Curing Waxy & Greasy Hair After Shower Caused by Seborrheic Dermatitis

I suffered from waxy, greasy hair after the shower for years - these tips help!

Since I was a young teenager, about once a year I’d get this build up of waxy, greasy hair after the shower. It just wouldn’t wash out. It started in a very small patch next to my scalp, a type of scalp build up perhaps, and was very waxy. I’d wash and scrub it thinking it would go away, but when I got out of the shower and blew my hair dry, it would still be there- this annoying greasy hair after washing! Obviously it was not a cleanliness issue – I was baffled – I just couldn’t understand it. This happened again very recently and it kept spreading with each wash with my usual, natural shampoo, getting worse every time. Next thing I knew, my entire head was a greasy mess. I was so embarrassed I had to wear a hat. When I was younger and wasn’t informed about the benefit of non-toxic skincare, I used a plethora of shampoos I wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole now. But I still would develop this waxy buildup that wouldn’t wash out of showering. So, we can’t blame the natural products I use now for being less effective because I saw the same lack of results with the normal drug-store shampoos.

What causes this greasy, waxy hair?

According to Dr. Peter Lio, board certified dermatologist and the founder of the amazing Chicago Integrative Eczema Center, it’s very likely a form of seborrheic dermatitis, a type of eczema of the scalp.

“Seborrhoeic eczema (American spelling is ‘seborrheic’) is a common, chronic or relapsing form of eczema/dermatitis that mainly affects the scalp and face. There are infantile and adult forms of seborrhoeic eczema. It is sometimes associated with psoriasis (sebopsoriasis).” Source Dermnet NZ

According to Dr. Lio, “the first part (of seborrheic dermatitis) is increased oil production, then the malassezia yeast overgrows, then the immune system gets mad, then you get scales and redness. Dandruff is an uninflamed form of seborrheic dermatitis. Dandruff presents as bran-like scaly patches scattered within hair-bearing areas of the scalp.” I found this very interesting because I traditionally associate dandruff (also called pityriasis capitis) with seborrheic dermatitis, but not the waxy, greasy scalp.
Dr. Lio’s theory is that this waxy, non-scaly residue in my hair was probably seborrheic dermatitis that didn’t get a chance to fully develop for some reason. It could be because my diet is so clean that I didn’t develop full-blown scales and redness, but when I was younger I was NOT eating healthy at all. Hello, Hamburger Helper and Lean Cuisines! Yikes. Thankfully those days are the past.

Read more about why our family’s skin concerns led us to a cleaner, whole foods based diet HERE.

But that doesn’t give me much of a clue as to why my hair likes to wax out on me. Apparently there are many common triggers for seborrheic dermatitis such as; hormones, stress, weather, diet, and a genetic predisposition. So it’s likely one of these things that are responsible for the changes in my scalp.

What I find even more interesting is that I do suffer from dandruff as well, but for me it’s more chronic, unlike this waxy, greasy scalp issue that only happens once or so a year. So, apparently I have seborrheic dermatitis that manifests itself in different ways on different parts of my scalp.

Read More: 4 Ways to Treat Seborrheic Dermatitis

Treating waxy, greasy hair with apple cider vinegar.

Treating waxy, greasy hair with apple cider vinegar.

How to treat the waxy buildup

In the past when this has happened, I have used – GASP – a chemical laden harsh, clarifying shampoo from the drug store. But, it stripped my hair of the greasiness after one use, so I happily went back to my regular shampoos afterward. However, this last time I decided to try a natural method. Even if it took longer to rid my hair of this greasy, waxy substance, I was determined to rid my hair of this mess naturally.

I scoured the web for ideas, and boy were there plenty! It seems this is a pretty common thing. Who knew?! I guess a greasy scalp is associated with uncleanliness, so it’s not something people want to openly discuss, except behind the privacy of an online dialog. But what I had in common with all these people with waxy scalp is that they all found washing it with normal, moisturizing shampoos is that the waxiness was worse afterwards.

Many forums I found recommended the harsh, clarifying shampoos that worked for me before. Some also recommended stripping your hair with a dishwashing soap. I did find some natural recommendations like rinsing with apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil based shampoos (which Dr. Lio recommends as well). I also read about adding baking soda to boost the cleaning power of the shampoo.

In the end, this is what I tried:

  1. I saturated my hair and scalp with straight Apple Cider Vinegar (which I wouldn’t recommend as it was too strong and burned my skin! Try diluting it with the same quantity of water instead as to not burn yourself as I did.)
  2. I then stuffed my hair into a shower cap and let the vinegar treat my hair and scalp for 30 minutes.
  3. I washed it out and added about 1TBS of baking soda to Giovanni’s Tea Tree Triple Threat Shampoo, a natural tea tree & dandruff shampoo and cleaned my scalp carefully with this mixture.
  4. I washed it out and conditioned as usual.

And….IT WORKED!!!!! YAY!

Also, in regards to the WHY this is happening – I think this type of dermatitis seems to occur when I consume a lot of dairy over a few day period. I know I am intolerant to dairy, so this must be one of the ways my body detoxes from too much cheese, milk, ice cream, etc. This theory makes sense when I look back to how often this happened when I was younger and I ate a lot of dairy. Now, I know my body doesn’t do well with it based on results from elimination diets as well as this food intolerance test I took.

Read More: Our Eczema Elimination Diet Success(And How You Can Do It Too!)

[Update 3/16/2015] I’ve tried a 1/3 apple cider vinegar to 2/3 water ratio as a 5 minute pre-shampoo scalp treatment while in the shower and it seems to do the trick if I notice my hair is just starting to get greasy. I found I don’t need the clarifying tea tree shampoo or the baking soda if I catch the waxiness early on. If I wait too long again, I’ll probably need to do a more concentrated vinegar treatment with the tea tree and baking soda again.

[Update 12/19/2016] Nine months ago we installed a soft water system and I am thrilled to say that I NEVER experience the waxy build up on my scalp anymore. Before this I had been battling waxy, greasy scalp buildup continuously for the past year. All I do now is shampoo with a little extra scrubbing in the areas where I used to have the buildup and rinse with our soft water. And voila! Amazing, wax free, grease free hair! On a side note, I did invest first in a special shower head that removes chlorine and sadly this did not provide me with any improvement. I also tried using clay and the no-poo method with zero results. It wasn’t until the water softener that I can say I am free of buildup and no longer have to constantly fuss over my hair! Yay!

We installed a whole house water softener system by Culligan to remove all the chemicals and hard minerals in the water, but if you want to try this on a smaller, lower cost scale, you can try these shower head units for less than $40! It should work just as well and at a fraction of the cost.

Clean hair after apple cider vinegar and baking soda treatment.

Clean hair after apple cider vinegar and baking soda treatment.

Ideas for staying wax and dandruff free

Although the baking soda really helped, I don’t recommend using it on a regular basis. Apparently it can be very damaging to the hair and a lot of people who use it to clean their hair with the “no-poo” method have realized this after their hair was damaged beyond repair.

Check out the science behind baking soda and hair in How to Treat Your Greasy Scalp: Is Baking Soda Helpful or Harmful? and make the best decision for your own hair.

Between shampoos, if things get really greasy and you need to look presentable and fast, I recommend trying a dry hair shampoo like this one. OR make your own! It’s super simple and it’s what I do.

DIY Hair Shampoo:

I take GMO free corn starch or really any starch and apply cocoa powder to darken it up – apply it directly to your hair. I’ve tried carob instead and it works, but I find cocoa powder more effective, but your hair will have a slight chocolate smell. For blondes, you can just use plain starch. For brunettes, add cocoa powder until you get to a color that will disappear against your roots. Voila! DIY dry hair shampoo to cut the grease until your next shower. Works like a charm.

For a daily maintenance shampoo, look for something pH balanced and with tea-tree oil. I use Giovanni Shampoo Tea Tree Triple Treat. I adore the Giovanni line of shampoo and conditioners because they are natural and I find they work really well on my hair. In fact, they make the only natural conditioner that actually allows me to run a comb through my easily tangled locks. In case you’re curious, the one I love is Giovanni Smooth as Silk Conditioner.


Zinc shampoos are traditionally known for their excellent treatment of dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. This Zinc and Sage Shampoo from John Masters would work well and it’s one of the few natural options around. Or if you’re looking to go even more natural, you can try this recipe for Do-It-Yourself Honey Shampoo. It seems really easy and honey is just such a great natural ingredient with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.

For a daily maintenance conditioner, if you find a regular conditioner is too heavy, apple cider vinegar seems to be helpful for dermatitis of the scalp and man, it leaves the hair so silky smooth. It seems to be gentle enough for long-term use when diluted. Why does apple cider vinegar help for dandruff and other forms of seborrheic dermatitis? It’s likely because a healthy scalp is slightly acidic, between 4.5 – 5.5. So ACV can help bring the scalp back to its ideal level of acidity – more pH balanced. Empowered Substance recommends the following ACV rinse in lieu of conditioner or cream rinse: “Dilute 1 – 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 1/2 cup of water to create this rinse. The gentle acidity of this rinse helps promote a balanced scalp and can prevent the common fungal overgrowth which leads to dandruff. Always rinse with water after using the diluted vinegar on your hair.”

You can also try this Remedywear™ Hat for Adults  and Remedywear™ Baby and Kid Hat. It’s not only helpful with treating dandruff, but it can also help treat scalp psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis. Made with hypoallergenic material and featuring anti-inflammatory zinc, it keeps the scalp and ears protected while soothing irritated or itchy skin. It also features moisture-wicking sweat control to keep you comfortable all night long.

Have you experienced chronic dandruff or waxy, greasy scalp buildup? What worked for you?

 

Also, Check out some of our other great posts:

Natural Treatments for Eyelid Dermatitis

Top Tips for Weeping Eczema 

Examining Eczema on Feet

Magical Benefits of Honey for Eczema

FROM: Eczema

440 Comments

  1. Nutrimom on October 7, 2014 at 11:25 am

    I’m curious about this with my kids. Every once in awhile, they get a waxy build up that I usually use a comb to scratch off, then I shampoo and dry like crazy. Over the summer it was so bad that my daughter (blonde) had visible brown spots on the pores, which I thought was due to swimming, sunscreen, etc. but when you mention yeast overgrowth (which is something that popped up on her test), bingo! I wish I had known about the vinegar before torturing her with the comb (ha!). I’ll have to try it and let you know if it happens again. Thanks!

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 13, 2014 at 8:54 am

      Sounds like dermatitis for sure. Mine never got to the flaky cradle cap like scales, but greasy hair is still gross. I hope this treatment works for you.

      • Amitta on May 30, 2019 at 11:33 am

        Hi Jennifer! I was just wondering what chemical laden harsh clarifying shampoo you got from the drugstore??

      • MPS on May 13, 2020 at 10:52 am

        Hi Jennifer, I read your post though I know it’s a few years old I hope you can get back to me. From ACV over baking soda I’ve tried it all. Tgel, tsal, charcoal shampoo, tea tree oil, egg masks, lemon honey mixtures and even dawn. All it did for me is ruin the lengths of my hair which I assume is based on the fact that I’ve dyed blonde hair??? The only time my hair is nice is if I dye it. 2 days later it’s already a greasy mess. I’m so devastated. I’ve been dealing with it for 20 years but the last two years have been torture. I want to shave my head as I am too embarrassed to even be in pictures with my beautiful children. What kind of water softener have you been using? I’m so desperate I’m willing to try anything. Thanks

        • Margie on July 28, 2020 at 1:22 am

          Hi MSP, I was having an issue for the past 1+ year where my hair felt…waxy. Not soft. Kinda sticky. Thick and gummy. No matter which shampoo I used, no matter how much I rinsed and scrubbed. I asked husband and daughter, and they had the same issue. If I showered and shampooed somewhere else (gym, vacation, etc), my hair was soft and normal. Hmmmm, something in our water at home? We already had a water softener, but just replaced our very old hot water heater, which had accumulated decades of sludge inside. Voila! Instantly my hair is back to clean and soft! I don’t understand why, but somehow the water coming through that heater must have reacted with our hair to leave the waxy coating. I’m not sure if this is the same issue you’re having, but it may be worth checking into.

        • Michelle on August 31, 2021 at 11:58 am

          I just came across this article years later, but I hope I’m able to help. About 8 years ago, my daughter (15 y at that time) developed some scalp psoriasis. We tried all these dandruff shampoos and clarifying shampoos. Nothing helped. In fact, every time we used a dandruff shampoo she would get the worst waxy, gummy residue that wouldn’t come out. She was mortified. Then I read something online and it worked immediately – like a miracle! Regular yellow tear-free J & J Baby Shampoo. Even the generic store brand worked like a charm to get rid of the gummy feeling! You’ll need to use a palmful and wash a couple times. She stopped using any dandruff shampoo which caused the waxiness. But even now, when she uses this petroleum based ointment for the psoriasis on her scalp, she’ll use the baby shampoo first to get the greasiness out before she uses her regular shampoo. Sorry for the long post. If you haven’t solved your issue, I hope this helps!

      • Roses on May 26, 2020 at 9:07 pm

        Does this also make your skin break out and feeling vary itchy all over and does this spread all over? If left untreated and left with fungal overgrowth??

    • Karim on August 6, 2022 at 8:32 am

      Hello, I’m a 16 year old boy and I’ve had this problem for 2 years. My hair feels very rough, sticky after shampooing. I’ve been to 3 doctors that gave me anti dandruff shampoos but they don’t work for me. Normally, I would wash my hair once a week and my hair would be amazing. Now, my hair feels oily after 2 days. I’ve tried almost everything, I even tried a Paul Mitchell clarifying shampoo but my hair just felt like strings. I mean my hair looks curly/wavy after showering but my hair is supposed to be straight. It even takes 2-3 hours to dry because of the sticky stuff. Sorry for the long text but I hope someone can help me because I feel hopeless.

      Karim

      • Lolo on November 15, 2022 at 9:05 am

        Dear Karim,

        I know it might be pricey and not very comfortable but try rinsing with a gallon of distilled water. Also, emulsify your shampoo inside a small bottle of water prior to applying to your scalp, in an about 6oz of spring/distilled water mix a teaspoon of your shampoo and shake until foamy.

      • Patrice on November 6, 2023 at 7:18 pm

        Oh I needed to read this! Last year my face developed a severe case of rosacea/dermatitis. I looked like a burn victim. I’m in my 60’s and have never had an issue with my skin in my life. NOW after fighting this for a year with various Dermatologists and prescription creams (to no avail) my hair has suddenly become a grease pit one day after washing when I’ve lived with dry hair my entire life. Between my gross face and greasy hair I am beside myself that this will be my new normal.

  2. Jacqueline on November 8, 2014 at 10:02 pm

    I think I may be having a similar issue. There’s just this one patch of hair on the side of my head that all of a sudden began to persistently have this waxy/greasy feel to it. I tried an apple cider vinegar clarifying shampoo and it didn’t help, and I’ve been washing my hair using T-Gel (a coal tar shampoo) for years to treat-and now mostly just prevent- dandruff, and it doesn’t help either. I’ve started using a tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner, but I can’t even go one shower without using it, and sometimes even with the tea tree it’s still there. My hair dresser doesn’t know what it is, and I’m terrified I’m going to have to shave my head or something.

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 10, 2014 at 4:48 pm

      Hi Jacqueline – I’m sorry to hear that. Have you tried adding baking soda to your shampoo on occasion? This really helped me. Jennifer

      • Sarah on March 10, 2016 at 2:57 pm

        Jennifer, you need to stop telling people to use baking soda. Baking soda is VERY bad for the skin and disrupts the acid mantle barrier. It’s irresponsible to do anything other than tell people to go to a dermatologist. They need to get treated by seborrheic dermatitis by a professional who has undergone years of training.

        Any professional will tell you that vinegar is not enough and doesn’t solve the problem for most people.

        • Jennifer Roberge on March 11, 2016 at 12:40 pm

          Hi Sarah – It’s up to everyone to try different things to see what works for them. If medication and chemical shampoos can be avoided, that’s best in my opinion. But it’s up to everyone’s level of comfort with natural products vs conventional medicine. I’m simply pointing out what works for me. I’m glad what you tried works for you as well, that’s fantastic! And I’m glad you shared it here, hopefully some people will find it helpful. – Jennifer

        • jose padilla on June 2, 2017 at 1:28 am

          you need to stfu sarah. cause baking soda is great and my doctor also recommandes it.

    • Nicole on July 15, 2018 at 9:01 pm

      Were you able to fix this? I used to use dish soap and that clears it up for me. Dawn is great on dishes so why not on hair lol. But seriously, continued use I’m sure would dry it out but I used it once every couple years when it happens and immediately go back to normal shampoos.

  3. Becky Kolemainen on December 15, 2014 at 6:47 am

    Wow, I’m so thankful you made the decision to post about this. My heart aches for my 14 yr old daughter who appears to have this “craddel cap” syndrome in an intense way. I’m ebmarrassed for her as the white waxy flakes, at first glance, would cause a stranger to think she might have head lice. The worst of it is right at the front of her head, of course, the most visible. We’ve been using the T-Gel shampoo as well but only for a few days now. I need something to work faster as the T-Gel seems to break up the build up but that’s only making things worse as the build up/flakes now become loose, white, flakey particles throughout her hair, mostly around the forehead area. Thankfully she has super curly hair and therefore the flakes aren’t as visible as if she had straight hair. I think in our efforts to calm the Rosanne Rosanna Danna curls we’ve gone overboard with the unknowingly waxy hair products which have probably contributed to the problem. Anyway, thank you. For other reasons I’ve become quite familiar with Apple Cider Vinegar from my nutritionist/chiropractor and have been helped with yeast overgrowth in quite another area (let’s say far south of my scalp). I know the power of ACV and figured that might be a cure. So thankful you posted.

    • Jennifer Roberge on December 15, 2014 at 3:42 pm

      Hi Becky – I’m so glad this post was helpful to you. I can imagine at age 14 how it must be very difficult to live with this form or dermatitis. Other kids can be so critical and hurtful. I hope you can get to the bottom of it soon. Fingers crossed the ACV works for her! Jennifer

  4. Kelly Hine on January 14, 2015 at 11:53 am

    I am so thankful that you decided to post about this! I am a college student and I have gotten this waxy/greasy build up in the back of my head about twice a year for the past two years. I am a very clean person and wash my hair every day, so I knew it wasn’t a hygiene issue. It just wouldn’t wash out no matter how hard I scrubbed or lathered my hair! It just made me feel dirty and I always wore my hair up whenever this happened. I tried the apple cider vinegar treatment for the first time and I think it worked! I tried it on a small patch in the back by soaking it in a pretty diluted vinegar/water mixture. Then I poured some vinegar on a wash cloth and dabbed it on the part of my hair that I was treating. Next I washed it out in the shower with just water and I blow dried it (I normally blow dry my hair). I immediately felt a difference when I was done blow drying!! My hair isn’t totally rid of the waxy build up yet because I tried it only on a small portion to see how that would work and it was wonderful. I’m sure once I do it again on the entire back of my head that it will feel light, soft, and bouncy once again! Thank you so much for posting this!!

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 26, 2015 at 1:30 pm

      Kelly, I’m so glad this helped you! That’s fantastic! Thank you for letting me know!

  5. Betty on January 24, 2015 at 2:37 am

    I have the same waxie issue happening and I was wondering if you could tell me some shampoos to use that would get rid of this. Please help … 🙁

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 24, 2015 at 9:18 am

      Hi Betty- I think any tea tree oil based product should work. I think the key though is adding the vinegar soak and then using baking sods with the shampoo like I indicated in the post. Some have luck with a very cheap clarifying shampoo because it will strip the hair of the wax. But ti is quite damaging.

    • Kat on February 9, 2015 at 10:43 pm

      I would recommend Trader Joe’s tea tree oil shampoo, it’s sulfate free and gentle on your hair 🙂

  6. Katie on February 5, 2015 at 8:26 pm

    You my dear are amazing!! I have been having that greasy problem all across the top of my head and it drives me crazy! I used the ACV with water as the rinse and added some baking soda to my shampoo and my hair looks and feels wonderful again! I can’t thank you enough for posting about this! Do I do this more than once to keep the grease away or do I just do it when I have the problem again?

    Thank You Again!

    • Jennifer Roberge on February 9, 2015 at 2:14 pm

      Hi Katie – That’s great! I’m so happy to hear this worked well for you as well! I personally only do this treatment when I notice the waxy buildup coming back. But you can treat your hair with ACV as often as you like. Some people enjoy spraying their hair with diluted ACV in lieu of conditioner, so that’s something to consider as well. But I would avoid the baking soda unless you really need it. Jennifer

      • Tori on June 1, 2017 at 3:47 pm

        Jennifer I’ve been searching every where online with no results excepts I came across this!!! I have the same problem! Wanna shave my head ! My hair looks greasy and feels waxy but not flaky. I’ve tried ACV and I didn’t help I think it is my water. You said you put a water softener in your water and it help? I need to do that we had our water tested and he said it was fine but when I shower I my Mother in laws it’s 90% better then when I shower I home, I don’t know where to start!!!

        • Jennifer Roberge on June 5, 2017 at 11:44 am

          HI Tori –

          I’m guessing the water at your mom’s house is soft? Yes, the water softener changed my hair and I’m fine now washing with it. It is expensive to change to soft water though. So if you can find another alternative, that would be easier. I hope you find your answers!

  7. Van on February 6, 2015 at 10:11 am

    Hi Jennifer!

    Your post is super informative and helpful! I plan to use apple cider vinegar on my hair but how do I have to soak it for it to work? How often do I have to soak my hair in apple cider vinegar? Thank you!

    • Jennifer Roberge on February 9, 2015 at 2:12 pm

      Hi Van – I’ve only had to do the apple cider vinegar soak once with the baking soda treatment. My hair has been ok since. It’s really going to be different for everyone though. ACV is ok to use with every hair washing, but I wouldn’t recommend the baking soda but on the rare occasion. For the ACV soak, dilute the ACV as directed and then add it to a spray or pour bottle with your head over the sink or bathtub and saturate your hair – wring out your hair and then added a plastic hair cap on top to let the ACV treat your hair for about 30 minutes. This is important when the waxy buildup starts to penetrate your entire head of hair. If it’s just a problem at the roots, you may find you can just saturate the roots before or after shampooing and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. Jennifer

  8. Misty on February 8, 2015 at 10:40 pm

    Hi! I came across your post while trying to figure out why my hair felt waxy! I have been using a clay based shampoo for 3 + months and I am still getting. Nasty waxy buildup on my scalp. And just this week, my hair got incredibly waxy, it felt like I had gel in it! Have you found anything to help with the daily waxy buildup on the scalp? My clay shampoo includes clay, aloe Vera, an herbal tea mix and water. Then I use diluted acv and aloe for conditioner. I have been washing 2 times a week, but usually by the time I wash I have what feels like a 1/4 in of buildup!

    • Jennifer Roberge on February 9, 2015 at 2:05 pm

      Hi Misty – Although your current shampoo sounds lovely and natural, it may not be best for your hair/scalp type. If you want to keep using it, I’d suggest alternating it with a tea tree shampoo and the ACV. If that doesn’t work, I’d add baking soda to the shampoo one time and see how it goes. Just don’t rely on the baking soda every time as it can damage your hair. Also, I’d look into your diet and gut health to determine if there is a bigger health issue that is causing your scalp to produce this excess waxy oil. Jennifer

  9. Kat on February 9, 2015 at 10:38 pm

    I am so thankful I found your article! I’ve suffered with this waxy buildup on my hair since I entered my teen years and I thought I was a lost cause, thank you so much for giving me hope!!

  10. ruthie on February 11, 2015 at 9:45 am

    so thankful to have found this post!! I had a baby 8mos ago and ever since she was born my hair has been doing funny things.. one of them being – I have very “waxy” roots! no where else, just at the roots. always have to wear my hair up because just looking at it, someone would think it is dirty & greasy. . . i always blamed the waxiness on hormonal changes after having a baby. i will definitely have to try the acv. im wondering, I have always had dry flakey patches of skin on my arms, never went to the doctor about it but always assumed it was probably eczema. I wonder if I am more prone to the waxiness in my hair because of my skin issue? also I think I may start using the acv in place of conditioner. I would think it wouldn’t be good for hair but from what you said it sounds like a good idea 🙂 I do wonder, though… does your hair smell like acv after the shower?

    • Jennifer Roberge on February 12, 2015 at 10:27 am

      Hi Ruthie- vinegar is actually a deodoriser, so it will not make your hair smell of vinegar after rinsing it out. If you follow up with a shampoo then your hair will only smell of that shampoo.

