Greasy Hair Help

[punkinbutter]

I could use some help. My hair has been getting pretty dirty, pretty fast. Growing up, I washed my hair everyday because I was a swimmer. For years my routine was shampoo and conditioner everyday. Any longer and my hair was visibly dirty. About a year ago, I noticed my hair was looking greasy before the day was out so I stopped using conditioner. Now my hair is looking greasy before the day is out. I have fine hair. I currently use suave clarifying shampoo. Any recommendations? I've been looking at the wen products. TIA.

[photon]

have you tried dry shampoo in between washings? that stuff is great!

[tarheels]

Did you start using any new styling products a year ago? Have you tried switching shampoos? I only use a clarifying shampoo once a month or so when I feel like I've got build-up from product - I wonder if it's too "strong" for daily and is stripping your hair causing more grease to form, just like a too strong cleanser will for your face.... I don't know if that's possible, but it's easy to test.

[punkinbutter]

I don't use styling products most of the time. I've tried a couple dry shampoos. I couldn't stand the smell of most of them and while they helped, my hair still felt pretty dirty.

[arborgold]

Jun 3, 2012 17:22:10 GMT -5 @theycalledherkate said:

you need to train your hair to last longer without getting greasy and use dry shampoo in between---I have a blog post about it if you're interested: veronabrit.blogspot.com/2011/01/sudsing-up-all-about-my-hair-washing.html

Ditto Verona.

I went from washing my hair every day, to washing my hair every fourth day. For example, I'll wash on Monday, a little bit of dry shampoo (if I need it) on Tuesday, Wednesday is usually an up day, and then wash again on Thursday. If I'm going out on Friday or Saturday, I'll push the Thursday wash to Friday morning and put the hair in a bun on Thursday.

It took a couple of years to get to this point, but my hair is soooooo much healthier now. Definitely worth the few months of stupidly oily hair in the very beginning.

[Deleted]

I wash my hair everyday and use natural shampoos like Burt's Bees. It has made a huge difference. With regular drugstore shampoos, my hair would get oily at the end of the day. With natural shampoos, they last 2 days. I still wash them everyday though because I feel dirty otherwise.

[SallyJ]

I recommend changing your shampoo. The clarifying shampoo probably isn't meant for daily use, plus Suave isn't that great for your hair. I also have fine hair and only have to wash every other or every 2 days. I use baby powder mixed with cocoa powder (I have dark hair) in between washings to keep the oil at bay.

[Laura Palmer]

OP - I have hair like yours. And I always roll my eyes when people tell me I have to "train" my hair, that I overwash, etc. (I couldn't wash more than once a week for months (and even then, only w baby shampoo) because of brain surgeries) - and my hair is/was as nasty as ever.) Dry shampoos are shit and make my hair look worse. I put my hair up the majority of the time because I can't stand how it looks by the end of the day, even though I now wash it daily.

I switch up my shampoo often, condition only the last 1" of my hair once a week, and make sure to let it dry fully. Do you color your hair? Coloring makes mine a bit drier and look better longer - but it still feels as oily and dirty as ever. Really, I wish I had more advice, but I wanted to say you're not alone -- and it might just be your hair, not a lack of proper "training".

[heliocentric]

Jun 4, 2012 9:32:22 GMT -5 Laura Palmer said:

OP - I have hair like yours. And I always roll my eyes when people tell me I have to "train" my hair, that I overwash, etc. (I couldn't wash more than once a week for months (and even then, only w baby shampoo) because of brain surgeries) - and my hair is/was as nasty as ever.) Dry shampoos are shit and make my hair look worse. I put my hair up the majority of the time because I can't stand how it looks by the end of the day, even though I now wash it daily.

I switch up my shampoo often, condition only the last 1" of my hair once a week, and make sure to let it dry fully. Do you color your hair? Coloring makes mine a bit drier and look better longer - but it still feels as oily and dirty as ever. Really, I wish I had more advice, but I wanted to say you're not alone -- and it might just be your hair, not a lack of proper "training".

I agree with this. I have super fine, thin hair and it's a greasy mess if I don't wash it daily. Even then my bangs are often gross by the end of the day if it's hot or windy.

I tried natural shampoos. They didn't work. In fact, after a couple months using Burt's Bees I noticed a clump of nasty hair in the back of my head that wasn't coming clean at all. Dry shampoo is OK in a pinch (if I want to run to the grocery store), but I could never rely on it for making me look presentable for work.

I tried "training" my hair in college because I was lazy. It never worked. I ended up wearing a lot of hats and eventually gave up. I think it you have fine, dark, thin hair that's oily you might just have to accept your fate.

To me, this is like those people that don't use anti-perspirant and don't smell and insist it will work for you, too. I tried using that crystal for an entire year. I smelled rank & had wet pits the whole time. Meanwhile, DH has used it exclusively for years and never smells or sweats profusely. It's just different body chemistry, I guess.

