oily hair-no shampoo is working

[mediumhair]

My hair is a lot longer now and for about 6 months i've been alternating between more natural shampoos. What I noticed is most shampoos have oils in them and they are making my hair sticky and just oily looking. The only time my hair looks clean is if I go back to one of those harsher store shampoos with a lot of chemicals. However I don't want to use those and I also don't want to wash my hair every day. Is there some oil stripping natural shampoo I could use? I know I could also use powder but I don't know how much of it to use and I don't want to have to use powder all of the time if it's possible to find the right shampoo for me. My hair after these shampoos feels like lanolin all over. And I feel like I need to just wash it out but just plain water isn't helping. It feels like there is lots of oil buildup in my hair.

[TessieAnn]

Some people claim that oil glands can be "trained" to produce less oil over time by going longer between washings. The theory is that removing oil prompts the oil glands to produce more to replace what was washed away. Over time if you wash less, supposedly the glands will stop over-producing. Maybe this is effective for some levels of oil production.

This has never worked for me. I've had oily hair all my life. The only remedy for me has been daily washing. I do go two days when I don't have to go out, but in the end it doesn't make any difference in oiliness.

Scalp/hair oil seems to come in several different forms. Some people write about sebum that they move down the hair shaft by brushing, etc. My oil must be "wetter" as it travels down the hairshaft all by itself, making unwashed hair stringy in just a day. (I recently learned that there is "wet" and "dry" earwax--maybe hair oil is similar?)

Most days I use a VO5 or other sulphate/free shampoo, rinse then cover hair with VO5 Blackberry and Sage or other light conditioner and clip up during shower, then rinse at the end. This allows me to detangle my extremely delicate hair with virtually no damage.

Note that my hair type is very similar to yours. It's just the way we're packaged.

BTW, it's true that oily skin keeps wrinkles away longer! So don't despair.

[Ml001]

Did you do a clarifying wash when you gave up harsh shampoo? You might consider doing that to get rid of the build-up from them. A good natural way to clarify is a baking soda wash with an acv rinse. For natural shampoos without oil, I don't know. Hopefully others will have input on that. Aside from shampoo, some people use Dr Bronners; you might also consider COwashing.

I understand what you mean, though - I CO & WO wash but I do use an all natural botanical lo-poo every couple of weeks because it has sulfur in it. If I use it too frequently I will get oily because it has several oils in it.

[mediumhair]

Did you do a clarifying wash when you gave up harsh shampoo? You might consider doing that to get rid of the build-up from them. A good natural way to clarify is a baking soda wash with an acv rinse. For natural shampoos without oil, I don't know. Hopefully others will have input on that. Aside from shampoo, some people use Dr Bronners; you might also consider COwashing.

I understand what you mean, though - I CO & WO wash but I do use an all natural botanical lo-poo every couple of weeks because it has sulfur in it. If I use it too frequently I will get oily because it has several oils in it.

No I haven't done a clarifying wash. I need to research that.

And even if I wash twice a day it feels oily as it's drying or even if I blow dry it.

[HeatherJenae]

Ok, this is going to sound super nuts but mouthwash and dry shampoo. I saw the mouthwash thing on youtube and so I used my random generic mouthwash in the shower and then I've been spraying my Batiste Dry Shampoo on my hairline and crown and I haven't washed my hair in FOUR days and it looks freshly washed. I think it's mostly the dry shampoo doing the trick. I'm not convinced on the mouthwash thing but Batiste is buy one get one free at Ulta right now. It's worth a shot!

-From one greaseball to another ;)

[mediumhair]

Ok, this is going to sound super nuts but mouthwash and dry shampoo. I saw the mouthwash thing on youtube and so I used my random generic mouthwash in the shower and then I've been spraying my Batiste Dry Shampoo on my hairline and crown and I haven't washed my hair in FOUR days and it looks freshly washed. I think it's mostly the dry shampoo doing the trick. I'm not convinced on the mouthwash thing but Batiste is buy one get one free at Ulta right now. It's worth a shot!

-From one greaseball to another ;)

I should try dry shampoo. I've never tired it yet.

[lmfbs]

Isn't mouthwash just oils and drying ingredients? I could be wrong, but that doesn't sound very hair friendly.

Personally, I don't like dry shampoos as they're very drying. If you keep drying out your scalp, it will produce more and more oil to compensate.

