Always oily - have to wash daily

[Gothic Lolita]

I start to be really frustrated with my hair and scalp. I've tried many thing, but no matter what, I absolutely need to wash daily or I look like an oil slick. And I don't like to go to school with greasy hair, my boyfriend doesn't need to see this either. :(

I've switched to herbal shampoo with only Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate in them, I tried CO washing, I tried peppermint rinses. Even after hennaing (witch I partly started because I read that it could help with oily hair) my scalp is as oily as usual. :mad:

Now on vacation I take the last try to calm my scalp down. I'd be really happy if I only needed to wash every other day. Has anybody suggestions why my head behaves like that? What can I do? I'm fed up with running around with wet hair for 3 hours daily. :confused:

Sorry that this is so long....

[Nat242]

I used to be a daily washer, now I wash around every second day, though I do still have to wash my bangs if I'm heading to work or uni.

The thing that helped me the most was diluting my shampoo. I put a pea sized amount in a little bottle, fill with water, and squeeze it on my scalp.

Have you tried scalp washes? I do these when I can't be bothered having wet hair all day, but my scalp is oily. I put my hair up in high bun (which you can cover with a plastic bag or shower cap - I don't bother) and only wash my scalp.

HTH!

Natalie

[MoonCreature]

The more you wash the more your scalp produces oils to make up for the ones that were lost... The only way out that I can see is to just try and wash every other day, the scalp should adjust, but it takes time. On the oily days you can always wear it up, cover it with a nice scarf, have a hat on etc.
Try heavy overnight oiling (I know it sounds crazy, but oil dissolves oil, and hopefully the scalp will notice that there isn't a need for as much oil) and wash in the morning.

There isn't a "overnight" fix for an oily scalp, it takes time and unfortunetly you will have somewhat oily hair during this time. :flower:

[Niphredil]

I've switched to herbal shampoo with only Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate in them, I tried CO washing, I tried peppermint rinses. Even after hennaing (witch I partly started because I read that it could help with oily hair) my scalp is as oily as usual. :mad:

Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate isn't better than SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate), it is supposedly even harsher than SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulphate).
If you want to try less harsh shampoo's, search for products with either glucoside based cleansers, or cocoamide betaine. The Sulphate free shampoo's are usually containing these cleansers.

You say you have vacation right now. Why not trying to stretch your washings a bit? Instead of washing it every day, try washing every other day. Keep that up for at least a month, because your scalp needs time to adjust (same goes for sulphate free shampoos). On your second day, simply wear your hair up, so it doesn't show the greasies so much.

Also, try not to touch your hair and scalp too much. Style it in the morning and take it down in the evening. In the evening, gently comb the length to remove tangles (if needed), and touch the scalp area as little as possible.

Some scalp-types are getting oily way faster than others, so don't be dissapointed if you can not increase your washing frequency by much. But usually, even oily scalps can be trained to be washed no more than every other day.

[nutsenmai]

If you've got oily hair there's not much you can do about it. I've always had oily hair, so do my sister and my Mother. (Who has chin-length hair and washes it every day in the sink. So convenient!)

I've switched to using a shampoo bar from http://www.mehandi.com/shop/shampoo/index.html now, although I still have to wash at least every other day. You might try CO-ing to see how that effects your scalp. Trial and error!

[Katze]

Oily hair is very often caused by overproduction of oil when the sebum glands react to too much washing. Learning what your hair and scalp want - this can be hard, trust me! - will help you be able to listen to it.

I always thought, and was told, that I had oily hair. Before LHC, I washed every other day...and my waves were poofy, making me 'have to' blowdry them, and my scalp was itchy with crusty buildup.

Since learning to stretch my washes (I wash every 4 days or so) my hair is a lot smoother and hangs better. I do have to wash by day 3 or 4, depending on how much sports I've been doing and how much I've handled my hair (touching it makes it oilier).

With your length, it sounds like you really are washing too much.

[Ruthless]

If I blow out my hair and flat iron the ends and spray my bumble and bumble hair powder in the roots and then brush through it is OK for the next day. Their product is extremely expensive but I like it. If you do none of those things to your hair you might just try spraying the powder on your roots after you wash, brush it through then when you get up for school the next morning spray more at the roots then brush it through. My face ALWAYS feels unclean (I need to get a shower cap)but the hair looks OK.

I feel your pain. As you get older, oiler skin means less wrinkles though.

[MoonCreature]

If I blow out my hair and flat iron the ends and spray my bumble and bumble hair powder in the roots and then brush through it is OK for the next day. Their product is extremely expensive but I like it. If you do none of those things to your hair you might just try spraying the powder on your roots after you wash, brush it through then when you get up for school the next morning spray more at the roots then brush it through. My face ALWAYS feels unclean (I need to get a shower cap)but the hair looks OK.