  11. MO on February 11, 2015 at 3:41 pm

    Thank you so much for posting this. About a week ago I noticed my hair seemed a lot more oily than usual and assumed I just didn’t rinse my conditioner out thoroughly enough. But then after washing it every day, using different shampoos and avoiding conditioner, it just got worse. I then tried head and shoulders which I usually avoid as it seems to burn my scalp. ..and I thought of that doesn’t work, then I know something is wrong. Of course it just got worse. Then I found your post and then next day bought some ACV. I used THE ACV solution, let it sit in my hair with a shower cap for about 45 minutes. I then had a shower and washed my hair with baking soda and my regular shampoo and when I woke up this morning my hair was dry, not waxy or oily, but soft and smooth. MAGIC! 🙂 Phew, I was starting to panic till I found your post so thanks again. 🙂

    • Jennifer Roberge on February 12, 2015 at 10:19 am

      That’s fantastic! I’m so glad this helped you too.

  12. Heather Walker on February 15, 2015 at 7:45 pm

    I have been battling this for YEARS! I actually just broke down in ULTA trying to find something to help as no one seems to have a solution. I got a clarifying shampoo today and want to make sure I try it the way you did to be successful. You put the ACV water mixture on your head for 30 minutes and then washed it with the clarifying shampoo and a conditioner? I use pureology now but may try tree oil based one next.

    • Jennifer Roberge on February 15, 2015 at 7:52 pm

      Yes! But when I used the shampoo, I added a TBS of baking soda with the shampoo. Try that. Good luck Heather!

      • Heather Walker on February 16, 2015 at 12:31 pm

        If I already have a clarifying shampoo, should I still add baking soda? I don’t want to kill my hair with to much stripping stuff!

        • Jennifer Roberge on February 16, 2015 at 1:07 pm

          You can try just the clarifying shampoo first. If that doesn’t work, then I’d try a tea tree shampoo with the added baking soda.

    • AnnMarie on October 30, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      I have been battling this for three years as well. I came across the Apple cider vinegar trick. Do you do that every time you wash your hair? So you really found those shampoos help with the waxy buildup? I have a doctor appointment to talk about food allergy testing next Friday. I am going to look into my shower head as well.

  13. Elena on March 1, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    I just wanted to thank the author for posting this. I’ve had this problem for 3 months now, oily, greasy hair in the crown area. I have no idea why it happened, but I blamed coconut oil mask that I did and let it stay on my hair for 30 min, after I washed it my hair was oily and greasy, but not on the whole head, just the crown area. So I though hm, maybe I just didn’t wash it out properly. Next time I washed my hair twice, didn’t condition it and right after I got out of the shower – my hair was still the same. I was desperate, I’ve tried regular soap, I’ve read somewhere that egg yolks can help absorb the grease too, but it didn’t work, tried dishwashing thing too, no result. Having hair like this for 3 months was just horrible. And then one day I was googling it and found this post, decided to try it and IT WORKED! I applied Apple Cider Vinegar (mixed with water, 40% vinegar, 60% water) on my hair and let it sit for 35 min and I had a shower cap on my head the whole time. After that I washed my hair with clarifying shampoo (I used AG) mixed with 1 teaspoon of baking soda, then washed it again with clarifying shampoo only (maybe it would have helped even if I just washed it once, idk, but I just wanted to get rid of it really bad) and conditioned as I usually do after washing my hair (AG as well). I could feel the difference right away, the greasy spot was gone, and I really hope it’s gone for good. I’ll post here again in case it does, but i hope u won’t hear from me :)) Thank you so so much for your post! You saved my hair 🙂

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 16, 2015 at 9:26 pm

      Yay! So happy to read about your success Elena! I wonder if you may have a mild allergy to coconut oil or one of the ingredients in the hair mask you tried. I seem to have this issue with oily residue when I eat the foods I know I’m sensitive to. I guess it’s one of the ways my body handles a mild reaction. I hope you are able to stay wax free from now on! Thanks for the feedback. Jennifer

  14. Kelley on March 8, 2015 at 9:57 pm

    I can’t possibly thank you enough for this post. In the last week or so i noticed a small spot on my head that this thick, waxy-like grease would not come off of. I was like.. Weird.. I just showered.. Maybe i didn’t rinse out my conditioner well enough. So I washed my hair again. It got worse. And the more I washed the worse it got. It was at the point where the whole top Of my head was a waxy, matted mess. I tried everything too. From washing with 6 different shampoos to washing with dish soap. Nothing worked. Until this! Thank you so much. I did dilute the apple cider vinegar but it did still burn my skin. Minor compared to the two weeks of being so embarrassed and frustrated that I could barely leave the house. Thanks again!

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 16, 2015 at 8:50 pm

      Hi Kelley – Yay! I love to hear that this helped you. Next time try diluting the vinegar even more and see how that goes. I hope it doesn’t happen to you again, but if it does, at least you have a solution. Take care. -Jennifer

      • Tracie Odom on December 29, 2019 at 9:27 pm

        I found that Neutrogena t-sal not t-gel works the best

  15. anitha on March 15, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    “Conditioning as usual” please tell me how u do it.

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 16, 2015 at 8:44 pm

      I just use a standard conditioner – I like the Giovanni brand, but really any conditioner will work. The conditioner isn’t what’s causing the buildup, it’s the excessive oils from the scalp.

  16. Jenna on March 17, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    Thank you so much for the information! I am so sick of washing and blow drying my hair to find my hair just as greasy as right before I showered. I’m eighteen and have been dealing with a huge waxy patch of hair/oily scalp for the past year and a half. As soon as I read the post I went straight to my local WalGreens for a shampoo that treats seborrheic dermatitis. I can’t stop touching my hair it’s so smooth! I tried so many clarifying shampoos, and my dermatologist only offered a low dosage of the intense treatment of accutaine. Who knew it was that easy? No more tears! Now I can go out without any shame and rock my new hair! THANK YOU!!

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 18, 2015 at 9:58 am

      I’m so glad it helped! Just remember that you have dermatitis for a reason. Try to look at what may be triggering it. Diet is often a huge factor.

    • Tina Bewley on March 26, 2015 at 4:09 am

      Hello, can you tell me what shampoo you bought at Walgreens? Im having a same problem. Help!

    • Drew on May 10, 2019 at 7:15 pm

      Hi! I’m so happy I came across your article. I’ve shed a lot of tears recently because of this problem. I got it out of nowhere almost a year ago now & its gotten progressively worse. Even using a clarifying shampoo & a tea tree oil shampoo & conditioner. last night I used a natural ACV shampoo & conditioner for the first time along w/ a little packet for hard water. And the acv shampoo didn’t help. If anything it made it worse. My hands r white w/ residue when I run them thru my hair. Do u think it was becuz I didn’t use straight diluted ACV?

  17. nidhi on March 20, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    Hey,I want to know if I apply acv(not organic I guess) and wash my hair without any shampoo (as I am planning to go no poo) is it okay? I am scared cause my dandruff is oily and I break out due to it! I don’t want to break out anymore… Please help!

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 21, 2015 at 10:44 am

      I really cannot say as I haven’t tried this. I would try soaking with vinegar and then washing out with baking soda just without shampoo. If hair is tangled then rinse with vinegar again at the end.

  18. Laura on March 25, 2015 at 8:38 pm

    What a lifesaver you are Jennifer! I had no idea what was going on and was SO grateful to find your site. I couldn’t even get a brush through my hair it was all so waxy and gummy, and now thanks to your suggestions I have my regular beautiful hair back! Can’t thank you enough for your help!! One question – should I shampoo as regular tomorrow? Thanks! Very appreciative to you!!

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 30, 2015 at 11:45 am

      That’s fantastic! Yes, you should be able to shampoo as normal again. If the waxiness happens again, just treat it right away again with vinegar.

  19. Ariel on March 29, 2015 at 3:02 am

    Thank you so much for posting this! I am 14 years old and about 2 weeks ago I noticed my hair felt and looked greasy/waxy even right after I had showered. My friends noticed too and it was very embarassing. I started showering and washing my hair everyday in hopes of getting rid of what I thought might be excess build up of conditioner or something but it only got worse. My dad bought me a harsh $30 shampoo which also didn’t work. Then I found this article! I took apple cider vinegar and diluted it to 50% ACV 50% water and left it in my hair for 45 minutes then washed and conditioned normally and now my hair is light and soft again! Thank you again so much again 🙂

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 30, 2015 at 11:37 am

      Hi Ariel – I’m so glad this helped you! Just keep in mind, that this type of hair issue is a form of dermatitis, which means there is usually an underlying issue causing this. Many times it’s food or hormone related. Mine first started around your age and it’s been an issue on and off for 20 years! I’m realizing now that mine is tied to my poor digestion and food issues. Jennifer

      • Leah on May 4, 2019 at 3:55 pm

        I’ve had this issue since my second daughter was born, both before going plant based, and since, and it didn’t matter if I was in a country with hard water or soft, but it’s been so bad lately I had to cover it with a bandana last night to keep from feeling I was getting the pillow case oily. No matter how much I washed it, it was always oily by the next day. I used to be able to go two days without washing, then it was one, then it was half a day?!!? So lately it got much worse. In addition I get painful hormonal spots on my head that itch fiercely so I was in hell. I’ve used every “natural” shampoo out there, and the Avalon organics tea tree oil one is the only one that has given me any relief in the past. Lavender oil products seem to inflame and exacerbate it, which was surprising. Then last week I did henna and the Vaseline just destroyed my hair, it was like waxy glue everywhere. I washed and washed and washed but it only got worse. Long story short your fix of ACV cut with water, about 1:2 for half an hour. The minute the wash saturated my scalp the itching stopped. Next 1/2 tsp baking soda added to t-gel shampoo, I could already tell in the shower that it was working, I didn’t feel the sticky thick oil any more. My hair feels cleaner and lighter than it’s felt in months, maybe longer. My sister went the co-wash route and said it changed her life, but the products and techniques she uses are very specific. This easy fix worked for me and literally saved me, I was so unhappy before. I hear you about finding underlying causes, but other than coffee and stress, neither of which is leaving my life any time soon, I think for me it’s hormonal and have not yet found a solution better than this. Thank you Jennifer.

  20. Faith on March 31, 2015 at 10:03 pm

    I’m not really sure what’s going on with my hair but I’ve done research many times and I keep finding the same solution. My hair was perfectly silky soft just 2 years ago and one summer it started getting waxy. I tried the vinegar trick and it worked a little bit but not completely, then I found the “no poo” method and the first time I tried it, my hair was twice as silky soft and shiny than before! But I continued the “no poo” and my hair is still waxy! Any advice?

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 8, 2015 at 8:37 am

      Hi Faith – You can try the Zen Detox by Morocco Methods. I’ve switched to their shampoos and the brushing technique with boar bristled brush and it’s going well. I still get some waxiness, but it’s on the 4th day, not immediately after I wash it. So, I’m seeing some progress and I think eventually I’ll have this excessive waxiness under control. Also, you should think about what’s triggering this for you – dermatitis is often triggered by a food intolerance. I’m currently working on eliminating foods from my diet and trying to heal my gut – a long term process, but progress regardless.

  21. Jaye on April 3, 2015 at 5:23 am

    Hi Jennifer
    I have been battling this for the last 3 years but these past couple of months it’s been a real issue.
    I started out with a small patch at the crown but it spread from my roots to the very ends.
    I wash my hair daily hoping it’ll come out, but it just seems to get worse.
    I’ve shed many tears in frustration knowing, as it’s drying, it’s going to dry sticky, greasy and stringy. I’m so stressed out – I’ve tried everything (even ACV) but the only thing that works temporarily is bi carb. I’m at the point where I don’t want to go out in public, that or shaving my head.
    I’m 23, my diet is healthy and predominantly ‘raw’ so that’s not the issue. I’ve also never had dandruff or acne.
    I seen a dermatologist who didn’t know the cause. This is ruining my confidence (what’s left) and social life.
    I’ll have to keep searching for something that works 🙁

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 4, 2015 at 11:40 am

      I have recently discovered Morrocan Method haircare and I’m giving it a try. I did the Zen Detox and found it removed all the waxy build up from my hair. I’ll be posting a review on it soon. Maybe you could try it?

  22. Ashley on April 3, 2015 at 3:00 pm

    I’m so glad I found this- I have been dealing with this waxy, greasy hair for a couple months now. I can’t figure out what caused it- I’ve never dealt with this or with dandruff before. I have found that using baking soda works. As of now, if I don’t use baking soda my hair will have the residue. I have not tried the apple cider vinegar so I am going to go out and buy some today! I’m hoping that will work as well since it’s less damaging. I’ve also read that coconut oil is good for dandruff- have you tried using that at all? Anyways, I’m hoping this goes away at some point and I’m not dealing with it for the rest of my life! It’s very frustrating. It’s good to know other people have this problem though!

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 4, 2015 at 11:42 am

      I haven’t tried coconut oil but have been having luck with Zen Detox from Morocco Methods. Try the vinegar and let us know how it goes.

      • Dakota on June 30, 2020 at 2:35 am

        Hi I’m 14 and I just got this sorta thing and I’m freaking out please reply I need help! I don’t know what to do and I do NOT want to shave my head and I don’t know what to do! It just started as a really small spot like a month ago and slowly got worse. Now it’s my complete scalp and I’m freaking out! What should I do?

  23. Faith on April 7, 2015 at 8:10 pm

    I’m so glad I found this! I’ve been battling with this for about a year! I’ve tried the “no poo” and it worked only once and I continued doing that method for a long time but it wasn’t working like how it did the first time I tried it. I’ve tried clerifying shampoo and that didn’t work. Then I found this! I didn’t know u could go back to using shampoo and conditioner after using te baking soda and ACV. Im using the Head and Shoullders clerifying shampoo and I use garnier fruitese conditioner(only cause I just bought it before my hair went waky) and my hair has never felt like it’s old self! Although I’m still feeling some waxy ness in the back….not a whole lot but it’s a tad bit waxy feeling. Any suggestions??

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 8, 2015 at 8:23 am

      Hi Faith – Two things – try a ACV rinse or soak before you use your shampoo. And also look into what may be triggering this excess of oil/dermatitis. Is it possible you have an intolerance to any foods?

      • Faith on April 8, 2015 at 8:39 am

        Hi Jennifer, I will try the AVC rinse and no I don’t think I have an intolerance to any foods.

        • Jennifer Roberge on April 8, 2015 at 8:52 am

          Ok give it a try. If it doesn’t work, then you may want to try eliminating dairy and gluten – two of the most common food irritants. You may not react in any other way, just with the excessive oil in the scalp.

      • Faith on April 8, 2015 at 4:52 pm

        Okay I’ll give it a try! Thank you for your help! Just one last question, how should I do the rinse? Like any measurements? Should I put it in a bottle and dilute it with water? Is there a certain amount of time I should keep it in?

        • Jennifer Roberge on April 15, 2015 at 11:23 am

          Hi Faith – You can try 50/50 water to vinegar and see how that does. You can probably lessen the strength of the ACV, but start with that. Keep it in as long as you can while you’re in the shower washing off.

  24. Lynn on April 8, 2015 at 7:13 pm

    This started happening to me a few months ago. I thought I had a bad batch of shampoo. Then my next bottle was John Freida Repair and I happened to dye my hair at the same time and all seemed good again. Then it came back even worse. I started googling and found you! When you say to add a teaspoon of baking soda is that per shampooing or per bottle? Thanks!

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 15, 2015 at 11:20 am

      Hi Lynn – It’s 1 TBS per shampoo, not per bottle. Or you can do equal parts shampoo/baking soda. Good luck!

  25. Jennifer on April 10, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    Thank you so much for this post! I’ve had an itchy scalp and itchy along the nape of my neck, behind ears, underarms for years. I have also had stomach issues most of my life. A couple of years ago I elminated gluten for a month to see if it helped my stomach issues and it did. I have cut back on the gluten but not enough. Only recently have I started wondering if this itchiness has to do with gluten or another food intolerance as well. Recently this itchy scalp has been joined by an oily scalp. I thought maybe I needed to do away with my clarifying shampoo. I tried Naturoli soap nuts shampoo and my hair was an oily mess. Went back to my regular shampoo. Good for a couple of washes and then back to the oiliness even after washing. Switched to Acure natural shampoo. Not better. This past week or two I’ll wash my hair and I blowdry and it’s oily! I’ve been eating better this week and the itchiness has been less but the oiliness is horrible. I read your article, mixed up a spray bottle of equal parts ACV and filtered water, and for good measure added some essential oils (bergamot, lavender, and rosemary). Let sit 30 min, rinsed out, shampooed with my natural shampoo plus baking soda added, rinsed and conditioned. And it feels SO great! Hope it lasts. Next time will try no baking soda, just the pre-wash spray. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 11, 2015 at 9:50 am

      Try cutting gluten out completely and check your hair care for it too. It will take a while for the oiliness to stay away. Give it a month or so and then you may want to look for an issue with another food.

  26. Lily on April 10, 2015 at 6:45 pm

    My 11 year old has started getting this waxy build up along with flakes. I feel like it started happening when she starting developing 6 months ago (coincidence?)

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 11, 2015 at 9:45 am

      Hi- I think you missed part of your statement. What did she start developing six months ago?

      • ashleyabramson on April 11, 2015 at 9:16 pm

        I think she meant developing like…puberty. 😉

  27. idiotwriter on April 12, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    I swear – cider vinegar is defo ON THE SHOPPING LIST!- reading such good things about it! Internal and external. I knew all these things long agao but could not tie themn together in my brain and it is all just falling into place over the last few weeks. How awesome is that?
    My son has been riddled with chornic AD since brith and we have – you know – tried everything.
    Finally I am seeing some difference in him after years of steroids… dropped the steroids COMPLETELY and am doing this with his co-operation not expecting instant cures ..he is being so brave and – his skin feels so much better even though it is a bit red – the tone is way better. Fungal imbalance I am sure is at the bottom of it due to those over prescribed antibiotics throwing out his system for so many years. (Fungus does not like apple cider vinegar – ORGANIC 😛 ) Nice to feel a bit more positive about it all again. Jeepers this kid has suffered (never mind mum her whole life of steroid steroids steroids)
    Just wondering – have you read of steroid addiction and overdose and also withdrawals ? SOmething to look into if not. Let me know (I will find the link somewhere in my bookmarks – lol)

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 15, 2015 at 11:19 am

      Hi – Yes, I have heard about TSW and the addictions to topical steroids. My son was headed down that path, but thankfully we stopped using them before it progressed. I think it’s not very common, but when it occurs, wow – so painful to hear about. Have you tried probiotics and fish oil to try to repair his gut imbalance created by the antibiotics? I would definitely suggest that. Apple cider vinegar is good too – both consumed and topically, like in the bath. Good luck with all this. Keep us posted!

      • idiotwriter on April 15, 2015 at 2:31 pm

        I must say I was pretty lost – BUT it has made me look further into holistic treatment again… 😀 I did so for myself for years and did not make much headway – but – new surge of enthusiasm for the boy… facing puberty is not much fun whilst handling all that comes with a skin imbalance. Fortunately he is quite positive and is understanding the need to keep himself internally balanced etc. I am positive that his recent string of antibiotics has really thrown him out and hence the steroids doing not much. He has been off steroids now for three weeks. Taking probiotics and vit D3 and fish oil 😀 😀 ! (yay – I feel good that we got SOMETHING right!) So to build the immune system up. We have used the steroids for two nights… he felt defeated but he was SO low physically and mentally (was not even the same kid) so we gave him a spike basically. Last night tonight and then we will go back to building him up internally again to fight the next round… and so – hopefully he will progressively get stronger to allow his body to heal better – without as much help. (he is in a bath of apple cider right now actually)
        FYI – I was sent a book by a lady who is a qualified aromatherapist (met her at my youngest school) She is known as ‘The secret healer’ – interesting read so far. We will see if it produces some rewards on knowledge of practical applications. Fingers crossed. (she has written several books I believe) So onwards and upwards in the healing hey 😀
        Again – hope you find further success for yourself and your son.

        • Jennifer Roberge on April 21, 2015 at 7:53 am

          Sometimes we all need a little break – I’m so glad your son was able to take on for himself. And I do hope it really helped him both mentally and physically. Very curious about this “secret healer,” so please let us know how it goes with her.

          • idiotwriter on April 21, 2015 at 7:54 am

            Oh yes – I will do of course! I am still getting through the book 😉



  28. Kristen on April 12, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    Hello! This has recently become a major problem for me.. It started about 3 months ago out of nowhere! I have medium-thick hair and could go 2-3 days without washing my hair and there’d be no grease. However, now I can’t even go one day without the greasiness/waxiness. I can even feel it all over my scalp in the shower… My scalp never feels clean anymore! I’ve tried tea tree shampoo and clarifying shampoos and found they help some but after a while, they are of no assistance. Since this has been going on for some time, I have attributed increased waxiness to when I drink coffee. I am going to try and experiment to see if my assumption is right, but it’s the only thing I can attribute it too! The waxiness started out in one spot of my head and now it’s all over! Now even blowdrying my hair doesn’t hell, still greasy! I tried ACV and water the other day and it didn’t help, so I may try baking soda and see if that helps. I have also noticed when I wash my hair and use my nails to clean my scalp that white residue comes off under my nails.. This has never been an issue either. I’m wondering if this is the overgrowth of yeast that comes along with dermatitis? I don’t have too much issues with dandruff anymore, but some. Very happy to see I’m not alone on this issue..

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 15, 2015 at 11:14 am

      Hi Kristen – You may be on to something with the coffee. Maybe that is your trigger. Definitely test it out – try to go one month without any coffee and see how you do. If that doesn’t work, you may want to try eliminating some other foods, which its very possible you’ve developed an intolerance to. But before all that, try washing with baking soda. If it works, great! But you should still try cutting coffee as you want to get to the root cause of the issue, not just use a band aid to cover up the symptoms which could develop into something else.

    • shaeleigh on April 24, 2015 at 4:28 pm

      I never would have thought of coffee. I’ve had this problem on and off for a few years now and had no idea what it was until I read this article. Thank you Jennifer for writing it! I do had food sensitivities but lately haven’t really been exposed to any of them but in the past few days my hair has gone nuts. I’m not much of a coffee drinker but I’ve been drinking some every day for the past week or so. I never would have thought that could be the cause. I’m going to try laying off and see if my hair calms down. Thank you so much for the info, this has been driving my crazy!

      • Jennifer Roberge on April 25, 2015 at 8:39 am

        Just remember that coffee may be one person’s trigger but its not a likely one for most people. Gluten, dairy are more common issues for most. If eliminating coffee doesn’t work for you, try eliminating the top food allergens and see if that helps

  29. Sarah B on April 14, 2015 at 10:59 pm

    I don’t have any flakiness or itching or anything strange on my scalp, but I’ve dealt with waxy hair for two years; I have spent probably over $100 on various shampoos and conditioners trying to fix it, and my family even bought a huge expensive water softener for the house. Nothing has worked. I will have to try the specific combo of apple cider vinegar and tea tree shampoo that you’ve talked about… I have the trader Joe one in my house, actually!

    This is the first thing I”ve come across that suggests a medical reason! So as I’ve said, I don’t have a flaky scalp or anything but i DO have IBS and am pretty terrible at not consuming dairy. i wonder if this is part of it>??

    Thanks so much for writing this article. My hair has caused me a ton of frustration and embarrassment over this very long time period.

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 15, 2015 at 11:11 am

      Hi Sarah – I really hope my method helps you find some relief! I think it’s very possible you have some sort of internal issue going on that is manifesting itself as IBS and dermatitis in the scalp. If you’re able to cut out dairy cold turkey, I’d suggest giving a try for one month…and I’d strongly advise doing this with gluten as well – just to see. One month isn’t very long, you can do it! I wrote this post about gearing up for an elimination diet – take a look – maybe it will give you that push to go for it!

  30. Jennifer on April 15, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    I wrote below about the incredible improvement I had doing this method. No more oily scalp and my hair felt amazing. However, these last times I’ve showered I just did the spray and no baking soda and I didn’t have the same effect. And even worse, I feel like that oiliness right after showering is coming back. I didn’t want to continue with the baking soda because I read it can be damaging to your hair (you even mentioned this). Today I tried treating it in the shower with an applicator bottle that had equal parts water and ACV, then washing with my natural shampoo with a drop of tea tree oil added. The itchiness is better but not the oiliness. And my scalp is flaking too. Help please!

  31. Yvanna on April 16, 2015 at 9:57 am

    Wow, thank you so much for posting this. Iv been having this problem since my teens and though I was alone on this one, thats why i didnt even bother looking it up on the internet until it happened again after years of it not showing up. I first washed my hair with regular hand soap and it made a difference but didnt really take all the grease away. Until I mixed 1/3 of ACV with 2/3 water and left it for 5 min before a regular shapoo and conditioner rinse like you said….and wow, instanly noticed a difference when i rinsed my hair out and began dring it. I just want to thank you for writing this. You helped me out so much, now i know exaty how to stop this ugly waxy build up before ot get uncontrolable

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 21, 2015 at 7:49 am

      That’s so wonderful to here, Yvanna – so glad this worked for you!

