Hair help please!!

[mum2seb]

I have just past shoulder length hair, which I wash every day. If I don't it gets greasy, but I have to be careful exactly what I wash it with - my scalp goes MAD!! Itchy, flaky - dandruff, I suspect. I use Head and Shoulders when it gets like this, but I don't like to use it for long - it makes the ends of my hair dry.
I seem to have got into this vicious circle - I need to wash my hair every day to stop it looking greasy, but washing it every day is probably what's causing my scalp to go a bit mental!
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I should do/ products I could use? I can't afford to use expensive products, so Phillip Kingsley et al are out, I'm afraid (as much as I'd LOVE to use that sort of product!!!).
Ideally I would like to stop washing my hair every day, but I don't want to look a greasy mess!

HELP!!

How much do you want to spend on shampoo? I understand if you do not want to go terribly high-end, but I have not had great experience with supermarket brands, unfortunately. It sounds like you have a sensitive scalp.

I tried the Highlight Enhancing John Frieda Blonde Shampoo and I found it worked very well for reducing oil production, but it does tend to be drying. I use and like Kerastase Bain Divalent (expensive) and Paul Mitchell - Tea Tree Special Shampoo (slightly less so).

When I don't want to wash my hair every day, I often use dry shampoo or just baby powder. I am blonde, so the whiteness does not show, but you can use a coloured dry shampoo instead if your hair is darker. It will give your scalp a rest and prevent the rest of your hair from drying out from the frequent washes. Also, when you wash you can just focus on your scalp and not on the length of your hair and condition just from your ears down. HTH

Thanks for your reply, youngblowfish

I'm blonde too, so I might give the dry shampoo a go. I already just condition the ends of my hair - I seem to be allergic to most conditioners, unfortunately (I AM a pain in the backside!). Can you only buy Paul Mitchell from the hairdressers, though? I think I'll go and have a google!

No worries!

There are a few on-line salons on the Channel Islands (cheaper because of the different taxes, I think), I ordered and enjoyed a very good service from feelunique.com, activebeauty.co.uk and luxuryhaircare.co.uk. I am a bit useless when it comes to recommending anything for allergies, since my skin is not sensitive at all.

Baby powder has been so good to me, though it obviously does not really clean your hair. Still, it makes it possible for me to go for longer between washes and adds some volume and texture to my lanky, greasy roots. Just be sure not to use too much and to brush it out as much as you can.