I feel your pain. As you get older, oiler skin means less wrinkles though.

You haven't written that much on this forum yet, but to get long hair most of us avoid blow-drying (frying), flat ironing and brushing. These are all known for damaging the hair. shudder:

[Lamb]

I've switched to herbal shampoo with only Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate in them

Cut out the ALS. (Just a thought: is it Herbal Essences you are using? That stuff killed my hair.) It is a very harsh sulfate and won't mend matters.
Daily washing is not a hair-sin, but I can understand why you wouldn't want to be bothered with wet hair for 3 hours. I think going by baby-steps, doing a WO wash every other day, then skipping that, etc., is probably a good idea.

[Katze]

Gothiclolita, check out the responses to Ruthless' post, as she is saying similar things. Nutsnmai, GL, Ruthless, maybe you all should form a 'newbies trying to cure oily hair' club. :)

[Ursula]

ALS tends to be more cleansing, and cleaner rinsing, than SLS or SLES. Probably not the properties you are looking for right now.

Have you tried CWC washing? That's what really got my scalp to settle down, and even better, it let my length enjoy the conditioning it needs while still keeping my scalp as clean as I wanted.

I'd say, go back to the last routine you were content with, however "bad" it may be by what you've read by standards here. (Maybe skipping any blowdrying or heat styling - I'm talking wash methods.) Do that for two weeks, just to get your hair back to something you know. Then, try CWC washing with the same products - ones you know were decent. Do that for two weeks. After that, pick one experiment - either skipping a day between washes, or a different shampoo, or a different conditioner, and do a two week experiment with that.

It sounds as if you've experimented a lot, but not systematically, and you need a good system to judge how experiments are working out.

[Gothic Lolita]

Thanks for all your kind answers.

Now, I'm a bit disappointed. I'm using Alverde Olive/Henna Shampoo, which is from an all herbal cosmetic series. I thought I'd be doing something good to my hair by using non-conventonal shampoo, but......


Niphredil, I wash in the mornings, usually bun when the hair isn't too wet anymore, and sne I have vacation, I have only washed every second day. The second day I have to wear it up, because it is really oily. But I'll be vacationing in Italy, maybe the salt water may calm my scalp down.

Katze, yes I really feel that I wash too often. But I'm always scared that my hair smells greasy. I can't stand that smell. Well, maybe my scalp adjusts, I'm really hoping it.

And hat newbie-trying-to-wash-less-club isn't such a bad idea!


Ursula: I've been on the herbal series for 4 month. My hair feels great and looks great, it's just the daily washing which annoys me. Before then I was using commercial Schauma products, or Balea. It didn't matter, back then I too had to wash daily.


Now, first I'm going to try what Lamb suggested: I wash one day, and the next I'll do a WO. If that statrs to help I'm trying to skip the WO.
If this down't work, I'll try CWC. I can't wash everyday with nearly hiplength.

[Kirin]

I, like you, have very very extremely oily hair. My daughter too, has hair far worse than mine, which even with shampooing will form this waxiness to it of sebum. It has taken us an extremely long road to clear up this problem, and my daughter's is only 50 percent contained.

Much of the advice given is sound and great suggestions, but maybe I can add some things to them to finally make something WORK to settle down the nasty oilies. For most with typical oily hair, letting it "settle down" with gentler methods and less washing works, but if you are naturally a large oil producer (Oily hair, face, and always have been) it can take some extra measures for extremely oily hair to get it in check.

CO may not have been working for you, simply because of the conditioners you have been using to execute it. Since you are in Germany I would be at a loss for what to recommend that you can find to help, but some guidelines might help. Its possible whatever conditioner you are using contains ingredients you are reacting to, I found this to be the case for myself and my daughter.

In daily shampooing and conditioning, which was my start routine, I remembered there were conditioners that weren't very moisturizing and would seem to dry out my hair. Not good after a shampoo, but fantastic for CO. Once I realized which ones didn't coat or moisturize my hair well........ suprise suprise, for CO they work fantastic and leave no coating or build up. Protein tends to be "drying", however I've found though my hair normally hates protein, for CO it works like a charm.

With CO when you think you've rinsed enough, rinse MORE, massage your scalp under the shower or rinse water too but do it gently and finish with a cool to cold rinse, this makes a BIG difference.

There is nothing wrong with the shampoo you purchased, however, a botanical ingredient you could be sensitive to. Try the shampoo you already have for a CO routine, washing with *dilluted* shampoo every second day, stretching to the third, and CO in between. If you are still having problems, try switching to another shampoo. Still not working, switch the conditioner.

