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I think perhaps my scalp produces too much sebum because the day after a wash the crown of head is very greasy looking, whereas all the other hair looks normal and not greasy. The second day it starts to spread down to the rest of my hair, but the crown is incredibly greasy, enough so that it looks like I'm wearing some sort of oil or product in it. I've read that a boars hair brush may be useful to help with this. Just wondering if any of you long haired vets use one? I read that they work well in keeping your the natural oil dispersed throughout your whole hair length. To this point I've only been using a plastic wide tooth comb.
One thing I've always had, even with short hair is what I thought was just an itchy and flaky scalp, but as my hair as gotten longer and I've been much more cognizant of it, it seems that I'm actually getting a build up of sebum that feels like bumps on my head. It almost sounds like maybe I have seborreahic dermatitis, which may or may be contributing to my hair getting so greasy looking. I'm wondering as my hair gets longer, if the more sebum my head is going to produce?
I deal with a greasy scalp. I'm not sure if I produce more sebum than the average person, but my hair is thin so even a little bit of oiliness makes it look very dirty. I shampoo daily because of this. My hair is even thinner on the top and especially in the front and that part gets very greasy very quickly. Combing it spreads the oil and actually makes it look worse, so I only comb before and after washing. The rest of the time I finger comb the length if I need to, but avoid touching the scalp.
I don't think I've used a brush in a very long time. I might have tried a brush once or twice in the past year, but I don't like how it works so I stick to using my comb instead. I've read that brushes put more wear on the hair, so maybe it is better to avoid them? Probably it depends on how strong your hair is. You might have to try it to find out. But personally I don't think that combing or brushing is a good solution to the problem.
If you are having a sebum build up problem on your scalp then you should probably try a different shampoo to see if that helps. I've had to switch shampoos several times because their ingredients didn't agree with my hair and scalp after a few uses. (Most recently I was using a "moisturizing" shampoo with dimethicone in it that actually made my hair dry and tangled.) Not all shampoos are the same so it's important to find one that agrees with you. I try to go for something gentle with few ingredients these days.
If your scalp is overly itchy and uncomfortable, and switching shampoo doesn't work, then you should probably go to a doctor before it gets any worse.
Also, the length of your hair doesn't affect how much sebum is produced.
Thanks for the info. I've always dealt with it being itchy so I guess I'm not terribly worried about it. Now that I am little more informed about my hair in general I think it made me realize that its not normal. Maybe I'll get a different shampoo and conditioner to try out. I am using L'Oreal Ever Strong Sulfate Free Shampoo and Conditioner twice a week.
Hi Tommy,
Are you finding that the sulfate free products make your hair less poofy? I have read that the sulfates do that.
Ted
Hi Ted,
Not only sulfates make your hair poofy, but also they damage it. The only purpose of sulfate is to create foam.
Note that conditioners do not have sulfate and thats why they dont produce any foam when you condition your hair.
And also, thats why it is recommended not to shampoo everyday, because of the sulfates. Unless you buy a sulfate free shampoo, but still when using sulfate free shampoos I would be very careful and try not to use them every single day.
Hi Dave,
Thanks a bunch for the info! I just might have to check into the sulfate free products. Right now I am washing my hair every other day. I find that when I go longer than that, my hair gets way too flat looking. But I only use a tiny bit of shampoo. I use 4-5 times the amount of conditioner than I do shampoo.
I do think my routine will change the longer I keep growing. I have set my first goal at waist length minimum. I will be doing no trimming until I get a little past waist. I plan to maintain at waist for a while before proceeding further. But Trolleypup is tempting me:) Of course, all of this depends if the hair gods are good to me:)
Thanks again! By the way, I'm really liking your avatar photo! Kind of reminds me of Red Hot Chili peppers singer Anthony Kiedis. Rock on\m/!
Ted
Hi Ted,
Another thing that I would suggest is to change your shampoo every 4-5 months.
It happens that hair gets used to the shampoo formula and does not react any longer to it .
For example, if you use shampoo for Frizzy hair, your hair gets used to the shampoo formula and will stop responding to it after some time . Thats why its good to change the shampoo every 4-5 months so that your hair does not get used to its formula and stops responding to it.
Thanks about my avatar comment. i really liked RHCP and that guy . That was my favorite band when i was a teenager hahaha.
Hi Dave,
That's very good to know! I usually stay away from anything that says moisturizing. Seems to make my scalp unhappy. I will have to get some different shampoos and conditioners to experiment.
You really do look like Anthony in that pic! Way cool! \m/
Ted
And thats the fun part of growing our hair. I love experimenting new products every now and then and see how they work on my hair.
Thanks again for the compliments.
I switched to sulfate free shampoo early one when I read that it can damage hair. My hair is still super poofy but I have been using the sulfate free for a long time now so i'm not sure if its less or not.
Hi Tommy,
I might have to try the sulfate free products. My hair is finally starting to be less poofy. Guess it has to do with the weight and length. I would have thought with your hair type, it would already be weighing itself down. Your hair appears to be straighter than mine. Thanks for the info!
Ted
If I were you, I would go to a dermatologist to find out what to do with that.
It is normal for some people to have oily hair but if your scalp feels very itchy and flaky, then you could go to a dermatologist and they will give you some kind of special shampoo or product to use .
Dont forget that the scalp is skin, so whatever happens there has to be inspected by a specialist.
My hair gets greasy looking quickly, too. I usually wash my hair every day. I may go an extra day now and then... maybe on a day I am just hanging out at home. My scalp and forehead tends to be very oily. Interestingly, my head itches, too, Tommy, so I am wondering if there is a common connection here with oily and itchy. I would think dry scalps would be more itchy. I've switched to a wide tooth comb now that my hair is longer - my brush seemed to pull more hair out - and I can't afford to lose any more than naturally falls out...
Hi fitzgarce,
If you have oily scalp and you wash your hair every day, you're gonna get the opposite result.
I mean, if you wash your scalp every day, your hair is going to produce even more oil . This is like skin, If you wash your face constantly, your skin will start to produce oil even quicker . The same goes for the scalp (which is also skin). The more you wash it, the more you encourage your scalp to produce more oil.
Dave - I didn't know that - I've never heard this before - it's like the opposite of what I've ever been told.
- Fitz
Hey Fitz
Skin works like that, because the more you wash your skin the harder it will try to produce oil.
This happens with your face skin, scalp, etc.
So its ok to wash it a few times, but not constantly because you will get the opposite result.
I'll second what Dave said. It's counter-intuitive, but that's how it seems to work. It'll take a few weeks to see a change but eventually you'll be able to go a couple days or more without shampooing. In my case I went from shampooing daily to being able to go 5 to 9 days between shampoos. I do still rinse it daily with conditioner (which works surprisingly well to remove dirt and some of the excess oil) but that's it.
--Dale
I'll third what Dave said. The more you wash your hair, the more oil your scalp produces. Give your scalp a rest.
It takes the scalp a little time to adjust to being washed less often but it will adjust eventually and it will be much better for it.
Damon
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TommyD,
I have been a lurker here on the MLHH for a year or so.
I had a similar issue with clumps of scalp that would flake like crazy when I scratched them. I tried a couple of the well known dandruff shampoos, but the shampoo that finally got rid of it in 1 week is Neutrogena T-Gel Therapeutic Shampoo, Extra Strength, 6 Ounce.
It is coal tar based and smells like hell, but it worked fast.
I used it two days in a row, then every other day for about more days. That was about 6 weeks ago. I have used it about 4 times since. It is about $10.00 on Amazon.
Good luck
John