Sorry that went slightly off topic.

[mj0818]

Jun 4, 2012 9:32:22 GMT -5 Laura Palmer said:

OP - I have hair like yours. And I always roll my eyes when people tell me I have to "train" my hair, that I overwash, etc. (I couldn't wash more than once a week for months (and even then, only w baby shampoo) because of brain surgeries) - and my hair is/was as nasty as ever.) Dry shampoos are shit and make my hair look worse. I put my hair up the majority of the time because I can't stand how it looks by the end of the day, even though I now wash it daily.

I switch up my shampoo often, condition only the last 1" of my hair once a week, and make sure to let it dry fully. Do you color your hair? Coloring makes mine a bit drier and look better longer - but it still feels as oily and dirty as ever. Really, I wish I had more advice, but I wanted to say you're not alone -- and it might just be your hair, not a lack of proper "training".

I agree with all of this! I have super fine, straight hair. It looks greasy about 18 hours after I wash. One thing that helps me a little is using hair product. I use a volumizing mousse when I blow dry, and I try not to touch it during the day. Your fingers could be making it greasier than it is. This buys me 2-3 hours. If I am going out at night and cannot wash before hand, I'll use a little dry shampoo early in the day--before it has a chance to get oily. This seems to keep it at bay, too. Dry shampoo the next day is ALWAYS disaster for me. I have to use most of the bottle to soak up all the yuck, so then I look like a powder case.
I recently switched to Living Proof Full shampoo+conditioner, and I really like it! H got me a sample for Christmas (about $10 each for the sample size) and I've been hooked.

[alleinesein]

I've got fine, oily brown hair. It gets nasty by the end of the day and I HAVE to wash it every day otherwise I look like someone has smeared crisco in my hair.

I use the I Love Juicy Shampoo from Lush. It has definitely helped reduce the amount of oil in my hair. Its not cheap but as long as it works I will keep buying it.

Dry shampoos do not work on me; they leave my hair every nastier and it reeks.

[Laura Palmer]

Jun 4, 2012 22:58:59 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

I've got fine, oily brown hair. It gets nasty by the end of the day and I HAVE to wash it every day otherwise I look like someone has smeared crisco in my hair.

I use the I Love Juicy Shampoo from Lush. It has definitely helped reduce the amount of oil in my hair. Its not cheap but as long as it works I will keep buying it.

Dry shampoos do not work on me; they leave my hair every nastier and it reeks.

Do you color your hair? I've been wondering about the Lush shampoos, but I'm concerned that they're not color safe and my hair will fade faster. (I color my reddish brown hair deeper chocolate brown and my bangs are hot pink right now.) Of course *they* claim it's safe, but I read mixed things online.

[mrsacornblue]

I have blonde hair cut into an angled bob. I have to wash my hair every day, mostly because it is limp and lifeless if I don't. I also work out frequently and my hair is soaked and disgusting when I am done. More power to people who can go four days without washing their hair. Personally, it grosses me out to go more than every other day and I do find it ironic that most of them have long hair and day 3-4 is an "up-do" kind of day. Seems easier to me to just wash it more frequently! , My hair is super healthy and shiny and my color lasts 8-10 weeks. For me, it's all about the products. I use sulphate free shampoo and only condition my ends. I also make sure to rinse my hair really well. I find that clarifying shampoos dry my hair out and it creates more oil. I also find that using some styling product helps to dry out the grease during the day. A light-weight mousse or volumizing foam works the best for me. The key is to not use a ton of product. An aerosal hairspray also works.

[alleinesein]

Jun 5, 2012 7:25:25 GMT -5 Laura Palmer said:

Jun 4, 2012 22:58:59 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

I've got fine, oily brown hair. It gets nasty by the end of the day and I HAVE to wash it every day otherwise I look like someone has smeared crisco in my hair.

I use the I Love Juicy Shampoo from Lush. It has definitely helped reduce the amount of oil in my hair. Its not cheap but as long as it works I will keep buying it.

Dry shampoos do not work on me; they leave my hair every nastier and it reeks.

Do you color your hair? I've been wondering about the Lush shampoos, but I'm concerned that they're not color safe and my hair will fade faster. (I color my reddish brown hair deeper chocolate brown and my bangs are hot pink right now.) Of course *they* claim it's safe, but I read mixed things online.

I color my hair but I have always had issues with color fading no matter what shampoo I use; i think its just my hair (we put pure violet color on it last year and it barely even gave me some pink highlights and they were gone in a few weeks)

[Deleted]

I have oily, fine dark hair and I had to train it - it took over a year but now I can go 3 - 4 days without washing. I follow a routine roughly the same as Verona's. My hair doesn't look as good on the non-wash days as on the wash days, but it looks SO much better on the days I do wash it that I think it evens out lol.