Becky begs for help: What shampoo is good for a little kid with very greasy hair? My daughter, who’s five years old,
gets very greasy hair over the course of the day. I wash it every morning, but by late in the afternoon it’s so greasy and smelly that I have to wash it again. I tried using a dandruff shampoo, and it did make her hair less greasy. But, it also made her scalp flake. I’ve been using a good degreasing shampoo, so the hair is getting clean, but it seems to get greasy again so quickly. What can I do?
The Right Brain responds:
Becky, this case is a bit tricky. Since your daughter’s greasy hair problem did respond to treatment with a dandruff shampoo we suggest exploring that avenue and experimenting a little further. If using a dandruff shampoo every day cured her greasiness, but caused her scalp to flake, why not try using the dandruff shampoo less frequently? We’d suggest using a good dandruff shampoo, like the Head & Shoulders, every other time you shampoo. If you still get flakes then try it every two shampoos. So one day use your regular shampoo, the next day use your dandruff shampoo, and so on. If the problem persists, you’d better see your pediatrician! Let us know if this helps!
What do YOU think? Do you have a greasy hair problem? What have you tried and what’s worked for you? Leave a comment and share your successes with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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I think that the first course of action should be a call to the pediatrician. Assuming she says she doesn’t think that there is something medical behind it, I would investigate dry shampoos, or maybe even a little baby powder, dusted into her hair and then brushed out. It won’t solve the problem, but it would be an easier way to treat it. Good luck!
This may not be relevant for a child, I don’t know, but I’m an adult and have noticed that using “volumizing” shampoos has helped my oily hair be less oily (and look better). Otherwise, I definitely agree with what Sandra says! I have heard a lot about dry shampoos plus the visit to the pediatrician maybe could help.
I think this matter is quite possibly being made worse by over treatment. The glands that produce oil in the hair follicle that subsequently appear at the scalp respond to stimulation. The MORE you shampoo, the harder they work to produce more oil. I think you should try cutting back on shampooing the hair to every OTHER day using a clarifying shampoo and in between use a dry shampoo to keep the oils under control. Try the one by Rene Furterer it’s great.
Good luck!
My dd experienced this. It turned out to be diet related and once we eliminated the (sigh…) wheat, yeast and sugar, her scalp cleared up and the greasies went away, too. It’s hard for a 5 yr old to comprehend that chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce are off limits, but give it a try for 2 weeks and see if it doesn’t help.
My dd’s 17 now and loves fast food, but also knows what it does to her hair and scalp and she’s good about limiting the offending foods to once a week.
My daughter has a similar problem and we use a shampoo with citrus oils in it. One is Head and Shoulders Citrus Breeze and Kiss My Face Green Tea and Lime. I agree with the using it every other day statement. It sometimes can be drying or to use a little conditioner.
As a teen my hair was best described as beach blonde, baby-fine, spaghetti-straight, and ultra greasy. My best friend? Palmolive dishwashing liquid. After a hairdresser recommended it I shampooed with it daily until I was nearing 40, when hormones changed things. It kept my hair clean and beautiful all day!
Palmolive is really bad for your hair. Shamoo in general is bad for your hair. Start by washing it every other day with baby shampoo. After approximately 6wks her hair will adjust. Then wash it every other couple of days. Again after 6wks her hair will adjust. So on and so on etc… etc…. Eventually you will be able to wash it about 1x a week. Rinse well with water as often as needed, but only shampoo 1x a week. Remember that “Approximately” 6ws is assuming. It could take alittle longer or shorter before her scalp realizes that your not stripping it anymore and it will adjust. It will begin to produce less oil after it notices your not stripping away all the oil that it needs. Cold turkey is best, but most people can’t deal with that so alittle at time will help you adjust.
i’m not sure whether i’m wrong or right since there aare to many information in the world. As i know greasy hair usually accompanied with oily skin due to the over secretion of oil. i suggest to use shampoo with rich in neem and henna. Try look for organic and natural shampoo coz these shampoo do no harm to your hair which without those petrol chemical ingredient. You may not see the instant effect from the organic/natural shampoo but actually it works. This kind of shampoo usually detox your hair then it try nourish your hair and finally solve your problem. Product i can suggest such as Aubrey organic, avalon etc.
I always had normal, beautiful hair without using many products or dying it. I started to have the oily hair problem recently (about a few years ago.) I don’t believe that it’s anything to do with an oily diet- it’s a myth just like “eat oily food and you’ll have pimples”. I tried different shampoos since then, from expensive to dollar store with varying results and discovered that it all depends on the quality of shampoos we use. A few years ago manufacturers cared about quality and making your hair clean, but their tactics changed: now, no matter what you use to wash your hair with (with all this new conditioning, 2 in 1, volume boosting etc) manufacturers are not making shampoos that really clean so we’ll use them more often and buy more of it (that way they make more money!). Organic products are no better, they are just the same products minus or plus a few ingredients and if you think of it even poison can be labeled “organic”.
The real solution to greasy hair is first of all not washing it too often and second buying shampoos without conditioners and other “special effects”. After all, the definition of “shampoo” is to clean hair, it doesn’t have to be expensive and do miracles, it just has to be simple like any other soap you use. Unfortunately, now there’s not many simple shampoos on the market, and people over process their hair, that’s why we prefer to use things like “Pantene” that are contradictory: they wash but they leave residue, or they make your hair silky but they don’t clean enough etc. So my point is: buy the simplest shampoo in the store, even shower gel would do.
P.S: just to correct Simon, hair doesn’t eat. Therefore, it doesn’t need nourishment.
Oily scalp is usually a response from the scalp to excess bacteria that is down in the hair follicle. This excess bacteria that is deep in the hair follicle is trying to be expelled by the body so it secretes oil. However the oils are not usually enough to get rid of the depp bacteria and the oil eventually hardens to create sebum plugs which can lead to hair health problems. Special, natural based shampoos have been developed to eliminate the build up in the hair follicle. The conglomerate of herbal extracts and zinc that gets rid of the bacteria is called Zincplex.