  32. Tracy Nelson on April 17, 2015 at 1:09 am

    I have had this problem since last November. My dermatologist has no idea what this is. I have tried every shampoo, every combination, and every number of different products in combination to get rid of this problem. And I’m embarrassed to admit, I was desperate enough to try something, and it’s the only thing that worked for me. Goo Gone. Yup. I used it on my hair. It’s the only thing that got rid of that nasty, sticky, ‘carmex’ feeling in your hair. I certainly would never recommend anyone do this. But when your desperate, you’ll do anything. Absolutely nothing else worked for me. And I’m a stylist. My hair has to look good. Someone out there has to know why this is happening. Why don’t any of the medical professionals have any answers??

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 21, 2015 at 7:48 am

      Hi Tracy – According to the dermatologist I referenced in post, it’s a form of dermatitis. Your scalp is reacting to something and producing an excess of oils. I would highly recommend trying to get to the root cause of this and you may find results from an elimination diet. I think it’s worth a try!

  33. Jennifer on April 17, 2015 at 10:41 am

    Update to previous message. After trying just the pre-treat spray and no baking soda, and my hair being not great and then turning oily quick again, I decided to last night try adding a little raw honey to my natural shampoo. Rinsed well. And did the ACV as a rinse. Blow dried hair and it was oily at the scalp. By morning it was greasy and stringy all over. I couldn’t stand it, so I washed again this morning, adding 1 tsp of baking soda to my natural shampoo, rinsing well, and conditioning. And it feels great. It’s light and soft and, most importantly, oil-free! So I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to continue with the baking soda if it can damage your hair, but it’s currently the only thing that works. 🙁

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 21, 2015 at 7:47 am

      Jennifer, I’d strongly look into your diet. You may want to try an elimination diet to see if food is possibly triggering your scalp to produce all this extra oil.

  34. Elena on April 19, 2015 at 1:40 am

    Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been trying tons of different shampoos trying to get my hair clean and nothing has worked. My scalp is very sensitive and will itch so bad sometimes I have to use coal tar shampoo, which I hate because it smells horrible and is a carcinogen! With dirty hair and an itchy scalp I was desperate. I found your post and was so grateful it wasn’t just me who has had this problem! I was so eager to get rid of it I just poured 100% Braggs ACV on my scalp and left it in for an hour. Then I did the tbsp baking soda in my tea tree shampoo and it worked!!!! My hair smelled like vinegar for a couple days but I didn’t care, I was so happy! Thank you for taking the time to write this!!! How often can I use the baking soda?

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 21, 2015 at 7:45 am

      Hi Elena – So glad this method helped you! Use the baking soda sparingly as it will damage hair with long term use. Try to only use it if you get desperate again. You may find you don’t need to wash with this method with every hair washing. I only need it every few months. If you can get away with normal washing, go that route until you need to use the baking soda again. If you want to use the ACV with each shampoo as an added safe guard, go ahead. It’s perfectly safe, just dilute it next time as it’s very strong stuff and you don’t need it full strength.

  35. Angie on April 20, 2015 at 10:35 am

    Thank you, Jennifer! I cannot express my gratitude! Your words helped me process through in my own mind what might be causing my horrible greasy/waxy hair. I have had dandruff my whole life on and off but have never payed much attention to the causes/flare ups. Reading about the connections you have made to food make sense. I think I have a dairy and/or gluten intolerance. I eat very little dairy (but love chocolate!!!!) and eat minimal grains. This past weekend my grease head was out of control and worse than ever! Once I found you I made some connections. Although I think I can handle small doses of dairy over several days or weeks, if coupled with gluten my heads produces crazy oil. I took your ACV advice and had little improvement day 1. But, on day 2 I used ACV again and then used some T-gel shampoo (I was desperate!) and it worked. I also eliminated dairy and gluten to get my insides back to normal. Today, my hair is a thousand times better. I will continue with restricted diet and rinse with ACV each time I was my hair. You saved me! Now I just have to figure out my food intolerance more specifically so not to end up in crisis mode again.

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 21, 2015 at 7:41 am

      Hi Angie – that’s such great news! I hope you continue to see results!

    • Vegan Girlz on June 1, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      Dark Chocolate Mint from Endangered Animal has NO DAIRY OR PALM OIL at all! Dark Chocolate is delicious, good for you, and part of the proceeds save Endangered Animals. Sulfate is made of Palm oil. Palm groves of kernel, oil and Palm derivitives are destroying our rainforests, our very oxygen supply and animal homes of THEIR habitats! Stay away from all dairy and DO NOT eat or use ANY animals ever, including fish or their fish oil. “Candy glaze” is murdered beetles, as is Carmine coloring! Gelatin’s made of Tortured Burros and donkeys, horses and cows, ALL dehydrated and starved in very hot horrible conditions, no shade, tied up in a small pen, not able to move around, their skin hanging from their skeletons, and murdered for what unnecessary candy, pill coverings, gummies (vitamins, bears, etc,) marshmallows, softgels, capsules, jell-o, mono- and di-.glycerides, cysteine, etc. Stearate and Stearoyl, anything starting with Stear is of STEER. Look it all up and don’t support slaughter industry by refusing to buy leather, fur, skins, phenylkeuretics (murdered beaver ass glands for imitation vanilla flavoring and vanilla odor) or ever eating murdered animals or animal products like dairy, eggs, also no byproducts, or derivitives. Avoid murdering or consuming murdered animals and Palm from the rainforest. Avoid using animals like the plague, er pandemic.

  36. Pearl on April 28, 2015 at 9:52 pm

    Hey thankyou ever so much for this post! I recently discovered the problem of having waxy greasy hair after washing and it won’t go away. I too am gluten and dairy intolerant and also suffer with dermatitis so it all must be linked somehow. Would like to thank everyone else for sharing some info on this problem ^_^

  37. Alison D on April 29, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    THANK. YOU. My hair started wigging out on me a few years ago (no pun intended!) and I thought that I had simply damaged it with henna, so I waited for it to grow out. And waited, and waited, and waited! But the back of my head (and the back ONLY) is still greasy and gross, no matter what I do! People have said everything… “shampoo twice” “don’t use heavy conditioner” “use ACV” but nothing has worked. THIS MAKES SENSE. I had huge patches of dermatitis on my scalp as a teenager and it has since cleared up…but it makes total sense because the greasy hair is in the SAME PLACE the patches were. I’ve tried ACV and clarifying shampoos but they don’t work (the clarifying shampoos actually make it worse) but I’ll try ACV first for a half hour and then some baking soda mixed in my shampoo. I hope it works! Thanks!

  38. Dana on May 1, 2015 at 7:56 pm

    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I’ve been miserable with this for weeks!

  39. Gina on May 2, 2015 at 12:42 am

    Thank you! I am only 21 i have had dandruff as long as i can remember. This problem only started up 3 years go with the hair (and the sensativeity to lactose). It would only happen about once a year for a couple a days and go away on its own. I thought it was because I didn’t wash all my conditioner out, however the reapperance of it now for 3 years told me a different story. My friends would get freaked and tell me my scalp was “leaking” and not want to touch me. i didn’t know what do but rewash my hair every time. i cannot stress how helpful this was! Thank You ^_^

  40. blaithin on May 4, 2015 at 12:15 am

    Please help, I’ve always had some dandruff. But during my pregnancy I noticed the grease/wax patch in my hair and I thought it was because my body was producing more oils. Then I was told it was a build up of hair products and to use a clarifying shampoo and I did , it worked a little but not much. Then yesterday my dandruff was bad so I thought I’d use head n shoulders which I’ve never done before because I was told it strip dye from ur hair but I was desperate so got it, anyway when my hair dryer the grease/wax was soo bad it was everywhere. So I found your post and just tried it out, but there is no difference, what am I doing wrong. It’s really getting me down because I had a baby 5 weeks ago and already feel fat an ugly now my hair is a mess so it’s making me a worse emotional wreck lol. Please help

    • Jennifer Roberge on May 4, 2015 at 4:21 pm

      Have you tried it exactly as I suggested? If that didn’t work the I would suggest applying raw egg whites to your hair and rinse them out after a while.

  41. soumya on May 17, 2015 at 10:58 pm

    I have had the same issue atlrsst 4 times in the past 5 years. I have also found an easy remedy. Since itis waxy, and not oily, it doesn’t go by shampoo. But it does go away completely by conditioners since conditioners have waxy thing in them. Soafter washing your hair, apply conditioner generously over the crown area and keep massaging the criwn area scalp and hair with finger or nails for atleast 2 minutes. Use warm/hot water to rinse. Let it dry and it will be gone for good 🙂

    • Jennifer Roberge on May 28, 2015 at 11:41 am

      Wow! I haven’t tried this my self, but how interesting because it goes against what we’d normally think to do. In fact, several of the comments here have been about removing all conditioner in worry that it could make the waxy condition worse. What an interesting idea to try. Thanks for this!

  42. Jennifer Lees on May 27, 2015 at 2:55 am

    I’m so glad I found this! for the past couple months I’ve been battling this. It started at my crown and spread mostly to the left side of my hair, and especially the underneath layer. It’s so gross! is it safe to use bi carb and acv 3 times a week? It’s literally the only thing that makes my hair clean now. I tried going back to my regular shampoos, and j haven’t used conditioner for months for fear of too much moisture / oil. I’ve tried several but none work!

    • Jennifer Roberge on May 28, 2015 at 11:33 am

      Hi Jennifer – Many people use the baking soda and apple cider vinegar wash a few times a week as part of their no-poo routine. So, it is safe, but just watch your hair and how it reacts long term. It’s possible you could damage it.

    • Sarah on March 2, 2016 at 5:08 pm

      Go to a dermatologist. They will probably diagnose you with seborrheic dermatitis like they did with me and will give you prescription shampoos and other things that are proven to work. Please, don’t waste your time on natural remedies. ACV rinse certainly didn’t help me and it doesn’t fix medical problems

      • Ashley on May 16, 2021 at 9:55 am

        You are insane. How about get on prescription site if that is what you Prefer to support….. wth???

  43. Mary on May 28, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    Do you spray the ACV on dry hair or wet hair?

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 5, 2015 at 2:12 pm

      Great question Mary! I treat my dry hair with diluted apple cider vinegar before showering. But if you want to use ACV as a conditioning hair treatment, apply it at the end of the shower and let it sit on your wet hair for a while.

  44. Kate Horodyski on May 28, 2015 at 8:06 pm

    Thank you so much for writing this! I was getting so frustrated with my hair and had no idea what was going on. I’ll be trying the ACV for sure 🙂

  45. jessica on June 5, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! All these years suffering with bouts of greasy hair I never understood why. Always thought it was a buildup of cheap shampoo and conditioner. Dish soap usually did the trick. This time was the worst it’s ever been. I used the baking soda and water first then ACV and water second. GONE!!!! I am so relieved to know I’m not alone with this problem. Thank you so much for sharing. You made my day 🙂

  46. Annie on June 10, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    Hi,

    I just tried this for the second time today (my first try was 2 days ago). The first time it didn’t really do anything, and today I think it helped a little bit.

    My hair started getting waxy like this about a year ago, when I went through a major depression. For the past year I have been trying to fix my hair, which meant going to the salon 2x to get a “cleansing treatment.” My first treatment lasted a few months, and the second lasted a week or two.
    While combing my hair before my shower, I noticed that dark residue is left behind on my comb. I assume that is the reason my hair is so waxy. On the strands of hair themselves are little white particles, which almost look like dried soap. Has anyone else experienced this?

    Today I mixed apple cider vinegar, water, and a little baking soda together, sprayed it on my hair, and left it in for 1/2 an hour before my shower. I washed it out, then used a mixture of natural shampoo and baking soda. After washing that out I used a small amount of natural conditioner.
    I’m planning to try this again in 2 days, in the hope that it will finally fix my hair, though I have learned not to get my hopes up too high.

    Thank you for posting this,
    Annie B

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 23, 2015 at 12:04 pm

      I hope it worked Annie! I think the white particles are dry scalp that has been brushed down, but stuck to the waxy hair. But I could be mistaken. I do get the dark residue on my brush as well, and I think that’s the wax from our scalp.

    • Jasmine on November 21, 2019 at 9:37 am

      Hi Annie. How is your hair now. I get that exact same thing in my comb I was wondering if you found something that worked?

  47. Alexandra on June 16, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    Hi I have thick dark hair and I noticed today that when I touched my hair it felt greasy and like I had left conditioner in my hair. This obviously sent my mind into overdrive because I have been washing my hair everyday for for around 5 years , I was 13, and I recently met my friend who’s a hair dresser and she says your not really supposed to wash your hair more then 3 times a week but I can’t leave mine a day otherwise my hair feels dirty and hot and I feel ruff. For a good couple of years now , every now and again , I used to find not dandruff but like someone had thrown flour at my hair it used to be everywhere. I used to wake up and it would have appeared over night but then will leave the next day if not two. Looking back I can remember a couple of times when my hair felt a bit stiff and greasy and I used to put this down to hairspray because that’s what my mum used to say. Also I remember waking up in the morning and feeling the same thing and my mother used to shout at me saying “I can’t wash my hair properly “or “how do you forget to wash the conditioner out.” Reading what you have said about food being somewhat of a trigger, I have been down the doctors , around 2 years ago because as well as my period once a month I will get a week or even a bit more where when I eat and digest my food my tummy will be in so much pain. After doing tests They said it was IBS but as I was overweight they didn’t do anything and blamed my weight .Since January I have been on a diet and lost 3st. So like you say I’m now eating a cleaner diet so maybe it can’t get to the stage where my hair is covered in white flakes. I just want to know if there are any other symptoms and if it will go away on its own .? Also that I’m not killing my hair by washing it everyday?:)

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 23, 2015 at 11:59 am

      Hi Alexandra – I think it’s really different for everyone – what triggers it and how to treat it. Eating a clean diet is certainly only going to help. But for many, especially if IBS is a concern, gluten and dairy can be big issues. Have you tried removing them to see how you do? You certainly aren’t killing your hair by washing it everyday. But I’ve moved to washing my hair with clay, crazy I know!, and I’ve found it very helpful and I can now go one week between washing. Here is the recipe I follow for clay shampoo if you’re curious.

  48. Jen A on June 16, 2015 at 7:58 pm

    Wow I’ve been getting this pretty consistently since I was a teen so this is pretty gratifying! I’ve read more about your elimination diet… I also have some new, odd digestive issues and some eczema, did your elimination diet help the hair wax and your son’s eczema?

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 23, 2015 at 11:46 am

      Hi Jen – Yes! The elimination diet helped my son improve immensely! And it’s really helped me identify food triggers for many of my small ailments. It’s hard to say for the scale just yet though. But if you do have some digestive issues and know you are sensitive to some foods, I’d go for a full elimination diet to see what else may be going on. Good luck! Jennifer

  49. Sarah on June 18, 2015 at 5:20 pm

    Seborrehic Dermatitis is actually best treated by an anti-fungal shampoo. I highly recommend using Nizoral. It got rid of my greasy hair and itchy scalp immediately. It actually helps too for hair loss, since it is anti-androgenic. The reason the vinegar solution works is being it has anti-fungal properties, but Nizoral will be a better long-term solution for this problem!

  50. Michaela on June 25, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    Thank you Jennifer!! I have had this same issue for years and I’ve been so embarrassed and have been trying the clarifying shampoos but it hasn’t helped at all. I am excited to try your treatment.

    Just so I am clear, you mix the ACV amd water together and sit in your dry hair in a hair net for about 30 minutes then you rinse out and shampoo your hair with a tea tree/dandruff shampoo? Do you use conditioner too? My hair is very thick and I feel like I definitely need to use conditioner but I’m afraid the greasy buildup will come right back.

    Also, have you tried letting the ACV sit in your hair for a shorter amount of time? Would it still work as far as getting rid of the build up?

    Also, how often do you wash your hair? I wash mine every other day, do you think using the ACV/water pretreatment would be too harsh?

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 29, 2015 at 7:33 pm

      HI Michaela – You can experiment and see what works best for you. Yes, mix the ACV and water together and let it sit in your dry hair for about 30 minutes. I don’t use a conditioner as the ACV really conditions the hair. With just ACV I have to still wash my hair every few days. I try to avoid the baking soda unless the buildup comes back.

  51. mschaufler on June 26, 2015 at 5:41 pm

    Which kind of Apple cider vinegar – unfiltered (clearer) or filtered (yellow-brown)?

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 29, 2015 at 7:30 pm

      The best type is the kind with “mother” – it’s unfiltered and is a dark golden yellow with brown pieces.

  52. Gabby on July 2, 2015 at 6:23 pm

    Last week I started noticing my roots getting greasy and I never get greasy hair! After my shower today it’s got increasingly worse and I even washed my hair twice thinking I might have some residues left but it’s still greasy. I’m afraid to use products I wouldn’t normally use on my hair like baking soda because I get allergic reactions a lot! If anyone can suggest something in a shampoo form and easy to find let me know 🙂

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 2, 2015 at 7:53 pm

      Hi Gabby-

      I have never heard of anyone reacting to baking soda. It is by far more “natural” than anything they put in most shampoos. You would be far better off trying the baking soda than using another more harsh shampoo. I would give it a try. Jennifer

  53. Anna on July 5, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    Hey Jennifer,

    How many times a week do I do the acv? Or how long?

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 6, 2015 at 8:38 pm

      It’s really different for everyone. Some people will find they only need to wash with ACV and baking soda a couple times a year. Some people will find they need to do so with each wash. And for how long, again it depends. I like to do it for 30 minutes.

  54. Stephanie on July 9, 2015 at 10:35 pm

    Thank you for posting this! I have suffered from the oily back of hair for years! I tried the apple cider vinegar trick and my hair has never felt cleaner!
    I too tried dozens of shampoos and nothing helped. My hairdresser once yelled at me about how horrible my hair felt and threatened to wash it with Dawn dish soap 🙁

  55. kyliej on July 14, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    I dye my hair often and unfortunately have breakouts of eczema along my hair line on the side of my face due to chemicals – argan oil has helped make it heal BUT you need to use an argan oil that has no chemicals and is alcohol free. I tried ALL the argan oils, and the Somaluxe Argan Oil is the one that is the best for my hair eczema. I also use it on my skin daily and have seen amazing results in smoothness and clarity. Just remember to use a very small amount on your face, I usually run my fingers along the side of the Somaluxe dropper.

    Also the smell on this is much better then some others I have tried.

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 16, 2015 at 8:43 pm

      That’s fantastic! So glad you found something that works so well for you!

  56. Moira B on July 17, 2015 at 12:32 am

    I will be trying this out tomorrow! I’m glad I decided to look this up, because this issue only started for me about a week ago. I am 18 and usually my scalp is too dry but recently I have been getting this waxy buildup. Thinking that my hair was just extra dirty I have been using more shampoo and I have been skipping conditioner (like women in several other comments have said they had also). I didn’t even think about my diet being an issue, but I have been eating a lot cleaner than normal, so I see how that could be playing a role too! I’m hoping this apple cider vinegar thing works and I will begin using conditioner again to see if that makes a difference first! Thank you so much!

  57. Stephanie on July 28, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    Thank you for this! A couple years ago I experienced this for the first time. I was in high school and so embarrassed. It seemed to come out of nowhere and I second guessed myself. Could I really have forgotten to rinse the conditioner? I tried apple cider vinegar without much luck. I went to my dermatologist and without diagnosing it, they gave me a prescription and a bottle of T-Sal shampoo (available in drugstores). It went away after a couple washes. Now fast track to now, I keep telling my husband my hair looks and feels greasy. I can feel it coming on again. I’ll try your treatment along with my left over T-sal. I’m just glad to know I’m not the only one dealing with this! 2 years ago I had trpuble finding information on what this was. And I still cannot determine what triggers it. Thank you!

  58. Katie on August 2, 2015 at 1:32 pm

    I’ve battled this sticky, waxy hair for a couple months and just recently figured out the source of the problem. I’d never had this problem before until one day I asked my hairdresser to blow dry and straighten out my hair as a style. A day or two later after washing my hair, I noticed the sticky, waxy residues on my hair. After washing it over and over again, still the same problem. I tried many different branches of shampoos and conditioners. Spent a lot of money on expensive branches as well but to no avail. I even tried washing with dish soap like many suggestions online but it only temporarily works for a day then made my hair even dryer. When I mentioned it to my hairdresser, she immediately remembered the time when she had to blow out my hair straight. Because my hair was permed, she had to use a high heat setting and brush out my hair many times in order to straighten it out. I thought that would do a lot of damage to any hair. She said she didn’t want to do it at first but I insisted. Putting the puzzle together, now I know for sure the cause of my sticky, waxy residue is the overly dry and damage hair but nothing else, I’ve started to take care of my hair better. I figured now I don’t need to spend too much money on expensive branches but going back to my most favorite Aveeno Nourishing and Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. After every wash I would put on Fructis Anti-Frizzy serum and spray with Herbal Essences Dry oil spray. I still feel a little sticky after the anti-frizzy serum but the dry oil spray will do the trick. It works like a charm and removes the residues all together.
    https://www.amazon.com/Herbal-Essences-Naturals-Illuminating-Spray/dp/B00OP2587Y

    Just thought to share my experience to those who have suffered the same problem.

  59. Jennifer on August 16, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    Thank you for posting about your experience. I was crying to my husband yesterday about my hair and how I didn’t want to leave the house because I felt it always looked dirty. I found your post and right away did a rinse- half a cup of water and half a cup of ACV. Left it on for half an hour and covered my hair with a shower cap. Them washed my hair but added baking soda to the shampoo. When I blow dried my hair I could instantly tell the residue was gone. I told my husband I felt like a new woman! The one downside is that today- one day later- I still smell of ACV. My husband grew up on a peach farm and says I smell like fermented fruit!

  60. Amber on August 17, 2015 at 9:59 am

    I apologize for the long post in advance. I have been no poo for about 3 months now and I had yet to have that ‘Hallelujah’ moment. My hair was terrible! It was heavy gunky/waxy I didn’t have the smooth shiny beautiful hair everyone was talking about after the transition period. Now I know I was done with the transition period bc my hair was different from the greasy mess it was in the beginning. I was looking around to figure out what the heck was wrong before I gave up on no poo I didn’t really want to go back I wanted to stick it out. I didn’t really keep good track of what I did to my hair but was trying all kinds of stuff from just water, to increasing my BS, to switching between WV and ACV and increasing and decreasing the amts of vinegar. UGH! I FINALLY found what was wrong, HARD WATER! My husband said that our area is a 10 out of 10 for hard water (used to work for our city water dept) Through all my research I had found that if you have hard water the BS doesn’t dissolve in the water and therefore doesn’t clean your hair the way it should. So Friday night I boiled my amount of water that fits in my bottle( plus a little more bc you will lose some the evaporation. You also want to use a pan that is bigger bc when you add the BS it will fizzle and you don’t want a big mess) for about 10 mins. I then added a few tablespoons of BS and watched it fizzle. Once the water has cooled you can pour it into your bottle and voila! Use it like you have been using your BS mix and follow with vinegar. I finally noticed the slight lather everyone was talking about and when my hair was dry HALLELUJAH I had beautiful, smooth, shiny, awesome hair!!!! It is now Monday, usually I have to try some cute braid or some other type of up hair, but I have my hair half up and it is still gunk/wax free and beautiful. 

    • Jennifer Roberge on August 17, 2015 at 1:28 pm

      Amber – Thank you! You reminded me of this! I think this is my problem as well! Our city water is VERY hard as well. I’m going to give it a try and if it works as well as I think it will, I’ll be posting an update very soon. Thank you again!

      • Amber on August 17, 2015 at 2:39 pm

        I can sometime still smell the ACV but usually it isn’t strong and it isn’t all the time. but if you don’t like it after you shower you can put a drop or two of essential oils on your hands and run them through your hair. Instead of ACV you will smell like lavender, peppermint, tea tree or whatever else you like!
        p.s. my favorite essential oils are Young Living Essential Oils WONDRFUL company check out their site https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/discover

  61. Lyn on August 30, 2015 at 2:30 am

    Just stumbled across your blog and found this post incredibly interesting. As a former hairstylist, I’ve had several clients whose hair was greasy and scaly even after shampooing. ACV is such a great clarifying treatment for this! It’s interesting that you mention the possible connection to dairy in your diet… My husband always had really bad dandruff until he started taking a magnesium supplement. It turns out that adequate magnesium is essential in order for our bodies to properly digest calcium. He had suffered from terribly painful calcium oxalate kidney stones for many years before we stumbled across magnesium as a possible solution. Once he started taking it, his dandruff also magically disappeared. As long as he takes it daily, he doesn’t have any trouble from the kidney stones or the dandruff, but if he gets lax and forgets too many doses, he ends up with stones and flaky hair. It’s the strangest thing and your comment about the correlation between increased dairy intake and seborrheic dermatitis makes me think that you might be onto something. But I guess it’s all just speculation at this point.

    • Jennifer Roberge on September 8, 2015 at 12:24 pm

      How interesting Lyn! Thanks so much for sharing! They do say that most of us are short on magnesium and that any skin disorder can be linked back to a magnesium deficiency. I might try adding some to my diet. Thank you!

