Wash this outta my hair!

February 7, 2012 12:01 PM

Why have I developed a sudden greasy patch on my scalp?

Sorry for the grossness, but about five or six months ago I first started to notice that when I blow dried my hair right after washing it, it was all fluffy/soft/clean/normal except for this patch at the back crown of my head. This patch extends around to the right hand side of my hair, about midway towards the end of my hairline. The other half of my hair is completely normal.

What could be causing this? It seemingly appeared of out nowhere, and I've never had the problem before. No matter how much I wash my hair, it won't go away (I usually wash my hair every three days or so, and always have, but I tried unsuccessfully when I found this to scrub it out by washing three times in a row).

I asked my dermatologist, and he told me to use T Gel, which I started doing several months ago. I usually don't notice it because my hair is curly and I air dry it, but I just blow dried my hair and realized that this greasy patch is back and seems to be worse.

It doesn't itch, and no one has noticed it, but when you touch it it just feels heavy, gross, and weighed down, like I have way too much product in it.

Any suggestions?

posted by queens86 to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Oh, oh, I had this - random greasy/heavy spot on the back of your head that's only noticed when your hair is dry? So annoying.

I changed shampoo to Johnsons baby, cut out conditioner and used only a leave-in spray-on one after hair drying. I increased my 'rinses' - 3-4 good, decent ones (annoying when you're trying to get out the door to work!). I stopped using serum and changed over to a silk pillow cover. Shampoo only the scalp, never the ends. Washed hair *less* often and utilised dry shampoo every other day.

I also got about 6 inches lobbed off my hair.

It's hard to isolate exactly which solution above worked, but maybe it's even a combination of all the above that have made weird-greasy-patch disappear. But I had The Patch and I managed to get rid of it.
posted by Chorus at 12:37 PM on February 7, 2012

I've had this, right at the top of the back of my head. I can't say for sure what got rid of it, but I can tell you that I used to wash my hair every day or every other day, and now only wash my hair every 3-4 days, and my hair is so dramatically less oily it's hard to believe it's mine.
posted by HotToddy at 12:43 PM on February 7, 2012

I also had this. Rigorous brushing/shampooing attention, changed pillow cases (more frequently) or maybe just good ol time eventually made it leave. Sympathies. It totally grossed me out.
posted by jojobobo at 12:52 PM on February 7, 2012

If you use or have used topical retin-A to control acne, which it does by reducing the activity and size of oil glands in your skin (I couldn't find a definitive source that stated how reversible this effect is), some of the oil which was clogging pores in your skin could now be coming out on your scalp.
posted by jamjam at 1:01 PM on February 7, 2012

Had an experience with this. Began a new shampoo/conditioner and did some major scrubbing when rinsing my hair. Seemed to clear it up. I also changed up how often I washed my hair (fine thin hair here...cut back on how often or is washed) and it also helped a lot!
posted by PeppahCat at 2:11 PM on February 7, 2012

I had something like this. It seemed to be a localized patch of shampoo build-up. Are you right-handed? Is the patch on your head exactly where you slap your hand to your scalp when first applying shampoo, before you rub it around to lather?

For me, the solution was to rinse my hair with vinegar for several washes in a row, and take care to lather the shampoo between my hands before applying it to my head. Changing shampoos also seemed to help in the short run, but if I kept slapping the unlathered shampoo straight onto my head, every type of shampoo would eventually build up.
posted by Orinda at 4:43 PM on February 7, 2012 [2 favorites]