Need shampoo and conditioner suggestions

[tcufrog]

DS15 has short black oily hair and sensitive skin. His skin is also oily. Does anyone have any recommendations? His hair currently looks really greasy.

 

[ronandannette]

DS15 has short black oily hair and sensitive skin. His skin is also oily. Does anyone have any recommendations? His hair currently looks really greasy.

Try something with tea tree oil. It's fairly astringent and the lather will be good for his skin too. Smells a tiny bit medicinal but some of the ones my son has used have a little bit of eucalyptus to make it faintly minty.

 

[kymom99]

You need a good clarifying shampoo. Look in the mens aisle and find one for oily hair. For a body wash, my son uses Nivea

 

[Aurora79]

I would give the Paul Mitchell tea tree shampoo a try. And tell him to lather, rinse, repeat. It really does help.

I have oily, sensitive skin, and I use Simple brand face wash.

 

[AustinTink]

The best product line for sensitive skin. https://www.vanicream.com/product/free-and-clear-shampoo

ETA: The oily hair is from hormones. My son had it too. This shampoo did the trick.

 

[bcla]

I don't know if any particular shampoo is really going to be that great for oily hair (really oily scalp). Any shampoo should be enough to remove oils as long as enough shampoo is used to cut through all the oils.

The one thing is that a lot of people get obsessive about lather, even though typical lathering ingredients in shampoo don't actually clean. If the hair is sufficiently greasy (like after 3 days camping without washing the hair) it might not lather well, but it should still be clean. Currently I have a shampoo that's light on lathering, which feels different. But once it's rinsed out it's fine.

I have somewhat oily hair and the thing I like using is Paul Mitchell Awapuhi. It's not particularly harsh, but it gets the job done and I like the way it feels. When they package a conditioner, it's usually the original conditioner with carrot extract which I don't particularly like, but you can always mix and match different conditioners.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Try something with tea tree oil. It's fairly astringent and the lather will be good for his skin too. Smells a tiny bit medicinal but some of the ones my son has used have a little bit of eucalyptus to make it faintly minty.

Is there a Trader Joe's near you? TJ's peppermint and tea tree oil shampoo works well and is not expensive.

 

[easyas123]

It's not fancy or high dollar, but Suave clarifying shampoo is my go to as needed. I sometimes add a drop or two of tea tree oil to it when I use it. It's not my regular weekly shampoo, I just use it once in a while.

 

[bjscheel]

My older DD had oily hair as a teen, and curls. I bought strong shampoos to try to cut the oil. Then read on the curltalk forums that being so harsh on the scalp and removing oil makes the glands think they need to produce more and more oil. Based on that I switched her sulfate-free shampoo. It's counterintuitive, but I think it worked.

 

[bcla]

My older DD had oily hair as a teen, and curls. I bought strong shampoos to try to cut the oil. Then read on the curltalk forums that being so harsh on the scalp and removing oil makes the glands think they need to produce more and more oil. Based on that I switched her sulfate-free shampoo. It's counterintuitive, but I think it worked.

There are proponents for not using shampoo - just a water rinse. Or maybe an occasional rinse with a vinegar solution.

 

[Sinder]

When my ds was a teen and had oily hair it was recommended to use Prell, or maybe Pert. It was a few years ago so I don’t remember. It definitely worked whichever one it was.

ETA It was Prell

 

[tzolkin]

It's not fancy or high dollar, but Suave clarifying shampoo is my go to as needed.

I agree. This is the best and easiest option for the OP's situation. Works great on oily/greasy hair but is mild enough to use as his regular everyday shampoo. It seems like it would be too cheap to work (it's like $1-2 depending on the bottle size), but it really is a good product. I even bring this when we go on vacation and will use it head to toe to easily wash off sunblock.

We have some significantly more expensive clarifying and chelating shampoos in our house, but those are way too harsh to use on a regular basis. Those are more like a monthly treatment for stripping product or hard water buildup off the hair.

 

[fly girl]

My dd has my husbands oily hair. I have tried several shampoos and Neutrogena Exfoliating Shampoo for Oily Hair & Scalp has worked well.




I will do a baking soda and apple cider vinegar treatment on occasion as well. But she has longer hair so I am not sure if your son needs that treatment too.

 

[mom2rtk]

I have had a hard time finding shampoo for oily hair recently. Used Head and Shoulders for oily hair years and for some reason it has disappeared. Previously used Pert for oily hair and now that formulation is gone.

Are oily hair shampoos a thing of the past now?

 

[unrequited23]

Just to echo what several posters have already mentioned, oily hair and oily skin can be a reaction to over-cleansing. I would suggest shampooing with a clarifying shampoo twice a month, then using a sulfate-free/paraben-free shampoo and conditioner all the other times. I like the Suave Ocean Breeze Clarifying Shampoo. An Apple Cider Vinegar rinse can also help with buildup on the scalp. As for sensitive skin, cetaphil cleanser and cere ve moisturizing cream (a super light amount while the face is still damp) will work wonders to repair the skin's natural moisture barrier which can cut down on the over production of sebum.

 

[tzolkin]

Are oily hair shampoos a thing of the past now?

Try the Suave clarifying shampoo that several have mentioned. It works surprising well for oily roots.

 

[MrsPete]

No tips on products, but I'll add this: encourage him to change his pillow case often.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I just switched to unscented Honest baby shampoo and conditioner from Whole Foods for sensitivity & like it, but if it was my DS with that situation and very short hair I'd tell him to just go with Dr Bronner's castile bar soap from Wegmans or Whole Foods, it's easy to find, cheap plus both super natural and a bit drying and it says it's fine for hair. I'm noticing that many products I used for years are suddenly more harsh and causing irritation through the whole family, not sure if that's froom supply issues but I've been changing so many things lately.

 

[CallieMar]

Honestly I use the Kirkland brand shampoo and conditioner, which is sulfate free. I used to tend towards oily roots but this has combatted it pretty well. I also use the Suave clarifying shampoo once every few weeks.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I just switched to unscented Honest baby shampoo and conditioner from Whole Foods for sensitivity & like it, but if it was my DS with that situation and very short hair I'd tell him to just go with Dr Bronner's castile bar soap from Wegmans or Whole Foods, it's easy to find, cheap plus both super natural and a bit drying and it says it's fine for hair. I'm noticing that many products I used for years are suddenly more harsh and causing irritation through the whole family, not sure if that's froom supply issues but I've been changing so many things lately.

Agree that Honest and Dr. Bronner's products are reliable and work well. Our dermatologist likes both brands.