Problem Oily Hair! HELP!

[LovingLongHair]

Hi, I'm new to LHC and needed to ask a question that might sound a bit silly to ya'll (sorry, I'm a southern girl :)). I have mid back hair (haven't gotten around to measuring it in inches, but will soon), like in between BSL and waist. It is dry from damage :o and just the weather. I moisturize it with 3MM and try my best to protect it. I need to condition my scalp, but if I do then I have a problem with my oily scalp! I have an extremely oily scalp and if I go more than one day without washing it looks just absolutely nasty! And if I condition my hair up higher than the shaft of my hair then it just looks horrible within a couple of hours. Ahhhh! It's frustrating! So what do you do for oily scalp and dry hair? TIA :)

Mika

[aisling]

Why do you need to condition your scalp? That seems to have many side effects, like the oiliness you mention. Usually it's recommended to condition from about the ears down, especially with an oily scalp. I also have an oily scalp and dry hair and wash every second day thanks to this, but I only use conditioner on the length, from the neck down. It's the length that is dry, not the hair closest to my scalp.

If you find that the hair on top of your head needs a little something, how about pre-wash oiling or, put conditioner there before washing with shampoo? This might sound strange, but could help you.

Other than that, other washing methods than the standard shampoo + conditioner might help you, CO (conditioner only) for example.

[Fufu]

For your hair case, I will recommend not to condition your scalp as well.

[aggie_deirde]

Do a vinegar rinse.Ι have extreamely oily hair and I can get by up to 4 days without washing(victory!)Add 2 spoonfuls to a litre of water and rinse your sampoo with it and then with regular water.It does wonders!

[knux]

I know how you feel about the need to wash it everyday (I have such an oily scalp that I feel like it needs to be washed twice a day) If you feel like the hair above your ears need a little something extra I agree with aisling, try adding a little oil on top. But what I found has helped me stretch out my washes even if it only means washing once a day instead of twice, is rinsing my scalp (and hair) in cold water. It took a few washes (about a week I think) before the effects took hold, but that has helped me a lot! Plus the cold water will help to seal the hair cuticle.

I am pretty sure there is an article about why exactly this works. I will look for it and post it for you.

Oh, and welcome!

[knux]

Here it is :)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=77

[Una]

I feel your pain Mika. I am on a journey to cease the oily scalp. Recently I went for about 3 weeks with washing my hair with water only. The process was very interesting...and not what I expected. My hair was very greasy for about 2 weeks, but then it really slowed down (the grease, that is)
Since then, I only need to wash my hair every 3 days. It's quite amazing. Before I tried the 3 weeks of water only washing, I had to wash my hair every single day due to the oil. So, if you can put up with greasy hair for a couple of weeks, I would recommend water only to balance your scalps secretion of oil.
Another suggestion is that you try diluted shampoo - it won't shock your hair as much into over-producing sebum as would concentrated shampoo.

[gman4354]

Have you tried using a natural board bristle brush? If used correctly it should spread the oils and sebum down the length of your hair and also get rid of any dirt or other particles in your hair from the environment and such.

[Toothe]

I understand your need to condition your scalp. It's not really conditioning your scalp as much as needing to condition even the first few inches of hair. I'm always amazed how other people can get away without doing this. The main problem for me is my myriad of shorter wisps around my hairline (mostly about 4-6 inches) that go absolutely berserk without conditioning.

And I, too, need to wash every day. I've recently been able to stretch one day sometimes, but I can't count on it. I'm just that greasy--skin as well as hair--and that's not going to change.

Here's what works for me: I have a big plastic sports water bottle I keep in the shower. I put in a squirt of conditioner, fill it up with water, and shake. After shampooing, I pour the conditioner water over my head, then use a big dollop of straight conditioner on my length.

[knux]

Here's what works for me: I have a big plastic sports water bottle I keep in the shower. I put in a squirt of conditioner, fill it up with water, and shake. After shampooing, I pour the conditioner water over my head, then use a big dollop of straight conditioner on my length.

Nice idea! Toothe

[Madora]

To collect some of the oil you might try putting a child's cotton sock over your hairbrush, then brushing as usual.

[LovingLongHair]

Thank you! I'll try this. And some of the other replies explained what I meant better. Sorry, I have a horrible way of explaining things :o. I have to condition the first few inches of my hair, for some reason they get unbearably dry. I also have a lot of baby hairs around my face, but they seem to stay healthy. Thank you for your advice, I'll try it! :)

[LovingLongHair]

Sorry, I meant I'll try all of these ideas. I'm new to this posting and I can't quite figure out how to do these replies. :o Anyways, thank you, all of you for your advice! I'll try that vinegar rinse aggie deidre, sounds good! I'll also try the cold water rinse as well knux. This may sound silly too, but is it good to try all of these ideas? Not all at once of course, but spaced out so I don't stress-out my hair.

Thanks to all of you! You've given me some hope with this aggravating oiliness! :)
Mika

[Sue77]

I am new here, but reading this post has helped me. I have thin, very thin, hair and it does not seem to be growing back. My hair is also very oily. Any tips on how to help hair grow back. I am thinning on the top of my head and on the sides. It's very discouraging. I bought some oil to rub into my scalp. I hope this will help. Someone told me that my body temperature is too high...meaning when I put my hand on my head, my scalp is hot. Any tips would be so greatly appreciated.

