Please help - washing hair - why does this keep happening?

[WildNorthEast]

Does this happen to anyone else? It seems that every shampoo and conditioner I try, I still end up with that horrible thick grease like residue at the back of my head straight after washing my hair.

My hair is naturally wavy, so more recently I've been trying sulphate free shampoo / conditioners, but this hasn't helped (Tresemme / Herbal Essences are the most recent attempts). I haven't got lots of money to spend on these product's unfortunately, but would possibly spend a bit more if I could get nicer looking hair.

Every so often I use a baby shampoo to strip off through the build up (this works) and then go back to the usual shamp/cond's, but after a wash or two the build up starts up again.

What is it in the ingredients that's doing this?

I tend to wash my hair every 3-4 days depending on gym sessions etc.
I shampoo the roots and middle and let the rest wash off. Then rinse, a lot. I only put conditioner on the ends, leave it in for a couple of minutes and then rinse. I always let the water run over it all for ages, trying to get any excess off.

Would love to know how to resolve this issue.

Placemarking because I want to know too

Surely the obvious solution is to stick with the baby shampoo?

Getting a scalp massager thing can help, along with two washes, but if you're putting on gloopy shampoo and then not rinsing it off properly, your hair is going to be sticky.

Things that I have found actually rinse out properly include bog standard Dove, T-Gel and, strangely enough, Sanex shower gel (which is also really good for not irritating the scalp).

Following for advice. I don’t get a build up so much, but feel like my hair gets greasy so quickly. I have a lot of hair so I tend to section it now and shampoo the underneath and top separately to make sure the underneath is properly washed and rinsed.

Like you I sometimes use a shampoo to try to remedy this (head and shoulders n my case, though I can remember buying clarifying shampoos that had this purpose in the past).

I stopped using conditioner. Just soapnut shampoo, or Faith in Nature. Not used conditioner for several years.

@NeverDropYourMooncup my hair is highlighted and apparently baby shampoo doesn't work well with coloured hair, because it strips and fades the colour, so I wouldn't want to use it all the time.

Do you touch your hair a lot?

@RestingCatsArseFace my conditioner doesn't even touch the roots of my hair where the problem occurs, I just put it at the ends, so I don't think it can be that (although I do make sure it's thoroughly washed out, just in case).

@SgtJuneAckland the bits I touch the most are probably the front bits, tucking it behind my ears etc, but those bits remain "normal". I don't play with the roots. Sometimes I wash my hair and can feel that the build up has increased as I'm trying to rinse it out. It's like trying to wash grease off a frying pan (although it smells nicer than that), water doesn't touch it!

Are you shampooing twice? My hair is never properly clean after just one, I need to shampoo, rinse and repeat for really clean hair

Some tips from a ex-hairdresser girl I know:

• Try not to touch your hair/scalp too much and wash in cool water to avoid stimulating your grease glands
• Do two shampoos (50p size) and then conditioner no higher than half way up
• It sounds like your hair doesn’t like the silicone etc in the cheap shampoos
• Kerastate bain divalent shampoo is meant to be really good if you don’t mind investing.
• you can try exfoliating your scalp once a week/every few weeks and see if that helps

I use Faith in nature orange and grapefruit shampoo and conditioner. It's 🤩 for greasy hair. Only thing that actually makes my hair lovely.

Are you washing in the shower or upside down over the bath?

I used to see vinegar in your rinsing water recommended.

My DD used to have this problem. She found rinsing her hair with a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar really helped. Just once every couple of weeks. After shampoo and before conditioner.

that horrible thick grease like residue at the back of my head straight after washing my hair

This sounds to me like a medical issue, rather than a ‘normal’ thing everyone will recognise. Like an allergic response or like your scalp is somehow oversensitised and weeping? Is it sore?

Maybe it needs a dermatologist or trichologist’s advice.

I used Lush shampoo for years, with no problems. Then I switched to L'Occitane a month or so ago just for a change and my hair is greasy the next day. So I would suggest you try Lush. It's not cheap but you only need a little and the small bottle lasts for ages.

The only time my hair is like you describe is when I've not rinsed properly when shampooing once.

I now double shampoo/rinse well and I never seem to have this problem.

Have you tried a clarifying shampoo? I use the Ouai Detox shampoo, expensive but I don't use much (and only use for the first shampoo) and I use it once every 1-2 weeks depending on how my hair feels sometimes I go 3wks. It just gets rid of any build up on your scalp/hair and leaves it really clean so should sort your problem. I always find that when I've used this shampoo I can go an extra day or two to usual before washing my hair.

Try specific clarifying shampoo?

I had this a few years ago and I used Boots build up remover shampoo which worked a treat. I think mine was caused by over colouring. Hope that helps x

Always shampoo twice. Have you ever used a shampoo massager?

Do you bend over and let the water pour directly onto the back of your head or do you stand up and have the water hit the top of your head and run off?

For thick, wavy hair, you need to bend over.

Also, if you think your hair is wavy it's probably actually curly, and you don't need to shampoo it as curly hair and the scalps of people with curly hair tend to be dry and shampoo strips the natural oils, causing extra production to compensate.

I manage mine with vosene but that wouldn’t work with your coloured hair. I do one shampoo with vosene, which I leave in for a few minutes then one with something gentler. Often a purple shampoo, for me, but I also like the Avalon organic tea tree shampoo when my scalp is giving me a bad time, in the summer.

i also wash 3-4 times a week to not give my scalp chance to bloom.

You need something like this to remove bulk up, really works

REDKEN Shampoo, Fruit Acids, Removes Impurities, Product build-up, Hair Cleansing Cream, 250 ml amzn.eu/d/hvWLXtK

*Build up

I actually know exactly what you mean, I’m the same, I have one combo that is amazing, herbal essences ignite my colour shampoo, with the herbal essences love me longer conditioner. Or a more expensive option, Aussie miracle moist!