Scalp and oiliness issues

[Petite Simone]

In my searches I have come across a few threads addressing causes of greasy hair and potential cures BUT I have a question, well more an explanation then a question.

I have EXTREMELY greasy hair. I'm talking I have to shampoo every day and if I don't it looks like I've not showered for a week. My hair looks very "piecey," lank and dark. And you can TELL it's greasy. Severus Snape-esque if you will (*facepalm* yes I'm a potter geek lol)

I keep seeing the "it is getting over washed and stripped so your scalp is compensating." which makes a lot of sense, but this has been a problem for years. Even before I started washing every day.

I am overly sensitive to the whole what people will think thing due to a LOT of teasing and being called "gross" when I was little because, like many little kids, we just didn't get it that our hair looked nasty. So I can't wait the four, five, six weeks for my hair to readjust and stop being grimy.

In about a month I'll be going off to college where I want to finally free myself of the harmful daily shampooing, but not have my first impression be "that really grimy chick."

My hair is a little above shoulder length now so it's hard to style even if I wasn't as hair style challenged as I am.

So my question is this: Is there anyway at all to save me from this perpetuating cycle of nastiness? Tips, tricks, or advice? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks and sorry it's such a long post.

[heidi1990]

what shampoo are u using? have u tried gentler cleansings such as CO?

[Petite Simone]

I've used a lot of different shampoos, some for oily hair some to moisturize hoping that would tell my scalp it doesn't need to freak out, even baby shampoos. Also I've tried using henna n' placenta treatments (again going with the try to keep my scalp moist theory). I have not tried CO because I'm scared it will make my hair even greasier.

[Tabihito]

It's partly the age. I call it the "greasy teenager-head" stage, which I'll be stuck in probably for the next couple of years at least, though it's slowed down some for me. What I'm trying, and what seems to be working, is very slowly weaning myself off of shampoo. I still wash every day, but alternate between CO and CWC as best I can. If it feels too greasy on a CO day, I'll do CWC again, but that's only happened once. Eventually I'm going to try cutting out a few days of washing, so that it's more CO -> CWC -> No wash, and work with that for a while, then go to CO every other day and see if I can stretch it further from there. But I won't do it until I'm sure that my scalp can deal with it.

The hardest part for you is probably the length, because if something goes wrong for me, I can shove it in a ponytail and forget about it for a while, where you don't really have that option.

The daily shampooing probably isn't doing much for your hair, and the age certainly doesn't help. I think the no-water/sebum-only thread also has some information on cutting down greasies without washing, involving dry shampoos and a boar bristle brush, which could help you get through the worst of any transition periods you may encounter.

And in the end, it could be that you just have a scalp that naturally produces a lot of oil and nothing you can do will stop that. And that's okay. Having to shampoo every day isn't the end of the world. It may not be the best possible thing for your hair, but it might be for your scalp.

[slythwolf]

I can tell you, CO will not make your hair even greasier. My first time trying it was after actually not washing my hair for a week, and it took all the grease out.

[Petite Simone]

Tabihito: Have you seen any improvement yet with the method you are using? I'm wary of BBB since when I use it it looks as though I've shellacked my hair to my head. I am definitely willing to give it a go though given some tips from the WO/Sebum only threads.

Slythwolf: Did CO help you stretch out the time between your washes? Will it turn my hair to mush or breakage-prone?

[RancheroTheBee]

Are your ends really dry? Are you suffering from an itchy scalp?

There might not be anything wrong with washing your hair every day if you just truly have an oily scalp. That said, I heard tea tree shampoos can help a little bit.

[Petite Simone]

Are your ends really dry? Are you suffering from an itchy scalp?

There might not be anything wrong with washing your hair every day if you just truly have an oily scalp. That said, I heard tea tree shampoos can help a little bit.

No my ends are surprisingly alright, but my scalp does get itchy when it needs a wash.