My daughter and myself still cannot skip days of washing either with shampoo or CO, as within 24 hours we end up with thick waxy crusty scalps and flakies. However, stretching out the days with CO and not using a lathering shampoo daily has improved both of our hair tremendously.

[Niphredil]

Actually, Lamb suggested the WO ;)

WO didn't work at all for me. Even if my hair still felt clean, a WO turned it into a oily mess with heaps of tangles.

And yes, not all brands that claim to be natural are better. Maybe your new shampoo contains less parabens or other conservatives (which are a healthconcern these days), but the cleansing agent is quite harsh.

[Gothic Lolita]

Edited my mistake!

I haven't thought about reacting to something. I have another shampoo from that series with completly different ingredients I haven't tried yet. Maybe this will work better.

Tomorrow I'll go into town and see if I can get a nice, EO to prevent scalp-y smell, and look up conditioners, which aren't too moisturizing. I think, when I tried CO, I did it completly wrong.

[sipnsun]

I have a very oily scalp and dry ends (go figure) and I just refuse to wash every day because of the havoc it wreaks on the length of my hair. My sister-in-law gave me some advice that I have used for years. On the day that I dont wash, I put a little cornstarch baby powder in my bangs and crown, let it sit for a few minutes then lightly brush it out with a soft boar bristle brush. Then I can pull it up, it doesn't smell bad (actually it smells good) and it doesn't look oily all day. I really sympathize with you, but this helps me a lot.

[mellie]

I have very oily hair too, but I tried it and was able to increase my time between washings to two or three days. When it is very greasy feeling, I use this dry shampoo powder which works great:

***
Dry Shampoo

Blend together in food processor:
6 oz. coarse corn flour
20 drops castor oil
30 drops lemon essential oil

Massage into scalp, then brush it out. (I do this outside.)

**
I wish I had before and after pictures, it is so great! My husband even noticed and was impressed! It smells beautiful too!

[Elfling]

Lolita- I have very oily hair, live in Florida and work out regularly. Over the last six months I have washed my hair every 2-3 days, and I've finally given up. I haven't found that stretching out the washings makes one bit of difference for me; I just get oily, stringy hair and an incredibly itchy scalp. Dry shampoo helps the oil, but not the itch from sweat buildup.

So, I'm back to washing my full length (well, getting the whole length wet at least) every couple of days and my roots every day. This is what works for me; you'll have to figure out what works for *you* and your hair :) I have a friend who lives here who only washes her hair once a week; she has curly, dry hair and the humidity just doesn't affect her the same way. Hair handling is an INCREDIBLY individual thing once you get past the basic "don't handle it too much, wash the roots/condition the ends" stuff.

[tiny_teesha]

I have always had an oily scalp and years ago i washed only every 2nd day.
Now i have tried for over 3 months to only wash my hair only 1-2 times a week (every 3-4 days). There has really been little difference in oil production, i just look oily for 2-3 of those days.

I ditched the shampoo idea entirely. I wash with herbs, the combinations i use NEVER strip all the oil from my hair, it only removes some of the buildup, that is all. (so literally once my hair dries it is still slightly oily- barely you can tell though- depending on how i washed it)
My mother is so bothered by me having oily hair and looking like a grease ball-but i dont care other then the fact that when my hair is oily i shed hair like mad. Now that my hair has gotten thinner, i do not want to gamble anymore with my length by stretching washings.

I think an excellent idea is scalp washing, i mean you could also try herbs but useing the right combinations for you, or lots of shikakai and aritha (astringent) not like me who use a small portion of those and lots of conditioning herbs to make it really mild. The herbs are milder then shampoos and the like- so your scalp may slowly adjust and calm down.

I even tried a bit of WO, and tea rinses, which didn't do much at all at removing sebum. I can't do co because i shed too!!! Woe to me!

i suggest try CO again, give herbs a shot if you will, and dry shampoo too- i tried oat bran once and it didn't really work for me, unfortunately.
Goodluck on what you choose!

[Darkhorse1]

I totally feel your pain. As I've gotten older, or perhaps some medication I'm on, my oily scalp isn't as bad as it used to be.

Clarifying shampoos helped me a lot. Try Pantene's clarifying shampoo or herbal essence degunkify and see how they work for you. :)

[Gothic Lolita]

Dry shampoo would be an option. Or cornstarch baby powder as an dry shampoo. Although my hair is very healthy I don't want it to be wet all over everyday. I've done scalp only washes, but I need to change my technique a bit. Maybe a high bun would be better than a ponytail. I'll try this next time I've time to do one.

