Shampoo - what am I doing wrong?

[Justkoko]

Very fine hair, goes flat, won't hold a curl, gets oily quick. Switched to sulfate free faith in nature. I've done this in the past and felt it had more body. In a moment of madness I went back to pantene. I think it went more oily. I've switched back to the faith in nature and it just feels floppier and flatter than ever. It looks crap. Where am I going wrong?

Pantene is full of silicones that coat the hair and eventually make it look lank. Buy a clarifying shampoo (Vosene will do) and then wash your hair once with this to get rid of the silicones, and then switch back to sulphate free.

Was it always oily or was it dry when you were younger? If it has changed from dry to oily, it is more likely to be a change in hormones than your products. (Your eyebrows will be oilier too, maybe you will have greasier skin on Your neckline as well… not always, btw.)

It's always been oily and limp really. I can't have it long because it looks terrible on me. So drab. I've had to have a bob my whole life. Can't even pinpoint why longer hair looks so bad, it just does. I'm just short and square, everything looks shit.

I have very fine, droopy hair that goes greasy very quickly. Using sulfate-free did nothing for mine. I currently use Kérastase Volumifique (expensive, but very concentrated- you only need a tiny bit, especially on fine hair), which is great. I have a Kérastase conditioner too, but only need to use it once a week as a treatment and every other day I just use the shampoo with no conditioner.

Faith in Nature did nothing for my hair, I use alberto balsam or a sulphate free shampoo usually. I wash the roots twice or three times giving my scalp a proper good scrub, make sure I rinse totally and then condition. I wash my hair once a week and it doesn't get greasy anymore until the 6th day usually.

I wash mine daily and have done for about 35 years, aside from a couple of extensive attempts to wean myself off it, having read that it would settle down after a while and stop being greasy. It didn't!

How often are you washing your hair? Try and stretch out to every 3 days or so. It will drive you mad initially but you'll soon see an improvement.

I have this too and rate it highly. I also alternate with Nioxin and Champo. They are pricey but you only need a little.

Nope! I tried all through lockdown and can just about manage 2 days. If I'm going out on the second evening I need a quick blast of dry shampoo at the roots. I've got hair just like yours OP, right down to the bob. Fine, thin and basically like dandelion fluff. Agree with all those who say avoid any silicone, anything that says volumising and most anti frizz products or smoothing oils.

I use Joico (green) bottle and have really seen a improvement in my oily hair. I apply some shampoo while the hair is dry (got that tip from a hairdresser) and then shampoo twice. I was also told that blowdrying your hair rather than airdrying is better to prevent it looking greasy. I was told why but cannot remember.

herbal essence strawberry and mint and wash your hair twice. Only thing that works for me.

I have fine hair (albeit a lot of it and it's quite long) that gets oily quickly. I wash daily because I prefer to do so and I really like Faith in Nature - Pantene etc have far too much silicone which makes my hair lank and with a waxy feeling.

If you've been using a shampoo with silicone in and switching to silicone free I'd recommend first doing a thorough cleanse of the hair and scalp with a clarifying shampoo to get the build up out, and then switch to the Faith in Nature, otherwise the silicone buildup will remain in the hair.

I also really recommend investing in a scalp massage brush and using that when you shampoo, take your time with it and rinse for longer than you usually would do. Other things that help for me are not letting it air dry, and blowdrying with my head flipped upside down for some body. I often find I feel better about my hair and think it looks really nice when I put a bit of a curl in it too.

Maybe you could try Nizoral 2.5% Ketoconazole strength. You have to use it 2x a week initially and leave the foam on your scalp for three mins. It doesn’t smell very nice but it can help break the malassezia/pittysporum yeast/bacteria cycle that both feeds on and causes oil production on the scalp. Do you also have oily skin or rosacea?

Switched to sulfate free faith in nature.

Faith in Nature shampoo isn’t sulfate free. It has ammonium laureth sulfate which is no better than sodium laureth sulfate.

Actually, is it the silicone that are a problem rather than sulfates? I thought also was a gentler sulfate?
Perhaps I need to put some mousse in at the roots before drying. I've used elnett volume in the past, can't remember the effect though.

Clarifying gentle shampoo
no conditioner
mousse on roots
regular trims

only things that work for me and I’m the same (chin length bob gives me more volume)

you have to slowly wean off shampoo, I find that using different types of shampoo each wash helps your hair not to be overused to it or get too oily (rotate between a few types). The subreddit r/nopoo is good for info. I do one co-wash (conditioner only massaged into scalp then rinsed out), a few days later followed by using a homemade shampoo several days later (such as chickpea flour and water mix which is actually a good natural shampoo), then a bar shampoo next wash, then maybe once a month regular shampoo. I'm trying to give up shampoo altogether. Sometimes in between washes I use arrowroot powder (instead of dry shampoo). It helps me stretch out longer. As you get older you can't wash your hair as much like you did when younger and regular shampoos no longer do it for me. It's a slow process but it does work if you find alternatives and stretch out more between washes. I find my hair is in much better shape now and gets greasy less often.

My hair is similar to yours and buying shampoo is tricky

I'm currently really happy with Garnier

I'm trying out all the hair foods ones with their respective conditioners and my hair is happy so far. The shampoos are clear as opposed to creamy white which I like

I also like the Garnier pomegranate shampoo but bought all the hair food ones because they're were on special offer

also OP there's a test you can do on your hair type by putting it in a glass of water - (all detailed on the subreddit). I have low porosity hair which means it gets a build up easily. Worth bearing in mind as you can adapt your haircare routine accordingly.

Also a while ago in a fit of desperation I bought Aveda Shampure shampoo and conditioner.

It's works brilliantly as a clarifying shampoo so I save it for when I feel I need it.

It's too expensive to use daily although I did buy it when reduced.