11 yr old DD and oily hair...HELP!

[lyeag]

I am going to have to tell you this as I went through it with dd...but it is possible she may not be washing her hair? Do you know if she is washing every time?

How I solved it was to have dd put on her swim suit and show me how she washes her hair. Once she did wash in front of me and her hair dried it looked suspiciously clean. Hmmmmmm.....She admitted to not washing her hair all the time in the shower.

Also, if she uses conditioner she may be using too much.

Ding ding ding!!! That was my daughter too. It also looked slimy at times because she wasn't rinsing the conditioner out very well. She is 13 now, and we don't have any problems.

 

[LK03]

If you think she is washing it really good, and it is just hormonal problems, sprinkle some baby powder in her hair and brush it out. That will help absorb some of the oil.

Yes, believe it or not this works! I was on a trip in Europe and I noticed one of the other girls (21 year old) was putting powder directly on her scalp and low and behold she had no oily hair so I gave it a try and it really worked.

I notice that I tend to get oily hair right after I fall asleep. Even if I take a 15 minute nap I'll awake with oily hair. I don't know what to do except shower in the morning and just deal with it. I only use shampoo during the week and a conditioner on the weekend if I need it. I use Aveda and it feels and smells pretty good.

There is a girl's journal I read and she swears by "no-poo" shampoo. It's a combination of household ingredients to the point she doesn't have to wash her hair or her child's hair for days at a time. If you're interested in this I can look it up and post it.

 

[elgerber]

I am 36 and still have oily hair. My poor ds is 12, and his is awful too. It looks clean for about 6 hours, and then it gets oily again. His skin is awful too, he washes his face, and when he gets home from school it's like an oil slick again. My dd is starting to get oily hair too, and she just turned 10 today. They both get it from me. My dh could go a month I swear, and his hair wouldn't be oily. I am having a terrible time at Target finding a shampoo for oily hair, I take it I'm looking at the wrong store? I'm going to have to look for what you guys are suggesting.

 

[almacdonald]

Get conditioner for FINE hair, whether she has fine hair or not. It rinses cleaner and doesn't weigh the hair down. And as counter-intuitive as it sounds, try washing her hair every other day. Shampoo actually dries out your scalp and causes more oil to be produced.... it'll be a tough couple days to start out with but after a week or so you should notice a difference. Good luck!

 

[cruisnfamily]

Everybody is saying she's not shampooing or rinsing well but this may not be the problem. I'm having a problem with DS10's hair and I know it's not lack of shampooing/rinsing. Here's an example. He washed his hair last night and it looked clean and fluffy. This morning after he brushed it before school I was very pleased(and even mentioned to him) with how nice and clean and fluffy it looked. When he came home from school today, his hair looked slimy and greasy again. And no, he didn't sweat or anything, it just gets slimey within 12-24 hours after washing it. I assume it's a hormonal thing or something. This is a new thing this year. Used to be, he could go days without washing it and it wouldn't ever, ever look greasy, now it's greasy the next day. I prefer he only wash it every other day but it's just about mandatory that he wash it every day now or else it looks so very dirty.

 

[mtblujeans]

My DD had a similiar problem....kinda'. She had terrible, terrible dandruff when she was 12. Her hair was greasy and HUGE flakes would come out of her hair. I took her to the doctor and he said her hormones were causing the production of so much oil in her scalp that it could not 'keep up'. He said the oil was attracting dirt and dead skin that would normally get sluffed off, etc. He told me to sit down and brush her hair alot to work as much oil out of the scalp as we could and then to wash it with a shampoo, like Prell, that would really clean up the oil and loose bodily by-products. Is there a clarifying shampoo that not too harsh for daily use?

 

[dizagain]

Wow! Such different ideas! I'm making a list and we'll start trying things this weekend...I'll start by doing her hair for her after a baking soda rinse and then move on to some of these other great suggestions. THANK YOU! I'm sure DD would thank you too, but she'd be mortified to know about this so it's our little secret!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I was told by a hair dresser to wash hair less infrequently. The products can be drying and cause an overproduction of oil leaving hair greasy. As soon as I switched to a maximum of every other day--the problem disappeared.

 

[Sleepy]

My son also had an oily hair problem. We too, found out it was from lack of using SHAMPOO! We narrowed it down to....
1) He was not using shampoo...just lazy and did not want to wash it. Wetting was easier.
2) He was using shampoo, but not ALL OVER.....you know when this happens because the hair on the top would be clean, but the sides and bottom would be still greasy.......again....laziness!
3) He was using shampoo, but possibly holding it under the shower stream and the stream would cause the shampoo to rinse out of his hand before getting to his head.

ETA: Also, make sure she is getting the shampoo to her scalp. If the shampoo is not getting to the scalp, the greasy look is always going to be there. Sometimes with long hair, a child concentrates only on making sure the lather gets on all the ends. Honestly, I would think no matter how greasy a persons hair/scalp tends to be, that first hour or so after washing and drying, the hair should look clean.
Hope this helps.

 

[disneyfan61]

My DS also has oily hair. My hairdresser suggested getting a "stripping" shampoo for "clarifying" shampoo. He started using Salon Selectives which had a "stripping" shampoo. (Green color) but we cannot find it anymore. It worked really well on him now we are using Thermasilk Clarifying shampoo. Works OK
just not as good as Salon Selectives.

 

[Lil_Tink]

Use Herbal Essences for oily-normal hair it has helped me..And make sure she totally washes it out.

 

[weare6travelers]

Once a week my dd13 does a white vinegar rinse before she shampoo's, she pours vinegar in her hair and lets it set for a minute or two and then rinses. Shampoo as usual. It really seems to work.

 

[Sleepy]

Just remembered something else. I once had a salon owner tell me the worst thing you can do is use Prell or Head and Shoulders on a regular basis because it has the wrong PH level. It is ok for a few days, but continued use causes an opposite effect. I have to agree because my husband used it (H&S) for years and said he had to use it due to dandruff. I kept telling him it was causing it to get worse. I changed him to another shampoo (not a dandruff formula) and when his dandruff got worse, I bought him some Tegrin to use AS DIRECTED...then discontinue use. He has not had a problem since.

 

[Buckalew11]

DD uses Herbal Essence for oily hair (clarifying). It works better than anything we have tried.
I second watching her wash it. I think most every child I have ever come across (am a hairdresser) has a hard time with washing their own hair when they start doing it themselves.

Have her use the Herbal Essence conditioner that goes with shampoo for oily hair. Only have her put it on the ends of her hair. Never her scalp!!!

Kids tend to plop the conditioner right on the top of their heads! That is a huge *no-no* when fighting oily hair!!

Otherwise use a spray on conditioner. And a pic. Go to the Sally's a buy a wide toothed pic. They work wonders on combing out long hair. Your DD will thank you!

 

[debaudrn]

If it doesn't clear up after watching and suprevising the shampoo then call your doctor or a dermatologist. My husband age 47 had this happen a couple of years ago. It looked as if he had poured oil on his head. It actually was a form of psoriasis. He got a prescription shampoo and the problem was solved after two shampoos. Just a thought that it may not be poor hygiene or hormonal changes but something completely different.
Debbie

 

[dizagain]

Hi! Well...yesterday I used baking soda on her head - twice! Then shampooed twice for her which she actually loved. She rinsed well and we conditioned the ends of her hair and she combed it out in the shower. It looks SO much better! We'll see how it looks today - I'm letting her sleep in since it's a holiday. She doesn't want to put vinegar in her hair, but I would like to try it next weekend...she wants to know if it makes her head smell like easter eggs? Anyway, thanks so much! I've made a list of suggestions!

 

[Buckalew11]

The vinegar won't make her smell like an easter egg. My DD has the same fear! LOL BTW, soaking in a bathtub with vinegar mixed with water is great for muscle soreness. And you don't smell like an easter egg from that either but you might while your soaking! LOL
Glad to hear her hair looked better yesterday.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

How did her hair look the next day?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Please, we want to know????

Was she washing her hair or not?

 

[dizagain]

Well....her hair sure did look GREAT for two days after I did the baking soda thing and washed it twice for her!!!!! I mean it was bouncy and shiny and just beautiful! So, I do think it was a combination of hormones and lack of rinsing. I know she always does shampoo...just doesn't do it correctly. So, I'll help her out for awhile and get her on the right track and I have my handy list of tips from you guys should we need to try different things! Thanks again!