      • Lyn on September 8, 2015 at 5:14 pm

        And don’t forget the epsom salt soaks are a great way to up your magnesium!

    • Peg on February 7, 2017 at 6:09 pm

      Be advised that almost all dairy products (except things like raw whole milk cheese) are required to contain sythetic vitamin D, which binds with magnesium and leeches it from your body. I doubt that would cause this waxy thing but good to know.

  62. Amy J P on September 12, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!! I was losing the will to live with my hair and i felt like it was just me but i cant thank you enough for this post ! Its really helped me ! I have only used the diluted apple cider vinegar once but i already see a massive difference ! Thank you again ! Youre a life saver !

  63. Michelle on September 15, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    My hair is the exact same…been waxy (2-3 sections) for a couple of months….did the apple cider vinegar, pamolive dish liquid, nizerol shampoo, t-gel shampoo, baking soda, head & shoulders, etc…………still the same now as it was 2 months ago!!! Nothing is working…feel like shaving my head!

    • Jennifer Roberge on September 16, 2015 at 8:47 am

      Hi Michelle – I recently colored my hair (very toxic) but it worked and stripped my hair enough that I had a few weeks of nice hair. I hate using such toxic products, but sometimes we need desperate measures.

    • Just Me on September 26, 2015 at 12:55 am

      No poo for 10 months and I’m feeling great. Dandruff is bad occasionally, but it just means you need to wash it. With no poo you can wash it every day if you want since there’s nothing drying your hair out.

      Since I started I feel like my hair’s gotten to be much more tame and less frizzy. Even after getting a short hair cut with curly hair, I didn’t experience an Afro like I figured I probably would. Instead, I’ve got nice hair that curls AND lays pretty well. My only complaint is the top (sometimes).

      Look into it and give it a try for a week or two, maybe? One month is about how long it takes your hair to get used to it.

      • Jennifer Roberge on September 29, 2015 at 12:31 pm

        That’s great! Which no-poo method do you use? I tried clay for several months and it was not good for my hair.

      • Michelle on September 29, 2015 at 1:06 pm

        Thanks Jennifer and fellow grease heads! I have been using hair dye for quite a few years so using a chemical to shock my scalp won’t work but I read somewhere (maybe your blog or another blogger) to stop using nice & easy conditioner (which is what I’ve been using) and switch brands…I used Preference and I do see a big difference…..still a bit oily but not clumps of waxy hair……I hope I’m on the right path…..hope this may help at least one person….I understand the frustration!

        • Jennifer Roberge on October 5, 2015 at 9:45 am

          Hi Michelle – Actually, I do find the when I dye my hair, the waxiness goes away. But I hate doing it very often, so I try baking soda every few showers and that really helps. ACV helps for only a short period of time, so I need these extra treatments to keep my scalp wax free for long periods of time. I’m glad you found something to work well for you.

        • Audrey on October 5, 2015 at 12:46 pm

          Try dial dish soap to cleanse the waxy build up then dove products. Worked for me!! And doesn’t come back.

    • Tracy on October 11, 2015 at 8:54 am

      My hairstylist friend recommended a few drops of tea tree oil in a clarifying shampoo. It has worked in the short term (meaning the oil stays away for a few days at least).

  64. Amie on September 16, 2015 at 12:21 am

    And there was me thinking it was sediment build up in our water heater! But this make so much sense. Cannot wait to try this tonight, and am praying it works, as I am sick of putting my hair up every day.

  65. Haspatjun on September 17, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    I just turned 40 in June. Two weeks ago this grease infused mess appeared and ruined my whole day… As I washed and washed the grease magically started to build up..like I’m making some unknown substance for the entire universe!!! Yuck!! I turned into a freaked out panic stricken thing..not a pretty sight. I came across suggestions for using dishwashing liquid to wash it out. I grabbed the bottle from the sink, in the shower in the middle of the night. Phew it worked.. Over the moon. But this grease magically appeared today after washing the locks again today!! This is an epidemic conspiracy to get us ladies all cuukoo (nuts) from some unknown freak of nature.
    But somehow I’m calm under the pressure of oil producing HAIR of mine, knowing that I am not sailing alone on this boat! I am so thankful to all sorts of solutions to fight this mess from ladies all over! I will try everything and anything to combat this, even if it means smelling like clean dishes or fish and chips…

    • Jennifer Roberge on September 29, 2015 at 12:33 pm

      Yay! So glad you found a solution! Thanks for sharing your story.

  66. Audrey on September 23, 2015 at 8:38 pm

    Gluten….that’s what caused this waxy buildup in my hair. Not consumed gluten but gluten in hair products. My hairdresser told me after stripping my hair with dawn dish soap to use gluten free shampoo and hair products and it’s never come back. She’s seen it happen a bunch of times. Anyone else find gluten free products keep this from coming back?

    • Jennifer Roberge on September 29, 2015 at 12:32 pm

      Very interesting. It’s certainly a possibility. Which products do you use that are gluten free? Are you gluten intolerant or celiac?

      • Audrey on September 29, 2015 at 2:45 pm

        Celiac. I have other skin reactions from gluten too. All of which started showing up a year or so after I stopped consuming gluten. Today if I use a product that contains gluten I get the waxy hair or red almost breakout looking rash. Delicate areas of skin seem to be effected more quickly than others. For hair products I use Dermorganic available online or at Ulta Beauty or Dove as they are one of the only major brands I’ve had no issue with.

        • Jennifer Roberge on October 5, 2015 at 9:43 am

          That’s very interesting Audrey! I’m glad you found what was triggering your waxy buildup.

    • Apryl on October 10, 2015 at 12:32 pm

      Hey, I’m intolerant to gluten but never thought about what is in hair products. What are you using now?

      • Jennifer Roberge on October 12, 2015 at 9:47 pm

        Me either! I’m sure my products contain gluten, but I doubt it’s the problem in my case. But not certain.

  67. windramdesign on September 27, 2015 at 4:05 am

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!! The waxy buildup was driving me crazy!
    I didn’t even have to use the BS just half ACV with water on first, then my natural shampoo soap bar and a final diluted ACV rinse and my hair is super soft, shiny and totally wax free! I’m thrilled.

  68. Heather on September 29, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    Thank you for this amazing solution. I came across it a couple of months ago when I was absolutely desperate for a solution. I tried the method (but used 1/3c apple cider vinegar to 2/3 water and then the baking soda) for my first go and I could quickly see the results.

    It recently came back, and I’ve just done the treatment again *fingers crossed* but I’ve noticed I get this waxy buildup during times of extreme stress (I’m a uni student and the first time I got this I was about to attend a funeral) or around my monthly cycle. This is just in my experience.

    Regardless I love this solution. I never tried dish soap and I’m glad because I would hate to use such harsh chemicals. But I understand the desperation and reasons why people would use it.
    I am curious, has anyone had issues with losing the effectiveness of the acv over time? I’ve also heard somewhere that a honey and egg mask is a good pre treatment but have yet to try it.

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 5, 2015 at 9:42 am

      Heather, for myself, the ACV alone doesn’t work well after a few washes. I have to use something more stripping sadly, like baking soda or hair dye (gasp!)

  69. Zoe on October 1, 2015 at 9:56 am

    This post is amazing! I have Seborrhoeic dermatitis, am lactose intolerant and Coeliac and I could not figure out what was happening my hair! Definitely going to try this remedy at the weekend. Thank you so much for sharing!,?

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 5, 2015 at 9:39 am

      Good luck! I hope it works for you!

    • Manda on December 3, 2015 at 1:03 pm

      How did this work for you? I also am celiac and suffer with several derm.

  70. Ashley on October 7, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    This is very informative. I feel like my greasy head happens within hours of a shower and it’s so frustrating. I don’t know if I have dermatitis or not but this certainly makes sense.
    Question for you though… Do you know if this form of dermatitis can also cause hair thinning as well?

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 12, 2015 at 9:49 pm

      Hi Ashley – Good question about hair thinning. I don’t think it’s dermatitis that would cause hair thinning, but the underlying cause of the dermatitis might. I think I’m beginning to see some hair thinning personally as well.

  71. Amanda castiglia on October 13, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    Hi! This was very helpful. I have a huge problem with my hair and I’m starting to get really annoyed with it. My hair is very greasy and itchy. I have flakes (or dandruff) and it’s really hard to get rid of it…I’ve tried so many shampoos that a stylist recommended but it seems to get worse. My hair was never really this bad. The itchiness is causing me to have scabs from me scratching so much….

    (I do not have lice btw) I do however eat junk food. That may cause this….but I don’t eat badly all the time until just recently….so idk. I really want to fix it instead of wasting 100 at the hair salon and this just keeps happening…

  72. Hayden on October 17, 2015 at 9:08 pm

    Hi,
    I have recently moved to NYC from London and have thick hair that NEVER goes greasy. But since I’ve moved here i have noticed a sort of waxy/greasy build up running a few inches down from my roots and its getting worse after every wash, as if i have blow dried it after leaving conditioner in or something. I absolutely cannot have my hair down at the moment 🙁
    I came across your blog and bought the apple cider vinegar and baking soda today to try out tomorrow, but my scalp is also slightly sore from all the build up, will it still be okay to do the rinse? And how can i apply it without a spray bottle? Anything will help! Many Thanks!

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 21, 2015 at 7:29 am

      Sure! Give it a try anyway. You can do it with a glass to pour the rinse over your hair or maybe even a bowl to dip your head into. What kind of water do they have in London? I’m on to a theory about hard water causing the waxy buildup to occur for some people. I wonder if the water is harder in NY. Maybe something to look into.

      • Hannah on October 31, 2015 at 1:42 am

        I first had a problem with waxy build up within the roots around my crown when I lived in Spain. I had noticed the water was a bit harder then I had been used to and blamed the problem on that. Now I live in New Mexico and our water is even harder and the problem tends to come back more often. I’ve used dish soap in the past for a quick fix, but I’m so happy to have found your site and am excited to try the apple cider vinegar. Thanks so much for sharing your finds and helping all us waxy folks out!

        • Jennifer Roberge on November 2, 2015 at 11:53 am

          Hi Hannah – I’m thinking that hard water is an issue in my case as well! We’re going to be installing a soft water filter soon. Excited to see if that helps things.

  73. Hillory on October 21, 2015 at 12:19 am

    So I googled “greasy hair” and stumbled upon this gem of a website! I had been experiencing increasingly greasy hair for about two weeks til my hair reached epic grease proportions all along my crown. I didn’t have any itching (yet, it came a day or two later) and no dandruff (knock on wood!) I thought it was bc finally my hair had gotten too long and was somehow calling it quits and manifesting said “quits” thru mega amounts of grease. After reading your article and all the rave reviews, I knew I’d give it a shot. Also, I’ve been drinking apple cider vinegar (a couple tbs a day in 8 oz of water) for a month or so now and felt like I had received positive results, but I knew I hadn’t tapped all of its magical powers.
    Anyhow, I diluted the 1/3 c of cider w 2/3 c water, sprayed it on and gave myself a serious scalp massage to help it set in. Then I put my cap on and waited 30 min. I rinsed thoroughly and then added 1 tsp baking soda to my regular shampoo and conditioned like I normally do. My hair feels and looks amazing! I can’t tell you the tears I’ve shed over this, (I know it seems vain bc it’s only hair, but still!!) I was SO grateful and relieved to have found your words of wisdom and advice. THANK YOU!! in hindsight, the only things I can think of we’re stress and a chance of climate. (My husband and I went somewhere tropical a couple weeks ago and the change happened right after we returned). I’m not sure if I’ll relapse, but I don’t feel quite so hopeless now. I also have been eating cottage cheese mixed w a sweet potato and a sprinkling of cinnamon for lunch so maybe I overdid it w the dairy?? Makes me sad bc I really craved that lunch every day:(
    Anyhow, thank you for using your time to help others. I truly appreciate it!!
    Xoxo
    Hillory

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 21, 2015 at 7:25 am

      Yay! That’s wonderful news Hillory! So glad it helped you! Thanks for sharing your story.

  74. aivar on October 24, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    I have been having this problem on again off again for the last year… it just suddenly appeared… I am the only person in my family that is battling this issue… Before I used to have clean, shiny, full of life curly hair but now it is all waxy and gross… the problem is just on the top of my head… I take showers every other day but now I started to take showers twice a day but the issue was still there…I googled my problem and this led me here… YAY!

    So just to get a clear understanding I mix water and vinegar together then wash my hair with it… after that I wash my hair with more water… then mix a TBL spoon of baking soda in with my shampoo… then wash that out… then done right?

    Does it matter what kind of shampoo I mix baking powder with? And should I use ACV every time I wash my hair but skip the bake soda part and only use it if necessary? Or should I just use ACV when I see that the waxy buildup is returning?

    Thanks

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 2, 2015 at 11:58 am

      Hi Aivar – What I do when the buildup is severe is to mix 50/50 water/apple cider vinegar, saturate my hair with it, put it up in a shower cap and let it sit for 20 min. Then rinse it out and wash with really any shampoo along with the baking soda. You can condition like normal or may find you don’t need a conditioner because the vinegar treated your hair already. Give it a try!

  75. ML on October 25, 2015 at 12:16 am

    This helped me out so much! My hair went back to being silky after just one use! I massaged into my scalp and dampened my hair with it. Thanks so much! AVC does wonders.

  76. Shirley on October 28, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    Will the stickiness stay in my hair forever? Do you have a permanent solution ?

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 2, 2015 at 11:56 am

      Hi Shirley – It’s really about getting the the initial cause. If you can find that, then you’ll find healing. Look into your diet, stress, hard water at home, etc. Vinegar and baking soda will help, but only as a quick fix and won’t solve the issue long term.

  77. Mary on October 29, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    Thank you so much for this great article! It’s nice to know that other people struggle with this as well, not just me (though I’d never wish this on anyone!). And it’s nice to finally put a name to it. I started having this problem in college. One side of my scalp was sticky and greasy, while the other side was normal. After washing my hair several times with a clarifying shampoo, it went away. Over the years, I’ve always kept clarifying shampoo in my shower for this reason, and have used it whenever my scalp started feeling waxy and sticky. But a year ago, my scalp started getting waxy again and full of dandruff, and this time nothing would stop it. I’ve been struggling with a chronic illness for over a year now, and I think that because of my lowered immune system and the multiple health issues I’m dealing with, this dermatitis came back with a vengeance. If I went more than a day or so without washing my hair, the roots of my hair would get really stiff and stand up straight (as though I’d had my hair in a ponytail holder for a long time, which I had not), and my scalp would get very sore. My mom would regularly look at my scalp, but it looked normal- no redness, no scales. Using apple cider vinegar helped a little, but wouldn’t work as effectively if I used it several times in a row. I stopped using regular, chemical-laden shampoos because I thought maybe something in them was irritating my scalp, but even natural shampoos had the same effect. I’d wash my hair, think it was clean, then once I started drying it, I could feel all that oily, waxy residue still on my scalp. And within a day, it would look like I hadn’t washed it in days. I tried going no-poo, but baking soda made my hair look dull and dirty. Going for several days without washing my hair, like most no-poo people do, was awful and painful for me since my scalp got so irritated from the build up. I’ve recently started using a natural shampoo that has a lot of soothing ingredients in it and I alternate it with rhassoul clay, which seems to work well on my hair. I’m also washing my hair more often to manage the pain-causing build up. This morning, after a painful night from my irritated scalp, I used dish soap on my hair. Voila! My hair looks normal today, for the first time in a long time. Though I plan on only using that method when nothing else works, it certainly gave me a new start for managing my hair and scalp problems. Thank you again for your tips and ideas in this article!

  78. Telma on November 2, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    Hey there, I’m so thankful that I found this article. I have only tried this today, but apparently it is working. I have curly hair, and I usually don’t wash it more than 3 times a week, I know you said that the baking soda part should not be done that regularly, but would you recommend me rinsing my hair with the ACV everytime I wash my hair?
    Thank you so much for posting this article

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 10, 2015 at 8:50 am

      Hi Telma – Sure! Try rinsing with ACV and see how it goes for you. If it works, great! If not, you can try the baking soda with each washing, just watch how your hair responds long term. Good luck!

  79. Snigdha Pandey on November 10, 2015 at 1:28 am

    Hi. I am having the same issue. I used the ACV and baking soda method and the oiliness cleared after drying! It was silky and smooth again. But the next day after a normal hair wash the oiliness was back again. What do I do on a daily basis so that the oiliness does not come back? Please help!

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 10, 2015 at 8:44 am

      Hi – It’s really a matter of trial and error to see what works best for your hair. Try to train your hair so that you don’t have to wash it everyday. Use corn starch or arrowroot powder on your roots in between washes to stretch it out. Try using vinegar rinses before or after washing your hair with shampoo to see if that helps without needing the baking soda. If baking soda really is necessary, go for it. Just watch the condition of your hair and see how it does long term. You may be fine with this solution. But ultimately, something may be going on within your body. I’d look into doing an elimination diet to see if you can determine a food trigger.

    • pinky on December 7, 2015 at 2:17 am

      My hair was like that, and go figure my face was causing the oiliness on my scalp. I had to constantly wash my face but the important thing is the witch hazel I used as toner and most importantly to moisturize. I would tend to skip these after washing my face. My skin I guess produced more oils because I would strip them off after each wash, but I was not replenishing.

  80. jeelene on November 12, 2015 at 9:09 am

    Hi Jennifer & ladies! I recently have this problem and it went on a few days until I couldn’t take it anymore and started to google for solutions and came across your blog! This is not the first time for me; I experienced it 2-3 times a year, especially when I’m stressed at work.

    BUT! I found a solution without needing to spend any money!

    I shared this problem with one of my colleagues and guess what? She and her husband had this problem too (I felt so relieved tbh!) and she asked me to try washing my scalp with body wash, while the ends with normal shampoo (as body wash makes the ends extra dry).

    IT WORKED!

    After the first wash, I could FEEL the waxiness going off, and after the second wash, the waxiness went off! I live in a hot and humid country, so I usually wash my hair twice a day. You can try this next time (hopefully never :p) if the waxiness comes back. Save the waiting time and money on ACV/baking soda. 🙂

  81. Satsa on November 14, 2015 at 11:45 am

    Thanks for proving the solution. I used the vinegar solution to wash hair for two days, it did help to reduce the waxyness for a bit, however didn’t help to clean my oily scalp. I then ordered this sulfate-free organic shampoo on Amazon, because I read on another blog that sulfate could be the cause of the problem due to allergic reaction – one wash and my hair (and head) was all cleared of oily residue!!! I can’t be more happy.

    In case anyone is interested to know, the shampoo is (I am not an affiliate/seller): https://www.amazon.de/Greendoor-Natur-Shampoo-Eisenkraut-Kamille/dp/B009K66ADG/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1447519476&sr=8-10&keywords=organic+shampoo

    But I’m sure this is not the only one that helps. Just look for one without sulfate, which exists in most supermarket-type commercial shampoos.

  82. monicamueller on November 24, 2015 at 10:25 am

    Thank you!! I tried this last night and worked great! So happy

  83. Courtney on December 17, 2015 at 1:35 am

    For the past month my hair has been giving me trouble. Since I was a teenager I’ve suffered with dandruff but only in the winter time. The past month and a half every time I wash my hair (which is daily) the top of my hair is still greasy. I would notice as soon as I got out of the shower. I started to only use conditioner on my ends and avoid using it on my roots or anywhere in my head. I thought it would help but it hasn’t. I’ve heard apple cider vinegar is wonderful for many things. I’m going to try the vinegar method tonight. Is there anything else o should keep in mind?

    • Jennifer Roberge on December 27, 2015 at 7:50 pm

      Nope, just give it a try and see if it works for you.

  84. Angie on December 22, 2015 at 3:07 pm

    Hi! I’ve been dealing with greasy hair for a couple months now. I’ve had this problem on and off for about three years and in the past, I found a rinse with Listerine would fix the greasiness. However, this time I have rinsed with Listerine twice already and no luck. More than just spots of greasiness, my entire head is greasy and I just feel disgusting. I shampood and rinsed my hair with Listerine earlier today, but my hair is just a giant grease ball that I cannot stand right now. Do you think I could go ahead and try the ACV rinse today, or should I wait because I washed with LIsterine earlier today? Thanks for you advice.

    • Jennifer Roberge on December 27, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      I think it’s probably safe to try it – go for it.

  85. Faryal on January 3, 2016 at 3:09 pm

    Guys i have had this problem last year in winters .
    And i started noticing the reoccurance of it , whenever i used to wash my hair with hot water (duhhh its winters so how can you wash it with cold water IKR ?)
    But then i switched to warm water instead of hot and it dissaapeared in a single wash ..
    So dont go into all this trouble of washing it with apple vinegars and all just try this i am sure it’ll help everyone..
    I just wanted to share my experience as people are really confused of why it appears out of nowhere and then wouldnt go away.

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 4, 2016 at 7:47 pm

      That’s very interesting. Sadly, my greasy hair is not a seasonal condition. But I’m glad you determined what was causing your own hair trouble.

      • Faryal on January 6, 2016 at 4:05 am

        ? good luck to you too hun .
        Hope it gets better for you ?

  86. Hannah on January 6, 2016 at 4:39 am

    I have the same problem with my hair and its horrible!

    I would definitely try this but am worried it will smell badly – how bad does it smell and does it washout immediately?

    Thank you!

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 13, 2016 at 10:50 am

      Hi Hannah –

      I didn’t find the vinegar smell remained in my hair, but I supposed it’s possible. Good luck!

  87. Claudia on January 6, 2016 at 7:08 am

    Hey guys ! This happend to me too, exactly on the first of january ( heck of a way to start the year) and I was desperate. I started washing my hair more and more each day but it got worst, I went on google and found this article. But I first I wanted to see what a proffesional will recomand before I try any homemade remedy. I almost went into depression in 2 days, I was scared. To be honest the dermatalogist just asked me if I had stress problemes, if my menstruatian didn’t delay, if I change drasticly the way I was eating. But nothing fitted me, because the holidays just passed and I was accually coming from a relaxing and fun period of the year. She didn’t really convince me of anything but she did recommend a shampoo. The shampoo is called ALPECIN (Active Shampoo) A2 for olly scalps and it’s made in Germany ( and I found it in the drugstores, oh and I’m from Romania and it was really cheap , like 5 euros or 6-7 dollars). I’ve just tried it once .. and it was like a miracle !! It work from only one use !! I am so happy ! This just worked for me, but if anybody wants to try it out you should totally do ! The doctore recommend to wash my hair 2 times a week and the replace my usual shampoo with this one. Yesterday I used it for the fist time. Oh another thing I did, I left my hair to dry by itslef because I heard that heat helps to open the pores and made the sebum to come out faster at the surface. Anyhow I totally recommend this and I’m not by any way a sale agent ! And what I wanted to add is that I never ever had problemes with my hair, it always looked great and my hairdresser always complemened my healthy and natural hair. Good luck to you girls !

  88. Stephanie on January 16, 2016 at 2:42 pm

    Hi Jennifer!!

    I have had the exact same problem for so long now & finally read your article & tried the procedure in December. It worked so well the first time, I was so happy! After doing the procedure as you suggested, I started soaking my hair for 5 minutes with the vinegar every time I washe. After about 1 month, I decided to try the baking soda & vinegar treatment a second time, to achieve the same results I had before. Well, immediately after the second treatment, my hair was WORSE than before the treatment! Now I don’t know what to do! Has this ever happened to you? I’m afraid to use the baking soda again, as I think it may not be so great for my hair. But I am desperate again!! Any advice you can give me would be wonderful! Thank you!

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 25, 2016 at 2:10 pm

      Hi Stephanie – Yes, I’ve had something similar happen. That’s why I do have to use baking soda from time to time. You’ll have to play around with everything to see what works best for you and your unique scalp.

    • Sarah on March 2, 2016 at 5:32 pm

      Stephanie, please go to a dermatologist. You probably have seborrheic dermatitis like almost everyone who has the issue you’re describing. Baking soda is bad for the hair and disrupts the acid mantle barrier of the skin… very bad. Get prescriptions from your doctor; he will probably give you medicated shampoos

      • Noga on March 4, 2021 at 9:37 am

        Hi Sara! My dermatologist doesn’t know what to do.. can you please tell me which medical shampoos helped you with the waxi hair issue so I can ask him??
        Thanks anyway

  89. nads on January 22, 2016 at 5:20 am

    Hi Jennifer
    Did it matter what colour dye you used on your hair ? e.g. would just a normal brown work as well as blonde?

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 25, 2016 at 2:07 pm

      I think any color would work, but remember that this is far from a natural option.

  90. Georgie on January 23, 2016 at 10:29 am

    Baby shampoo cleared my greasy patch up after one wash!