[Tabihito]

Yes, I have. It took a couple of weeks as I switched from regular wash and condition (sometimes, mostly just wash), but it did slow down after a while. I don't know, and am not really willing to test and find out, whether it was a result solely of the change in routine or because I'm naturally just producing less oil now and due to that my hair was actually able to adjust to the reduction in shampooing.

As I said, not all methods work for everyone. Some people do wash their hair with shampoo every day, and find it helps. You may have to shampoo your scalp and then either skip conditioner or just hit the very ends until it gets a little longer. Unfortunately, you may not hit on the right method at first, there's a lot of trial and error involved. I went through quite a few before I settled on mine after I abandoned my old shampoo-only routine because my hair felt horrible. But eventually, you'll find something that works.

[Petite Simone]

I find that shampoo only is a nightmare on me. I had to go this weekend without conditioner since the house I was in had NONE! I could hear my hair stretching and breaking when i tried to de-knot it. Horrible :(

When it took a while to get used to did you have days where you looked like a greaseball or did you just keep going until you found that one day you could go a little longer before it started looking icky?

[chipzahoy]

Could it be due to your diet or a nutritional deficiency?

[danacc]

This might not be the answer you want to hear; I recommend that you continue to wash your scalp every day. Experiment with CWC or CO if you'd like more gentle washes, but now is not the time to try to skip a day between them.

As a previous poster stated, hormones during the teenage years result in your skin producing even more oil than normal. If your skin previously tended to be oily, my guess is the current level of oil production is more a stage-in-life thing than an "overwashing" issue. Especially with your ends being fine with your current routine, I'm not sure why you're trying to stretch time between washes.

Let me back up a little. It is, generally speaking, good to stretch washes. Your hair is weaker when it's wet. Water causes the hair to swell a little, and over years, that can start to take a toll on aged hair. As your hair gets long, it takes longer to dry.

You've got a couple things against you right now when it comes to stretching out washes, though. You tend to have an oily scalp. You're at an age where oil production is heightened. You're probably going into a more stressful stage with first-time college starting. Your hair is not that long, yet, so you can't just sleek it back into a ponytail or bun.

Now, on the bright side: All that oil means your hair is protected when you wash it. Your ends are not getting dried out with your current routine. Your hair is not that long, and therefore, not very old, yet. Washing it daily for a couple of years isn't going to damage it. By the time you'd need to give it a thought at all, that hair of yours will be long enough to sleek back into a 'do, and then you can experiment with cutting back on washes. (Your body might not be quite so intent on producing as much oil by then as an added bonus.)

Have patience with the idea of skipping washes. Do other good things for your hair over the next couple of years, then maybe think about stretching time between washes.

[Petite Simone]

Danacc: Quite opposite of your first thought, your information is very helpful and not at all bothersome to my taste lol.

I suppose the reason I want to stretch out time between the washes is that it is really tedious, I'm scared it's going to just make my problem worse, and I see so many "nifty" ways to take care of hair that don't involve daily shampooing and I feel a little inadequate in respect to that ability. It also interferes with life sometimes. I'll have a nice lazy day without a wash and something will suddenly come up and it becomes "well wait let me shower first" and it just seems to annoy people (myself included) that I can't just get up and go, which is very frustrating.

However, if it seems to you (who I take it have come to a point where you understand hair better than me XD) think that for some people washing every day isn't the end of the world, and I might fit into that category, that maybe I can learn to accept that.

As for CO washes, how will the gentler washing help? I'm familiar with the method through reading about it on the boards and the article, but I'm a little confused as to how it can help.

Thank you! As usual LHC to the rescue lol

[danacc]

I am glad you took my recommendation in the spirit given. If I were in your shoes, I really wouldn't spend another minute worrying about washing every day.

I don't think CO will help you skip washes, but it isn't as stripping as shampoo. So, if it works for you and if you'd like to try something different, it may ease the fear that you're prolonging the oiliness. Again though, I think your current routine is perfectly fine at this stage of your life.

