suddenly oily hair that won't correct

[Danavee]

This discussion is related to suddenly oily hair that won't correct.


Question to the Dr.  

Could this be overactive sebaceous glands?  I have had sebaceous cysts in the past.  Could excessive sweating cause this to happen.  Sweating dries out the skin, therefore causing the glands to produce more oil to compensate for the loss?  When your stressed, you sweat.  During menopause, you sweat.  In the summer, you sweat.  If your febrile, you sweat.

I am a 38 year old female and also started experiencing a heavy oily area around the crown of my head about 3 1/2 weeks ago.  I asked my Dr. and  he acted as if I was crazy.  He suggested I use Neutrogena shampoo once a week, which I started yesterday.  To add to the other comments....I am extremely stressed (thought that was it).  I am going through peri-menopause.  I have not changed shampoos in 15 years (I alternate head and shoulders and Pantene).  I have never had any problems with oily skin or oily hair ever.  I wash my hair daily and condition.  I have not changed my daily regimen in 2 years

One thing I have tried was applied Shower to Shower powder to my hair before going to bed and washed out in the morning (not the sexiest looking thing at night but it helps).  It drastically reduced the oil, but came back 2 days later.  The only thing I worry about is clogging the glands that are producing the oil, so I don't do it daily...maybe once a week.  I will try the Irish Spring soap, that will not clog the glands...just dry out the hair.  Another suggestion I haven't tried was go to a good hair dresser who has shampoos that change the PH balance of your hair (If this goes on another month I will try this.  It's kinda drastic.)

[leahma]

Ladies I have had this issue several times and I beleive it is a ph balance issue that can occue from weather changes hormonal changes, changes in hair care routine or medications, so many things can cause it. I have been using biolage normalizing shampoo everytime this occurs which has been 3 times in my life and it works very well. I have also tried the apple cider vinegar and it seems to help as well. I dyed my hair and the result was this oily patch so I read how hair dye is alkaline and vinegar is acidic so it makes sense. The only reason I tried the vinegar was because I didnt want to spend the money on the Biolage Normalizing shampoo. However the Biolage really works so if you have 20 dollars try that first.

[ClaireTilly32]

try the Shielo Volume Shampoo - it alot of the oil out, but still leave moisture in your hair + it has biotin...

[Oceanicah]

This exact same problem started for me the day after I used my boyfriends Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner. I’ve never used it before but a sudden change in weather had both of our scalps feeling dry and itchy. It worked for him so I thought I’d try it too. Won’t make that mistake again. lol Within hours of using it, a patch about the size of an orange, formed on the top of my head close to my hair line and was soooo greasy, like I hadn’t washed my hair in weeks. But waxy too, which I had never experienced before.
So the next day, I went back to my Herbal Essence but the problem persisted. Day 3 I used lemon juice on my hair….nothing else….and the grease was STILL there. Day 4 feeling discouraged (and greasy), I grabbed the bottle of vinegar and doused my head in it. Rubbed vigorously, rinsed and repeated. It was a little better but not much. Then yesterday I read this blog. And this morning…well all I had was Original Dawn (hey, they use this stuff to gently remove oil from wildlife, it should work here) and the green Listerine. But thought…hey, it can’t get much worse. So I gave it a shot. While in the shower, I was skeptical because it wasn’t feeling any different than the days before. But here’s what I did…
Washed with Dawn
Rinsed
Repeated
Poured 2 capfuls of Listerine on affected area. Rubbed in and let sit while I did the rest of my shower routine.
Rinsed
Washed with dawn one last time.
Used a tiny amount of conditioner on just the ends of my hair (I have long hair and I could feel the ends being a little on the course side whilst in the shower)
Rinsed really well.
Dried my hair as usual. Just a quick rub down with a towel and air dry it.

Result? Success!!!! Woohoo!!!! I’ve got my hair back!! So freakin’ thankful I found this blog!! I was completely discouraged when neither the lemon juice nor vinegar worked.
While the grease is 100% gone, I will do a second treatment tomorrow just to be sure then go back to Herbal Essence and hopefully the issue won’t reappear.

