A Lovely writes:
I’ve always had slightly oily/thin (curly) hair (just lots of it, so people think I have thick hair!). Recently I’ve noticed some changes though. I let my hair air dry before I straighten it, but while I’m straightening my hair I notice the the strands are so greasy! It almost looks wet. My hair was oily before, but now I feel like it’s just…greasy. It’s always hard finding the right shampoo, because everything’s moisturizing this or moisturizing that. I use a clarifying shampoo. I have not made any serious lifestyle changes, I still work out as often, my stress levels haven’t changed much and I still try to drink plenty of water.What could be wrong? I’ve tried not washing my hair, washing my hair every day, not using conditioner, using conditioner, different shampoos, not using hair products, using hair products, etc…still my scalp is greasy! I try dry shampoos but that’s only a temporary solution because it makes my hair look powdery. Help!
Hey Lovely! One thing I would actually recommend is to use moisturizing shampoo regularly. The reason is because your scalp might be producing more oil because it is dry. I don’t know where you live, but it is winter, which can often cause dry skin in the cold. So try out a moisturizing shampoo and use it regularly — establishing a routine for your hair will make it easier to determine what it is that’s making your hair greasy. Something to consider is if you are genetically predisposed to having greasy hair — since you have thin hair, you’re more likely to have oily hair (since people with thin hair tend to have more hair follicles).
If you’ve tried everything and you’re not sure what else to do, definitely visit a doctor. A dermatologist might be able to determine if something is wrong with your scalp that’s causing it to produce so much oil. Or, if that fails, definitely see a doctor to have your hormone levels checked — the production of oil is sometimes tied to your hormones. Even if it’s nothing, it’s better to find out now than later!
Lovelies, do you have any advice for dealing with greasy hair?
Do you need advice on something? What’s making your head spin? Relationships? Shoes? Waterproof mascara? Hit us up.
guest
Make sure you don’t get “thin” and “fine” hair mixed up. i have fine hair, but it’s not very thin. People with FINE hair tend to have more follicles (i.e. THICKER, or MORE hair), whereas people with THIN hair have LESS follicles (or less functioning ones, if it’s thinning).
People with finer hair more often have oiler hair, and opposite with coarser. I agree that using moisturizing products might actually help. If blowdrying her hair worked to keep it maintained, as long as she’s keeping her hair healthy, why not continue doing that again?
This may sound obvious also, but she should make sure she completely rinses out the shampoo and conditioner from her hair before getting out of the shower. It can actually be hard to notice if you don’t.
Lastly, coloring your hair (but don’t bleach it!) slightly darker helps to dry it out and make it fuller. If she’s happy with her current hair color, I’d suggest just dying it about the same color (always go 2 shades lighter though!). Hair dyeing will tend to add shine to your hair anyway, so it won’t hurt.
guest
I had this problem too. Turns out medication sometimes has that 1/100000 chance of making your hair and skin produce more oil. It’s weird.
cherry blossom / 33 posts
Taking zinc daily helps reduce sebum production, which may help with greasy hair.
guest
I have fine and thin hair. I used to get greasy soo fast between shampoos, i tried everyday, not everyday, all sorts of products. I finally switched to NO poo and quit using all chemicals on my scalp, and my oil production evened itself out. Now I can go a week between cleanses and it doesn’t get greasy
guest
Thanks guys!! I definitely have fine hair, not thin. I’ve never dyed my hair before, but I think the moisturizing thing did the trick! Instead of using one of those clarifying shampoos I just used a moisturizing daily care one and I noticed it’s a LOT better (still slightly greasy, but an improvement). Also instead of half-assing the shampoo job I really went in there with my fingers and shampoo and lathered well.
guest
I’ve had this problem recently. My hair used to go a week before getting greasy. Now it’s three days. Not really a big deal, but I bleach parts of my hair, and washing it too often kills it.
I’ve been a conditioner that’s supposed to moisturize and prevent frizz for a few months, and I’d noticed how greasy it’s gotten afterwards, but the conditioner isn’t supposed to “weigh down” or “coat” hair. Hm….
orchid / 119 posts
Baby powder/dry shampoo can help the look of being greasy, too! Whenever I straighten my hair, my roots always look greasy and just a little bit of baby powder does the trick.
hydrangea / 75 posts
Sometimes the scalp produces more oil because it is so dry. My hair was sort of oily. I now use a shampoo AND a separate conditioner and let the conditioner sit for a few minutes while I wash elsewhere. The first couple of weeks, my hair seemed to be slightly more oily than normal, but after those first two weeks, myhair is now more smoother and healthier looking.
guest
Go to dermatologist. It could be many reasons, hormonal change, drugs, yeast, etc.
In my case, the birth control pill somehow triggered me picking up a yeast that causeda skin condition called Seborrheic dermatitis.
Yeah, it’s quite crazy how far reaching things we assume can do so little can effect us. That being said, take no chances–see a doctor!
.
guest
I used to have this problem but I found out it was because I washed my hair too much. Now I only wash it every 3 days. At first it will be oily, but your scalp will adjust. It’s worth a shot before forking out the money to go to a doctor.
daisy / 571 posts
my hair is a straight up grease pit.
what i find that helps is just not washing it but twice a week. maybe 3 times.
the less you wash it, the slower rate the oil is produced. straightening hair also increases the oil production in your hair too.