I completely understand wanting to have a nice lazy day! I can't help you there, other than to say as your hair grows, you will probably be able to occasionally get away with putting it all up with a hairstick, getting up, and going.

[Ravenne]

I shampoo my hair every day because I'm essentially in the same boat you are, just to a lesser degree. But a few years ago, I had the exact same problem. I could wash my hair in the morning and by 8pm it was a greaseball. Part of this was due to my ignorance in hair care (I didn't use conditioner at all... =S) but mostly it was because my skin and scalp were naturally very oily. Still are, really, but less so, and it's getting to be less of a problem as I head on into my 20's. But, I still have to wash my hair every day just to look presentable. I'm considering experimenting with dry shampoos to stretch to two day washes. But as was mentioned earlier, I can pull my hair back into a bun or ponytail if all else fails. I'd recommend just continuing with what works right now until your hair is long enough to offer some more options. =)

On another note, if your need to shower is getting in the way of your social life, you may want to look into hats or bandannas/scarves to cover up your scalp. I know that there are several threads on this subject. You can just throw on a scarf and go if need be. =D

[issalynn]

When I was in high school I had the same problem. I fixed it by doing an ACV and Baking Soda rinse 2x times a week and shampooing and cowashing 2x a week. It really cleared up the grease. However, it took a while for it to work, maybe a month or 2.

[teela1978]

I agree with danacc. I'm also quite the greasy-haired-git :) I've tried stretching out washes with little luck. My greasiness has faded a bit with age (I can go every other day now!), but not a whole lot. Gentler washing methods just left my scalp weighed down and made it get greasier faster. Stretching washes just left it greasy for days...

I do think my tolerance for greasy hair has changed though. If I'm not going anywhere over a weekend, I've been known to shower Thursday and not bother washing my hair again till Monday. By Sunday my hair does look wet to about chin length... but up in a bun or braids you can't tell... (ewww I know... but its summer, who's really gonna tell if its greasy or just sweaty?)

[Hotrox]

I'm a greaser, but on the plus side its better for your hair as all those oils protect it!

At your age I had to wash everyday, not at 31 I can go for 2 days but not more without looking unpresentable and getting an itchy scalp.

I tried CO washing with disastrous results, but I have switched to a shampoo where the the Sulphate is lower on the list of ingredients so my scalp still gets a good clean but its gentler on the rest of my hair

[swellmel]

When I was in high school I had the same problem. I fixed it by doing an ACV and Baking Soda rinse 2x times a week and shampooing and cowashing 2x a week. It really cleared up the grease. However, it took a while for it to work, maybe a month or 2.

i was going to suggest baking soda rinses and acv as well. also what about dry shampoos? cornstarch? something like one of those should help. or just slap a bandana over your hair. ;) good luck!

[ravenreed]

I am also another with a very oily scalp. I sometimes will use dry shampoo (the stuff in a can) to take care of those instances when you have to be presentable in a short amount of time and don't have enough time to shampoo. The dry shampoo won't take care of really oily hair, but it will make slightly oily hair presentable. I also CO as I find that my hair produces less oil and gets oily looking slower than when I use shampoo.

I find that pulling my hair back and putting in a ponytail or a bun when my hair is oily doesn't really hide the fact that my hair is oily. In fact, with my hair, it is more noticeable when back then when down.

[trinc]

have you tried oil masks? when I started to use oils on face, instead of facecream, it balanced the oil production of my face a lot! sometimes the skin produces so much oil because it's not moisturized enough, so it overcompensates. a weekly oil mask maybe would do some good? look for oils that are for greasy/oily skin. put it on your head and keep overnight, then shampoo off. and on other days, keep washing as you need to.

[kristymarie87]

I am alot like you, even when i did try to leave my hair long enough to get past the greasy stage it didnt work.

CO made it worse. I sort of have a half decent routine now and get away with every other day, sometimes more if im lucky!! And i used to wash everyday, sometimes i had to do it twice if i was going out.

