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Hey guys. My hair is really, really oily. I wash my hair every day and it still looks oily. If I wash my hair every other day, will that make my scalp less greasy? What other ways are there to make my hair less unwashed all the time?
Thanks,
Chris.
I would think washing less would make it more greasy. You could try washing twice a day? Also, what kind of shampoo and conditioner are you using? Try to get one made for oily/greasy hair, that should help.
That sounds like sound advice, but the thing is that my hair wasn't so oily when I washed it every day. For whatever reason, I started washing my hair every day and now it's starting to look greasy the same day that I wash it, which didn't happen when I was washing my hair more infrequently. Thanks for the answer, though!
Chris.
Chris,
I too have an oily scalp - generally find that diet can contribute to this condition especially eating fatty foods regularly and hot weather temperatures along with physical exertion. So cutting down on cholestrol foods and not exercising as much can help in my opinion with reducing oily scalp but only to a modest degree. Seasonal/climate weather can also influence to a degree the need to wash more or less frequently. For summertime I am forced to wash every 2-3 days whereas with winter can stretch it to 4-5 days.
Basically regular washing keeps the oiliness down to where shampooing every 4 days or so when the scalp becomes really itchy is a necessity.
Avoid using conditioner on the scalp and only use shampoos designed for naturally oily hair. Ones for naturally dry hair will only make oily scalp worse.
I did find too that having longer hair tends to make the scalp less oily as the oils have hair to run down towards the ends.
Experimenting with different shampoos/conditioners will help you find one better suited to your hair/scalp type.
Duncan
Thanks Duncan! Most of the time I abstain from eating a lot of fatty foods. I eat mostly fruits and vegetables with a little bit of meat and other things, so I'm good when it comes to that, but I've been working out a lot lately, so I won't exercise so much and see what happens. I'll also try to not condition my scalp. I appreciate the advice.
Chris.
I tried for several years to cut down on shampooing and it never worked. It still looks like I rubbed grease on my head the day after I shampoo it.
My sentiments exactly, though I unfortunately learn best the hard way sometimes. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess. Thanks for the response.
Chris.
n/t
Generally by washing too much you tend to strip the scalp of oils thereby triggering your body to replace the oils making it nescessary to wash too often. (get the idea?)
By washing less the body will slow down prodution of oils making less nescessary to wash often.
As Duncan indicated, diet is very important. We tend to produce more oils with excess sugar intake. By cutting out soda and junk food and replacing with water, fruits and vegys will see improvement.
Bruce
I just learned about what you were saying about too much washing and wish I learned about it earlier. Live and learn, I guess. Like I said in my response to Duncan's post, I usually eat mostly fruits and vegetables, so I won't have to do much there. Thanks for the advice.
Chris.
I concur with the others about diet. Stay away from fried foods and fatty foods. I have oily skin (not just hair), and the oil seems to increase almost immediately after eating something like potato chips.
Thanks for the advice Pat! Most of the time I don't eat really fatty foods, but I know what you're saying. A few years ago, my eating habits were really bad and my skin and hair were really greasy. My skin has gotten a lot better and my hair has improved somewhat, but it's still greasy. I think it came from too much washing, but I'm working on that now. Thanks again for the post.
Chris.
My hair gets greasy easily too. I wouldn't start a full on every other day schedule just yet. What I do is wash my hair with shampoo and conditioner for 6 days of the week, and then pick a day to water wash only. Keep doing that and when your hair gets used to it you can then add another day or two.
That makes sense, but I think I'll try going "cold turkey" on this one, because that's just my personality. If things don't work out, I'll try gradually working not shampooing into my routine. Thanks for the advice, Devon!
Chris.
Hey, guys. From reading all of your posts, I'm pretty sure that my oily hair, besides being my natural hair type, was made worse by my daily washing. My diet is pretty healthy, so I don't think that was contributing to that. I'll be sure to take all of your advice into consideration before making a decision, but I know I'm not using shampoo tomorrow. Keep those locks growing and flowing!
Chris.
I've been mostly Water Only for several years. Before I was washing fairly infrequently (once or twice a week) and the transition was still pretty nasty.
Some things that may help: water temperature (warmer or cooler water may have different effects), strong water spray (helps scalp too), diluted vinegar rinse (may also help with scalp issues), different combing/brushing methods.
Also...if it gets unbearable, washing with very diluted shampoo can clean the hair without stripping the scalp.
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I wish I knew the answer to this, but I have a theory. 5 years ago my hair was not oily and I could wash once every 2 weeks. Now it is nearly as oily as when I was in my teens. (I am 57 years old now.) I am now forced to wash every 5 to 7 days.
Hair oil, color, and texture can change throughout life. This is likely due to biochemical changes throughout life.
If you find a magic herb or potion that reduces excess hair oil, do let me know.
Scott