But I'm afraid that I'm just a big oil producer. My hair's always been oily, as well as my face, my back. JUst the skin on my legs is dry, but this is caused by shaving. I'll give the wish for less washing one last try. If it doesn't worl out this time, I'll just wash daily, at least daily scalp washs.

[willowcandra]

I just want to chime in to say that I had a grease problem unitl I turned the dial on my shower to cool. Now I use water that just has the edge taken out of the chill and have very little grease even by day three. I wash in cool water and finish with a cold shot.

If I wash my scalp in hot or very warm water it's greasy even as it dries.

Just a thought I found it a rediculousely simple solution.

[lady G]

personally I have very oily hair and skin, I just wash my hair daily with tresemme anti breakage shampoo and then condition it with their conditioner. I find it has never damaged my hair and feel happy washing daily. Maybe as it gets longer and I can braid my hair I may be able to stretch out the washing to every other day, but right now I just wash it when it feels it needs it. Just do what you feel is right for your hair type, everyone is different.


xx

[Gothic Lolita]

Just one last thing. I mentioned that I have another Shampoo from that herbal series. I looked the ingredients up, and it doesn't contain any sulfate at all, but only gentle coco glucosides (i hope they're called this in english).

[soprano]

I thought that I had oily hair for many years. If I didn't wash my hair every day, I scratched my scalp bloody. These days I'm down to washing every 4-5 days and my scalp almost never itches.

Things that have helped for me:
- No sulphate shampoos. Last week I got a haircut. The hairdresser used a sulphate-based shampoo. I couldn't believe how much my scalp itched and how greasy my hair got the next day!
- I shampoo and rinse throughly *twice.* If I only shampoo once, I am oily right away the next day. I only put the shampoo on my scalp; I let the suds run down the length of my hair but I don't put shampoo directly on the length.
- No conditioner or oil anywhere above my shoulders. I only condition the length.
- I try to rinse really well, moving my hair around to make sure that all of the shampoo is off of my scalp.
- I use an ACV rinse in a squirt bottle. I squirt it all over my scalp, moving my hair around so I can get everywhere. I let that sit for a few seconds and then rinse with plain water.

Out of all these things, I think that not conditioning above my ears made the biggest difference. I don't think that henna helps with the oil at all, but I only henna for color, so that's OK with me.

I've picked up all of these little tips from hanging around on LHC and using trial-and-error. Other people have different strategies, and of course many people enjoy washing every day. You have to do what works for you!

[UP Lisa]

I am 47, and my hair scalp has been oily probably since I was 10. I believe I inherited it from my Dad, since he is 82, and still has an oily scalp. So I don't have much hope of it ever getting better.

I have not found anything that makes a difference. I did CO for a year. If anything, I had even more oil. Can't imagine doing WO. I sometimes do use cornstarch to get me through. My hair color is quite light, so it works for me. I have also used loose face powder. Then I worry about clogging up my hair follicles.

I feel your pain. It gets really old after year after year of dealing with it.

[venividibxtchy]

In the world of science, feedback theory (where your scalp produces more oil to compensate for harsh-washing) is a joke. People have worn sebum tape which detects how many parts-per-thousand of sebum there is present on the area, and worn it for period of time under various circumstances.

Also, it has been determined that sebum may have not served a moisturizing purpose in the evolutionary scheme of things. I won't begin to unleash a dozen theories here and there, but...it's very interesting, and worth looking into.

In this instance, like does NOT cure like, and you're not going to get the results you want from abstaining from washing. By all means, stop using harsh sulfates, but it has been proven that your scalp produces oil at a specific, pre-determined rate according to internal factors, like diet, age, hormones, genetics, etc. and you could wash as often or as little as you like, and it would still seep at the same rate. So wash as often as you need to -- just use something gentle.

If someone's "oil" problem benefitted from not washing, then they never had a real oil problem.

[rhubarbarin]

Studies have indeed shown that sebum production is constant. Now there might be other factors, such as an allergy, skin condition etc that could affect oiliness.. but of you've tried different things and still have oily hair unless you wash often, then the only choices I see are 1] learning to live with oily hair and wash less often, or 2]continue washing every day.

Do you use leave-ins? What conditioner I use (and how close to my scalp I apply it) and my leave-ins have a lot to do with how quickly my hair looks greasy.

ETA: I also don't really think SLS is as evil as it's made out to be here. I use (diluted) dish soap to wash my EXTREMELY sensitive-skinned dog (I got this recipe from a professional groomer, and it works better than any soap), and also to clean my most delicate cashmere and silk clothes, so I don't see how it's hurting my hair to use SLS shampoo. Plus, I get better results with it than with anything else I've tried. I like to strip the sebum off my hair, since it's smelly. Then I replace my natural oils with nice-smelling leave-ins.. I think mechanical damage has much more effect than what you use to cleanse.

[Themyst]

Dry shampoo would be an option. Or cornstarch baby powder as an dry shampoo. Although my hair is very healthy I don't want it to be wet all over everyday. I've done scalp only washes, but I need to change my technique a bit. Maybe a high bun would be better than a ponytail. I'll try this next time I've time to do one.

But I'm afraid that I'm just a big oil producer. My hair's always been oily, as well as my face, my back. JUst the skin on my legs is dry, but this is caused by shaving. I'll give the wish for less washing one last try. If it doesn't worl out this time, I'll just wash daily, at least daily scalp washs.

I used to be very oily, too but then I went on the pill (ortho tri-cyclen - birth control) and it actually helped with my oily complexion. I can go at least every other day now without washing my hair and it isn't too oily. I try to go about three days without washing but it can start looking oily, especially my bangs and temple areas.

Unfortunately there is no one correct answer since our bodies are so different. In some cases, cutting back on washing or type of shampoo worked. In my case, hormone regulation was needed.

[Alana2000]

I have oily scalp too, I will try the cool wash method.. thanks to Willowcandra for the tip.

[teela1978]

In my experiences methods to stretch out washing did more to acclimate me to having greasy hair than to reduce the oil produced by my scalp. I have found that if I don't brush/comb it when dry that it doesn't look as oily, and can get a 2nd day out of a wash if I wear it up. Otherwise it pretty much gets washed daily. Lately with full-strength shampoo. I was diluting my shampoo but haven't gotten a new dilution bottle since moving. My hair seems the same with full strength shampoo, although I think I'm wasting product.

Corn-starch can help a bit, but often leaves your hair white. I've heard that cocoa powder can work similarly though. Maybe without the gray streaks?

You might want to look into scalp-only washing if you don't want to get your whole head wet.

[doodlesmart]

Corn-starch can help a bit, but often leaves your hair white. I've heard that cocoa powder can work similarly though. Maybe without the gray streaks?


I have personally always avoided cornstarch for this reason. The cocoa powder sounds interesting, but then I'd spend the whole day wanting to eat my hair. :p

[teela1978]

I have personally always avoided cornstarch for this reason. The cocoa powder sounds interesting, but then I'd spend the whole day wanting to eat my hair. :p

LOL I'm now imagining everyone I know sniffing my hair!

Perhaps it's best saved for special occasions :)

[Shadow Walker]

I start to be really frustrated with my hair and scalp. I've tried many thing, but no matter what, I absolutely need to wash daily or I look like an oil slick.

My hair is exactly the same way, unless I wash it every day it looks all greasy and nasty. I just try to deal with it as best I can, I try to take showers when I know I won't have to go out and do anything for a few hours, or I take one right before I go to sleep so my hair is still damp in the morning and not oily.

Keep experimenting, you may find a routine that works better for you. :)

[burns_erin]

It is definitely a matter of experiementing. For me oiling my scalp with grapessed oil with rosemary, Lavendar, and sandalwood EO, over the weekends seems to help. I also avoid sufates which were not an oil issue for me but rather a chemical sensitivity, but since it was itchy my hands were always in my hair which certainly seemed to exacerbate the issue.

I think the biggest things for me was double washing my scalp with diluted shampoo, and avoiding using the same shampoo two days in a row. I typically alternate between two very different products-Giovanni TTTT and a mehandi rosemary/sage shampoo bar. I wash on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights then spend the whole weekend greasy (either from not washing or from putting oil on my scalp and hair)unless I am hennaing.

But if you are not having a problem with daily washing except for the wet hair issue a scap only wash would seem to be a good option for you.

Here are some links
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=12756&highlight=scalp+wash

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1917&highlight=scalp+wash

http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=54115&highlight=scalp+wash

I can personally verify that a sprayer bottle works great for shampooing the scalp as that is what I used.

[Philomela]

My hair behaves in the same manner. I tried WO as well as stretching out washings, both of which resulted in frustration and massive hair loss. Contrary to many opinions here, I don't think frequent washing is a "sin" or that it could be damaging in any way. At least, I don't think it's the case as long as you condition and oil your hair (ears down only) after every washing, and as long as you refrain from applying heat to your hair. Long hair it there to enjoy, not to feel bad about (and boy, what a frustrating feeling walking around with greasy hair can be for the owner and those around!)