Now i CWC.
>I condition the very ends, then wash with an SLS shampoo (herbal essances beautiful ends)

>instead of applying conditioner again all over

>i have diluted an intensive treatment into an old spray bottle and i spray it mainly on my ends and a little everywhere else.

>My ends are quite dry,right at the last inche but the rest is usually greasy so i apply a little aloe gel to the ears down (i thought this could make it worse but it didnt).

This has worked for me. And if it looks even a little bit greasy i use my batiste (from boots) dry shampoo, on the inbetweens. Mine is tinted brunette to make sure i dont get white bits.

Usually dry shampoo just sticks to the grease in my hair but this one reaslly worked for me!

[Petite Simone]

Wow, as usual everyone here is SUPER supportive and willing to give advice. Thank you for that! After reading thins I'm feeling a little less "freakish" knowing that its alright to was h every day and try to deal with the greasies.


have you tried oil masks? when I started to use oils on face, instead of facecream, it balanced the oil production of my face a lot! sometimes the skin produces so much oil because it's not moisturized enough, so it overcompensates. a weekly oil mask maybe would do some good? look for oils that are for greasy/oily skin. put it on your head and keep overnight, then shampoo off. and on other days, keep washing as you need to.

This actually makes a little sense to me. When I tried moisturizing my face 3x daily rather than washing it 3x daily, I saw an improvement on those days in shiny/slickness of the skin so maybe my hair is the same?

But overall what I'm hearing is that in some cases washing every day isnt bad and that it might clear up a little with time. Knowing that, I can deal with this a little better without worrying about making it worse or damaging my hair. Seriously though, I might give that bandanna/hat trick a try seeing as I do want some lazy days but I don't want it to dictate my social life. Thank you again to everyone. I know I can always count on the LHCers and once again you all pulled through for someone in a hair crisis. :flower:

[bumblebums]

I don't know if anyone has already recommended dry shampoo when your hair is looking oily. A lot of people use cornstarch, and if you have dark hair, you can mix in some cocoa powder or mineral makeup to change the color. The way you use it: dust a bit of cornstarch (maybe 1 tsp to start) on your fingers, work through your roots, then comb out.

At your length, you can wear hair up in a peacock twist, held by a crocodile clip. It's also known as "tails up." I find that updos actually work better when your hair is greasy.

[Marjolein]

Hi! I'm 28 now, and have only been able to skip a day between washes for the last year or so. The oiliness will probably get a little better when you get older, but that doesn't have to stop you from trying some stuff out right now.

You could try to CO on a day you don't have to leave the house. I suggest using a conefree one, since cones might weigh your hair down, making it look more stringy and greasy.

Also, when using shampoo, try a mild one that doesn't contain any sulphates. BTW: Many baby shampoos do contain sulphates (often SLES) and thus aren't necessarily milder for your scalp.

My scalp responds well to white vinegar rinses. Perhaps yours does too?

Best of luck to you!!

[spidermom]

There is definitely a lot of anecdotal evidence that an oily scalp will adjust to less-frequent washing by putting out less oil, but there is no scientific evidence to support it. I read about a study where sensors were attached to the scalp, and the conclusion was that the scalp produces the same amount of oil every day whether you wash it or not.

I googled for information about this because I tried on a number of occasions to become a once-per-week washer, but my hair was stuck to my scalp and itching by the end of a week.

I think you should wash your hair whenever you feel it needs it. You can lessen the impact of the shampoo by putting conditioner on your length first, then diluting your shampoo in some warm water.

[Petite Simone]

Bumblebums: Thanks for the styling tip! I'll try it.
Marjolein: Will the vinegar rinse make my hair have that "crunchy" feel
Spidermom: I think I'll try diluting the 'poo to see what happens. At this point from all the advice im less interested in stretching out washes than in making them less stripping

[Marjolein]

A white vinegar rinse doens't make my ends feel crunchy, but I don't know what it would do to yours. I don't use a lot of vinegar. I have an empty 1 1/2 liter cola bottle and squirt a little vinegar in it. Then I fill the rest of the bottle with warm (shower) water. I give it a shake and pur it over my head. Rinse it out and done.

