMHO. Maybe you just need to clarify and start over without cones.

[Chloris]

Nyemelis, this happened to me as well. My hair isn't as oily as yours, because when I was using regular, conventional shampoo, I could go for about a week without washing. When I switched to a couple organic brands, by the third or fourth day my hair was greasy and had to be washed (I tried two different ones, but I can't recall the names as this was well over a year ago...). My reason for trying the organic shampoos was so I could use less chemicals as I felt this would be better for myself and for the environment. I don't know if you've tried washing with herbs, but I have found Indian herbs (shikakai and aritha [soapnut]) to work really effectively (I can go for a week without washing). This may be something to consider if you're looking to use less chemicals :)

[nyemelis]

I use Giovanni :D Its about 8 dollars a bottle, but totally worth it IMHO. Maybe you just need to clarify and start over without cones.
I hadn't thought about it...but perhaps I should clarify when switching over from cones to organic! And when I run out of all these bottles of shampoo I already have (might take forever!!) I will try Giovanni. And then look into shampoo bars and then herbs, in that order.

[rchorr]

I tried Aubrey Organics and it was HORRIBLE! My hair was stiff and even drier than usual. I gave mine to a fellow LHC member when she said they worked for her. :-)

RCHORR'

[Madame J]

Yeah, you might shop around for an organic shampoo that works, if you're dedicated to the idea of using fewer toxic chemicals, as well as having great hair. I used Kiss My Face, got greasy hair, used Aubrey Organics, got greasy hair, used Burt's Bees, got slightly better hair, but couldn't stand the smell. I finally settled on Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat, and my hair was great. Your hair may be different. I've now switched to shampoo bars (low-chemical, but also low-waste) with a vinegar rinse, and my hair is also good to stretch for a few days.

[Ash]

I had a period of adjustment when I switched to natural products but now everything is fine. I have been using them for a few years now. It is possible that the chemical products you were using were stripping more oils which caused the scalp to produce more oil to compensate. There is a good chance that if you can stick it out for a while that eventually things will balance out better.
I also recommend Giovanni - the one I use is the 50:50 rebalancing, both shampoo and conditioner.

[Aer]

I back the shampoo bar advice. I used to use liquid organic or natural shampoos,and some were not that bad, but I had greasy issues too. Shampoo bars can be pretty natural, an nourishing, you just got to find the right ones. I also notice that shampoos that contained a fair amount of lavender, lemongrass, or lemon were a bit better as far as leaving hair feeling cleaner.

[Katze]

I don't think organic is the issue, but the lack of sulfates.

My fine wavy hair and crust-prone, sensitive scalp NEED occasional sulfate use. Without sulfates every other wash or so, my hair gets lank and limp very easily. If I go sulfate- or shampoo-free, my hair and scalp are very unhappy.

I use 'natural' products most of the time, but do wash with sulfates pretty regularly. Also, I often do not use conditioner on my hair above the ears, which seems to help with the greasies.

hth...

[shadowclaw]

I agree with Katze, the whole sulfate thing could be the problem. I have some orangic non-SLS shampoos, and while I love them, my roots get super-greasy in a day or two. However, when I use an SLS shampoo, my roots can go for several days without a wash. So my solution is to rotate between SLS and organic/non-SLS shampoos. That way, I'm being less harsh on my hair, but not getting greasy and gross in a day :)

[Shiva]

Same thing happened to me. I went to Aubrey Organics after using some sort of L'Oreal kids shampoo or something. But since the bottle cost a whopping $10 I forced myself to keep using it and after a month or so my greasiness resumed it's regular schedule (which is to appear on my head 24 hours after washing). It's better for my scalp when I dilute the organic shampoo - a lot!! But yeah, do what works for you. It might take some trying to find something that works well. I think it's a never-ending process, for me, anyway.

I noticed something simular... when I use the Aubrey Organics shampoo my hair doesn't get oily/greasy, but it is kinda flat and lifeless (not dry, tho) the next day.

:shrug:

[viking_quest]

I had that problem. I used Burt's Bee's shampoo and my hair would be greasy upon drying, and I'm not going to believe I had a 6 month transition period. I've switched to L'Oreal and my hair is happy. Just do what your hair likes and apparently, it likes SLS and non-organic things.

[adiapalic]

I'm not sure of your washing routine, but as suggested by Katze before--definitely keep conditioner off of the scalp! Only use on the length from ears down to help and keep greasies away.

If you find you want to wait it out and see if your sebum production will lessen over more time because of the big switch, I definitely recommend a Boar Bristle Brush. This was my savior when my scalp and hair was being greasy.

It helped to smooth the sebum down the length, leaving less on my head, and made my separated pieces of greasy hair become nice and smoothed together again. After using a BBB, the scalp and hair felt and looked much cleaner.