[longblondecurly]

Maybe you're not getting all of the conditioner out? This used to happen to a friend of mine. She thought she was getting completely clean but once i jumped in the shower with her i realized she wasn't.

[intothemist1999]

I don't know, I get that, too.

However, it IS my understanding, as some have already pointed out, that the more you wash the more the scalp will put out oil to replace it.

My main problem is hair near the face - the closer, oilier. My long bangs get it the worst, being in frequent contact with my face. I've always used pressed powder a few times a day, and I've just started using loose powder on the perimeter of my face to further help absorb the oil.

I try to wash (CO) everyday, but if I skip a day I may use a diluted shampoo, 'poo bar - more days than that I use a SLS shampoo, then get back on track. The CO is good enough to deal with the oiliness IF I do it every day -- however, that is much like other have also said here: that it doesn't matter if you stop using a really stripping shampoo, the oil is still pretty bad.

If I skip a day I make sure I have enough time in the morning that I can wash my bangs if I need to - it's quick and easy and dries pretty fast.

To help limit the oily bangs, I've started also pinning them back off my face when I don't care if I look a bit goofy :D (mainly driving to/from work, and at home).... I figure that will preserve them a bit longer (and with any luck it means I don't have to wash the bangs in the morning). The pinned back look is beginning to grow on me, so I'm going to see what I might be able to do with it.

I noticed some "black" hair powder on a shelf at the small local drugstore a while back -- I'm soooo tempted! :)

If you told me as a greasy, pimple-faced teen that I'd still have such oily skin at my age, I would have been horrified! :D

[morguebabe]

I don't know but recetly I'm going through this too.
I used to C-W-C, C-COW-C, or CO. once a week.. I was fine... now after day 2 I'm greasy.

[Gothic Lolita]

I experimented further, but no luck. It isn't as bad as it used to be, but still a daily wash is a must. But since it got better I still have hope to just wash every second day. Sometime.

[marajade]

I've always used pressed powder a few times a day, and I've just started using loose powder on the perimeter of my face to further help absorb the oil.
I noticed some "black" hair powder on a shelf at the small local drugstore a while back -- I'm soooo tempted! :)


There are companies online now that sell basically augmented cornstarch in every color you could think of. I use it too because it definitely helps my greasies. :cheese:

[Darkhorse1]

Ah yes, welcome to my past. Keep in mind, as you age, you won't have to wash as frequently. The excess oils tend to reduce with age.

I used to wash my hair and find I had to wash it again sometimes if the oils were not all out. What I realized? The more I washed, the more oil I created.

Try a clarifying shampoo--those saved me when they came out. I have quite a variety of clarifying shampoos, and I found Herbal Essence degunkify the best.

Hope that helps! :)

[spidermom]

The more you wash the more your scalp produces oils to make up for the ones that were lost... The only way out that I can see is to just try and wash every other day, the scalp should adjust, but it takes time. On the oily days you can always wear it up, cover it with a nice scarf, have a hat on etc.
Try heavy overnight oiling (I know it sounds crazy, but oil dissolves oil, and hopefully the scalp will notice that there isn't a need for as much oil) and wash in the morning.

There isn't a "overnight" fix for an oily scalp, it takes time and unfortunetly you will have somewhat oily hair during this time. :flower:

I've read a scientific study that proved the scalp produces the same amount of oil per day whether you wash it off or not.

PS: There is an article on the Beauty Brains website title "Can you train your scalp to be less oily?" Very informative; clears up this myth.

[lapushka]

I have oily hair as well. Stronger shampoos (with SLES) might help, others that lack in SLES are just too mild to get the oilyness off of my scalp and so my hair gets oilier sooner.

I'd buy a SLES shampoo for normal hair, don't buy one for oily hair, that will be too strong.

For a while milder shampoos actually worked for me, they seemed to work well, but after a number of weeks of trying they ended up being a complete disaster. It might depend on the brand, though, and the ingredients (Urtekram isn't that bad).

Right now a SLES shampoo for normal hair without conditioner is what works best for me. Conditioner and silicones make my hair go limp (looks kind of oily).

[heidi w.]

I start to be really frustrated with my hair and scalp. I've tried many thing, but no matter what, I absolutely need to wash daily or I look like an oil slick. And I don't like to go to school with greasy hair, my boyfriend doesn't need to see this either. :(

I've switched to herbal shampoo with only Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate in them, I tried CO washing, I tried peppermint rinses. Even after hennaing (witch I partly started because I read that it could help with oily hair) my scalp is as oily as usual. :mad:

Now on vacation I take the last try to calm my scalp down. I'd be really happy if I only needed to wash every other day. Has anybody suggestions why my head behaves like that? What can I do? I'm fed up with running around with wet hair for 3 hours daily. :confused:

Sorry that this is so long....