[HeatherJenae]

I have no idea what's in mouthwash. I do know that it stung the hell out of my eyes! But the dry shampoo has been awesome. I'm not a natural kinda gal so I don't really care what's in the product as long as it gets the job done and personally I'm sick of looking like an oil slick. I have greasy hair especially after flat ironing my hair. The next morning it's a lost cause. So I've been spraying the dry shampoo on and leaving it overnight to soak up the oils and it's worked great. :) Just make sure that if you get the Batiste one that you brush it out really well because it sprays white. Once you work it through it goes invisible but you'll look like you're wearing a powdered wig if you spray really close to your head. :p

[lmfbs]

I have no idea what's in mouthwash. I do know that it stung the hell out of my eyes! But the dry shampoo has been awesome. I'm not a natural kinda gal so I don't really care what's in the product as long as it gets the job done and personally I'm sick of looking like an oil slick. I have greasy hair especially after flat ironing my hair. The next morning it's a lost cause. So I've been spraying the dry shampoo on and leaving it overnight to soak up the oils and it's worked great. :) Just make sure that if you get the Batiste one that you brush it out really well because it sprays white. Once you work it through it goes invisible but you'll look like you're wearing a powdered wig if you spray really close to your head. :p

I'm not a natural person either, but I do find some things fix one issue but create others - for me, while dry shampoo was great for getting an extra day's run out of my hair, it also dried my hair out horribly and caused damage, but by all means, if it works for you, go for it!

[mediumhair]

I just remembered something. It might be the water quality or climate affecting my hair. Whenever I go to a different climate(usually hotter) my hair dries out quickly and looks and feels way better.

[akilina]

I would definitely clarify and then see how your hair feels.

If you are washing your hair up to twice a day, that is bad. You are stripping your oils so much that it is trying to mega over produce. It is like your face- if you keep it moistureized enough, it wont over produce (in most cases). Some people think its better to skip on face lotion because they already are too oily, but that just causes your face to produce even more.

Try clarifying, or switching to CO washing, and get yourself a BBB :)

[MinderMutsig]

Couple of questions:
1. Have you clarified before starting with the natural shampoo?
2. What natural shampoo are you using and is it soap based?
3. Are you rinsing enough to get it all out? Some natural shampoos take a little extra effort to rinse and icky soap residue and buildup will definitely make your hair feel and look greasy.
4. Are you still using conditioner and if so, what brand and is it silicone-free?

Also, the point of these natural shampoos is that they are less stripping so obviously your hair and scalp are going to feel different, especially while the hair is still wet/damp. You will never get that squeaky feeling with them no matter how much you use and how often you repeat. That is the entire point. Doesn't mean your hair is dirty or oily though! You just need to get used to this new feeling.

[SilverDoe]

Avoid sprayable dry shampoo, it contains rubbing alcohol which will only dry out your hair & scalp & worsen the situation. Stick with powdered ones & check the ingredients.

I recommend Principessa dry shampoo, really gentle but effective and a heavenly scent!
Comes in both a light shade (Bianco breeze) and brown shade (Notte breeze).

Ingredients:
Zea Mays (Corn)Starch, Silica, Tocopheryl Acetate (VitaminE), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice,
Organic Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Organic Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract.
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol,
Sorbic Acid, Tocobiol, Iron Oxides (CI 77491,CI 77492, CI77499)-darker shades.


For me, oily hair is either overproduction from washing too often or harsh products. Something that takes a few weeks to settle with stretching washes & better care.
Or hormonal which it is now, either because of diet, medication & especially when I was on hormonal birth control.
Better diet, hormone free bc, omega 3-6-9 supplements (Especially Evening primrose oil) to stabilize my hormones,
& sorting out an unknown sensitivity (wheat & lactose) fixed it for me. I'm also more oily during ovulation & summer.

[MinderMutsig]

Ok, this is going to sound super nuts but mouthwash and dry shampoo. I saw the mouthwash thing on youtube and so I used my random generic mouthwash in the shower and then I've been spraying my Batiste Dry Shampoo on my hairline and crown and I haven't washed my hair in FOUR days and it looks freshly washed. I think it's mostly the dry shampoo doing the trick. I'm not convinced on the mouthwash thing but Batiste is buy one get one free at Ulta right now. It's worth a shot!

-From one greaseball to another ;)Wowza! Mouthwash is basically alcohol, some oils and some minty freshness. You may as well drench your hair in vodka. That can't be good for your hair. :eek: