To think that "training" really greasy hair just isn't possible for some people?

[TheJuryIsOut]

I've had greasy hair from being a teenager. I went from washing my hair once a week as a 10 year old to washing it every day as a 14 year old. I only started washing it more frequently because it became so unbelievably greasy I couldn't have gone out/gone to school like that.

I have tried to wash it less often several times over the years, the longest time I could manage was in COVID but I still didn't get it looking any better really. I'd even be happy if I could just wash it every other day but by about hour 30 it looks like I've just got a handful of oil and smeared it all over my head.

I've seen/heard lots of people say that if you just train it for a few months it'll sort itself out but aibu to think this just isn't true for some people?

I think it depends how long you are prepared to persevere with it. I have very fine very oily hair. I only managed to "train it" when I really bit the bullet and washed it once a week no matter what and it took a couple of months for it to settle. I also did a little prep by stopping using shampoo and only washing with conditioner for about a month before reducing washing schedule.
But if it doesn't bother you washing it every day, then no point in trying to change things. Dry shampoo can also be a very viable option to extend time between washes.

Totally agree, tried it over lock down too and it only got marginally better. So it might have looked better for half a day longer. I wash it every other day, but it looks rough on day two. I think I'm in perimenopause and I'm hoping it improves once I've gone through menopause. Done all the usual of trying different shampoo, no sulphates yadda yadda - I think people who this works for have a different hair type.

I can’t really say either way, but I have managed to train mine so that I only have to wash it once a week.

I feel as though you just have to decide that’s what you’re going to do and go through the greasy stage.

I'm the same. I tried to cut down to every other day in my 30s, but by the end of the second day it was slick with grease. If i was ever ill and didn't wash it for just 2 whole days it was completely disgusting. Even now that i'm 49 i still need to wash it every day, i keep waiting for this dry skin and scalp they all warn me about, but no sign of the oil stopping yet..

I've noticed that my youngest is the same. It doesn't help that he loves sports, so his hair is greasy by the end of each day at the age of 12. I just hope he doesn't get the decades of acne like i did as well.

Yeah I’ve tried everything and it’s still greasy. I did 3 months of only washing it once a week, and it just meant it was hideously greasy for 3 months. I’ve made my peace with it!

Have you tried using a mild shampoo and dry shampoo if needed day 2?

You could be stripping all the sebum if the shampoo is harsh which sends your scalp into overdrive to replace.

Perhaps baby shampoo for, say, a month and dry shampoo in between washes to remove excess sebum.

I used to have what I called 36 hour hair.
Would be ok for a day, next day in the morning it was ok, by tea time back to greasy 🙁
The only thing that has fixed the issue is menopause.

If you have very fine low density hair I think it can be the case that your head isn’t actually significantly oilier than other people’s but it looks like it because there’s less hair for the oil to spread around on. So washing it everyday is probably for the best.

I do find the more I wash my hair the oilier it gets and I can “train it” but I have a lot of hair.

I tried this in lockdown and it never got past hour 30 (ish) where it still looked acceptable. I'm not talking a bit iffy where you can just about get away with it, I'm talking it looks like I haven't washed my hair for months and it's literally clumping together with grease

I'd love to believe this would work for me, but dry shampoo makes my scalp crawl like a MF. If i don't wash my hair my scalp reacts really badly to the slightest bit of dirt or sweat (i sweat a lot, which brings the oil too) and i end up with flakes and scabs from scratching. Co-washing would not be sufficient, and i can't let conditioner touch my scalp - it can only go on the ends.

While places aren't usually smoky like they were up until 20 years ago (when you couldn't go to a pub/cafe etc without washing it after), you're still probably getting all kinds of things on your hair, and you wouldn't go days without showering/washing your clothes, so unless you cover you hair, surely it needs washing most days? Especially if you exercise/are in sweaty places.

I agree, I wouldn't be able to train mine. It needs washing every day. Since menopause it's not as oily but as it's very fine I look like I've been pulled through a hedge backwards when I wake up, so I wash it in the shower every morning.

Agreed. I tried to train mine. Less frequent washing, then the no poo method (conditioner only) I can't be sure but I ended up with sebaceous dermatitis and I'm fairly sure it was the lack of washing it with shampoo for 4 months.

The only thing that has helped is salicylic acid shampoo which means I can go 36/48 hours without washing it now with a bit of dry shampoo. The elvive one in the purple bottle is the one I used.

Totally get that which is why I am saying that people who "reset" their hair tend to hold off washing it regardless of what it looks and feels like. It's not for everyone. Trust me, my hair was horrid but I stuck to washing it once a week regardless. Wore a lot of hats. It settled pretty quickly and now it looks decent for at least 4-5 days and I get through the rest of the week on dry shampoo.

What I'm saying is I didn't wash it for a week, for several weeks (probably months) and it never got past hour 30, it just didn't work 🤷

I washed it once a week for 3 months, and it never got any better. I just had a very greasy 3 months.

Ok, so it doesn't work then. Not much you can do about it.

This is what i think, imagine all the dried sweat, pollution, skin and dust your hair has accumulated in a week, eugh! Would these people stop washing their faces for a week as well?

Some people are just oilier and have to wash their hair more. Weirdly, it’s the people who claim to have trained their hair and tell you they only wash it once a week whose insistent that you can train your body to somehow produce less oil.

Maybe I’m a cow, but when said people tell me they only wash their hair once a week I always think “yes, I can tell”.

What about dry shampoo? I managed to stretch mine to washing twice a week using dry shampoo in between.

YANBU - you gave it a fair trial and it didn't work for you. My daughter is similar. Thank goodness for modern conveniences like hot running water and shampoo!

Have you tried dry shampoo? I’d have to wash mine every day without it by can stretch to 3 with it.

Dry shampoo is just adding starch or talc/silica to your oil to soak it up. For some people this causes irritation, it doesn't clean the oil or dirt away, and the starches encorage microbes and fungi to live in the oily carby mess. Nice.

Plus the texture of your hair feels awful.. yup, sorry not a fan 😂

I'm probably a cow too. Hair that hasn't been washed for a week must smell.. interesting.

I am very jealous of people who don't have to worry about greasy hair tho. If i could just wash every other day it would be so nice.

You can't "train" your hair. Can you train your skin? It needs to be washed regularly. If it's oily, even more regularly.