[Intransigentia]

Sorry, I meant I'll try all of these ideas. I'm new to this posting and I can't quite figure out how to do these replies. :o Anyways, thank you, all of you for your advice! I'll try that vinegar rinse aggie deidre, sounds good! I'll also try the cold water rinse as well knux. This may sound silly too, but is it good to try all of these ideas? Not all at once of course, but spaced out so I don't stress-out my hair.

I'd like to third or fourth the vinegar rinse suggestion, or as an alternative, lemon juice in about the same dilution as you would the vinegar. I find it really makes a difference, if not to oiliness necessarily then at least to making my scalp feel nice and not itchy, plus it makes your hair shinier and less tangly.

I'm pretty sure all the recommendations you've gotten so far are good for your hair, as opposed to "good for your scalp but you might have to sacrifice the hair a bit", so there would be no harm in trying them all at once, except that then you won't know which particular thing did or did not work.

[veggiechick]

I feel your pain. I have quite a oily scalp and if it gets too oily I get these sores that pop up, esp with humidity. I made the mistake of using conditioner last week instead of ACV and paid the price ugh, so I'm going back to ACV.

[Katze]

Hello hairtwin!

I struggle with the same problem (but it's gotten LOTS better) and find the following things help:

For the oiliness:

1) little to no conditioner on my scalp, except for SMTs and CO washes (have you tried this? you should!)

2) regular sulfate washes - everyone has to find what works for them, once a week or 2x a month is about right for me

3) no oil. Oil gives me what my grandpa would call 'bacon strip' hair - not sexy piecey waves, but lank dull stringy ugliness.

for the dryness:

1)leave-in, leave-in, leave-in. I mix Fox's Shea butter conditioning cream, and DH (also a fine haired wavy) and I both use it. Goth Rosary, Nature's Gate, or another *light* conditioner will give you the moisture you need. Oil has not really worked for me and I am a low-maintenance kind of gal (why spend time searching for an exotic oil that works, when leave-ins DO work?) so leave-in works well for me.

2) always condition, but only from the ears down.

3) don't over-wash. Stretching your washes (washing as little as possible) can help you find the right balance, through learning when your hair is clean, when it's TOO clean, and what dirty 'really' feels like. After much trial and error, I have found that washing every 3-5 days is best for my mixed wavy type hair.

Everyone has to find what works for them, and fine wavy hair just needs JUST the right amount of moisture - not too much, not too little. If you also have scalp issues, as I do, then you have to 'listen' to your scalp as well - in my case NOT touching it, regular SMTs, and regular sulfate shampoo, are key to keeping the itchy crusties away.

You will see a lot of threads for finehaired wavies here, so you can browse through them and find what other people suggest. Our hair is NOT easy to take care of, but good/conscious care DOES pay off.

My other trick is product. I use a lot of it. But I am also regrowing after losing about half my hair, so I also need 'cones and a lot of styling to make my hair look OK.

You are not alone in this struggle, hope you can find the help you need here! :flower:

[LovingLongHair]

Thank you Katze, I've started not using any conditioner on my scalp which is helping! :D This might sound a little dumb, but what exactly is a sulfate wash? :o

veggiechick: I feel your pain as well, I get sores on my scalp during high humidity, so I try to watch out during the summer!

Intransigentia, thank you! I've tried the cold water wash and it does help me a a lot! Thanks again for your advice!

Sue77, I feel your pain! My hair is thin too! Sometimes, it just doesn't seem like it's growing! But it is and it will grow longer as time goes on! :) I was using an oil for my hair, but it wasn't working for me personally. I was using it on my scalp, but now I just use it on my very, very ends. Like I said above, I use a cold water rinse at the very end of my shower. I works really well for me! It makes my hair cleaner and some how makes the oil less apparent. I will say this, don't ever lose hope! Good luck on your hair journey! :)

Sorry it took me so long to reply! Thanks so much on all the advice everyone! :D

[aggie_deirde]

Liebe Katze(!) I think you are my hair twin too.I guess we are triplets :D

Good luck everyone with oily hair!I realise that in winter my hair tends to be more oily.But in the summer I'm always bathing in the sea so salt dries my hair?Have anyone else noticed that?

[Intransigentia]

:D This might sound a little dumb, but what exactly is a sulfate wash? :o


No such thing as a dumb question! Sulfate wash would refer to the cleaning ingredients in most mainstream shampoos - sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, or ammonium lauryl sulfate or some combination of them. Some people find these ingredients too harsh to use often or even at all; others think they're great.

The sulfate wash being recommended is in conjunction with conditioner-washing, where most of the time you don't use shampoo, just conditioner - which sounds weird but works really well for many people. It actually does dissolve/rinse away grease and grime, but a lot more gently and with less drying. The sulfate wash is recommended because conditioner can leave a bit of a coating on the hair, so every once in a while you need to use something stronger (like sulfate shampoo) to get rid of buildup or else your hair gets limp and gunky.

[LovingLongHair]

aggie_deirde: My hair gets oily during the winter too. I was told a while back that the dry air makes your sebum or oil glands over produce to make up for the dryer environment. I think my dad told me that (my oily hair is inherited :eek:). Anyways, its good to see that there are others who have similar hair types! :)

Intransigentia: Thank you! I think I'll try a sulfate wash! :)

[Sue77]

Thank you 'lovinglonghair' for your encouragement. I will try the various suggestions and see what helps my hair regrow.

Best of luck to you.
Sue77