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?

And showers! In the 90s as a teenager i had to wash my hair in a hand basin - really kills your neck if you have long hair.

As I've got older I could leave mine two days, three in an absolute emergency, but I'm usually at the gym 5 days a week, so it's washed every day anyway.

Unless your hair is exceptionally thick or especially long, I can't see why washing it every day would be a problem.
And to be honest I just find the idea of three days of unwashed hair to be gross.

I managed to go from every day to twice a week with perseverance and a lot of dry shampoo. My hair is incredibly thick and pretty long so it was worth it as it takes an age to dry.

I think once a week isn't achievable for a lot of people though.

Nothing useful to add as I have dry hair. I really envy my friend's beautiful, thick, straight hair which gets greasy overnight. Washing it every night is a real pain as her hair takes ages to dry.

I do wonder if oiling your hair regularly might trick your own follicles into not producing a lot of oil. In many countries, greasy hair still gets oiled every week at least.

I don't use it now my hair is a bit shorter, but my hair was quite a nice texture with it when it was longer, certainly better than if I left it!

Can you "trick" follicles?

I had oily hair for decades and you may as well tell me to stop washing my acne prone face to make it better as tell me to stop washing my hair and it will be fine. We’re just all different.

I'm allergic to most hair products, including dry shampoo. If I don't wash my hair every day it looks lank and oily and I get an itchy scalp. I'm mid 50s and through menopause now. I try to use a bar shampoo as it's less harsh, but my scalp needs a medicated wash every other day so I alternate between the two.

If you found a way to train your skin to stop being oily you'd make a fortune. Dermatologists would be able to cure all of their acne patients and the makeup industry could stop making oily skin products. Since your scalp is your skin, i'm guessing you can't stop it being oily.

Wouldn't you just! Holy Grail, and just as elusive!

Avoiding conditioners containing silicone (virtually all of them) is the thing that has let me go from daily hair washing to twice a week. Anything containing an ingredient ending in -one makes my hair look and feel disgusting after the first day. I don't believe you can train your scalp to produce less sebum.

Yanbu OP and I’m exactly the same. I have horrendously oily skin and scalp and I’m an everyday washer too. The only time I’ve not been is when I was pregnant. So my oil levels, I presume, are dictated by my hormones and there’s no ‘training’ the amount of sebum that I produce.

I have fine straight hair and I’ve tried so many times in my 40+ years….. Just get a good dry shampoo 😂

Each attempt has been unsuccessful in varying greasy degrees - I think it’s dependant on hormones a lot of the time…. Which (for me) are not exactly consistent year on year, between pregnancies and peri menopause!

I have also come to the conclusion that I wouldn’t not wash any other part of my body for 7 days, so it’s odd to expect it from my scalp.

I have found dry shampoo at night (and from day 2, before it gets greasy), works well to gain couple of extra days

It is thick and long which is why I find it such a bind to wash/dry every morning, I can't just leave it to dry either because it stays wet for the whole day and looks an absolute mess.

I suppose I could cut it really short but I wouldn't suit it. I just like a moan about the greasiness and when people tell me I could just train it if I persevered it really gets on my nerves. It's good to see there's others out there who have the same problem and that no amount of training will make any difference

This is very true and I hadn't really thought about it like that. I'd still love to be able to do it every other day though which I think is acceptable in frequency

I too have tried loads of times and various methods over the years, I even tried the no poo method during Covid. Stuck it out for 6 weeks, then went to weekly washing with a gentle shampoo. I don’t think my hair got any less greasy and I developed horrible seborrheic dermatitis (as someone else mentioned). I’ve accepted it now, though I do every other day with dry shampoo on day 2.

No, you're not going to be able to train it. Could you maybe wash it in the evening and wrap it in a warm towel while you do other stuff? Washing it in the morning sounds like a pain.

Yeah it’s not a thing, definitely not for me anyway! I have oily skin so oily hair I have to wash every day makes sense.

The only time I haven’t had to was when I was on Roaccutane for acne in my early 30s. Best hair days of my life! I could go days and it was like freshly washed, and I kept getting comments from people asking what I’ve done to my hair as it was looking so nice.

That is also my dream, 50% less washing would be amazing. I'm 49 and still awaiting the great dry-up we're warned about, i just can't imagine what it's like not having oily skin 🤔🤯

I was just about to mention this - roaccutane will do it!

I’m 65 and have never been able to go longer than 2 days between washes. I do it in the evening, I don’t find it a significant nuisance.
The idea that adding oil might somehow help - omg no! I’ve very occasionally got a tiny bit of oil in my hair, or unwisely used a fancy ‘natural’ conditioner in a hotel … urgh, it’s like a slick (hair is plentiful but fine and straight) and I’ve had to rewash immediately and sometimes it’s needed washing up liquid to degrease it.

It had that effect on me, too. But the dry lips was an absolute killer, despite using chapstick, they were just a bloody, cracked mess.

Wash your hair in washing up liquid. Your hair will stay non greasy for ages

My hair is not particularly greasy but it's thick and coarse and my scalp ends up an awful spotty, sticky, smelly mess if it doesn't get a good wash at least every other day. Vosene has been the best thing that's ever happened to it. I have some small scalp cysts from my very itchy and short lived attempt to at least go low-poo.

Annoying as it takes ages to dry, too.

Mine changed at menopause - i now wash it twice a week and could manage weekly with a good dry shampoo. Pores on skin also improved - if only I didn't have a plump tummy as well