[Sammich]

You can try baby powder, that stretched my washing up to a week, it really works! :)
Or since your hair is dark as you say, I'd suggest cocoa powder. :D It's absolutely amazing!
Hopefully your issue clears up, and I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, I still get an greasy head even when my washes are stretched, at least the baby powder keeps it at bay. :p

[Petite Simone]

So I have decide to give CO a try. I'll see how the gentle washing helps with the greasies. Thanks again everyone for coming to the rescue of a less experienced LHCer!!!

[lenslee]

Try a dry shampoo. It comes in an aresol can. Another thing that I have found to help is Tea Tree Oil Shampoo.

[akrasia]

I too need to wash my hair every day. (Sometimes I can get away with skipping a day, but only if I put it up in a bun and pretend it's got gel in it.) Some people just have oily scalps. Just use a nice light shampoo and a good conditioner and you'll be fine.

[Petite Simone]

So I went out and got a dry shampoo. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. It *does* make my hair look a little less gross, but it still feels nasty and I have to be careful not to move my head or the "piecey-ness" comes back.

[Catarina]

I found that my scalp was even greasier with conditioners I got from the drugstore like Suave, although they work well for others. They seem to have alot of wax and parafins that make my hair stick to my scalp. Rinsing with cool water, and co'ing one day and then using a mild shampoo the next stops the oiliness for me. I have fine hair so going days or more without washing or conditioning is out of the question, since oiliness shows even more.

It just doesn't work for everybody although the popular notion is try to go once a week. Also watching your diet helps, such as avoiding greasy foods which can exacerbate the problem.

[x0h_bother]

I too am naturally more oily than most, and I resigned to the fact that I need to shampoo. I do CWC and I also use prescription drysol on my face so that my bangs don't get oily. Also, a little baby powder by the scalp brushed in works well for me for REALLY oily times as well as wearing hair up.

[Beatrice]

The peacock twist that bumblebums mentioned has been a life saver for me. However, I still can't go more than a day without SLS. For a month or so, I've stretched to the third day, but my hair is soaked in grease, my scalp is gunked, and a few spots are starting to itch at that point. I could grit my teeth and bear it, but I don't think it's healthy.

I'm with spidermom. I'm skeptical of the claim that stretching washes really does anything to regulate oil production. I think people get used to it, get better at using dry shampoo, and wear their hair up to disguise the grease. Both my parents have had oily skin through adulthood, so I don't even have the hope of drying up at some point. I'm going back to some kind of washing every day, either CO or CWC. I've always had healthy hair, even when it was much longer, so I wouldn't worry about it.

[Juneii]

Have you tried clarifying shampoo? I know it's not meant for everyday usage but I wash my hair every other day and my bangs every day because my hair is that oily. I tried, for over a month I tried going every other day to see if it gets better but it doesn't - especially my bangs.

I use a clarifying shampoo and then slather on coney conditioner (my hair likes it so I am not going to complain) from the shoulders down. It makes my hair clean and soft at the same time and lasts for a little over a day.

[Juneii]

I'm with spidermom. I'm skeptical of the claim that stretching washes really does anything to regulate oil production. I think people get used to it, get better at using dry shampoo, and wear their hair up to disguise the grease.

I think it's not very true either, our skin naturally produces oil at a certain rate and there isn't much that we can do to change it. Some people have naturally dry skin and needs to constantly moisturize. And other have oily skin. I don't think avoiding lotion will make dry skin softer, just like not washing oily skin will make it less oily.

[Marjolein]

So I have decide to give CO a try. I'll see how the gentle washing helps with the greasies. Thanks again everyone for coming to the rescue of a less experienced LHCer!!!

How are you liking the results? And do you like the dry shampoo or not?