[greasyhairoutofnowhere]

oceanicah, did it ever come back?  I am dealing with this now and am concerned.

[greasebegone]

SUCCESS! It's been over a year since I last posted in this forum and I'm happy to say my beautiful hair is back to normal! Let's back track a bit to understand why my hair suddenly became greasy and would not correct as well as massive (nearly 40%) hair loss. In 2012 I had surgery and unbeknownst to me, developed a reaction to the anesthesia, on top of this I was dealing with massive stress with a bitchy boss at work, the loss of my dad to cancer, and a revenue tax audit. And - my hormones in my body were changing due to entering peri-menopausal stage of life. Yikes! Well after much research on hair vitamins and trying various products I now have my hair 100% back to normal (see my earlier posts for details). The Nizoral worked to keep the grease to a minimum and the Nioxin 3 Shampoo and Conditioner have now become my main go-to hair products. I took massive amounts of certain vitamins, specifically for hair re-growth and health. Biotin is first and foremost.I found that the best Biotin is at GNC Health stores - it comes in 5000 mcg strength tablets and I started by taking one tablet every day for about 6 weeks and then boosted it to 2 tablets a day - one in the morning and one mid-day (that's 10000 mcg a day). I also took Iron and Vitamin C and B6 and B12. During this time I bought "Clip In" hair extension (the kind that is like a barrette and you can clip them into your hair and take them out again) I only wore my clip-ins when I was going out somewhere, other than that it was just my regular hair. I also stopped blow-drying my hair and straightening it. I now let my hair "air dry" for 40 minutes and then fluff it on a cool setting - and I only straighten on the weekends if I'm going out. I believe that the Vitamin regime and the proper hair products were key to fixing my hair, and trust me, it was not over nite, it took over a year and a half! I also de-stressed my life by applying for a position within my company to a different branch to get away from the bitchy boss (thank god!). Also I added more protein into my diet which really helped with my hair and skin and I stepped up my work out routine, which is a great stress-releaser. I can now go two full days without washing my hair and it has fully grown back in, healthier and better than before. I hope my tips help everyone else out there, because it ***** when you lose your "crowning glory" and nobody should have to be stuck with greasy hair.

[greasyhairoutofnowhere]

Hi greasebegone, is your hair still good?  I read that this can lead to hair loss and I am freaking out. I am just now dealing with this ofr the first time. I am 38 years old.  Is this a sign I am peri menopausal????? OMG.. I have a doctors appt with my dermatologist tomorrow...

[etdlc]

What do I do if this condition causes my hair to fall out? i already started noticing receding hair line? i used pantene and rogaine but neither worked. Is anyone experiencing the same problem?

[heathcamp]

I, too, woke up one morning with waxy build up.  I'd been using Pantene shampoo and conditioner for months.  I live in Korea, and tried a Korean brand shampoo when my Pantene shampoo ran out, but still used the conditioner.  Last weekend, I used the last of the Korean brand, and happened to find Herbal Essence in the store.  After two days I woke up with that mess in my hair.  
  Being in Korea, I went to several stores and bought the only suggestions I could find:  Listerine and Tea Tree Oil shampoo.  
  Listerine did not help.  Tea Tree Oil shampoo worked a bit, but after two washes, it wasn't enough.  
  I tried vinegar.  Even lemon juice.  This helped a bit, but not nearly enough.
  Desperate, I grabbed some baking soda.  I added some water, just enough to make a paste, and starting at my scalp rubbed it on and up each strand of hair.  I then left it on for half an hour just for good measure.
  It worked!!! I'm now using the tea tree oil shampoo.  I'm too scared to use the Pantene conditioner, so I'll be relying my Korean hair treatment at the salon.

  Strangely enough, my teacher's assistant came in today saying she woke up with the same problem!!  She used baking soda like I had and it came right out.  Weird.  (She uses a Korean shampoo with Pantene conditioner.)

  Also, I am 41 and perimenapausal.  My TA is 28 and is not.  
  I hope this helps!