  91. Susan Schlosser Sheahan on January 29, 2016 at 10:01 pm

    For years I have nagged my daughter saying she wasn’t washing her hair properly because it always looked greasy even after she just shampooed it. Or telling her to blow it dry instead of air dry so it wouldn’t just stick to her head. We’ve tried a ton of different shampoos over the years with no luck. I had just read about doing this same process (but in reverse–baking soda first, then ACV) for clarifying before coloring. Never thought about it for the oil. Tonight I tried this on her, then treated her to blowing it dry for her. Her hair looks clean and healthy for the first time in years! She had the biggest smile (which is a rarity!). Who knows, maybe she’ll even try makeup now!

    • Jennifer Roberge on February 1, 2016 at 8:42 am

      Yay! So glad it worked for her! Something you may want to consider that I’m starting to connect the dots about is hard water. Do you have hard water? We definitely do and I notice that when I’m traveling to a city that does not have hard water, I don’t have problems with my hair. Trying to think through this now and we’re going to be getting a water softener installed in our home. I hope this is the last piece of the puzzle.

  92. Sam Mason on February 4, 2016 at 10:00 am

    I started having the same issue about 8 years ago. Someone told me to Drink the ACV which can be combined with Orange Juice, Grape Juice or even Water. I prefer 2 tablespoons of Braggs Organic ACV with Organic OJ, in a 20oz cup. It works GREAT and I don’t walk around smelling like the ACV.

    • Peg on February 7, 2017 at 5:36 pm

      So did it solve the problem?

  93. Maryann on February 5, 2016 at 2:52 pm

    I’ve had this problem for a while now and always thought I was washing the shampoo out poorly no matter how much I rinsed. I just made a batch of acv/water, put it in a spray bottle, applied to affected area for 25 mins and shampood out and surprise! My problem spot was gone! So glad i found this post 🙂

  94. Sarah on February 21, 2016 at 3:20 am

    Hi Jennifer! Has the water softener you mentioned helped you at all? I installed a culligan water softener a while ago to help my waxy hair and it hasn’t helped 🙁 I’m seeing a dermatologist next week to hopefully see if this is a systemic issue or not… perhaps some weird form of dermatitis even though I don’t experience itching or flaking or anything. I’ve been dealing with this crap for too long.

    I’ve also heard that old pipes can cause hair issues but I’m not sure if there’s any validity to that. Sigh. I feel like I’ve exhausted all reasonable options.

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 10, 2016 at 2:19 pm

      We just had our water softener installed. I’ll let you know after a month or so if it solved the issue over here.

    • Jasmine on November 21, 2019 at 10:03 am

      ever figure out a solution or go to the derm?

  95. Sumaiya on February 21, 2016 at 3:26 pm

    Even applying talcum powder helps !wash after that and the problem is solved ! Apply talcum powder on your scalp and massage ! You’ll see all the oil getting soaked and your fingers will get greasy! Wash and dry hair after that ! It works !

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 10, 2016 at 2:18 pm

      I’d recommend using something less toxic than talcum powder, which has been linked to cancer because it can contain traces of asbestos.

  96. Nadaa K on February 25, 2016 at 12:05 am

    Hi, thanks so much for this!! It really eased my heart knowing I wasn’t the only one with this problem. I haven’t done anything yet, so should I just start with the ACV or the tea shampoo? My greasy hair spot isn’t that big, about a centimeter in diameter, so I was also thinking about watching it for a few days in case it just went away. But if it doesn’t I think I will try the ACV. Thank you so much!!

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 10, 2016 at 2:15 pm

      Since it’s just a small spot, you may have luck just with ACV. I’d try that first. If that doesn’t work, try doing ACV again and adding baking soda to the shampoo next time. Good luck!

  97. Elsa on February 29, 2016 at 10:13 am

    Hey, I am damn worried about my hair. I`ve had the same problem and I`ve washed it like 5 times…still not solved! I`ll just try the vinegar thing. Thanks 🙂

    • Nk on June 1, 2016 at 5:40 pm

      I have the exact same problem , tried the vinegar thing, didn’t work!!

  98. Sarah on March 2, 2016 at 5:03 pm

    Hey, so I recently sent a comment to you about how I have the same exact problem and made a derm appointment… well, I just got diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis and was prescribed a few treatments (medicated shampoo and another product) to pick up at my pharmacy. When it comes to seborrheic dermatitis apple cider vinegar washes just aren’t going to cut it as my derm says… you need actual medicated products to remove it completely. If your own derm won’t prescribe them then I’d definitely go to a different doctor.

  99. Sarah on March 2, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    I’m not sure my comment actually went through so I’ll just retype it… so I have had the same exact problem as you for a long time and just got diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis. My derm prescribed medicated shampoos and another treatment (I forget) to pick up at the pharmacy. When I mentioned apple cider vinegar rinses he sort of laughed and said that those wouldn’t cut it… if your derm won’t recommend actual medication to treat an actual medical condition then I would find another derm. Also, I installed a super expensive culligan water softener to ‘help’ my hair before this and it didn’t help my hair AT ALL. If water was the issue then residue would have been removed easily with a clarifying shampoo… this is an actual medical problem that needs to be treated with scientifically proven medical intervention. Anyway, I’m super excited to have a diagnosis so I can go forward in treating this. Best of luck to you!

  100. desertsage63 on March 6, 2016 at 1:03 pm

    I have noticed a very itchy scalp along with a pale beige “waxy” fat-based buildup this winter and spring, which I never had before. I initially attributed it to the fact that I only wash my hair twice a week with hot water and a good conditioner and have been doing so for the past few years for the fact that my dry scalp condition I always had due to psoriasis ( I do use a clarifying shampoo 1x per month). I always found that was perfect, no dry itchy scalp – until this other waxy buildup problem arose this winter winter..After finding your article… esp due to someone mentioning yeast…Now I do think the truth is something new- it is because also the last 6 months I have been doing high-energy “power walks” 3 x a week- where I really work up a sweat, my head gets very hot and sweaty due to wearing a hat (it was very cold out). I think I have basically encouraged some kind of skin bacteria, or yeast or both to set in on my scalp..Scalp, esp at the back is really itchy, and smells a bit funny, also my hair folicles “hurt” when I pull my (long) hair up on my head in a scrunchie for the walks, and for sleeping etc, then the pain is crazy later when try to let it down.. its like my scalp is bruised and tender..ugh! Last night I tried the ACV soak (Braggs brand), and then shampood using a non SLS body wash. I also really massaged my whole scalp gently during the wash with my fingernails..I put no conditioner on the scalp, just on the ends to detangle… Today my head feels clean and just slightly itchy.. I will repeat this treatment in 3 days but from now on I think I will continue to use the ACV soak. Plus I believe I should rinse my scalp with it after the power walks!

  101. Michelle on March 8, 2016 at 3:34 pm

    Hi, I’ve been struggling with a waxy strange patch just on the top of my head for a few years now, to begin with was just and inch or so but over time as my hair has grown it’s now pretty much the length of my hair but still only on the very top. The more I washed the worse it got and washing up liquid never helped. I went to our big boots store and found this amazing shampoo by Shea Moisture, it contains apple cider vinegar and has no sulfates and free from lots of other things too. I also got the matching hair mask and did these at the weekend and was so pleased with the results! It had got really bad but was pretty much gone and I’ve done a 2nd wash today just with the shampoo ( I did apply my regular conditioner after but felt funny again so I rewashed with just the shampoo) and gone, it’s a lovely shampoo that’s made my hair soft and clean when normally it’s really frizzy and wild. Wasn’t cheap but not too bad but I highly recommend everyone to try this. Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Restore Shampoo

  102. Sarah on March 11, 2016 at 1:15 am

    This might be worth a shot… I just ordered one

    https://www.xojane.com/beauty/shampoo-brush-for-seborrheic-dermatitis

  103. Rebecca on March 27, 2016 at 9:27 pm

    Hey- so last night I tried ACV on my hair and left it for 30 minutes, rinsed it and washed it with baking soda and tea tree shampoo. It helped alot, it completely removed the waxy building up on the right side but not completely on the left side. How often do you think I can do this? This is so frustrating and I wonder why it is happening.

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 13, 2016 at 7:51 am

      Sorry it took so long to reply! How is it going now? Are the results better or the same? If the waxy buildup still hasn’t gone away on the one side, I’d say this may not be the treatment for you.

  104. Tupalina on March 30, 2016 at 2:25 pm

    I started getting the waxy problem after switching to an all-natural shampoo 2 months ago. Initially after the switch, I had a serious dandruff problem which, after about 2 weeks, sort of went away, but in-came the waxy feel. The hair feels kind of normal in the shower but will develop the waxiness as I blow-dry my hair. I use a citric acid+essential oil+glycerin rinse to “close” the hair cuticles. I can actually feel a film on my fingers as I use my fingers to comb through my hair during the blow-drying. I was warned of this issue which supposedly was part of the hair and scalp detox, but when is it going to end??

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 13, 2016 at 7:49 am

      Hi – I’m not so sure that you’re experiencing die-off. I personally don’t really believe in die-off – I’ve experienced all kinds of traditional “die-off” symptoms via many elimination diets, hair detox, etc, but my “die-off” symptoms never go away….so for me personally, I think those treatments don’t work and that the “die-off” is actually a sign that those treatments are not for me. I think if you’re trying something and your symptoms don’t improve after a month, maybe that’s not the right thing for you. That’s my personal opinion – I’m not a health practitioner, so take it as you wish. I hope it helps.

  105. Ann on April 7, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    Do you apply the ACV to wet or dry hair? I’ve seen tutorials on both but I wondered which way would yield better results. Or does it not matter?

    Thanks!

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 13, 2016 at 7:37 am

      I always applied it to dry hair and it worked for me. I think really either way can be helpful.

  106. beaglelove on April 17, 2016 at 8:50 am

    Have tried baking soda and ACV repeatedly, didn’t work. Hair is still oily and stringy. Have not changed diet or anything. I am on antibiotics for Lyme, but the oily hair developed suddenly and acutely. I will try Listerine and clarifying shampoo even though they’re not the “cleanest” (nontoxic) choices because I’m desperate. Also, not sure if it’s related but my skin has become much itchier lately, even though the only moisturizer I use is coconut oil.

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 26, 2016 at 10:44 am

      I think it’s possible the antibiotics have wreaked havoc on your digestive track and you may have leaky gut. You can repair this through a healing diet like GAPS or AutoImmune Paleo, but the key is to add probiotic supplements as well as probiotic foods and lots of omega 3s such as found in fish oil. This can only help your skin and scalp. But be patient, it can take a while to work – 3 months and longer.

    • Ryan Whitehead on May 19, 2016 at 5:06 am

      Try T-gel or T-sal. It worked great on mine. 🙂

  107. amina on April 18, 2016 at 4:35 am

    Yesterday I did the apple cider vinegar treatment. The greasiness has reduced but it’s still there. When you used ACV treatment did the greasiness go away after one wash or after a specific time?

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 26, 2016 at 10:42 am

      Hi Amina – I found it went away completely. Try it again and see how it goes. I did find I could use only ACV for a few washes and then would have to break down and add the baking soda every 3-4th wash. Hope this helps!

  108. Alison DAVIDSON on April 24, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    Thank you so much. This worked on my daughter’s hair first time

  109. richardson smith on May 2, 2016 at 7:45 pm

    thank u very much, the apple cider vinager worked after the first try. i also washed my hair with t-gel and let it sit, now my hair is better than it was before

  110. DD on May 9, 2016 at 8:44 am

    So you use the apple cider/water mix as a daily conditioner now? do you recommend a different conditioner method or product for daily use?

    • Jennifer Roberge on May 9, 2016 at 11:44 am

      I tried that for a while and it wasn’t enough for my tangles, so I used a normal conditioner at the end. I still need to use apple cider vinegar to soak my hair followed by a shampoo that I add baking soda too when my waxiness builds up. Experiment around to see what works best for you.

  111. Meagan Reuter on May 9, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    Hey Jennifer, I need help! I have noticed the waxy, greasy feeling on the crown of my head just in the past two or so days and I have been freaking out. My hair has always been a little oily after about two days of not washing, but never right afterwards. I have been washing my hair relentlessly and nothing is working… I am afraid to do anything to it for fear it might get worse (and just days before my prom! ). I am def going to try the apple cider vinegar, but I’ve heard that baby shampoo might work as well. Have you tried it?

    • Jennifer Roberge on May 9, 2016 at 7:52 pm

      Sure, you can try that. But I don’t think it’s strong enough – I would suggest the apple cider vinegar with baking soda in the post.

    • char on May 9, 2016 at 9:12 pm

      I’ve been having luck with using T-gel, T-sal and Giovanni tea tree treat on alternating days. I ONLY rub the shampoos into my scalp though, and leave them in for 10 min before washing out

  112. asddasd on May 13, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    Just thought you should konw that 6% Salicylic acid shampoo (T-sal is probably pretty similar) from my dermatologist has almost completely fixed my greasy hair… I’ve been using it 2x a week, leave it in for 20 min and then rinse out. I am serious when I say my hair hasn’t looked this good in 10 years

  113. dancingwalzes on May 22, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    My children get this, and I have found that if I work coconut oil into their scalps, it seems to bind to the waxy build up and release it easily from their scalps. Then I can just comb it out to loosen it further and finally rinse it out with cider vinegar. Plus it makes their hair so soft and shiny! We do this treatment 1-2 times a year.

  114. Iona on May 23, 2016 at 6:57 pm

    hi, i don’t normally contribute to blog posts but this waxy/oily has been a huge problem for me recently!! after not having it for months it has returned and no amount of washing will shift it! personally, t/gel shampoo for oily hair does wonders however it is a little bit pricey. normal fairy liquid has also worked for me! so glad i came across this blog, it’s quite surprising how common this is!

  115. KM on May 27, 2016 at 1:08 pm

    I have had extremely itchy skin for the past few months (I’ve somewhat attributed it to stress at work). I’ve always had sensitive skin, but the itching has definitely become more of an annoyance. I don’t have any flaking or constant skin rashes, but if anyone or anything touches or irritates my skin I get huge red welts that itch like crazy. I’ve found epsom salt baths help with the itching. Just last week I started having the waxy/greasy hair at the crown of my head that I cannot get rid of. I’m going straight to the store to buy apple cider vinegar and the other natural remedies that you suggested. Do you think the two issues could be connected?

    • Jennifer Roberge on May 30, 2016 at 11:12 am

      Hi – Yes, I think it’s very likely the too are connected. Both reveal that your skin isn’t happy and that something externally or internally is triggering your reactions. It can be a combination of stress and certain foods perhaps. It may be worthwhile to do an elimination diet like the Whole30, Auto Immune Paleo or even a raw Vegan diet to see if you can get to the bottom of the issue.

  116. Nk on June 1, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    hello, i have the exact same problem . There is this area in the crown of my head that’s always sticky and greasy no matter what i did , i tried to mix some apple vinegar with some water , and put it on my scalpe for around 30 mins , then i washed it with my normal shampoo (head and shoulders) but nothing has changed! The same waxy feeling is there ! What can i do? Please help me .

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 8, 2016 at 7:50 am

      Definitely try adding baking soda to your shampoo. Pour the usual amount of shampoo into your hand and add a teaspoon of baking soda -mix it together and wash your hair with it. This works like a charm for me.

  117. Mel on June 5, 2016 at 3:04 pm

    Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for this post! I’ve never had any problems with my hair in the past and I’m 26, but a few months ago I started noticing that greasy spot at the crown of my head after I got out of the shower. I had just switched to a new shampoo (all natural and allergy free since I have Celiac), so I thought maybe that was it and it was just too mild, but the rest of my hair was on the dryer side, even the hair close to my scalp in other areas. I even tried a strong cleansing shampoo and nothing would get it out. It’s been getting worse the last few months and spreading over the back of my head. I haven’t been able to wear my hair down for months. I finally decided to google it yesterday and I’m so glad that I did! I found your article and tried the treatment as you suggested and it is AMAZING!!!! My hair finally feels like my hair again. I was actually able to straighten it and wear it down last night when I went out. I know I have allergies, etc. and I’m so careful, it’s so strange that I went over 26 years without anything like this happening, and then to have it happen all of a sudden. The only other thing I can think of is that I did use a hair mask a couple times to put some moisture back into my hair since it tends to run on the dryer side, and I’m not actually certain that didn’t have wheat in it, so it could have been a reaction to that maybe that set it off. I may never know, but I’m so grateful that you took the time to research this and share it!!! I’m still planning to do the apple cider vinegar one time a week for the next couple weeks just to make sure it doesn’t start up again and that I got all of it out.

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 8, 2016 at 7:51 am

      Could it be something to do with your new shampoo maybe? Has anything else changed recently? Stress, environment?

  118. Rizvi Chy on June 9, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    I have oily hare. So, do you recommend a different conditioner method or product for daily use?

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 12, 2016 at 9:48 pm

      They key is to skip washes when you need them and to get your hair and scalp used to less washings – over time you’ll see you need less and less washing. It’s great for the scalp. I had a lot of pony tail days, but it was so liberating not having to wash my hair so often. You should be able to use the same products as we mentioned without problems.

    • Dessa on June 25, 2016 at 1:14 pm

      I use head and shoulders for dry scalp. The one with the almonds on it. They have a separate conditioner now that I use with it. I have color treated hair and the separate conditioner is a must. Works great. I have the oily problem when I try to change anything up.

  119. Rizvi Chy on June 9, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    I have oily hair. So, do you recommend a different conditioner method or product for daily use?

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 5, 2016 at 3:32 pm

      Hi there – I’m sorry, but I’m not entirely sure. I think it’s really a matter of trial and error to see what works best for you.

  120. Alex on June 15, 2016 at 11:49 pm

    Jennifer
    im 29 and
    i recently have moved to a new home 2 months ago and recently started having this waxy oily build up in my hair. i have natural extremely thick curly hair like perfect spiral dreads that is naturally oily and i wash twice/wk but i have never had this happen before i moved. i don’t have the dandruff or anything else like the other symptoms described. its just the waxy buildup throughout my hair. i have been using the devacare no poo shampoo non sulfate and the devacare one conditioner for almost 2 years. i dont blow dry just towel and air dry. i take good care of my hair and it always was healthy when using that shampoo and conditioner. i take fish oil and cinnamon supplements everyday and biotin supplements because I’m growing my hair long again. my diet is healthy and i workout 5 days/wk. ive been told that it could be the change in water. i am considering on using the ACV diluted and using my devacare shampoo but i am not sure if the ACV wil damage the curls. could it be that because i work out much more than i used to and my scalp is producing more oils? any help would be appreciated.

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 5, 2016 at 3:30 pm

      HI Alex – I’m afraid I don’t know much about curly hair, mine is bone straight. Why don’t you do some research on vinegar and curls? And I’d contact the city to find out about the hardness of your water. We noticed moving to soft water helped a ton with my hair.

    • Sarah on July 7, 2016 at 11:07 pm

      I’d love to know how the ACV goes Alex! I also have very thick curly hair like you and I get this thick greasy buildup on my scalp, which when I scratch looks white and almost powdery under my nails. I started the CG method (no sulphates or silicones) about a month ago and I’ve started running 3-5km virtually every day for the last three weeks. My scalp seems worse lately, although I must admit it may be as I haven’t been brushing my scalp in the shower twice a week (I bought a tangle teaser for this reason). I’ve looked at the ACV rinses and there are mixed reviews online as to whether this is good or bad for your hair so if you try it, let me know how you go. The reviews seem to imply your hair will feel good to start with but the imbalanced ph might damage it long term. I think I’m going to find my tangle teaser and start thoroughly brushing my scalp twice a week in the shower and see if that improves things.

      • Alex on July 8, 2016 at 3:45 pm

        Sarah

        ACV treatment seemed to work just fine on my first try when working it inbut when i rinsed my hair it seemed to still be a bit waxy and heavy. Also i would not suggest brushing or combing your hair as it WILL break and or damage curly/wavy hair. i also have recently found out what is causing this. it is 100% without a doubt the extremely hard water at our house. i checked the city water reports and it indicates that our are is off the charts for hard water. i did some research on the effects of hard water on hair and the problem we’re having are due to the heavy mineral content in the water and other impurities. mainly calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and magnesium deposites which also build up in the hair. the solution is to install a high quality water softener which will remove up to 90-95% of thousands of impurities and yield almost pure filtered water.

        • Jennifer Roberge on July 13, 2016 at 10:00 am

          The hard water turned out to be an issue for me as well, but I don’t believe it’s the secret for everyone. We had tried a shower head water softener and it didn’t do anything. Then we bought a full house softener and I haven’t had any trouble with waxy buildup since.

      • Alexander M Soteris on August 8, 2016 at 8:44 pm

        Sarah
        sorry ot took me so long to reply. ok so the ACV treatment did help but when i went to rinse it out it was the same as before. after research, i started to research the water might be the problem since there was never an issue with the shampoo and conditioner before at my old house. i was correct. the city water reports stated that the water in my area was extremely hard. way off the charts. makes complete sense now. the shampoo and conditioner are the control and the water is the variable which led me to do an experiment. in theory 100% pure water Should be the solution so i went out and bought gallons of distilled water and washed my hair with it and my normal shampoo and conditioner the results were instant. at the end my hair was back to normal and even better than when i washed at my old house. i really hope this helps and solves your problem. please let me know how it turns out . good luck.
        regards
        Alex

  121. Dessa on June 25, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    I’m 40 years old and recently starting having this issue. until the past year I had never had anything like it. the first time it happened I had changed my shampoo and conditioner. Don’t remember how I got it to go away the first time, but I think it was a combination of switching back to my old shampoo and time. This time I think it was brought on by my changing conditioner (apparently once was not enough to get me to learn my lesson). For a week now I’ve been dealing with it, changed back to my regular conditioner (I use head and shoulders moisturizing shampoo and their separate conditioner, the one with the almonds on the bottle because I have had dandruff since I hit puberty), but every day it didn’t seem to be getting better. I’ve been pulling my hair back in front to cover it, kind of my own comb over I guess. I starting reading again to see what other people did and came across this posting. I had read about the apple cider vinegar before but never the addition of baking soda. I am EXTREMELY skeptical of home remedies but I was so desperate for it to go away I was willing to try anything. So this morning I went to the kitchen grabbed a partial bottle of apple cider vinegar and the box of baking soda. The bottle was small and only a quarter of the way filled, I heeded the warning about burning my scalp with straight vinegar and put water in the bottle so it was about a 50/50 mix. I dumped it on my head and loosely wrapped it in a towel to keep it from getting all over everything. I left it for 15 minutes and jumped in the shower. I got my ends wet grabbed the box of baking soda (it was a trick to keep it dry, will separate it out next time ahead of time), mixed in my regular shampoo and washed my hair. I made sure to get it right to my scalp and all over particularly in the area where the sticky oiliness was. I then conditioned my hair normally with my head and shoulder conditioner. I should note that I’ve been using it again all week. I got out of the shower, and was trying to not get too excited if it didn’t work but couldn’t wait to dry my hair. It would be obviously immediately as you all probably know, and low and behold, happy day, it worked!!! My god I’m so happy! I could cry. Not only that, my hair is super soft and not as frizzy as normal. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

  122. Hema on July 2, 2016 at 12:36 pm

    Thanks for the previous comments & advice. I had a sudden attack of this stick oily hair I noticed over last 2 weeks. As many others initially I thought I hadn’t rinsed or washed my hair properly as I do oil my hair once a week. Persistent & deliberate washing the crown did not resolve the issue. After reading the blog I bought Dr Organuc tea tree oil from H&B. Slightly pricey to regular shampoo but it’s with it. Whilst washing it I felt my hair super soft & after one wash I have super soft clean shiny hair, noticed by others. I let my hair dry naturally in summer & I noticed the frizz has calmed down too. Win win .. Happy soft hair ?

  123. Hema on July 2, 2016 at 12:39 pm

    I had the same issue waxy oily hair. First time solution Dr Organic Tea tree oil shampoo. Super soft frizz free hair from1st wash, got compliments too.

  124. Melissa on July 7, 2016 at 10:48 pm

    You are a Godsend. I have been noticing and feeling super insecure about my waxy/greasy/dirty-appearing hair for about a month-month and a half now, and after reaching my boiling point I started trying to figure out my issue. Through internet searches, I quickly realized I was not alone in my struggle and confusion, for that matter. I started paying more attention to my shampooing and conditioning–making sure I rinsed thoroughly, or rinsed with the ‘appropriate’ temperature of water. After that proved to not be the issue, I found claims that I needed to use a clarifying shampoo. I purchased the Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo thinking that would be the end-all to this gross hair only to be disappointed. I found articles that said “Rub baking soda in your hair” so of course I did. After that did nothing (on its own) I went back to the proverbial drawing board and ended up here. I had considered ACV before all the other options I had tried because it seems to fix just about everything, but after reading your article and the reviews I knew I had to just break down and do it. So, I rinsed my whole head in 1 part ACV to 2 parts water, wrapped my hair in a towel and sat for 20 minutes making jokes to my boyfriend about how I smelled like a pickle but would sacrifice my personal scent for non-greasy hair. After 20 minutes, I jumped in the shower, rinsed my hair and washed with baking soda/shampoo and conditioned as usual. I was skeptical but as I was drying my hair, I quickly noticed that my hair was not tacky like it has been. The roots did not appear to be dirty and the waxy feeling was gone. It looked like my normal hair! Thank you so much for your article. I feel like a normal person again.

  125. Manal Zafar on July 12, 2016 at 1:49 am

    Hi! When I read your post I realised I’m not the only one with greasy spots on my scalp! Lately the crown of the head and my hairline has developed this greasy build up that did not go away by any measure of shampooing. However I haven’t had any itching. Yesterday I tried a home remedy and it’s worked like magic! I beat one egg with one tablespoon of lemon juice and about a teaspoon of Listerine and put it on my scalp and hair. I left it on for about 1 hour and shampooed my hair using my regular shampoo (Tresemme Moisture Rich) and the greasiness was gone!
    One problem though; your hair will fall like crazy when you try to get the egg out. But my hair feels great today. Can you recommend something for the hair loss in general?

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 13, 2016 at 9:59 am

      Yes, I found my hair falls out more with the baking soda. Hopefully you can skip the egg or a while and only use it when you see the build up happening again.

  126. Jackie W. on July 13, 2016 at 2:46 am

    Never had this problem before. We are vacationing in Montreal right now and staying at an airbnb, someone’s apartment. I’ve been washing my hair every day, as I always do. The last few days I’ve noticed my hair feels sticky and greasy even hours after washing. I have alternated using the two brands that were provided here, herbal essence & Vidal Sassoon, I believe. I’m hoping it’s just the water here, or something. Going home tomorrow. Wish me luck.

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 13, 2016 at 9:58 am

      This is interesting because I live in Montreal! I’ve had this problem a handful of times while living in other parts of the world, but nothing like I developed in Montreal. Then we bought a soft water softener and the problem has disappeared. I’m guessing the hard minerals in the water didn’t sit well with the my personal chemistry – mix of oils on my scalp, etc. I think you’ll see it’s gone away once you leave Montreal. Please let me know! jennifer@eczemacompany.com

      • nishat on August 4, 2016 at 9:48 am

        will normal vinegar work

      • Jackie W. on August 8, 2016 at 1:34 am

        I got back from Montreal & still had the same problem. Three or four days later I bought some Neutrogena anti residue shampoo . I used it once & the problem was gone. I use it once a week now, as suggested, just to be safe.I can’t say what would have happened if I had been home and given it some more time but it’s back to normal now.

  127. sam on July 23, 2016 at 2:32 pm

    Thank you so so so much!!!! My hair had been gunky for years and I literally tried everything, including a water softener. I scrubbed a few tablespoons apple cider vinegar mixed into a cup of water into my hair, left it on for 40 minutes, rinsed it out & vigorously scrubbed my scalp and hair except the ends with OGX Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo combined with a tablespoon of baking soda. My hair felt extremely strange and sticky and puffy in the shower but I did this & then scrubbed again with just the shampoo and my hair hasn’t looked this good in years. Thank you so much!!! I wasn’t even going to try it because I’d pretty much given up and I’d advise this for anyone who’s tried everything

  128. Kate on July 28, 2016 at 3:54 am

    I got this, and had NO idea it was such a common problem until I went to google! I was so sick of washing my hair and it feeling greasy again as soon as it dried. I did a 50/50 ACV and water, with 10 drops of melaleuca (tea tree) essential oil. Sprayed it on the crown of my head (where my greasy spot was) with a little spritz bottle, let it sit for 10 minutes, then washed with clarifying shampoo. BAM- gone! The crown of my head now feels all soft and clean again! Yay!! I’m keeping the spray bottle in my bathroom cabinet in case it sneaks up on me again.

  129. LeAnn Trana on July 29, 2016 at 10:12 am

    Thanks for this information! I have a waxy patch very close to my scalp (about quarter size) and wondering if it’s best to try to remove it or leave it there while treating and allow the treatment to work? I’m a “picker” so I want to get rid of it but when I start picking, it becomes very sore. I have been using apple cider vinegar followed by tea tree oil which makes it more comfortable and it’s starting to feel dryer rather than so waxy. I ordered the shampoo you recommended and it should be coming today so will give it a try! I’m 57 years old – used to have a little of this problem when I was younger but that’s been years ago!! Was so disappointed to have it back again. I eat a very clean diet so I haven’t been able to associate a cause but I’ll keep reading other’s experiences here. Thanks again!

    • Jennifer Roberge on August 5, 2016 at 2:35 pm

      Hi LeAnne – if the waxiness is on your skin and not in your hair, I’m not sure if this method will work. Have you tried applying straight raw honey to the patch to see if that helps?

  130. Leigh on August 10, 2016 at 8:26 am

    I have this same problem except for it covers the whole crown of my head. It took me a long time to realize that it happens whenever I eat dairy. As soon as I quit eating it my hair gets better. If I slip up and eat something with dairy it starts up again immediately. When it happens I have to wash my roots twice, sometimes even three times to get the waxy buildup out. I’ve learned when its acting up to keep shampooing my roots until the shampoo lathers really well. If I shampoo and it doesn’t lather well I know I’m going to end up with oily waxy roots before my hair even dries. The shampoo just can’t compete with that much waxy oil. I have heard certain tea tree shampoos work but if you can find the cause it’s even better. Chances are your scalp isn’t the only thing being effected by inflammation. Internal inflammation can lead to serious health problems if you can’t find and eliminate your triggers. If you’re interested, try the elimination diet.

  131. Meg on August 23, 2016 at 12:21 pm

    I have had the same problem with a waxy buildup since my teens. The only thing that seemed to help at, and in the short-term, was hair dye. It’s been a terrible battle that has stretched three decades.

    Today I tried vinegar and baking soda. It worked!! I highly recommend this technique, but agree baking soda would be damaging on the long run. I’m hoping to keep it at one per month.

    • Hazel on September 6, 2016 at 2:39 pm

      I had this problem and switched my hair products and skincare products to paraben free and sulfate free products and this solved it. I use Temple Spa now and have never had any skin or scalp problems since.

  132. Meghan on September 11, 2016 at 4:17 pm

    This is a great article. But I use baking soda pretty frequently for my hair and have for quite some time..BUT that being said might I mention that I don’t put straight BS onto my strands. I actually mix half part BS and half part ALKALIZED WATER into a cup and stir as to make a paste. (Itll be a little runny) Then I apply the paste to my scalp and strands while my head is UPSIDE DOWN. Not sure why but my hair is SO thick that when I do any scalp treatments if I’m not stranding up and have my hair flipped over and head down it never works as well. So yeah, hair being UPSIDE down made a big difference for me lol but ANYWAYS, lol I run my finger through my strands while I wait ONLY about 5 minutes or so before completely rinsing. OMG. AMAZING. Straight BS can be damaging, but honestly the way that I have chose to do this to my hair it’s done nothing but good for me. And if I’m not mistaken, isn’t the pH balance of Baking Soda “Neutral”, so in return it would help return YOUR scalp to its very own comfortable pH level if applied correctly and not so harshly? Maybe that’s why it’s just done wonders for my hair. Also I do not do this every day. Every other week, once a week tops. And also, afterwords I don’t evencondition. I rinse very very well. Towel dry. Comb.apply a small amount of coconut oil to the ENDS of my strands, never my roots, and BAM. My hair looks like it cocooned into a butterfly! I’m just sharing what I DO for my LOCKS. Great article.

  133. Cecily Worthy on September 14, 2016 at 11:34 am

    I have had the same situation with waxy scalp. I read it could be a side effect to my medication. This past weekend I thought I would try one more thing. I took liquid form of probiotics and sprayed my hair. I sprayed it all over and waited about 30 minutes, sprayed again and jumped in the shower for my regular routine. Dried my hair and was thrilled to see it was gone! Four days later and still no wax. Not only did this take away the wax, but made my hair so much softer. I also take the probiotics orially, which has stopped my digestive issues. I am now using the probiotics on everything I can. Life changing. Nextwaveprobiotics.com

    • Jennifer Roberge on September 14, 2016 at 4:14 pm

      That’s great to hear!

    • Cecily on September 21, 2016 at 9:10 pm

      You all should really try spraying nextwaveprobitoics.com in your hair. The waxy film in my hair was gone right away. I couldn’nt believe it. It has been over a week and has not come back. I just had a full hysterectomy and home resting. I had flare ups on my skin, the medial tape made my face red and inflamed. I have Lupus, so my skin and autoimmune is weak. This product has helped me in so many ways. it comes in a gallon. I suggest get a spray bottle and spray your whole body after every shower or bath. Drink 5oz for heartburns. I also drink it twice a day for my digestion/IBS. It took a few weeks to have a normal bowel movement. I also suffer from Migraines. This product has improved my life better than anything any doctor has ever suggested. This product WILL help.

      • Jennifer Roberge on October 4, 2016 at 3:25 pm

        Wow, interesting! I’ll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion.

  134. Marisa Isenberg on September 15, 2016 at 3:17 pm

    Hi there! Just came across your blog and I should’ve googled this years ago! My only question is in regards to the ACV. My hair is color treated and I am wondering if this is safe to do every wash? I usually wash my hair every other day because the grease is unbearable.

    Also wanted to know if tea tree oil shampoo is safe for color treated hair?

    Thank you!
    Marisa

    • Marisa Isenberg on September 16, 2016 at 8:47 am

      Hi soo update I did try this last night however I did not do the baking soda and I feel like my hair is still just as greasy. Is this something that gets better over time? Or should I have seen results on the first try? I used a travel size spray bottle and did 1/3 ACV and the rest water. Help!

      • Jennifer Roberge on September 19, 2016 at 11:34 am

        The baking soda is key for me – give that a try!

    • Jennifer Roberge on September 19, 2016 at 11:34 am

      I’ve heard that tea tree oil can strip color, so it’s probably best to avoid it in your case.

  135. K on September 20, 2016 at 4:28 pm

    Something that helped me get rid of the oily patch, is puttting two beaten eggs in my hair once or twice a week and washing it off after 30 minutes.

  136. Em Be on September 21, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    I’m not sure if I can truely describe my gratitude to you for documenting this.
    But I’ll try and I’ll make it short (it could be a shirt novel).
    I was really suffering and at the point where I was just keeping my head above water with the onset after 20 years of some serious trauma. This was one of my symptoms, there were many of them but this one was just about to be the one that really took me down.
    I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
    x

  137. Connie on September 25, 2016 at 1:25 am

    I have this same problem and I’m so hopeless about it, I’ve thought about killing myself because thanks to this I’ve become insecure and anxious, I really don’t know what to do 🙁

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 4, 2016 at 3:21 pm

      Oh no – please, try this. Did it work for you? Please reach out to friends and family and let them help you through this.

  138. Amanda on September 28, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    I’ve had this issue over the last week and it just kept getting worse as I kept washing my hair with normal shampoo and conditioner- I thought maybe it was my water, but I think I may have been not rinsing my hair properly- so I washed it again and the waxy feeling got worse. I am a knitter and use SOAK Wool wash, which is a gentle detergent for delicates and woolens. I figured that this would be more gentle on my scalp that dish soap, so I washed just the scalp and rinsed it VERY thoroughly. It worked and my hair doesn’t smell like dish soap! I’m really hoping I don’t have to do this often because I don’t want this to ruin my hair. Especially since I’ve washed my hair more in the last two days than I do in two weeks…

  139. Kelly on September 30, 2016 at 9:37 am

    For the last few months, I have had waxy build up in my hair. I came across your blog and used apple cider vinegar on my hair for 30 minutes. It worked wonders! My hair and scalp feel like 15 pounds have been lifted! I’m definitely going to add this to my weekly routine. Thanks for sharing!!!!

  140. Ms. Glace on October 2, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    I just want to say, THANK YOU SO MUCH for this! I washed my hair a few days ago and noticed this waxy, greasy mess all in it the next day. It was so bad it was sticking together in these massive clumps. I thought I must have gotten distracted and not washed the conditioner out completely! Seven washes later, and I finally came to the conclusion that this was not the case. I even thought I was going crazy and that maybe this was just a really spontaneous form of OCD! After finding this article, I covered my head in the apple cider vinegar solution for 20-30 minutes, and then mixed half a bottle of Nutragena clarifying shampoo with a big heap of baking soda, lathered it and let it set for a minute or two before washing it out. IT WORKED!! SO HAPPY!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! My hair doesn’t even have any residual pickle smell.

  141. Tina on October 12, 2016 at 8:32 pm

    When my 10 year old daughter developed this same problem a few weeks ago, I assumed she just wasn’t washing her hair good enough. I decided to research the problem and discovered this wonderful site! She wasn’t too excited about putting vinegar on her hair, so we decided to just try the baking soda in shampoo step. After one washing with 1 TBS baking soda mixed in OGX Intensely Invigorating Eucalyptus Mint Shampoo (which contains tea tree oil, her hair is 95% back to normal!!! Thank you so much for the info, you saved us some tears! FYI to anyone else planning to treat this problem, the above mentioned OGX shampoo from Target claims it “cleanses while calming and soothing the scalp to help bring it back to balance.” Sounds like it might really address the issue.

  142. Sophia Cantwell on November 16, 2016 at 1:05 am

    Thank you for taking the time to post this. This past week I have had greasy waxy residue to only the area of my hair bear the scalp. It’s frustrating and my head has been itching as a result. I’m guilty of washing my hair everyday and haven’t had any changes to my diets abs have had the normal hair routine for years. I only shampoo and conditioner my hair. I straighten my hair with a flat iron 4 times a week in a low setting and never use a blow dryer or other products on my hair. I have well water which is hard water. I will try the apple cider vinegar. I never experienced this for the 36 years of my life. Thanks for this information.

  143. Bridgette on November 21, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    I’ve had waxy hair around the crown of my hair for years. I have extremely thick hair. My father has thick hair but has dandruff. I do not have the dandruff just the terrible waxy residue along my crown. The only time my hair feels normal is after I get it dyed. I just did the apple vinegar cap, used green tea shampoo to wash. Since I have such long hair how many cups of vinegar should I use? Also after washing should I blow dry or let it air dry?

    Thank you!

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 29, 2016 at 10:51 am

      HI Bridgette – I have long hair too. I’d go with the amount I recommend in the post. Good luck!

  144. Denise on November 24, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    Thank you so very much for your article. This just happened to me and I had no clue what was happening until I started googling. Your information has been the best I’ve found. I let ACR sit on my head for half hour, then neutrogena clarifying shampoo with ACR rinse and it was gone! Thank you again

  145. Lauren Peabody on December 3, 2016 at 10:46 am

    Thank you so much for your post, this is identical to the issues I have been suffering from for the past few years. After reading your post everything seemed to click for me, so simply making sense. I wonder why after countless doctors appointments no one could link the greasy spot on the back of my head to poor diet and digestion issues. I wish all my co-pays could go to you!

    • Jennifer Roberge on December 9, 2016 at 10:16 am

      Thanks so much Lauren! I hope you find some answers!

  146. Sarah on December 6, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    After 2 months of being baffled by my greasy/ waxy hair, I tried the apple cider vinegar rinse. All I have to say is WOW! After one wash, my hair is 90% back to normal. I might try another rinse in a couple days but I was amazed at how well it worked. Not only is my hair not greasy anymore but it is so smooth and soft.

    • Valarie on April 23, 2017 at 4:27 am

      I tried the ACV as well & the first time I did this, my hair did feel back to normal….until my hair became instantly greasy again the next day & then after my next shower waxyyy as ever again. I don’t know what to do 🙁

  147. Lori on January 5, 2017 at 2:26 pm

    THANK THANK YOU. YOU ARE A GOD SEND. I had noticed my hair was very greasy and oily and itched to the point it had separated into sections. It felt like it weighed a ton and I didn’t know what to do. The more I washed it the worse it got. I came across this article today and it saved my hair. I had actually considered shaving my head until I tried this lol. I had to improvise on a couple of things in the mixture. I used a spray bottle and put 50% water and 50% of regular vinegar and 10 drops of tea tree oil. I mixed this together and coated my hair with it. I put on a shower cap and let it sit for 20 minutes then I mixed baking soda and my daughter’s baby shampoo and coated my hair with that and let it sit for 2 minutes then I rinsed it out and used my regular conditioner to wash my hair and then rinsed it out and my hair is back to normal. It’s amazing how soft and silky and light it is!!!!!! I can not say thank you enough.

    • Valarie on April 23, 2017 at 4:31 am

      Did you have to do this once & it was like magic and your worries were ever? I am literally on the verge of shaving my head too !! I wish the waxiness would go away. I tried ACV, but within the next day it went greasy & within the next wash, it went waxy again.

  148. Lea allers on January 9, 2017 at 1:48 pm

    I’ve had this problem… Tried everything. Stumbled across someone saying use conditioner on the scalp before you shampoo. I tried it and it worked OK.
    I took this a step further this time. I rubbed OLIVE OIL on the scalp and roots of dry hair, then shampoo twice and condition.
    I think the reason this works… The oil breaks down the wax (or buildup) and attaches itself to the wax (molicules, or what ever) they bond together. Shampoo washes away the oil. My hair is so fluffy I can’t see my scalp.
    Think of peanut butter to get out gum.

    • Valarie on April 23, 2017 at 4:28 am

      Great idea! I hope this will work with me 🙁

  149. Di on January 28, 2017 at 5:23 am

    Hi, I have found your blog today having had a weird greasy/waxy patch in my hair for the past few months. I followed your ACV treatment and it totally worked for me! So happy! I also ordered the shampoo and conditioner you recommended, so hopefully that waxy patch is gone for good 🙂 I did wonder, I was diagnosed with Rosacea 6 or so months ago, and wonder if they are related? Thank you for your blog, so helpful xx

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 29, 2017 at 3:07 pm

      So glad it worked for you! It’s very possible your rosacea is related. Have you tried an elimination diet to see if you can improve either condition?

  150. Nazanin on February 7, 2017 at 4:44 am

    Well my mom had told me about apple cider vinegar but I was reluctant to try it; now that I can see it has worked for so many people I’m gonna give it a try.
    However, my core problem is that I still dont why once in a while my hair gets waxy. My diet hasn’t changed, I’m always stressful so I cannot count on this.
    What has made it worse this time, is that I lost almost half of my hair due to this waxiness and dandruff.
    I wish I knew the main reason so I could avoid it in the future

    • Valarie on April 23, 2017 at 4:34 am

      I am experiencing this same issue!!! I don’t know if the amounts of hair I’m losing is what is causing the greasy/waxy feeling or if the wax/grease is causing hair loss? My hair used to be radiant and thick & now it is thin as ever and waxy/greasy alllll throughout.

  151. Wendy on February 12, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    Have had this problem on and off for years. Sticky crown, like tree sap on the top of my head. Tried most of the remedies listed here. Would go away after I had my highlights done. This time, it came back just a few days later and I was NOT going to put up with it for another 6-8 weeks till my next hair appointment. Researched some more online today anf shampooed with Neutrogena T-Sal tonight AND THE STICKINESS IS GONE! My hair is soft and silky again. So happy I don’t have to walk around tomorrow looking like I don’t wash my hair!

  152. Hair Lair on February 13, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    Have you considered Argan Oil? I wrote a little review on it if you guys wanna check it out. It’s in the Top 5 Best Conditioners For Hair section! Here’s the link!
    https://beautifulhairlair.net/2017/01/28/top-5-best-conditioner-for-dry-hair

  153. jessica r. on March 12, 2017 at 9:25 pm

    This blog was a life saver! My hair started getting greasy/oily so I cut down on the showers but it still seemed like every shower it got even worse. It got so bad I couldn’t wear my hair down and was searching the web for the cause, but haven’t switched my diet or anything and was baffled. Read this blog and thought it was worth the shot. Put 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water in my hair for 20mins, rinsed, then added baking soda and shampoo, rinsed, and conditioned. And my hair was completely grease-free, hasn’t felt this amazing in over a month! I have finally found the cause of my problem, the hard-water in Santa Barbara.

  154. Rebecca Williams on June 1, 2017 at 10:41 am

    I know this post is a bit old but I’m so glad that I found it. I could not figure out why my hair was feeling that way. Once I read this, it all made sense. I used apple cider vinegar and water mixture last night and WAHLA! No greasy, sticky hair.

  155. Sorita on June 23, 2017 at 7:37 pm

    I used to wash my hair every single day with conventional shampoo, because my hair would get so oily. About a month ago I decided I want to stop doing that, and only wash 2-3 times a week, and use more natural shampoos. The past month has been a really rough transition. Right now my head is itchy, dandruffy (which I never had before), stiff, waxy, and my hair stays clumped together after I wash it. Im not sure if it’s because my hair is still going through a detox, or if it’s the shampoo I’m using (Josh Kolebrook Balance shampoo), or because of my hard water. Or maybe it’s all of that together. I’ve used baking soda and ACV rinse to clarify my hair and it works. But because I know baking soda isn’t good for long term use, I can’t find another product that does the trick. Any recommendations? What is the brand of water softener you use, if I may ask? Thank you so much for your time! I know I’m kind of late in posting, so I’m hoping to hear from you or anyone else that can help. Thank you!

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 26, 2017 at 9:57 am

      Hi Sorita – We use Culligan’s water softener and have been pretty happy with it.

  156. Hamyl on July 14, 2017 at 12:38 am

    Hi it really benefited me and i sed to wash my hair regularly but still this happens… earlier i used selson shampoo to clean little greasy hair but apple cider vinegar really helps i am thankful to u for this tip!!!?

  157. Reilly on July 29, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    I’m so happy to have found this thread! I began to panic a few days ago when this exact thing started to happen to me (sticky, waxy hair near my crown after having shampooed).

    I tried the ACV trick followed by baking soda with my shampoo, but unfortunately my hair still felt sticky as it began to dry.

    I’m usually an avid user of dry shampoo, but didn’t want to worsen the situation with chemicals and scents. Instead, I opted to sprinkle some (actually – a lot!) of baking soda right onto the affected area after my hair had dried. I let it sit and massaged it gently onto my scalp. It worked and I am so pleased! Mind you, I’m not sure what will happen once I wash my hair again, but for now it seems to be back to normal. My guess is that the strong nature of baking soda was able to absorb all of the excess sebum that was sitting on my hair and scalp. Fingers crossed that this is a long term solution and that I won’t go back to sticky hair after my next shampoo.

    Thank you for your post, Jennifer. It has really put me at ease.

  158. Patricija on September 2, 2017 at 4:29 pm

    Hi, I have kind of a totally different problem. My roots are totally fine and all, but for the past two weeks after every wash my ends just feel supper greasy. And it is right after the wash, not even couple hours dry. And I don’t know what to do because I hate touching it.
    I tried changing the shampoos, i tried not washing my hairs for almost a week and then did it, I also didn’t use any conditioner on my ends and any serums, but nothing has worked and I am out of ideas. I did get my hair coloured two weeks ago, but don’t know if that changes anything. Hope someone can help me, because as I said my roots are totally fine, its the rest or the hair that I have a problem with. And I don’t know what to do, because all the articles are about greasy roots and dry ends, which is opposite of what I have.

  159. Erin on October 1, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    Thanks so much for posting this solution! My hair was so oily & waxing my roots were almost standing straight. I used your solution & it worked! I was so thankful, cause my hair looked hideous. Thanks again jennifer.

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 2, 2017 at 9:03 am

      Yay! So happy to hear this helped you Erin!!!!

  160. Jill on October 9, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    When this happened to me, I used Tea Tree Oil Shampoo Compare to Paul Mitchell Tea Tree from Sally Beauty. After a couple of times of using it, my hair was back to normal. I hope this helps.

  161. Tina on October 25, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    I am so glad I found this post, I have been getting majorly depressed about the back section of the hair on my head with the waxy greasy feeling that just has not gone away. I used a ACV shampoo which helped a little but I recently got highlights in my hair thinking that it would help but it hasn`t. Do you think your remedy is safe to use on highlighted and coloured hair?

    • Jennifer Roberge on October 26, 2017 at 2:29 pm

      Yes, I think so! Just be careful of tea tree which I have heard can strip color.

  162. Amye on October 31, 2017 at 9:45 am

    Same issue- I’ve had an itchy scalp with oily patches which refuse to be washed out on and off for the last 12 months.
    I’ve tried 3 kinds of anti-dandruff shampoos, steroid cream, 2 other shampoos, Coal tar lotion, oils, plus other various methods with no luck!!! My scalp is so sensitive and I have no idea what it might be- clearly isn’t dandruff or seborrhoeic dermatitis as is has never been flaky, scaly or dry. I had a really bad patch to the point where I wanted to shave the lot off but I managed to fix it with a natural peppermint and t tree shampoo (which I adore) and soaking my scalp with colloidal silver. Interestingly I’ve had no trouble until I started eating dairy again (I was dairy free for a while) so maybe this might be the culprit??!!
    So I may be dairy free again I think… plus I will try the Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda and also the homemade Honey Shampoo looks interesting!! My other option is to try a dermatologist however I’m nervous about this as I absolutely do not want to be given a load of chemicals and pills to try and get rid of it…anti-dandruff shampoo was bad enough!

