Oily scalp and hair

[oilyhair]

I'm a girl who is 17 and my hair is disgustingly oily. Because its also thin, the oil from my scapl makes me look like i wet the back of my head where the hairline comes apart- by the end of the 1st day after washing my hair.

People tell me its because its i wash my hair too often. I wash it every other day and put baby powder in it at the end of the first because, like i said, its too oily by then. During summer i dont go to school so i wash my hair every third day without using any baby powder. The second day looks wet and hair comes apart in oily strands. Third day looks like i poured olive oil all through my hair. This does not change throughout the summer as my scalp "gets used" to getting washed less often.

What can i do to fix this problem??? I feel so heartbroken over this. I want so badly for my hair to NOT be oily on the 2nd day without having to use baby powder. Vinegar wash does not help. maybe i should see a dermatologist???

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
There is no medical condition as such which causes oiliness of the hair.I would suggest you to clean your hair frequently with a mild shampoo(you can use the ones for oily hair) and don’t apply any conditioner on the hair. Also you can shampoo twice during each wash and apply shampoo on the scalp without piling the hair on top.

It makes sense to avoid the use of conditioner as it also tends to make the scalp oily. When shampooing the hair, switch from warm water to cool water after you've thoroughly rinsed away the shampoo.The cool water rinse helps close the pores of the scalp and slow down the oil production. Please do consult a dermatologist also as it is not possible to diagnose and treat online.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[meniere135]

For my daughter, when she went on a gluten free diet (no wheat, barley, rye or oats), she went from having to wash her hair twice a day to every other day.  Then when she removed milk from her diet, she could sometimes go every three days.  Diet can effect hormones.  I know these diets can be difficult, but for her it was worth it.  For your hair, try Nizoral - it helps breakdown the male hormones in the scalp.  It's kind of expensive though.  You leave it on your scalp for 3-5 minutes, then rinse.  By leaving it on the scalp, it gives the shampoo time to do its job.   I hope this helps.  Any questions, just leave me a message.