I see you posted back in June, but maybe this will help. IF the below suggestions have already been given, simply take my input as a form of adding to the majority's vote for what to do to manage better.

1. You're 19, still in the category of very active hormones and some great hair days! Wait til around 25 or so. It MIGHT calm down then. Some people are just born with this type of sceneario their life through.

2. You have really great sebacious glands. That's why you have "oil". Sebum isn't oil, we just describe it that way. It's more like a waxy ester, sorta a wax coating for maintaining scalp skin acid mantle.

3. IF you condition scalp hair, scalp skin, don't. Only length, from about earlobes on down. See below for a tip.



A. Do you know how to scalp wash? If that's you in the avatar, I will recommend a shortened version of scalp washing, since full scalp washing will likely get the majority of your length wet anyway.

A full scalp wash tends to get the hair wet to shoulder or even BSL length. However, you can do an amended version. Notice that the "oil slick" effect tends to begin more in the front of the hair on top of the head, proceeding back, and then later at the crown down the back of the head. SO, you can do, for example, a brief scalp wash that gets to perhaps the front of the ears (draw an imaginary line from ear to ear), or the top and sides only -- and put hair up to cover up any hints on the back of the head, til later in the week. This way you always look presentable. I do this for when I have to go to social engagements and have no time to wash my hair, or even a full scalp wash. This version of a scalp wash dries in about 30 minutes, usually.

Put the hair in a shower cap. Draw it back and wrap around bundled hair holding on with one hand. Use fairly warm/hot water -- not tepid water temp. Lean face front and forward, over hips, like a bend, as much as you need to only target the zonage of head you intend. Get wet.

Remain leaning forward. Rest bundled hair on back of neck (it'll stay put). Turn to get shampoo in both hands OR

continue to hold on with one hand.....

Place shampoo on bent leg in shower, and swipe up in one hand, apply to one side of head. Wash. Rinse.

Rinse that hand. Switch hands to hold on to shower cap bundled hair, and do likewise other side.

You can do this daily til end of week to wash all of hair, or Friday morning or Thursday night if you plan to go out Friday night, for example.

Scalp washing DOES take a few practice attempts to figure out just right how to do it to only target the zonage you want to wash. But leaning forward into shower water is key -- not back to shower water. If you have a handheld, even better!

Rinse quite well!!

Then squeeze clumps of hair to get out excess water.

B. I will also provide some ideas for a quicker dry time.
Do not detangle sopping wet hair. Allow to dry to a damp level. As it does, after sopping wet stage is subsided, begin to detangle very gently with a wide tooth comb, starting at bottom. Hair length dries FASTER if the clumps of wet hair are separated. The idea is to keep separating, not necessarily detangle. You can kind of pick into the hair -- that is a kind of stabbing motion in and back out, no drawing down -- to separate clumps of wet hair to thinner and thinner sections to eventually more single hairs with lots of air swirling about. It'll dry faster.

You can also do this with an overhead ceiling fan going, or standing a fair distance from a floor fan to help.

You can also use a blow dryer on a low temp setting with a diffuser attachment to half dry the hair (separate the clumps), and finish by air drying.

Another option is to acquire a towel for your hair that dries the hair faster. These exist on the market. It basically absorbs water faster and doesn't leave as much on the hair. Gets you to damp status faster, but there could still be clumps or ropey strands that you need to separate slowly and gently with a wide tooth comb.

You can apply conditioner by leaning the head to one side, then the other, and just condition that bit of length so as not to get scalp hair. You can then get close to the scalp skin yet not touch the scalp skin!

Final suggestion: wash hair tools every time you wash. You don't need to re-introduce gunk from combs to clean hair!

heidi w.

[boukje]

I just wanted to say that less frequent washing doesn't mean less oil for everyone.

I used to wash every day (or even twice a day) before I came to LHC. I have been here for a little over 2 years now, and I have tried WO, SO, diluted shampoo, shampoo bars, NW/SO herbal washings etc.

I now wash twice a week, but I must say that the 2nd day after washing I should actually wash again because then it is already greasy spoon. I haven't washed more often than twice a week in two years now, and my hair still isn't adjusted to this.

I wonder if for some people this will never work. Maybe you don't find two years a long time, but I am quite (unpleasantly) surprised that my hair still gets greasy so fast.

[teela1978]

I just wanted to say that less frequent washing doesn't mean less oil for everyone.