[lenslee]

I have that same problem. Oiliness is especially terrible in the summer months. Things that I have found to really help to prolong shampooing is using dry shampoo. It comes in the aresol can, there are many brands to choose from. You could also use cornstarch. Sprinkle in, scrub into scalp, then brush out.

[MsBubbles]

Petite Simone, I knew your hair type before I even opened this thread to read it! Not trying to be know-it-all, just know exactly what you're talking about. I have my Dad's fine, dead straight greasy hair and really 'should' wash it every day. The most I can 'stretch' my washes is 48 hours but honestly it looks greasy already after 24 hours. I fell for the lines 'your scalp will get used to it! I only wash my hair once a week now! It only took 2 weeks to adjust!'. Er, well a year later and here we are, 24 hours to greasiness. Regular as clockwork.

The best compromise I can think of so that I don't have to wash the ends every day, is doing scalp washes only, every other day, and a full length wash once a week or so. I think it has saved my hemline and saved me from overwashing my dried, fragile ends.

I have considered going totally paleo in my diet to try to achieve a less-acidic system, to see if that affects it. But I don't do too well at restrictive diets so I never found out if that's what was making my scalp oily.

This issue started for me at puberty and is still going strong at 43.

If you have to wash your hair every day, just do it, but try to find the gentlest way possible for you.

[Capybara]

Just a thought - do you wash your hair in the morning or in the evening? If you are set of stretching washes, why not start by alternating washing in the morning and evening, so on day one you wash in the morning, then day two you wash in the evening, then wash in the morning on day 4 (skip day three) ... therefore leaving a day and a half between washes, if you really can't stand leaving two days? Just a thought :flower:

It may be that you have to wash your hair every day, at least for now. Everyone is different. I know that I used to have to wash my hair almost every day - probably caused by hormones, and also the fact that my hair was much shorter than it is now, so therefore the sebum didn't have as much hair to cover (at least this is my theory) - but I don't have to wash my hair every day anymore. I never had a "transitioning" period, because I only ever washed my hair when it needed it, so the change from washing every day to once every 3-4 days minimum was very gradual and I didn't have any noticeable "extra" greasiness during this time.

I don't think that I garnered any damage from washing every day, because I was always very gentle with my hair. Washing hair isn't a bad thing :shrug: If you can't stretch washes, that's okay - do what works best for you. Not everyone has to have the same routine.

Also, I have to agree with what MsBubbles said. Scalp washes are a fantastic idea! You could also try WO rinses, or dilute your shampoo and rinse with that.

Hope you find a routine that works for you! :blossom:

[Darkhorse1]

Ooh, I feel your pain. This was the story of my life from 12 to about 35.

What I ended up doing was scalp washes every other day, which became daily due to my lifestyle with horses. I had a special salon shampoo for greasy scalp and it worked well/kept my ends safe.

A few tips I learned over the years:
1. Rinse, rinse and rinse again. Sometimes left over shampoo will cause greasies
2. Ph Balance. Use ACV rinses to help keep your scalp balanced.
3. Dandruff shampoo--the itching is the fungus due to excess oils on scalp. Head and Shoulders is really nice--I use the citrus one as it seems to cut the grease the best
4. Diet. Drink lots of water and try to stear clear of excessively oily foods. Anything deep fried for me, would cause oil to come out of my skin--I could blot my face and scalp oil after eating french fries.
5. Cool water rinses. I find this soothing and helps keep oil down, but NOT icy cold.

Shampoos I've found work: Pantene Clarifying, Herbal Essence Degunkify--use a shampoo that is CLEAR. Any other won't work---even the pharmacists told me this. Except head and shoulders. That seems to work fine.

Hope that helps!

[Naturel]

You can try Paul Mitchell tea tree special shampoo. It clarifies your scalp. I love it.

[Petite Simone]

Thank you everyone for your advice, and words of encouragement! It means a lot to me

[Petite Simone]

How are you liking the results? And do you like the dry shampoo or not?

CO certainly cleans better than I thought it would, but it doesn't really help me stretch my washes, and dry shampoo doesn't really work for me.