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 3, 2017 at 3:33 pm

      I would think it could be dairy too then. I hope that’s the answer. Keep us posted and good luck!

  163. Danielle on November 1, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    Solution: I struggled for many years with oily, greasy patches in my hair especially the crown. I couldn’t figure out what it was. I tried only washing with filtered water, used clarifying shampoos, and baking soda. Some of these things helped a bit but the solution for me was unbelievably simple! A hair stylist suggested that I separate my hair into two sections to wash, a top and bottom section. Before massaging the shampoo in, she recommended that I place shampoo at the section line, especially at the crown where this problem was common for me. After placing shampoo there and letting it sit for 30 seconds, I then wash my whole hair like normal, massaging and everything. I still occasionally use bumble and bumble clarifying but my hair is 100% better! Turns out due to my thick hair I just wasn’t getting shampoo fully into all the right places. This solution will not work for everyone, especially if you have a medical condition but it’s worth trying before spending a ton of money/energy elsewhere!

  164. SJ on November 1, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    I’ve been battling waxy, greasy hair (plus hair loss) for a few years now. I’ve tried every prescription for Seb derm; none have helped. ACV worked last year but this year turns my hair into a greasy mess. Current method is daily baby shampoo+Trader Joe’s tea tree shampoo mixed with water for easier distribution and conditioner on tips, but that has stopped working. Seeing that I have some sebopsoriasis going on, what are your thoughts on using baking soda? I’m terrified of making my scalp/hair loss worse. Also, think there may be some issues with hard water. I have a culligan shower head filter on now, but it may not be taking out the minerals. Another thing I found interesting, I washed my usually oilly face in softened water at a hotel and it shriveled up tight and dry. Never have seen this before and afraid of what it may do to my scalp/hair if I use it. Thoughts? I’m running out of options and have often considered shaving my head/giving up on hair. Also, I have been gluten, dairy and coffee free for over a year.

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 3, 2017 at 3:32 pm

      Hi SJ – It’s really hard to say. The way to know for sure would be to try the baking soda and see how you react. Maybe do a small patch test. Hard water was a huge issue for me! When you washed your face in soft water, did you use a different kind of soap?

      • SJ on November 4, 2017 at 11:20 am

        I decided to do an expirament and wash my hair with distilled h2o only and after 3 days, I have soft, shiny, not greasy hair….amazing! The acne on my back is also healing with makes me think i was reacting with the hard water. My post shower hair loss also has decreased by alot. Still an expirament in progress but I am really pleased with the results so far. Fyi: I tested the hardness of my filtered water and it measured within normal limits, so I’m not sure why it was causing problems for me.

  165. CC on January 1, 2018 at 4:03 pm

    I have been suffering BADLY with the greasy, sticky spot on scalp and hair for four years now! Have gone from long, thick, curly hair to an extreme pixie cut because of this issue. Have spent thousands of dollars buying a water filtration system for my home because we had high mineral and chlorine content. Hair was softer, but still sticking and matted. Have also tried:

    1. t-sal shampoo
    2. Clarifying shampoos
    3.Cheating shampoos
    4. Dog anti- fungal shampoos
    5. Dawn soap
    6. Goo-gone (highly NOT recommended)
    7. Baby shampoo
    8. Baking soda
    9. Jo joba oil
    10. Vodka rinses
    11. Apple cider vinegar
    12. Dermatologist visits (plural) given steroid cream which doesn’t help.

    All worked slightly, but none solved the problem. Oh and by the way, husband thinks I have made up everything because I completely wanted to cut all my hair off. If I live to be 100 I will never suffer as bad as I have with this mess. Scalp will also bleed when I try to comb my very short and matted hair and scalp is painful and burning, doctor couldn’t find anything except crusty residue on hair and scalp-but no cause.

    I finally realized the “sap-like ” substance was coming from one area on the top of my head where hair matts constantly, and there feels like a large bump under the hair. This morning i happened to come across the bottle of tea tree oil that I bought at Bed, Bath and Beyond a few years ago to remove a skin tag. It is called “Tag Away”. I brushed it directly on the spot and IMMEDIATELY felt relief. Matted and sticky hair was able to brush out. Hair stopped sticking to scalp and the “sap” substance stopped oozing out. The oil smells awful, but after all of this anguish I couldn’t care less! I now think it may be some minuscule skin tag of lesion on the scalp that just couldn’t heal and oozed so bad that all the hair matted. Hope this helps someone out.

    • Allie on April 9, 2019 at 5:08 pm

      The waxy build up comes back for me every year. I finally tried tea tree oil mixed with coconut oil two nights ago and the waxy feeling on my scalp and crown is gone. Tea tree oil is amazing.

  166. Helena on January 9, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    AHHH! I’m 17 and I’ve been struggling with this exact problem for almost a year now after having tried everything I could think of including a variety of different ways of using ACV, buying tea tree oil organic shampoo and more! THE BICARBONATE OF SODA FINALLY DID THE TRICK! I did it the day before yesterday but didn’t distribute it very well across my head so some parts were back to normal and the places I’d missed, not so much… I did the other areas tonight and I can already feel the difference as it dries. I searched everywhereeee for a post like this one and am so glad I’m not the only one who has experienced it….! I don’t know how long it will last this way but, hopefully, it will only take one time just like up there^.. fingers crossed!
    I’m still using the tea tree oil shampoo, which is Dr Organic tea tree oil shampoo from Holland & Barrett, but it makes my hair a bit sticky still and kind of makes it go into separated strands (which make it look weird and greasy?) instead of being the same overall and soft… (Idk if that makes any sense!) Anyway it’s organic and SLS free, so I was just wondering what I should do if even the organic ones make it sticky?!?! I’m not allergic to anything as far as I know and my diet is mainly good, but I do eat a lot of carbs… do you think that could be a trigger? Help! THANK YOU!!!

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 10, 2018 at 11:37 am

      Hi Helena – I’m so glad you’ve found the baking soda works. Can you go a few washes without using the baking soda and use just the tea tree oil? If so, that should work ok. I’d also recommend trying to train your hair so you don’t have to wash it as frequently – all to cut back on the baking soda treatments even further. What ended up finally working for me was washing my hair with soft water. Do you know if your city has hard water? Do you know anyone who has a water softener? You could try washing your hair there and see how it looks without baking soda.

      • Helena on January 19, 2018 at 11:36 am

        Thank you! Unfortunately it’s returned 🙁 the baking soda does the trick for a few days but as soon as I wash it again without it its the same… Ive started using baby shampoo because the tea tree one just makes it worse! 🙁 its a bit less bad as its more gentle but it still has SLS in… I have to use ACV quite often but even that doesn’t make it look or feel great, just marginally better… I live in London so the water here is beyonddd hard! (Try rock solid!!!) I’m convinced it’s the water. I’m going to try and find someone like you’ve suggested, or try a shower head water filter… at least to try it! Do you know if the shower head filters work?? or are they just a waste of money??

        • Jennifer Roberge on January 22, 2018 at 12:47 pm

          Hi Helena – I’m not sure about the shower head filters. We tried one for eliminating chlorine and it did nothing. If you found a soft water shower head, it could work, but I’m not sure they exist 🙁

  167. Marisa on January 14, 2018 at 3:28 am

    Hi Jennifer! Thank you for leading me to a reason why my scalp is like this, I thought I was the only one. I’ve tried two different kinds of clarifying shampoos(expensive ones too) but I feel like my waxy greasy texture at the crown is worse when I use them! It’s better(not perfect) when I blow dry it but I don’t want to put harsh heat on my hair every time I shower; it used to air dry so nicely! I am frustrated and at a loss. Any advice? Should I try to get an appointment with my dermatologist?
    Thanks so much!

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 15, 2018 at 1:39 pm

      Hi Marisa – Did you try the baking soda and vinegar treatment? In the end the only thing that worked for me long term, since I didn’t want to continue using baking soda, was to get a water softener. With it, my hair is fine. Do yo know anyone with a water softener? You could try washing your hair there the same way you do at home and see how it goes. I would give a few hair washes before ruling out if it does or doesn’t work for you.

  168. Rose on February 4, 2018 at 8:47 pm

    THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am 17 and have always had very soft, thick, medium length hair. Suddenly after a shower I noticed the back of my head had this patch for stiff/waxy/stuck-together hair, almost like it dried in clumps from chlorine or if I hadn’t washed it. I had no idea what had happened! Luckily it was a smaller patch by the back scalp so no one noticed, but it felt gross and sticky to me. I showered as usual and nothing was changing! I had no idea what to type into google but thank God I found this article! First time I used apple cider vinegar (I did not dilute it) and my hair was back to its normal soft, clean self! No idea what caused this and hopefully it won’t happen again, but can’t say thanks enough!

  169. Glaze on March 17, 2018 at 6:35 am

    I used to shower ever day like most, but over time my skin has dried out especially my face. I’m also of Hispanic/Asian ethnicity so my hair is naturally greasy. if I shower every other day and on the off days use a soapy wash cloth and change my pillow cases often I look and smell fine.

  170. iris weber on March 22, 2018 at 7:56 am

    Hi, for the cider vinegar rinse, can you use warm water to dilute? i used cold, and it’s horrid on the scalp. Just thought, maybe warm destroys the effectiveness? Thanks !

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 28, 2018 at 4:44 pm

      Warm should be just fine 🙂 Just don’t use hot water.

  171. Kim on March 26, 2018 at 11:29 pm

    My 16-year old daughter has been dealing with this issue for almost a year now. She recently had her hair washed and cut at a hair salon and it was gone – it was amazing. So, we bought a shower head water softener – it seemed to do work after the first washing – but today she washed again and it appears that the oily patches near the neckline and behind the ears is back. We’re so disappointed. Does this make any sense to anyone? Is there a specific type of water softener – or should she just go to daily ACV? I keep hoping maybe it’s teenage hormones, stress from school — something that will soon go away a bit and allow her to have normal hair again. Any help you can provide will be appreciated. 🙂

    • Jennifer Roberge on March 28, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      Hi Kim –

      Can you try using the shampoo they used at the salon? Maybe it’s better for her hair? About the water softener, the one working for me uses salt to soften the water. Not sure how the shower head you have works.

    • Claire Hannigan on January 16, 2019 at 4:29 am

      Hi,
      This happens to me too, when I go hairdresser it disappears but comes right back after two washes myself or so. I’ve tried buying the shampoo they use but still doesn’t work. It could be my water but I’ve moved like three times since and its the same in all places I’ve lived.
      I don’t think its the way I’m washing it because I’m sooo aware of it that I make sure I get everything out, dividing my hair like ten times.
      It’s so confusing!

      • Jennifer Roberge on January 21, 2019 at 10:50 am

        Kim, why do’t you take your hair care products to the salon next time and have them use them? If you don’t react, you know it’s the water. If you do react, not sure……

  172. Hannah on April 11, 2018 at 10:23 am

    Thank you SO much for this, I was so worried about my hair (which has always been very soft and manageable) suddenly becoming waxy and greasy immediately after washing! One ACV rinse (left on for 30 mins) and shampoo with natural tea tree oil shampoo and it has 90% gone. Fingers crossed it doesn’t come back!

  173. Amy on April 23, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    Olive oil does the trick for us. I read about it on another chat forum and thought no way would it work as surely it would make the hair more greasy. But it works and the wax disappears! It’s a miracle treatment and we are so relived to have found it.

    It’s a messy business. My 13 year old puts on her swimming costume then in the bathroom I douse her waxy roots in olive oil, and her greasy hair, not forgetting the back of the head which can get quite greasy. We put a shower cap on and she can relax for 10 minutes. She then sits in the bath while I wash and rinse her hair with shampoo about 4 times until I feel it is thoroughly clean. It’s a faff, but it works and it is wonderful to have something that actually cleans her hair.

    I honestly didn’t believe it would work but we were at our wits’ end. We do it about every 2 weeks. It could be done more often but it is a bit of a faff. If it’s of interest, she had cradle cap from a baby which she didn’t grow out of until she was about 6, so we used cradle cap shampoo for all those years.

    One more tip… you have to almost massage the scalp so that the oil completely covers the skin. I will try and do the whole head, including behind the ears. Good luck! It works, I promise : ) Super shiny hair!

    • Jennifer Roberge on April 23, 2018 at 1:48 pm

      What an interesting tip to try! Thank you Amy 🙂

  174. Kim on April 23, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    Thank you SOO much Amy! We will definitely try this! I so appreciate it! 🙂

  175. Jennifer Walsh on May 25, 2018 at 10:31 am

    My daughter is 14 and has had bouts with waxy roots at the top of her head. We tried washing it multiple times, and it doesn’t work. this morning she woke up just so upset because her hair was worse then it ever was. My daughter has very thick hair and it was flat to her head and just dirty looking. I thought maybe it just need a good washing because she would get a little waxy look, not too bad, but within a day or so it would go away. She is a very clean kid, almost too clean , and she really like to look nice, so it really bothers her. Today I decided to look a little more into what to do about this, and I found your post. we followed it perfectly and IT WORKED!!! She is one happy girl! her hair is normally light brown and lately I thought is was darkening as she was getting older, because it was looking pretty dark with the waxiness…. it is now back to that light brown color, shinny and soft. The only thing I did add was 3 min mask to the ends of her hair at the end when we washed it out with the Tea tree shampoo and baking soda mixture. My daughter loves to flat iron her hair, so she needed it for the ends anyways. Thank you so much for posting this. How often do you think this can be done? I would only do it when I think she needs it but I don’t want to do it too often.

    • Jennifer Roberge on May 28, 2018 at 10:08 am

      Hi Jennifer – I really have no idea how often it can be done. Like you said, I would just hold off and do it as sparingly as possible and maybe experiment with the tea tree only shampoo in the interim. So glad it helped your daughter!

  176. Mia on May 31, 2018 at 7:18 am

    Ok everyone listen up!! I’ve had this problem for about a month and let me tell u I was getting hella depressed. I am half Arab half Latina so you can imagine how thick my hair would be, anyways my hair has always been healthy and smooth, but idk what happened I have no idea what caused it but one day I washed my hair, went to blow dry it as usual and it was sticky, looked oily and just looked disgusting ! My first thought was maybe I didn’t wash it properly so I rewashed it and dryed it again but only felt worse! It began to only be at the top of my scalp but as time flew it began to run down my head. I didn’t really know what to do so I put up with it for about 2 weeks. I was then getting so disgusted and disappointed in my hair I was actually considering shaving my head caus it just wasn’t going away. I finally googled my problem and seen a lot of people actually had this problem and found solutions which gave me some relief, anyways, the first solution I found was to use dishwashing liquid (detergent) now this kinda took 50% of the problem away the first/ second time but suddenly stopped working so it was kinda only temporary. Anyways second round I found someone say use baking soda it helps straight away, so I put that to the test, first time it took about 75% of the problem away but I could still feel lt I’m my hair. I tried it again but it didn’t work as good as the first time plus it’s not good to use it in your hair, so I gave that up. At this point my hair wasn’t as bad as it was at the start but I still was not happy. Finally I search up again on google and someone recommended SELSUN medicated shampoo which u can buy at Coles or ur supermarket, she recommended the pink or green bottle but I had non of those colours in my coles so I bought the blue one which is for DANDRUFF but is also for hair repair (retails 5.99$) now let me tell u, this saved my asssss!!! The first wash using it took away about 85% of my problem which was good enough for me, so I’m still using it because it isn’t 100% away as my hair still feels very little waxy but I can tell u without this I would of spent over 1000$ on a lace wig caus boy I was depressed !!!!!!

  177. Georgina on June 14, 2018 at 1:33 pm

    Hello Jennifer,

    I can’t thank you enough for the information you have given here. I have had a waxy build up for a couple of years now, and although I tried raw vinegar solutions and special shampoos, it did nothing. This week we installed a water softener / purifier to our shower head and the results are AMAZING! These devices are so cheap on Amazon and easy to instal. I just wish I had known about this sooner. It’s early days but I can already tell it has made a huge difference. Thank you again…

    • Jennifer Roberge on June 18, 2018 at 3:11 pm

      Wow! That’s fantastic! Congratulations!!!!!

  178. Barbara Muirhead on June 19, 2018 at 5:46 pm

    I too had this problem, just to clarify it wasn’t a build up on the scalp like cradle cap and it wasn’t giving me dandruff, it was just that the hair at the crown of my head felt like it had a coating of wax. I panicked and bought sulfate free shampoo thinking it was a build up of product – zero improvement. I went online and tried vinegar – zero improvement then listerine – zero improvement. Finally someone suggested Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Oil Shampoo. First wash 50% improvement, second wash – all gone, I now keep a bottle on hand at all times but like you this only happens maybe once every 9 month or so. It’s very strange. It’s expensive shampoo but worth every penny to get rid of this condition.

  179. Sharon on June 21, 2018 at 3:04 am

    Thank you so much for writing this! I just discovered this on my 6-year-old daughter and, as mentioned by you and others, I was misinformed as to what it is and how to treat it. I am looking forward to trying the solutions given. Thank you so much!

    • Deanna on July 12, 2018 at 6:30 pm

      I have this issue and after a yr. & Hhalf of trying everything mentioned above with little effect, that NEVET lasted, I found shampoo called DEGREASE by Maple Holistics on Amazon. Worked AND has virtually cured the problem from reoccurring with continued use.

      • Jennifer Roberge on July 17, 2018 at 11:40 am

        HI Deanna – Interesting, that’s a new product for me. But it did get a lot of great reviews. Very cool to learn about it. Thanks for sharing!

  180. GIA on July 14, 2018 at 5:28 pm

    I wanted ask if anyone has experienced this waxy, greasy, clumpy build up after using and applying permanent hair color?? This is what happens to me. .So, I’m mid 50s and about a quarter of my dark brown hair is graying around the temples, forehead and throughout. I use Loreal Preference in dark blonde to cover and help blend the grays and it also lightens my hair and gives me a fresher look. I don’t use it all over,,,just through the crown and underneath where the nape of my neck is. I then rinse the product and add the conditioner it comes with, but only use a little of that. I RINSE a lot and here’s where recently, like the last two times I’ve done it, that I found the waxy, clumpy strands of hair just around the occipital area and nape of my neck – the hair there ends up feeling totally different from the rest of my hair. It’s like everything else is soft and manageable except this section of my hair and it’s just weird. I basically have to do about 3 shampoos spaced out and over time it goes away. I have been using this product about 3 times a year for 4 years, and wondered if this is some kind of chemical reaction. If so, why only in that back of head area??? Also, I use to be able to go several days without washing my hair when younger…now in menopause I have to wash it every other day or it gets very flat and greasy. I’ve never tried the ACV but want to give it a try to see if that balances things out but still am concerned as to why after coloring, that back area of my hair will remain clumpy and waxy for a week or more.

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 17, 2018 at 11:24 am

      Hi Gia – I think it’s possible you’re having a reaction, but it seems like if you did, then you’d react over the entire scalp, but I’m not sure. Have you spoken with an allergist about it? Try the vinegar and see how it goes. I’d try a different coloring system to see if you notice any changes. Funny enough, I found coloring my hair actually prevented the waxy build up. I think all the chemicals stripped them all away from me.

  181. Deanna Goguen on July 16, 2018 at 6:33 am

    Fantastic! I did this: ACV rinse (1/2 ACV, 1/2 water) let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse, shampoo once. Then 1 tbs baking soda added to shampoo. Just like you said. Worked perfectly! Now I wonder how often?

    • Jennifer Roberge on July 17, 2018 at 11:01 am

      Yay, I’m so glad! It’s different for everyone – use as little as possible and see how often you end up needing it.

  182. Julie on August 1, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    I have sebopsoriasis, and used to experience greasy strands in the nape of my neck and in the lengths after the shower. I tried a vinegar-containing shampoo and H&S dandruff conditioner without results, so I don’t think it had anything to do with SD exept that many who suffer from it also have a heavy oil-producing scalp. In my case, I wasn’t good enough at washing my hair. I have thick hair, so when I started to wash it less, it became oilier by the time I washed it, and I didn’t wash the underlayers well enough.

    The trick is to lather up BEFORE you wet the hair. This is what became my solution: I dilute about three pumps of shampoo in a little bit of water (I use one with SLES and without silicones because sulfate-free ones make my condition worse, so I dilute it to prevent the ends from drying out and to make it spread better in dry hair) in a soap dispenser with a foam-making pump, then I spread it in the dry lengths almost down to the ends. Spread it like it was a conditioner or an oil. Make sure it becomes fully wet from all the foam. Then I put my hair half-up half-down, and spreads the foam in the down-part and also massage it into the nape of my neck to make sure the area that is difficult to reach otherwise, gets clean. That’s when I step into the shower, rinse away the diluted shampoo in the underlayer, and foam it up and rinse once more to make sure the difficult area is properly clean. After that, the lengths and underlayer don’t need any attention except that I remember to lather up the shampoo in the nape of my neck first every time, since it is a problem area, and I also try to lift my hands upwards from the scalp when I lather that area, since the lengths there usually get greasier than the rest. I wash the scalp and overlayer as usual, and I use un-diluted shampoo for that since my scalp’s sebopsoriasis gets worse if the shampoo solution gets too mild.

    This has solved the problem for me. Now all my hair is clean when it dries up from the shower, and I can finally wear my hair half-up without greasy underlayers. I hope it works for you, too!

    • Julie on July 14, 2019 at 2:23 pm

      Update: I figured that you can drop the pre-water ritual altogether, and just hold your hair half-up half-down with one hand after you’re finished wetting and shampooing the scalp and top layer of the hair. That way you can shampoo the underlayers properly. Then separate the lengths so that half of your hair lies over each shoulder, and shampoo the lengths from top to bottom as long as your fingers glides easily over it (that smooth feeling means there’s still grease on it). Work the shampoo well into the lengths by fingercombing and rubbing. Rinse, repeat the shampoo-ritual, final rinse.

  183. Kelly on August 18, 2018 at 2:03 am

    Hi! Which water softener did you get installed? I just recently moved and the hard water is wrecking my hair and I really need a water softener that works! Thanks!!

    • Jennifer Roberge on August 20, 2018 at 3:13 pm

      We have Culligan and are happy with it.

  184. Amy on November 11, 2018 at 12:50 pm

    I am 60 years old, with no major health issues, other than some age related arthritis. About 4 years ago, I got the flu REALLY bad. After weeks of recovery, I got a strange virus that caused white bumps on my tongue, and then my head started itching and my hair started falling out. My doctor diagnosed a virus in my mouth, which eventually cleared up. My dermatologist diagnosed seborrhic dermatitis and suggested that my severely compromised immune system possibly led to developing this chronic condition. My dermatologist gave me a prescription shampoo to use when this flares up, and a topical steroid solution for worst case, and I keep both on hand, not using very often, only when my head gets itchy. But, for several weeks lately, my hair has felt yucky, like dirty even when it’s not, but not itchy in the usual way. Waxy is the perfect description. This is the first time this has happened. I was thinking I need to go back to the dermatologist to figure this out, when I did a search and came across this post. This morning, I put 50/50 ACV and water on my head for 45 minutes, added 1 T of baking soda and 4 drops of tea tree oil to my shampoo and my hair is back to normal! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 12, 2018 at 8:33 am

      Oh wow, what a story Amy! I am so glad you found some relief with your waxy scalp.

  185. Rachel on November 18, 2018 at 5:52 pm

    Thanks my hair was marred but now is much better you brush you hair out under water (with no products ) and it was better

  186. Claire on January 15, 2019 at 11:20 am

    Hi,
    So for a few years now I’ve had this issue, I have really thick hair so when I go to dry it after shower to find it is waxy and sticky like I didn’t wash it properly. I feel I’ve tried everything, changed shampoo to tea tree oil based, I double my shower basically ensuring I wash everything out. Sometimes it’s mild flare up but sometimes it’s so severe I just want to shave my head.
    I’ve tried the dishwasher trick and nothing and all the others and it might be ok after the next wash but then it slowly builds up again. I try to use very minimal products, so it cant be product buildup.
    It seems like Seborrhoeic dermatitis right?
    The weird thing is though, when I go to the hairdresser for a wash and blow dry it goes back to being perfect and silky? Does this happen to anyone? It can’t be my water cause I’ve moved three times since it’s started.
    Why would it go away after hairdressers? It immediately comes back after I wash my hair again although more gradual…. I just don’t understand it at all. Does this happen to anyone else? I honestly can’t understand it being me washing my hair wrong, I flip my hair upside down, section it like three ways and have a special scrubbing brush.
    I’m desperate at this stage.

    • Jennifer Roberge on January 21, 2019 at 10:51 am

      I would take your normal shampoo and conditioner and have them use that at the hair dresser next time. If you don’t react, then it must be the water. You say you’ve moved three times, all within the same city? Usually the city sets the water at a certain hardness level.