I used to wash every day (or even twice a day) before I came to LHC. I have been here for a little over 2 years now, and I have tried WO, SO, diluted shampoo, shampoo bars, NW/SO herbal washings etc.

I now wash twice a week, but I must say that the 2nd day after washing I should actually wash again because then it is already greasy spoon. I haven't washed more often than twice a week in two years now, and my hair still isn't adjusted to this.

I wonder if for some people this will never work. Maybe you don't find two years a long time, but I am quite (unpleasantly) surprised that my hair still gets greasy so fast.

I say don't worry about it and just wash. I wash every 2nd day or so, sometimes daily, sometimes every 3rd (depends on what I'm doing that day painting for example is good with oily hair, the paint comes off of the hair easier when its all greased up). My theory is that the amount of mechanical stress that I put on my hair by using 'alternative' methods of washing (CO, shampoo bars, herbs) is as bad or worse than washing with chemicals every couple of days (don't need to mechanically wash really, just let the suds run through). So I just use my shampoo and don't worry too much.

[Periwinkle]

I just want to chime in to say that I had a grease problem unitl I turned the dial on my shower to cool. Now I use water that just has the edge taken out of the chill and have very little grease even by day three. I wash in cool water and finish with a cold shot.

If I wash my scalp in hot or very warm water it's greasy even as it dries.

Just a thought I found it a rediculousely simple solution.

This reminded me of an article that Igor wrote: click. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=77) I also find this works for me, and I remember reading in a magazine once that cold rinses supposedly make your hair shiny too!

[Gothic Lolita]

heidi: I wanted to thank you for your washing tipps. I tried scalp washes, but always was annyoed that my hair was almost as wet as if I washed it normally (yes, that's me in the avatar).
I'll try that modified version and hope, that it works out.

willowcandra and Periwinkle: I admit that I love hot showers. :) But I try to think of it and cool the water a bit down. Not only good for hair but also for the purse!

[XeniaR]

I have oily hair too and one of the things I am trying to figure out is how to handle this with my length getting longer.

I want to start exercising more often and I know that this usually makes my hair oily.

I have been washing my hair in the evenings to avoid the wet hair in the mornings. It now takes about 2.5 hours to dry sometimes less depending upon the temp and humidity. I wash every other day now but the second day it does not look as good at all. By the third day it is not fit to be seen in public.

I was reading here about using baking soda washes followed by acv rinses. I did this the other day and although I still had the wait for drying, my hair felt really good.

Now I am wondering about trying baking soda washes with acv just on the top of my head. I will still want to wash and condition my hair with shampoo and conditioner but it would be great to cut that down.

[heidi w.]

heidi: I wanted to thank you for your washing tipps. I tried scalp washes, but always was annyoed that my hair was almost as wet as if I washed it normally (yes, that's me in the avatar).
I'll try that modified version and hope, that it works out.

To get just the top of the head/hair, you won't lean the whole head in. Just remember that. And when you draw the shower cap back and hold hair, hold it higher on back of head, not low down. Yes, the hair will loosen a bit with washing motion, but you can, with practice, learn to minimize this.

Squeeze the flaps on the sides of water before stuffing back in cap and finishing your other bathing.

You can do 2 applications per side if you like, to thoroughly clean the hair.

I personally like to clean one side with the other side's hand by reaching over the head. I get a better scrub on the scalp skin this way, and more targeting of a zonage.

Remember, it does take practice. It took me about 3-5 times before I got it. My initial problem was not facing the shower!--I backed in.:bigeyes:

heidi w.
:thumbsup:

[heidi w.]

I have oily hair too and one of the things I am trying to figure out is how to handle this with my length getting longer.

I want to start exercising more often and I know that this usually makes my hair oily.

I have been washing my hair in the evenings to avoid the wet hair in the mornings. It now takes about 2.5 hours to dry sometimes less depending upon the temp and humidity. I wash every other day now but the second day it does not look as good at all. By the third day it is not fit to be seen in public.

I was reading here about using baking soda washes followed by acv rinses. I did this the other day and although I still had the wait for drying, my hair felt really good.

Now I am wondering about trying baking soda washes with acv just on the top of my head. I will still want to wash and condition my hair with shampoo and conditioner but it would be great to cut that down.

Longer hair will benefit from learning to scalp wash and it'll save you time and help keep the length in good shape. See above on former page. I have pretty good instructions for a how-to starter kit there.

Baking Soda is a clarify hair wash. Be sure to include conditioning. Never blend baking soda and ACV (or other vinegar). These are separate.

heidi w.

[intothemist1999]

Never blend baking soda and ACV (or other vinegar). .



Just to add....because it's corrosive!! As in, "use to unclog your drains!"
:D