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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

DD13 Greasy hair

47 replies

Spottyhousecoat · 12/10/2023 09:26

Has anyone got any tips on how I can help Dd13 with her hair? She showers before bed and when she gets up next morning it's greasy, shes tried different shampoos, no conditioner I really don't know what else to try are these £20+ shampoos worth it? She's getting teased at school because of it and it's affecting her confidence.

OP posts:
HarrietStyles · 12/10/2023 09:29

Would it be better if she got up a little earlier in the morning and washed it before school, instead of the night before? Or have you tried dry shampoo in the morning - works great on my hair, spray all over the roots, massage in and brush……. Any greasiness gone for me. You can buy mini bottles that she could keep in her school bag if it needed doing at school.

LolaJ87 · 12/10/2023 09:33

If it's getting so greasy overnight, she must be sweating a lot in her sleep - is she? Sounds like showering in the morning might be a better fit at the moment.

Some other things to try is to make sure she'd rinsing her hair really thoroughly, use a clarifying shampoo (nothing too expensive is needed), double shampoo it and change her pillowcase frequently.

Superfrog3 · 12/10/2023 09:34

How often is she washing it, the more you wash the more greasy it gets. Also when conditioning only put it on the ends and never the roots. Lush has a dry shampoo it's in a bottle and is a powder that's good at soaking up any grease.

Hairstyles - could she chose more upstyles where greasy hair isn't as noticeable?? Maybe have a look on Pinterest/ google for some cute ones - so that's its not just a standard ponytail.

At 13 this must really be knocking her confidence so lots of compliments/ recognition and anything you can do to boost her confidence.

Original poster
Spottyhousecoat · 12/10/2023 09:37

I've suggested the washing in the morning but typical teen girl that's not an option. There's not a dry shampoo in boots that we haven't tried to be honest that works a wee bit but I'd rather she wasn't using it every day I've heard it can cause damage to your hair.
Her hair is really fine but it seems to hold water as well and takes an age to dry.

OP posts:
geoger · 12/10/2023 09:37

I would try tea tree shampoo - Australian Body Care and Faith in Nature are ones we’ve used at home. Also, it might be worth Getting your dd to wash her hair in the morning

Ionapussy · 12/10/2023 09:44

Dry shampoo is better if you put it on at night, it should then soak up the grease that is being produced overnight.

I sympathise, I'm in my 40s now and my hair is still very greasy. I wash it every other day. I only use conditioner once a week. I like shampoo bars with some kind of citrus in (my favourite one has been discontinued so on the hunt for a new one). I use vosene every now and again as that seems to cut through grease, as does, in my experience, cheap own brand shampoos.

Cordell · 12/10/2023 09:44

I went through a stage of this, and I had never had greasy hair before. I was given weird advice to wash my hair with washing up liquid, and it solved it! It was almost like a build-up of something that it removed. It has never been a problem since.

KirstenBlest · 12/10/2023 09:49

Wash the combs or brushes she uses with washing-up liquid and let them be for her only. Use a shampoo for greasy hair or a clarifying one. Boots own brand one will be fine.

Birdie8989 · 12/10/2023 09:54

My daughter has greasy hair, some shampoos are definitely better than others. The best ones we have found (in a normal price range) are head and shoulders citrus fresh, and also ogx apple cider vinegar shampoo. It is also worth persevering to wash at least every other day rather than every day, use dry shampoo in the interim while the hair adjusts.

Edited to add - make sure she is shampooing twice when in the shower

purplecorkheart · 12/10/2023 09:59

Does she shampoo twice and put conditioner only on the ends? She also needs to make sure that her hair is bone dry before she goes to bed. Does she use a clarifying shampoo regularly to get rid of any product build up?

However it may be that she sweats a lot at night and her hair is getting greasy that way which is going to be very hard to solve if she is unwilling to wash her hair in the morning.

PinkyU · 12/10/2023 09:59

I’d maybe try taking her to a hairdresser for a wash and blow dry to see how her hair is the following day. I think it may be what someone upthread said about not managing to rinse everything out, a hairdresser will ensure this and if you both see a difference that will be the issue.

henrysugar12 · 12/10/2023 10:05

How often is the pillowcase changed?

GingeNinga · 12/10/2023 10:13

Like a lot of posters have already said, washing every day isn’t great for her hair and will be exacerbating the problem.

