Hair gets oily AND fly-away in the winter, HELP!

[Sotadragon]

It's winter here in Minnesota and the air is apparently quite dry already so my hair is doing this irritating static-y fly-away thing, but at the same time it gets oily rather quickly. I think the oiliness is to do with my hair type, it's pretty fine. I know it's fly-away because of the dry air. The problem is how do I stop it from being fly-away without becoming an oil slick?

Here's what I'm currently using: Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly shampoo & conditioner, Garnier Fructisse Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum

I use a small amount of shampoo (about a bottle-cap size blob), massage into scalp and hair, rinse well. Then I use about... I dunno, somewhere around 1/8 cup of conditioner, massage into scalp and hair, leave on while I wash everything else, then rinse well, but not so well that I can't tell I've conditioned. Then I gently squeeze the excess water out of my hair and wrap it not tightly in a towel while drying off. I have been using a blow dryer with diffuser attachment on warm-low. Then I dispense 1 pump of the serum into my hands, rub hands together, and run through my hair.

Not blow drying isn't really an option for me right now because it's winter and I cannot leave the house with wet hair and I don't want to shower at night because sleeping on my hair will make it flat, possibly more fly-away, and likely to be doing something really strange in the back. :)

Any suggestions other than ditching my blow dryer? :D TIA!

[Sotadragon]

Apparently I can't edit my post, so I'll add this here. I'll be back tomorrow evening, gotta go to bed now and then go to work tomorrow. Just didn't want anyone to think I'm ignoring any replies that happen between now and then. :o

[Cholera]

I saw that you said you massaged your conditioner into your scalp. While this isn't necessarily bad, most people only tend to condition from the ear-down, as the hair close to your scalp gets sebum easier. That may contribute to your oiliness, and your serum could tame the flyaways, I bet.

[Fiferstone]

I agree with Cholera. I am a finey, who has always had an oily (super-oily) scalp. Is there any chance you could switch your wash to right after you get home from work, so that you can still have it air-dry in the evening while you're awake (I find that blowdrying just exaggerates the static problem)? I too recommend not putting conditioner on your scalp and using it on the length only (from the ears down). Also, I've recently started putting the conditioner on my dry hair before I get in the shower, I do that in the morning while I'm doing other stuff (feeding cats, breakfast for DS, laundry, etc.). So that I hop in the shower, do my other stuff, and then wash the hair. I also do not pile my hair atop my head, and I only apply shampoo to the scalp itself (other people dilute their shampoo before using and have reported good results with that method). The conditioner on the length helps to protect it from getting over-stripped by the detergent in the shampoo, which means it doesn't get as dried out and thus is not as frizzy. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

[Crysta]

Great advice right there.


(I find that blowdrying just exaggerates the static problem)? I too recommend not putting conditioner on your scalp and using it on the length only (from the ears down).

As a finer hair type myself conditioner on the lengths only is an almost must, but if you do feel the need to condition your scalp do your lengths first and then run what is left on the conditioner on your hands through the hair on your scalp, don't massage it, or work it in, after you wash it out it should still be as silky, but alittle less greasy.

[Sotadragon]

Thanks for the tips!

I've tried using conditioner on the length only (what length I have, my hair isn't very long yet), and the hair near my scalp tends to feel.... I don't know what word I'm looking for.... tangled or rough or something like that. Maybe that's just when it's wet, I don't know. I can try it again, I'm just so used to conditioning all of my hair because my hair really likes the moisture and absorbs a LOT of it!

[Katze]

I think your shampoo could be too harsh for your fine hair, if you use that shampoo every time.

We have different versions of herbal essences here, but the kind I got in the USA is VERY heavy on sulfates - i only use it after swimming to get the chlorine out.

With fine hair, especially if it is wavy, you need to strike a delicate balance between too much and too little moisture and too much and too little cleansing. We have similar hair, so I would suggest you cut back on the sulfates (assuming those products do have them) and condition the length only. I almost NEVER put conditioner on my crown, except for SMTs.

You can also check out the routines of other fine haired wavies to see what they do, as that might help you understand your hair. I've had a lot of trouble trying to figure out what it 'wants' but have settled on WO every 4-5 days, CWC with sulfates every 4-5 days (after swimming), lots and lots of leave-in, light oilings when my hair gets damp on inbetween days, and making sure my scalp gets clean...

hth!

[Sotadragon]

Thanks Katze!

I think I may have mistyped before about using the conditioner on my scalp, I don't actually massage the conditioner into my scalp, but I do apply from root to tip, then run my finger through from a little above the root to the tip. my hair really isn't long enough to just condition the length from ears down because it's only about an inch past my ears at this point.

I have figured out something to make the oily fly-away thing stop. I stopped using the serum and have started using a leave-in conditioning creme instead. My hair is MUCH happier. I don't think the shampoo I'm using is too harsh for my hair, that part seems fine to me. I also stopped using the diffuser, but the setting is still on low, and that seems to have actually helped, too.

Thanks so much for the help everyone!