Sticky / Oily / Greasy scalp?!?

[JerseyGirlNB]

I have an weird sticky substance in my hair that NOTHING will get rid of and it's extremely frustrating.  About a month ago i noticed after i got out of the shower and blow dried my hair that the hair at the crown of my head was very oily and sticky (but ONLY at the crown of my head). At first i thought i forgot to wash the conditioner out so the next night I scrubbed thoroughly, but once again the stickiness was still there.  Then i bought a few different brands of clarifying shampoo (thinking it was build-up) and still the same thing.  The oil is def coming from my scalp because at the same time that this happened I started breaking out with acne really bad.  I'm 27 years old and have not broken out this bad since puberty.  Very strange.  So i went to the extremes of trying baking soda, lemon juice, listerine, medicated shampoos, even dawn (for it's grease cutting abilities) and NOTHING gets this substance out of my hair.  It's driving me crazy to the point that i asked my dermatologist to put me on accutane to stop oil secretions.  Has anyone experienced this problem before, and if so, do you know of anything that will get my scalp back to normal.  PS - it has nothing to do with my diet, because i eat extremely healthy and always have.

[mbethany]

HI everyone.

I have been researching this problem for the past couple of days. I too found that after I washed my hair, it would still feel sticky and greasy. I was really confused because I felt like I had been paying extra attention to my hair and scalp lately. I tried to use natural shampoos and conditioners, as well as regularly use coconut oil treatments. I had even been experimenting using ACV and baking soda. I thought that there was no way that I could possibly "clarify" my hair any more.

However, since researching it, I think I found out what the problem is. Ive read that many people here have found this happened after they used a hair dye. Both Hair dye and baking soda are very alkaline (over 7 on the Ph scale) and they both open up the cuticle of the hair and raise the ph levels of your hair (which is usually around 4.5) After using a very alkaline substance, you are supposed to use an acidic one to bring your hairs levels back down.

What must have happened is that both the dye and the baking soda (or perhaps even very alkaline shampoos) have stripped away the sebum of our hair ( which is more acidic) which makes our hair unable to defend itself against bacteria or fungus etc.

THEN, because all the sebum was stripped away so forcefully, our scalp went into TOTAL overdrive mode and 'waxed' our hair in order to protect itself--making it appear oily.

The solution I suppose would be to restore our bodies (especially our scalps) natural PH levels. That is why people have been finding success with using vinegar and other acidic rinses. Beer I believe is almost the exact same level as our hair, but we may need something more acidic to counteract the high alkaline.

I am not a scientist ( by any means)  and I may have gotten something wrong, but this is the only reasonable explanation that I can come up with for this mess on my head. I sincerely hope this helps someone (or maybe someone can expand on it) because I have also been going crazy with this for ages.

good luck!

[MDNYC]

Thanks for all of this information.  I also had this problem for the first time this past week and have never experienced anything like it - the crown of my head just became greasy and looked unwashed.  As I have curly hair, I normally wash every other day, but this week have had to wash every day to control the grease.  

Today I tried a number of the remedies mentioned on this board and while I'm not 100% back to normal, it is a lot better.  I'll post back later this week to let you know if my plan is still working.  

This was what I did today:
- first, I mixed lemon juice, vinegar and some listerine and massaged handfuls of it into my crown, and then let it soak in for about 15 minutes.
- I jumped in the shower and poured more of the mixture in
- Then massaged Klorane Nettle Shampoo into my hair (purchased at Duane Reade for $18) as it is supposed to help remove oil/grease
- Then massaged Neutrogena T/Gel in
- Then massaged Organix Tea Tree Mint Shampoo in (both Duane Reades near my apartment were out of Paul Mitchell)
- It seemed to be working, but after rinsing everything out it was still greasy.  I then used a little palmolive (whatever I had in my kitchen - it says power grease remover) with the tea tree shampoo, and that helped.
- Finally, I massaged in a small mix of the tea tree shampoo + T/Gel

There is significantly less grease, but I can still feel it a bit.  Tomorrow I'm going to try just the Tea Tree Shampoo + T/Gel and will post back.

Thank you!  So glad to know it isn't just me with this annoying issue.

[gaganica]

Hello and THANK you for posting so much on this subject!
I also had this problem for the first time this fall, I'm 23 and live in Greece. So I couldn't find any of the US or UK products some of you recommended, but I did try a loooong wash with Johnson's baby shampoo, and my sticky crown is gone!!!

So yes, as some of you said, before doing anything drastic try washing it for 10 minutes with (Johnson's) baby shampoo, I hope it'll do it for you too. It's not expensive and for sure will not make the situation worse.

THANKS AGAIN you guys!!!

[kirst893]

I had this exact problem after using Head and Shoulders will Almond Oil for the first time, after reading your post regarding dimethicone, I checked the ingredients and sure enough, its contains dimethicone!!  Out of desperation I washed my hair with my husbands Radox Hair and Body wash.  Theres a definite improvement but will need a few more washes.  I will be avoiding this ingredient from now on.  Thanks for the heads up!!

[shannon781]

I had the same problem of a waxy crown for about 2 months. I am in the medical profession and am very skeptical of all of these home remedies. I wasn't going to try anything that would make all of my hair fall out or turn purple, but I did try the paul mitchell clarifying shampoo and a pureology clarifying shampoo multiple times..neither worked. I went as far as soaking my hair in listerine, which did not work. I started drinking these soy protein shakes two weeks prior to the onset of the problem and I stopped them about a week after I noticed the problem, thinking there was a connection. It was not a fungal infection (not to say someone could not have one), but I believe my body was ridding itself of a toxin/access protein. I decided that I would have to wait it out, but after a few more weeks, I went to the store and desperately sought out a new shampoo/conditioning system because I had not changed from what I had been using successfully for 2+ years. In short, TRY PANTENE AQUA LIGHT!!!!!! My scalp is finally back to normal and has been for a good month now. Give it at least 2 days. I really hope it works for others out there; it was the most disgusting feeling and I really felt bad about myself and that others could tell.

[Ecclesia3]

I just recently got over this problem. I started using head and shoulders a year ago. All of a sudden, my hair started getting greasy only at the crown and roots right after showermping. I thought it might have something to do with the time of year it started happening (when it started getting cold out) or maybe some sort of chemical build-up (head and shoulders contains some form of zinc). So, I switched shampoos to Herbal-Essence "drama clean," and after the very first wash, I noticed a dramatic difference. No greasy crown, no sticky roots. I will probably still use head and shoulders when my dandruff gets bad, but for now, I'm sticking with Herbal-Essence. If you're having the same problem, give it a try.