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.

[jenn846]

This has happened to me! I have ALWAYS had soft manageable hair and I moved from VT to NYC a few months ago and started to notice my hair when it would try, it would feel sticky and greasy, but just on the top of my head! I am 27 and NEVER had this problem before. I thought maybe it's the water, something in NYC water that's causing this problem? It literally feels like a bottle of gel was dumped on my head and it is making my hair so GROSS! If you happen to find any answers, please let me know! I'm desperate!

[mandy1000]

Hi
I first had this problem many years ago and it was caused by dimethicone which is found it a lot of hair conditioners and detanglers.  At the time it was Fructis that I had been using and it was so bad that I went to my hairdressers.  They had never seen anything like it and after trying three different shampoos the only thing that got it out was a bar of soap.  The same thing happened again when I used Pantene and Elvive so I never use any products now that have dimethicone in.

[leeleeleelee]

I HAVE FOUND THE SOLUTION!

like everyone else, I suddenly started getting super-sticky hair that wouldn't come off with any kind of shampoo. And the sticky stuff was only on the crown of my head, localized on my bangs mostly.I was pretty upset because before I used to have very nice hair and now I had horrible sticky hair! I tried switching to Head & Shoulders, and not use conditioner but it didn't help. After reading everyone's comments, I opted NOT to try any vinegar/baking soda methods.

Fortunately, my mom had recently brought home a sample of Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo and I tried it. AMAZING! The stickiness was almost completely, if not all of it gone with one use! I will continue to use it and hopefully the stickiness will be gone forever. I didn't use any conditioner after but my hair was still soft after as the shampoo moisturizes.
The only drawback is that it is pretty expensive; $40 for 500mL! I suggest you try a little sample and see if it works.

Good luck to everyone! I know that this is a very upseting problem...
Hopefully eveyone else will have good results like I did with Kiehl's shampoo.

[zumbasus]

My hair for the last year has been sticky 4 hours after it's washed and dried with no product. I have to wash it daily with a 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner that is sulfite free. It's also breaking off an inch or so from the scalp, a few days later that piece falls out all together. Other long strands just fall out from the scalp, pretty much whenever I touch my hair. I have been loosing it for 3 years now and can't imagine how I haven't lost it all. No Dr has discovered why or how to help it yet. I've seen 9 Dr's

[rainbowalker]

It seems the tea tree oil did it for me. The crown of my head felt like I had used hair spray. I used Clear Men's anti-dandruff shampoo because it was the only thing I could find at my local store and after two showers it was completely gone.

[distressedesthetician69]

As glad that I am that other people are experiencing this nightmare with their hair, we have no real idea what causes it and how to get rid of it easily. I have tried all of these except the dish soap and listerine. I seriously thought this was because of a bad perm that I got in January. I too have colored hair. Red as a matter of fact. Mine is done professionally. The problem in addition to the sticky hair, usually at the base of my neck, but several times my whole head, is that my hair is dry. Big time dry and the breakage is terrible. I had to stop drying my hair because it looked like a bad fro and brushing it did the same. I stoppeed washing it everyday and use extreme snap from Redken everytime I comb my hair after I wash my hair. I now wash everyday. I stopped using Malibu hair wellness products and Deva curl products thinking the amount of conditioners made it worse. I use Paul Mitchells clarifying shampoo once or twice toward the end of my hair color-it really strips out the color. I use Paul Mitchells tea tree shampoo and conditioner and color extend simply smooth occasionally. It has all helped a little. The problem comes and goes. At its worse I loose a hairbrush with a clump of that sticky hot mess. I just started birth control 2 months ago, but this started not long after the perm. I wish someone had clear answers and a straight forward solution and not all these home remedies and suppositions. I'm sorry,but this really *****.Hopefully, the answers will come, I really miss my old perm free healthy long hair. It's now slightly longer than shoulder and the damage is extensive. I will keep coming back to see what new stuff gets posted.