# Is there a new code word for "oily hair'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2015, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839 "2015-05-12T05:24:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/21 "2015-05-14T03:50:35Z")
Avoid creme rinse, anything with the word “moisturizing”, and head and shoulders/house brand equivalent usually works well. The nuclear option is diluted dish soap which WILL remove grease and oil, usually too well. I am serious, _dilute_ it, and do NOT use a version with bleach! In that case, he might need a creme rinse afterward. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/22 "2015-05-14T10:06:27Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > I don’t know how to say this politely so…y’all are wrong, wrong, wrong. 🙂 > > Oily hair and oily skin are made _worse_ when you use harsh soaps to strip away the grease and/or wash too frequently. That creates a vicious cycle whereby your skin creates more oil to ameliorate the now-too-dry skin and scalp, making you oily again. It sounds counter-intuitive, but you need to use gentler products, not harsher, and to wash your hair less frequently. And there will be a period of adjustment that you just have to power through, all the while cursing the idiot who told you to wash your hair less since that _clearly_ doesn’t work for you. The period might take weeks for some people. > > Things to consider: > > \*\*Look for a shampoo that is not made with sodium lauryl sulfate. Sodium laureth sulfate is its less harsh cousin, but go ahead and try sulfate-free shampoos. There are a number of widely available drugstore brands of shampoo that fit this bill – L’Oreal and Organix are two brands that come to mind. > > \*\*If you currently wash your hair every day, try washing it every other day. If you’d like to move more slowly, wash it every day and a half (wash it in the morning today and wash it again tomorrow night) until you can work up to washing it every other day. Or even less frequently. > > \*\*Use dry shampoo on the day you don’t wash your hair (or when you need it). Suave makes one that’s around $3 that’s decent, and [Not Your Mother’s](http://www.cvs.com/shop/beauty/hair-care/shampoo-conditioner/not-your-mother-s-clean-freak-refreshing-dry-shampoo-skuid-870124) dry shampoo has a good reputation for working well. > > \*\*If you don’t want to use dry shampoo for some reason, on the day that you don’t use shampoo on your hair, wash your hair with conditioner only. Scrub that conditioner into your scalp like you would a shampoo that doesn’t lather. Some people do very well adjusting to using conditioner only (never shampoo) for good. > You’re probably thinking, “Girl, you’re clearly nuts, this cannot work” right now, but just give this a shot. Like I said, **there will be a period of adjustment** during which your hair will look extra oily. Stick it out! Wear hats or scarves, pick a time frame where you’re on vacation or don’t have to look your best, whatever. You’ll eventually notice your hair becoming less and less oily in between washes. I’ve basically been doing that for a while, just for convenience. And I’ve found my hair is still always oily the next day. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/23 "2015-05-15T23:27:27Z")
Pomade? People still use that? I thought it went out of style with brill cream and 5 cent gallons of milk. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/24 "2015-05-16T03:24:46Z")
Heck yes, my store does a brisk business in the stuff. We also still sell Brylcream. Modern pomades are often sold under alternatives descriptors like “hair glue” and “spiking glue”, “putty”, and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/25 "2015-05-16T03:56:46Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Heck yes, my store does a brisk business in the stuff. We also still sell Brylcream. > > Modern pomades are often sold under alternatives descriptors like “hair glue” and “spiking glue”, “putty”, and the like. I’m not familiar with glue, but pomade and putty are two different things. Pomade is usually (but not always) oil/grease based and meant to give a shinier (think slicked) finish. Putty is water based and leaves the hair matte. It’s meant to hold your hair with out it looking like it’s full of product. Modern pomades are water based but still meant to make your hair shiny and they’re not the same as putty or fiber or wax. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/26 "2015-05-16T12:27:09Z")
Yes, there are differences between the products, hence the different names, but they’re all under a broader category. The traditional Brylcream/pomades are very much grease/oil based, by the way, there’s not two ways around it. Originally, that sort of “hair treatment” was a mix of lard/tallow and beeswax. Then grease/petrolatum. Or petrolatum/beeswax. And so forth. The “putty” and the like were modifications intended to reduce/eliminate the greasy feel and look. Back in the day when “shampoo” was often the same soap you washed your body or your dishes or clothes with, adding grease back into your hair made a lot more sense than when using the weak detergents that are modern shampoos that don’t strip nearly as much natural oil out of the hair. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/27 "2015-05-16T12:46:29Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve basically been doing that for a while, just for convenience. And I’ve found my hair is still always oily the next day. Totally. My hair goes like this: Day 1- shampoo. Glorious locks that look like a shampoo ad, full of body and shine. Day 2- umm…can I get away with a ponytail? Yeah, but it’s pretty flat and shiny in a bad way, with little grooves from my hair bristles. Day 3- the Saudi ambassador is on the phone, wants to talk about my oil reserves… this is when I do a pony and a headband, like a latte swilling yoga pants wearing soccer mom. I have not shampooed my hair daily ever. Never ever in my life. But neither do I use product, apply heat, tease it or otherwise abuse it. So very little of the oil it’s producing is actually being used up in protection and repair. Natural oily hair is perfectly normal for some people. What everyone forgets about nature is wind and sun. When I’m camping, my hair looks great for 3-4 days between shampoos…because the oil is only replacing what the wind and sun are taking away. Get me back into buildings, and it’s back to lankytown. But I assure you, I have the mane to envy on the savannah. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/28 "2015-05-16T13:11:01Z")
WhyNot, is WhyChild any relation of yours? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839/29 "2015-05-16T19:15:54Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > WhyNot, is WhyChild any relation of yours? Not to my knowledge. 😉 Must be the other side of the Doper family tree…I know the Nots/Notts, but it’s great to meet a Why! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-code-word-for-oily-hair/719839.md?page=1)