shampoo for greasy hair?

[A&A]

My 13 yo. dd's hair is so greasy...she can shower in the morning and it will be greasy again at night. Does your teen have a great shampoo to control the greasies?

(And no, I'm not ready to go no-shampoo, thanks.)

[litanyagainstfear]

I had really greasy hair as a teen, and it's definitely still the tendency. I've found Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap (it seems kind of expensive, but it's concentrated so you use a very small amount and, as a plus, you can use it for other things) to be my best bet, especially in the summer. It doesn't generate a lot of lather, though, so you have to get used to that -- at least I did. It comes in many nice fragrances (orange citrus, lavender, etc).

I know you don't want to go shampoo free, but if you decide to try Dr. Bronner's at all and it seems too drying (which is a possibility), she can use an apple cider vinegar rinse and it should leave her hair totally soft without the greasiness of conditioners.

[whatsnextmom]

My 13-year-old DD has had this same issue the last few months. She also has had mild dandruff for years so she's uses Head-and-Shoulders a couple times a week to keep it under control. I noticed her hair always looks fantastic those days but then, I don't want her using the Head-and-Shoulders daily.

She washes it daily but we've just started looking into shampoos for oily hair. Hope you get some good feedback (and that both our girls outgrow this phase fast!)

[harrietsmama]

some teens just go through that, my mom had to come home to shower at lunch when she was that age because she got so greasy and smelly that fast for about a year she said. I had to shower in the morning and at bedtime. But for the sake of her skin, I would also recommend trying the vinegar rinse over conditioner, and have her get a really good natural bristle brush. comb out the tangles first, then brush to thoroughly spread the oils from her hair down the whole length, at least once a day, but best before showers because it will naturally condition her hair with out adding extra oils, and it will stimulate her scalp and keep it healthy, perhaps help balance it out. If she is opposed to the smell of the vinegar, my mom said she used lemon juice successfully, she has super frizzy curly hair and this is what she used before they came out with hair conditioner.

[Ann-Marita]

You can add some baking soda to regular shampoo to make it fight grease better. Put some shampoo in your palm, add some baking soda and mix it up well (it's an abrasive when dry, but fine when disolved).

Also, I second (third?) the vinegar rinse or lemon juice rinse suggestions. Just be sure to dilute it to about 1:7 to 1:9 (one part vinegar or lemon juice and seven to nine parts water). At that strength, it will help the hair shafts to seal well (which helps scalp oil move down the hair, which helps the hair near the scalp stay less oily), AND it will help gently remove excess oil. If the solution is stronger, it can cause bounce-back oiliness - it will strip the hair, and then the scalp tries double hard to replace the oil.

Vinegar or lemon juice rinse is a leave-in conditioner - don't rinse it out.

(By the way, white vinegar or lemon juice is better for oily hair than apple cider vinegar. ACV has "solids" that, while really good for dry or damaged hair, can cause hair that is oily-to-normal to appear over-conditioned.)

I discovered vinegar rinse as a teen with oily hair. It's great, even if you keep using commercial products. I've used it as the final rinse for my hair for about 30 years, making the solution weaker as I aged and my hair became less oily.

[whatsnextmom]

An update for you. I picked up some "Aussie Cleanse and Mend" shampoo and conditioner due to reccomendation from a friend. DD's been using it this week and it's working great. Her hair hasn't looked greasy even on the day she couldn't take her regular morning shower. Maybe your DD will have similar luck with it!

[A&A]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom

An update for you. I picked up some "Aussie Cleanse and Mend" shampoo and conditioner due to reccomendation from a friend. DD's been using it this week and it's working great. Her hair hasn't looked greasy even on the day she couldn't take her regular morning shower. Maybe your DD will have similar luck with it!

Cool! I'll look for it, thanks.