Information Overload!

[Nicci4]

Hi! I am a 1a/F/i-ii. My ends are damaged from coloring and my scalp is very, VERY oily. I wash in the morning and am oily that night. Does anybody have advice on where I should start or has had similar issues? What has worked/not worked for you?

[Nicci4]

Also, my hair is VERY fine. It slips out of all hair accessories, pins and ponytail holders. I have lots of fly-aways on top and the ends look stringy. Right now it is bra strap length. I keep thinking I should cut it short, but short hair makes my face look so much rounder and bigger. I love long hair and really, just want my hair to look nice. HELP!

[unknown]

To make your scalp produce less oil you actually have to wash it less often.
Try to go without washing your hair for 2-3 days and slowly extend the time between washes. Braiding/putting hair up the first week when it is oily is a good idea.

[unknown]

Forgot to mention that I've had the same problem. Now I only have to wash my hair once a week! It took about one week for my hair to stop getting so greasy.

[Anje]

There's lots of information here, I agree.

If you're oily on top, but your length is damaged, perhaps the first and one of the easiest experiments to try would be CWC washing. It's described in this article, which has lots of good advice anyway. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=39) That will help protect your ends from drying from shampoo while allowing you to clean your scalp. (Edited To Add: Stretching washes often does reduce oil production. It does for me, but I need to use something less harsh than normal shampoo to not make so much sebum. But I'm suggesting CWC washing first. Trying a sulfate-free shampoo is another experiment, but you should probably try one thing at a time.)

My hair's pretty fine too, and I noticed that I got a bunch of breakage around the point where I tied my ponytails, which contributed greatly to the fly-aways. (Folks with indestructible coarse hair don't even understand this sort of problem...) Might that be contributing? One thing you might want to try is braiding your hair without securing the top in a ponytail first, then bunning the braid. It'll be less likely to slither out than a normal bun.

[teal]

Whatever you decide to try first, give it a few weeks before deciding whether it worked, or before trying something else. Sorting out hair problems takes time... it's not really something that can be rushed.

[jeanniet]

I agree with the CWC suggestion, and also the suggestion to try just *one* thing and stick with it for a few weeks. CWC is a good choice because it's not a huge change from the traditional shampoo/condition routine, but it does help the condition of your hair. To wean yourself off daily shampooing, you can try washing every other day. Another thing you could try is using diluted shampoo: use a squeeze bottle, add about a teaspoon (or less) of shampoo, fill the bottle the rest of the way with water, and shake it up. This actually works very well because diluting the shampoo makes it easier to distribute throughout the hair.

If CWC works for you, great. Then maybe try oiling your ends. Just take things slowly, because if you try doing too much at once you won't know what works and what doesn't. Don't fall into the mindset that more is better, either. I've learned that less works better for me, and I now use very few products.

[Nicci4]

Thanks guys! I feel less dizzy now, ha ha!
@Anje: thanks for the article. Don't that was exactly what I need right now. I actually ran out of shampoo this morning and will replace with a sulfate free one and CWC for a while and see how that goes!

[Nicci4]

I have been CWCing for the past week and my hair feels amazing! It is more slippery now, but I don't have anymore fly-aways. Can't tell yet if it is less oily from one wash to another but am going to keep at it a few more weeks. Thanks for the help!