      • Kat on April 2, 2019 at 10:19 pm

        Assuming Claire’s hairdresser is in the same city, wouldn’t the water hardness still be the same as the ones in her home(s)?

        I would buy the shampoo the hairdressers use – they usually sell what they use at the shops and since those seam to work for you, might be worth a shot

    • Seren on July 1, 2019 at 4:30 pm

      This happens to me as well! Looks perfect after the hairdressers! What witchcraft do they possess?!

  187. Dee on January 24, 2019 at 2:11 pm

    I went through this for a year and tried everything on here with some working better then others but every time I thought it was clearing up it would come back with a vengeance.it turned out to be my normal nexus shampoo that I had been using for years that was causing the problem.they changed the ingredients from the original and whatever was in it was causing this. So I just wanted to let people know to check the ingredients on your trusted products that you have never had a problem with before because they might be the cause.

  188. H on February 3, 2019 at 1:34 pm

    IVE LITERALLY FOUND THE SOLUTION! The new shampoo bars that Lush has released has cleared up this problem COMPLETELY for me after having had it for over 2 years!

    I bought so many shampoos, used apple cider vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, tea tree oil shampoos and was even prescribed Dandrazanol for sebhorreic dermatitis. I tried a soft water shower head and had begged my parents relentlessly to switch to a soft water system. Nothing worked. I then used this shampoo bar when I was in Amsterdam and it completely fixed the problem, I was SHOCKED. But I was convinced it was the soft water in Amsterdam… nope…. I came home, tried the shampoo bar back in London and it was genuinely that. I went to Lush the next day to buy one and haven’t had to think about this problem since! It’s like having acne and it clearing up overnight.

    It also has completely cleared up any flakiness I was experiencing before, so it evidently wasn’t seborrheic dermatitis. I think its mainly down to the fact that this shampoo bar lathers so fast and so much. None of the other shampoos were lathering (something I think the hard water has something to do with). This thus explains why the problem didn’t happen when I went to the hairdressers.

    I literally promise you this has worked completely and would utterly recommend to everyone with this problem (it’s £7.50 but has changed everything for me plus, it smells great, is environmentally friendly and lasts like 80 washes).

    • Claire on February 21, 2019 at 12:15 pm

      Can I ask which bar you got or would any one work?

  189. josephine on February 15, 2019 at 1:04 pm

    Great post. My hair experienced this horrible condition for 14 months. I truly was ashamed to even step outside – so it is good to see bloggers writing about it to bring awareness and hopefully help others resolve the problem. Although your method didn’t correct my hair, I thought I would share what did. I believe the culprit was the oral antibiotics I was taking, (a prolonged course of nearly 2 years). Apparently antibiotics can deplete your biotin stores. Biotin is needed to control sebum production and hair health. Soon after taking biotin supplements, my hair was restored to an even better state than how it was originally.

    • Jennifer Roberge on February 21, 2019 at 11:47 am

      Wow, so interesting on biotin! Thank you for sharing this and so glad it worked for you.

  190. Kat on April 2, 2019 at 10:44 pm

    I think I’m a bit confused here.

    If we’re talking about a yeast overgrowth, then why would the vinegar work? yeast can live in vinegar (think: kombucha), so should have no effect.

    Theoretically it would be the bicarb that does the trick in your method, since that’s a salt and salt > yeast.

    AND If you live by the ocean, a morning swim should also do the trick 🙂 It’s enjoyable and totally free.

  191. deena on April 13, 2019 at 7:27 pm

    hello, my hair is getting waxy all of a sudden, i don’t know if that what you mean by waxy but, mine actually sticks a little bit on my hand if i held my head for example,
    like if there was cola sipped on it, and the hairs sticks together making tough tress .
    i use my usual shampoo and even tried to use tow different kinds (i used both of them even before the problem) one is dove and the other is vatika
    i washed my head couple times to make sure i got red of all shampoo
    should i go to a clinic or something?

  192. Erin on May 16, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    Hi everyone I’ve been experiencing this problem for about 5 years now. I’ve tried everything from baking soda to apple cider vinegar to medicated shampoos. I’m starting to run out of ideas and it’s extremely frustrating. If there is any other options you can recommend I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

    • Chloé on October 4, 2019 at 10:37 am

      Have you tried anti-residue shampoos?

  193. Andrewa on May 20, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    Your post saved my hair. I honestly didn’t know what was happening until I stumbled upon this article. Thank you!

  194. Kat on May 22, 2019 at 12:28 pm

    Hi, I have the same and will definitely try this! I know I have been suffering from this type of dermatitis and one thing that helped the sculp was Bioderma Node K shampoo. It does not get rid off the waxy residue though, but it is good for healing the sculp.

  195. Seren on July 1, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    Hi. I’ve had this condition for nearly 5 years now. It started when I changed my shampoo from a regular SLS one to one without SLS funny enough (on the night of my work Christmas party, no less). My hair looked like an oil slick, it was awful.

    And after that my hair has just looked terrible. Like it’s greasy or waxy. The hair itself is the softest it’s ever been, it just looks horrible. Very shiny but almost plastic-like, like Barbie’s hair. If I scrape it back it doesn’t look nice and clean, it just goes into stringy sections. It doesn’t sit right if I try to get some height in a ponytail etc. I went no poo for a while trying to get rid of it, to no avail (did bicarb & ACV for a while) but nothing has really shifted it. Even going back to regular SLS shampoo on the odd occasion has had no effect. Using tea tree oil and coconut oil on my scalp can help a bit sometimes but it always comes back. It tends to feel ok then the itches and hot scalp come back and there’s white gunk under my finger nails if I scrape them across my scalp, or I get those little white sugary balls. Sometimes it will feel normal ish for a few days then I end up with a section of hair that looks waxy or stringy. Ugh.

    My hair brushes end up coated in grey gunk. Even when I run my fingers through my hair they feel coated in something after.

    Interestingly enough perhaps it’s deja vu but I keep thinking back to when I was a teenager and think it happened then too! But it must have went away for years (I’m in my 40s now). It’s awful, I feel and look so gross!

    I’m in the UK so I don’t know if I can get hold of any of the shampoos mentioned in the comments. But I’m curious to try them or anything else that might get rid of this condition. Thanks for any advice, I’ll get back to reading the comments. Good luck everyone in conquering the nasty!

    • freddie on August 4, 2019 at 10:49 am

      Hi Seren

      It sounds like bio-film I have had this but mine ended up as Morgellons. 🙁

    • Chloé on October 4, 2019 at 10:36 am

      Hey! Maybe try the Boots Anti Residu shampoo, it worked absolute wonders on me and it’s only £4! Otherwise there’s Neutrogena’s one that you can get on amazon.

    • janell on April 4, 2020 at 8:04 am

      Hi did uou find anything that helped get rid of it.

  196. Taylor on August 8, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    This recently just happened to be for the first time. When it first appeared I just thought that maybe I hadn’t rinsed my shampoo/conditioner completely in that spot. But after about 4 showers and it seeming to get worse, I decided to google what was going on. I came across this and decided that I was going to try the baking soda and apple cider vinegar. But I got home super late and just wanted to go to bed, so I decided to just use Selsun Blue Shampoo because I already had it. I use it every now and then at the recommendation of my allergist because my allergies get super bad and make my head real itchy. I already recommend this shampoo for itchy/dry scalp and dandruff (it makes your scalp feel amazing) so I don’t know why I didn’t think to use it for this as well in the first place, but it worked great! I rubbed it into my hair really good, until it was super foamy, then left it on for just a few minutes and BAM! My hair is back to it’s soft self and the waxy, greasy feel is completely gone! I didn’t have to use any of the home remedies I read about. So if you haven’t tried Selsun Blue yet, I suggest you do! It worked really well for my Seborrheic Dermatitis spot, and it’s only like $6-$7 at Walmart!

  197. Hannah on September 18, 2019 at 10:39 am

    OMG THIS WORKED ITS A MIRACLE I HAVE MY
    NORMAL HAIR BACK??

  198. Emily on September 19, 2019 at 9:55 pm

    Wow! This worked wonders!! Under the top layer of my hair, it was so greasy and yucky at the roots for the last couple months. I do have a patch of what I thought was psoriasis but could also be seb derm on the occiput, so when I read your blog it made sense to me that this could be related to seb seem.

    Anyways, I did 50/50 ACV and water and sprayed the problem areas til soaked, wore a shower cap for about 40 min, then washed my hair with a tea tree shampoo mixed with a little baking soda. Just one time worked like a charm.

    My hair feels so silky and normal again that I could cry! Thanks for sharing your tips so that the rest of us could find relief AND know we arent the only ones!

  199. Chloé on October 4, 2019 at 10:33 am

    Hello! This is my first ever post on a forum online haha, but I want to say thanks for your article and also give more tips that worked for me. I found your article a while back and it helped me soo much with starting to understand this hair issue and realise I wasn’t alone!!

    What I found that actually worked even better for me was to use an anti-residue shampoo. I’ve used the Neutrogena one and also Boots own brand (UK), both work amazingly and it’s felt like it’s the first time my hair’s been actually washed in years.
    Just want to say though that I’ve been losing my hair loadss (not sure yet if it’s related but probably) so trying to use these as rarely as possible.

    I’ve also recently realised that what I thought my whole life was a dandruff issue, is actually also the seborrheic dermatitis! So I’m now using a treatment shampoo (Squanorm by Ducray) that has Zinc Pyrithione in it, and my scalp feels so clean.

    Thanks again!

  200. Lori on December 4, 2019 at 5:49 pm

    My 14 year old daughter showers daily, after about 2 hours or so, her hair was greasy and smelt like she hadn’t washed her hair. Her hairstylist said Tea Tree by Paul Mitchell, it’s just build up of hair products. Well, she doesn’t use hair products. Hmmm….Went to dermatologist it turns out it’s Pityrosporum Folliculitis , RX of shampoo and lotion. She has acne with this, it’s red raised bumps on hairline, chest, back and face, it took the acne and had a party, not a good party. Day one of treatment! Poor kiddo…

  201. Erin on January 9, 2020 at 11:02 pm

    Was having the same problem that everyone was discussing– got out of the shower one day and noticed the hair on the back of my head was still greasy and waxy and sticky. It was like that for 2+ weeks. I thought it was hard water as I was away in Philadelphia, but could’ve been build-up from a hair gloss I’d applied a few days before. Either way, it was so frustrating and nothing was working. I tried the Ion Hard Water Shampoo– didn’t work. Then I did the full ACV followed by Tea Tree Oil shampoo + Baking Soda and that didn’t work. Finally, decided I was just going to really take my time in the shower, sectioning my hair and REALLY scrubbing every inch of my hair from root to tip with the Love Beauty and Planet tea tree oil shampoo, and then combing the shampoo thoroughly through my hair before rinsing. Rinsed it out as I went and then when finished, did another quick shampoo. Followed with a 10-minute deep conditioning hair mask. And when I blow dried, FINALLY my hair was back normal. Hope this helps someone out there but I was going absolutely crazy every night when I would be blow drying and wondering “Will my hair finally be back to normal?” Thanks everyone for the help in solving this super annoying problem.

    • Stephanie on November 28, 2020 at 11:10 pm

      yes! after YEARS of dealing with this gunk I finally figured out the correct technique to wash my hair & it is AMAZING.
      I can’t believe it.
      The ACV/baking soda was helping for like 1 – 2 days after, but then the gunk would be right back on the crown of my head again & I HATED the way the baking soda made my fine hair super frizzy & dry feeling. I did not like to do that to my poor hair.
      Now, I only spend 1 – 2 minutes scrubbing my head every 2 – 3 days but I make sure that every inch of my hair & scalp gets a good lather. I follow up with good conditioner & leave it in while I finish the rest of my shower, then rinse. No products, nothing else needed. My hair is back to being amazing.
      I don’t think I ever had a problem, I just think I never knew how to wash my hair. But what I was experiencing is almost identical to what a lot of other people here in these comments are describing. (I never had any itchiness or rash, just a big goopy mess at the crown of my head that wasn’t rinsing out).
      I’m so happy to have my hair back!

  202. Sam on January 14, 2020 at 6:24 am

    I’ve had this problem recently too! Everyone I told tried convincing me that either I wasn’t using enough shampoo and that my hair was still greasy, or that I was using too much of it and wasn’t washing it out properly. They just didn’t understand!! I even took a hairbrush into the shower with me, parting it into a million sections and rubbing it vigorously, nothing worked. My hair looked clean straight after washing it on the top, but the underneath layer always feels waxy and dirty. Tried this apple cider vinegar trick and oh wow, my hair feels so light and fluffy and no build up of oil on the underneath. It’s a miracle. Thanks so much for this information, I’m so glad I found this thread.

  203. Trena on January 23, 2020 at 12:04 pm

    I was having the same issue! The top of my hair was good but underneath was really greasy. Thought it was the shampoo and conditioner I was using. Turns out it wasn’t!! I started using Briogeo Scalp Revival Shampoo! It’s amazing!

  204. Helene coooer on April 1, 2020 at 9:31 am

    I have a clear waxy film on my scalp , tried acv and Lots of tar shampoo, baking sofa etc have had it 12 months .

  205. Meghan on April 27, 2020 at 2:00 pm

    I’ve been dealing with waxy hair for about a year and finally found your blog post and the ACV/baking soda worked! Thank you!!!!!

  206. Jennifer on July 4, 2020 at 1:42 pm

    The ACV/baking soda is working! My daughter was ready to shave her head. She finally found a charcoal shampoo that was helping her hair at college once she found out they had softened water and then covid sent her back home to our hard water. In under 2 weeks her hair was an oily greasy mess just like everyone describes. She found Malibu hard water wellness shampoo and it helped some, but not like what we experienced yesterday after the 30 minute soak followed by washing with Giovanni Triple Treat Tea Tree Shampoo and baking soda. Her hair at the crown is 95% better. We plan to follow up with more ACV and another washing later today working layer by layer to get the underneath. I have also ordered the AquaBliss High Output Revitalizing Shower Filter from Amazon as was recommended by another person above to help our water without the cost of an expensive softening system so hope that will do the trick until she can return to school in the fall.

  207. Lorraine on August 12, 2020 at 12:06 am

    Hello from 2020 when I am suddenly hit with a bizarre waxy coating on my super curly hair. And the itchies are off the charts. Thanks for the tips. Know that all these years later, this post is still helping people.

    I have not identified the mystery trigger but damn is it frustrating. I wondered if my beloved Giovanni products have changed in formulation. Or maybe it is hormones. Or, who knows!

    As my hair is tightly curled coily/kinky, the harsh stripping shampoos/detergents etc. are a heck no for me. But! Reading your tips about ACV and baking soda reminded me that I have not done a clay mask for quite a while. For me, vinegar, clay (I have three different kinds) and activated charcoal are excellent for scalp (and skin) detoxification and my lazy butt needs to start the monthly masks again. Thanks again!

  208. AnnMarie on October 30, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    Two additional questions:

    Do you use apple cider vinegar with the mother?

    Do you wet your hair then put the ACV in?

  209. Stephanie on November 4, 2020 at 8:22 am

    I’ve been dealing with this same issue since circa 2014.
    I tried all of these methods but the waxy buildup always comes back in a big, clumpy patch at the crown of my head. No hair dresser has ever had a solution!

    It sounds ridiculous but in the last few days, I found something that really helped & I have no more wax! Its so simple & brilliant, it’s stupid!
    I changed the way I wash my hair!! Not a product change, just the method. I have always started with the shampoo at the top/forehead & worked the lather down to the ends. Now I get a large dollop of shampoo & work it into the BOTTOM/BACK of my head & work up. I put the focus on scrubbing the crown of my head… 3 washes later, buildup is GONE COMPLETELY.
    I HATED using baking soda/acv because my fine but thick hair was frizzy & brittle afterward. Wow. I know it sounds stupid simple but this has changed me.
    I was always wondering why my hair would be so clean after leaving the hair dresser– its not because of the shampoo they used (I tried every product they sold me), it’s because of the way they wash my hair.

    Like I said, it’s only been 3 washes, so let’s see if this continues to work.

    But seriously, I feel so free. Hallelujah!!

    • AnnMarie on November 5, 2020 at 10:27 am

      Do you scrub with just your hands or hair brush? What’s shampoo do you use? I am going to try this

      • Stephanie on November 5, 2020 at 11:44 pm

        I just used my hands!
        The only things I’m doing differently now are that I use a lot more shampoo than I normally would (probably about twice as much as usual) & make my focus on the base of the skull & crown of the head. I make sure that the whole back of my head is super lathered, rather than trying to get the hairline & top of the head lathered.
        Even though I never had that icky buildup at the front of my hair, I’m noticing that it also looks less oily with this method.

        I already had the Giovanni deep clean shampoo that she recommends in her blog post so I used that for 2 washes.
        But since I have tried soooo many different shampoos, food products, & basically everything under the sun to remove the waxy buildup, I also have Bed Head Urban Antidotes shampoo/conditioner on hand (among several other shampoos in my stockpile.)
        So I used the Urban Antidotes for washes 3 & 4. I rotate out my shampoos so often because I’ve purchased so many in this process– I’ll probably use something else in my cabinet soon.
        I noticed a decrease in the waxy buildup after 1 wash with this method but it was really after wash 3 that I no longer had ANY buildup. Literally none! It feels like a miracle.

        I am crying happy tears right now… my hair has not felt this fantastic in as long as I can remember. Its suddenly so silky smooth. I’m so flummoxed.
        I also wonder if this is for real?! The fear that my hair buildup will come back in a few days is very deeply engrained in me.
        How could this 8 year problem with this yucky buildup be cured so quickly & why has no one ever taught me how to wash my hair??
        I know it’s not some big conspiracy, but something so simple does not sell expensive hair products!

        Good luck & do let us know how it goes!

    • JH on December 4, 2020 at 8:59 am

      I tried the upside down wash for the last two washes and this has made more of a difference than all others I have tried over the last 10 years and yes, I have tried all suggested including washing with bottled water, various shower filters, and spent a small fortune in shampoos and conditioners. I am not sure why it works, but I will use this method going forward. Thanks for the suggestion.

  210. Laura on February 27, 2021 at 9:55 am

    I never ever leave comments on bmwhatever blogs I read but this time I really had to.. why? Because I feel like like you have saved my life!!!
    My scalp and hair all of the sudden became super waxy and oily, with no apparent reason. For 3 days I kept washing it, would dry it and its waxy, nothing would help at all and literally didn’t know what to do anymore, even the dry shampoo wouldn’t solve the issue.
    Yesterday I found a post of someone saying they using acv so I tried it, still nothing.. until I came upon this post so thought I’d give it a go, if it wouldn’t help, I’d be booking an appointment with my doctor on Monday. Followed your directions to a T, ACV first for 30 mins and then shampooing with baking soda.. just dried my hair its clean.. OMG MY SCALP AND HAIR ARE ACTUALLY CLEAN!! I cannot thank you enough, honestly, I was at my wits end and didn’t know where to turn anymore. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
    This will be my go to treatment from now on!

  211. Crystal on March 12, 2021 at 10:20 am

    I have to wash my colored hair every day with a sulfate-free shampoo, then use a light clarifier by Kristen Ess once a week. This one won’t strip my color out; the heavy-duty one by the same brand will make my color run down the drain. Otherwise, my hair falls out, I have an oily film on my hair and my scalp itches like crazy. I also have to stand under the showerhead for a few minutes while the shampoo rinses out. My water pressure apparently isn’t that good. I won’t do the baking soda and vinegar on my hair; it damages the scalp due to changing the pH. It also will strip my color out. I want my hair dyed, not gray. Gray hair makes me look older than my age.

  212. harmony on May 22, 2021 at 2:26 pm

    I can’t believe I’ve found this page and a community to who is going through this, I just wanted to say I’m sorry to all the millions out there having this horrible nightmare 🙁 but a massive thank you to Jennifer for doing this, and for all the comments with there being so many tips and things to try. I’ve got serious chronic health problems that involved eczema, rosacea ,Crohns and IBS among other health issues which include mental health to , I had thought like many others, I’m not washing my hair right or I’m leaving product in ,as unfortunately due to health problems , I can’t no longer wash my hair like I use to ,so thought this was why this was happening but after research and reading everything on here , I’m now more them certain it’s Seborrheic Dermatitis, everything just goes together like a jigsaw puzzle. My hair has been a nightmare on an off but for the last I’d say yearish this has been such a problem ,this waxy greasy horribleness that’s been happening at the crown of my head ,where also my scalp gets so hot and itchy and it really hurts to , i sob & cry so much , I’ve actually ordered a shaver to, just to shave it all off , Ive tried different shampoos ,even the T gel coal tar shampoo, that seemed to really help , I slot this in between normal hair washing as this can’t be used to many times, on my last hair wash( which I’m always dredging) the T gel hasn’t help as much as it had been , I noticed after my hair dried there was the waxy greasy horribleness again not as much but it was there grrr ,I’m going to try the Apple cider vinegar ,can I please ask what one I need( I’m in uk) and how to mix it to? and if I need the Bicarbonate soda to? I found it very Interesting about the Gluten free hair products that was commented on in a few of the comments , I’m going to try this to , as my hair products are free of all the nasty ingredients such as silicone etc but never thought of shampoo being gluten free , after some looking , have found this shampoo that is gluten free – Sukin NATURAL BALANCE SHAMPOO , everything about it looks on the plus side ,so will just have to see , just hope it helps and works with the help of the apple cider vinegar to, because I have so many hair products now it’s just crazy but just wanted to share this find with you all just in case, again I’m sorry for all of what everyone is going through and Jennifer your a super star for doing this ,thank you x

  213. […] of its side effects. Basically, suppose you’re suffering from this condition. In that case, your sebaceous glands create excess oil, or sebum, making your skin and scalp […]

  214. Michelle on May 7, 2022 at 8:52 pm

    Hey I had 3 days of washing and got no where. I went to google. I thought maybe the body shop grapeseed oil I put in was too much. But 3 days and it seemed like I was getting nowhere. I did not use the applecider vinegar or the baking soda. I’ve grown out my color and I’m mostly grey now so I want my hair to stay healthy. I used baby shampoo and headnshoulders and washed my hair 7 times. It almost all came off. And then I read alittle more and just focused with the baby shampoo. I washed my hair another 7 times and it’s all gone. I’ll know tomorrow morning/afternoon if it all comes back. At least I have the baby shampoo. My hair was too short other than a clip at the crown area. I didn’t want to put on a hat as I was unclear if this is contagious? Thanks everyone!

  215. Laura on March 1, 2023 at 1:25 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this. I have been experiencing the waxiness in my hair for years and always assumed it was due to improperly washing, using the wrong products for my hair type (fine/straight hair), coloring my hair since my teenage years and over use of hair products. I am dairy intolerant but with probiotics and lactase pills I am able to digest dairy with no issues. Your apple cider vinegar and baking soda methods have improved my hair almost completely and I have regained my self confidence. I had seen many doctors/dermatologists and prescribed different shampoos (ketaconzole the latest prescription) and since using the methods I have not had to use it and only continue using the Giovanni Tea tree shampoo. My hair feels so much better, healthier and most importantly CLEAN! I did install a filtered shower head and am currently waiting to receive the Jolie Shower head before installing a whole house water softener but I feel like that may be the underlying cause. I am also experiencing with the baby shampoo today was day 1 and already I feel a difference so I hope with these methods I can finally get a handle on this. Thank you so much for sharing!!

  216. Stephanie on May 29, 2023 at 10:30 pm

    I posted a comment in 2020 & I’m back for an update.

    Hairdressers and everyone else have told me that I need to use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of this waxy hair buildup. Aside from baking soda, which makes me cringe because of the damage that it does to my hair, clarifying shampoo has never worked against the wax. Even baking soda can only be used once per week on my hair because it causes so much damage, but the buildup is back within one to two washes.

    I tested dozens of shampoos & MOISTURIZING/non-clarifying shampoos have had the very best results for my hair type.
    Hair type: oily to balanced, very fine but thick, straight/wavy, damaged ends due to the contact sport I play.

    I’ve tested several dozen shampoos & my fav is any of the moisturizing shampoos/conditioners in the Bed Head line. They have changed their products recently so I’m using the one that states it’s for dry/stressed hair with fabulous results. I do a lot of traveling & recently stayed in a few different BnBs that provided shampoos for dry hair types– these also worked wonderfully! I don’t remember brands.

    Because of the location of my patch of wax, I flip my head upside down, make sure I have enough shampoo to get a good lather & scrub directly on the patch before I spread the lather out. It works every time!

    OGX line of shampoos do not lather all & this has led to more wax buildup following the wash. I was reluctantly trying to use up my bottles of OGX shampoo & conditioner because I really don’t like to waste. I was alternating with several dozen shampoos I had in my cabinet & consistently after the OGX wash, the wax was all over the back of my head.

    Baking soda DOES work to de-wax the hair but it does not leave the hair looking nice. I’m so much happier & about 10lb of wax lighter now that I scrub with moisturizing shampoo.

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