  • ideally she should be washing and drying it in the morning to get rid of any build up in the night.
  • If it’s really bad, is she sleeping on a different side of the pillow each night and changing the pillowcase a couple of times each week?
  • Shampoo twice (to help get rid of what has already built up) - look at something like L’Oréal Elvive clay balancing shampoo for the first wash (smells lush)
  • only use a small amount of conditioner on the ends of her hair
  • going against the grain, but she shouldn’t rely on dry shampoo regularly, it does damage the hair and can contribute to hair loss.
  • make sure she throughly cleans all her brushes, combs, hair accessories regularly, otherwise she’s just brushing the grease and dirt back in. I use 2 brushes - one I use on freshly cleaned hair,the second is for all other days when my hair starts to look less fresh.
  • is she drying her hair before bed? If her hair is left to air dry is can make hair look lank or more greasy - it’s something to do with the distribution of something/oils in hair. Making sure it’s dried with a hairdryer before bed might help.
  • Next half term try and get her to go a few days in between washes and see if that helps, or washing with just water a few days in a row and shampooing every couple of days.
Mangotango39 · 12/10/2023 11:08
  1. I think she needs to try a scalp scrub and do once a week, get rid of any build up
  2. body shop purify is great for greasy hair
  3. wash all tools to remove build up (hair brushes etc)
  4. shampoo twice - conditioner only on the ends
  5. is she blowdrying? My hair gets super greasy and slick back look if I don't but can go 6 days if I blowdry!!
  6. is she washing her pillow enough? Possibly sleep in a bonnet
MrsSkylerWhite · 12/10/2023 11:10

Shower in the morning. Mines the same unfortunately, nearly 60 years old.

Ivebeentogeorgia · 12/10/2023 11:11

She might have a build up on her hair. Try washing up liquid as a one off

Jellycats4life · 12/10/2023 11:14

At that age I really suffered with greasy hair. Nothing other than daily washing - in the morning - helped.

Having said that, you’d be amazed how slapdash some girls can be when it comes to washing their hair, so it might be that she just isn’t doing a good enough job of working the lather right down to the scalp.

If her hair is thick, that might mean adding extra shampoo to the back of her head and around her ears, really scrubbing and massaging the scalp for a few minutes before rinsing. Then repeat. Conditioner on the ends only.

KirstenBlest · 12/10/2023 13:56

Is she applying moisturiser to her face just before bed? Might that be getting on her hair and pillow?

JonHammIsMyJamm · 12/10/2023 14:00

It’s likely her age and hormones, possibly combined with her washing routine. She probably needs to make tweaks to her routine as suggested by PP and be reassured that some of it is puberty related.

Khvdrt · 12/10/2023 14:17

I had this as a teen and my hair is still prone to this; Charles Worthington shampoo was good for this as is washing it in the morning rather than at night. Conditioner only on the ends.
Shr may not want to do it in the morning but it’s between that and being teased. Maybe try washing her hair for her to make sure she is getting it all out and see what difference it makes

Jewelspun · 12/10/2023 14:24

Cordell · 12/10/2023 09:44

I went through a stage of this, and I had never had greasy hair before. I was given weird advice to wash my hair with washing up liquid, and it solved it! It was almost like a build-up of something that it removed. It has never been a problem since.

Fairy washing up liquid is brilliant for greasy roots. I do a wash every now and then using it and it makes my hair beautiful.

Ducksurprise · 12/10/2023 14:28

T gel? I found that helped. And reverse washing, conditioner first and then two lots of shampoo, but also combing it as I'm washing it to get out all the residue.

goingtotown · 12/10/2023 14:31

Wash twice with Vosene Medicated Shampoo.

Hmmthatsgoodchicken · 12/10/2023 14:32

Is she drying her hair before going to bed. Or going to bed with wet hair?

I can tell when dd (14) has gone to bed with wet hair. It looks greasy in the morning for some reason.

Otherwise shampoo twice and only condition the ends, and don't wash it every day.

notquitesoyoung · 12/10/2023 14:33

It can be hormones. DD had greasy hair and almost like cradle cap before she started her periods which isn't uncommon. It was also one of the symptoms she had a few years later pointing to PCOS. It was the first symptom to disappear once she was diagnosed and started taking Dianette for PCOS. Before we realised she had a shopping list of symptoms that were all connected we tried a couple of things which helped the greasy hair a little - a clarifying shampoo. Faith in Nature do a few for greasy hair. A bit time consuming but massage in aloe Vera gel (the more natural the better) liberally all over a dry scalp. Leave for an hour and then wash out with shampoo. That was probably the most successful of everything we tried. Has she stated her periods and if so how long ago?