Shampoo suggestions for a pre-teen, we need help

[Tierrainney]

My oldest is just entering adolescence. At that age, I had slightly oily hair that was super fine and just needed a little conditioning. Her hair is very thick and much coarser than mine and very oily. I noticed today she has a lot of dandruff! She doesn't care about appearances yet, being only concerned with comfortable clothing and easy styling. But I know very soon other children will notice if they haven't already. I want to prevent teasing when possible.

I need suggestions for her shampoo/conditioner stuff, please. Also frequency of washing hair and styling products.

(we've already started having the changing body talks and she is really embarrassed by it all)

[snowdragon]

Your DD sounds like me in those days. Head and Shoulders is good for dandruff. Other things I used when I was younger was a vinegar rinse ( two table spoons of Vinegar in a 16 oz tumbler poured over my head, and sometimes an egg rinse. My sister who has oily, very thick hair at 37 uses horse shampoo and she always looks great - sounds odd, but it works.

 

[m2kbug]

I have just been buying a shampoo/conditioner combo since neither are much worried about hair care and styling and extra steps in the hair care process.  I am very happy with Pantene products.  One thing that has come across my radar lately is using just conditioner to wash the hair.  There can be no silicone or anything that ends with "-one" in this conditioner bottle (read the label).  It's supposed to be healthier and my sister who deals with psoriasis, scalp issues, and dandruff swears by it.  It takes extra work to scrub out the dirt and oils using only conditioner, so maybe not the best choice for a pre-teen but something to think about.  I tried it but can't tolerate it, but toss out this as a recommendation for dandruff or scalp issues just the same.  My curly hair curled better and less frizzy, so I do accept the benefits if your teen puts forth the extra work.

I remember battling hair washing and hygiene as a pre-teen (why?) and I've had to battle with my own pre-teen.  The only solution I have is to make sure the hair gets washed at least every other day with a conditioning shampoo, and step up to a dandruff shampoo if necessary.  You can't force hair styling and blow-drying, she'll have to figure that out on her own.  Mine cannot stand styling products but has recently been making use of my hairspray. 

[MariaE]

I have either dandruff or really dry skin. I do not have dry hair though, so using shampoo especially for that just made my hair annoyingly greasy. I've spent money on expensive shampoos, but discovered that the only shampoo that works consistently is Head and Shoulders.

I wash my hair once or twice a week. Any more than that seems to aggravate the issue.

[Sebastienne]

In the winter, my skin dries out, and I get pretty dandruffy. The most awesome thing I've found to help is actually thus: http://www.lushusa.com/Soak-and-Float/00101,en_US,pd.html?start=10&cgid=solid-shampoos

It's a shampoo bar (so you rub it on wet hair a few times and build a lather), and it smells a little tar-ish, but paired with a nice conditioner, the smell doesn't linger. It seems expensive, but it lasts an insanely long time. And it does an amazing job. Lush has some great stuff.

[cicero]

How about doing a styling with her at a nice salon? a girl's day out? while the salons tend to push their products, they also may be able to guide her (gently) to a better styling, to how many times she should wash her hair etc - it sometimes helps at that age, when *someone else* tells you rather than *mom*

[mechtilde]

I'd check out what your local pharmacist recommends- a proper medicated shampoo may be more effective than the standard things you get on the shelf. I use Nizoral myself and find it not only very effective but also the nicest shampoo I've used.

[Snooks]

My friend used to use vinegar but I wouldn't suggest that unless she's coming to you and telling you it's a problem.  A few years ago Head and Shoulders came out top in a blind test by a glossy women's magazine so I say get her some of that and see how it goes from there.

[DaisyG]

I also have a dry scalp and used to have quite oily hair. Head and Shoulders helps a bit and might be an easy fix for your pre-teen. Normally I wash my hair twice a week - if I leave it longer it looks greasy and every day is too drying. I use a deep conditioner (meant for occasional treatment) rather than a normal conditioner and that extra moisture helps. The other thing that has really helped me is coconut oil - once a week I rub it into my scalp and hair, leave it in overnight and wash it out in the morning. I think that having this extra oil has helped my scalp regulate its own oil better and makes the hair softer and stronger.

[HoneyBee42]

One other caveat I'd just like to throw out--I have this issue w/ youngest son (age 11) who doesn't get all the shampoo rinsed out.  The dried shampoo looks *just* like dandruff (and copious amounts of it).

[faithlessone]

One other caveat I'd just like to throw out--I have this issue w/ youngest son (age 11) who doesn't get all the shampoo rinsed out.  The dried shampoo looks *just* like dandruff (and copious amounts of it).

Seconding this! When I was younger, I used to have this problem. I have very thick hair, and it was difficult for me to get the hang of rinsing all the shampoo out.

Your daughter's hair sounds like mine used to be - thick and a bit frizzy and greasy. My best suggestion would be to look for shampoos that say "balancing" or "clarifying" on them. The Head and Shoulders would be good if she does have dandruff, but if it's just residue, she needs to learn how to wash her own hair effectively.

My best advice is to see if you can get some travel / mini-sized bottles of various things and see what works. Products work differently on each person, so there's no real way of telling how effective one thing or another is going to be. At least with mini-sized bottles, you aren't going to waste a lot of product if one doesn't work.

[GGL]

I have super super thick and super curly hair. I never had issues with it until I moved to North Carolina. All of a sudden I have super flaky skin on my face and scalp. I tried everything. Head and Shoulders to practically prescription strength medicated shampoo. None worked. Then I found someone suggesting using Apple Cider Vinegar. Non diluted. You just put a tablespoon or more into your hair, depending on how long and thick, and let it sit for about twenty minutes. Then wash it out and condition as usual. I do that every third day and all my flaky scalp stuff is gone. Wish I knew how to make it work on my face. Especially around my nose and lips.

[Hmmmmm]

I've been dealing with winter dandruff since a teen,  honestly, I have tried tons of products and I have to say Head and Shoulders has always worked best for me.  I shampoo daily. When I first notice winter time "itch" I use it daily for 3 days then switch to twice a week continuing to use my standard conditioner. I used to hate the smell, which was the reason I was always trying other products, even salon products and Dr. prescribed.  But know they have ones that smell much better.  The bottle in my shower right now is green apple.

My teen son also has dandruff.  The stylist recommended the tea tree products and they didn't work.  Started him on H&S and it was gone in a week.  He doesn't like using a shampoo and conditioner so he uses H&S shampoo/conditioner combo.  He uses it ever other day.

[pharmagal]

The new Clear range is pretty good too.  It's a Unilever brand, I know it's in Walmart and the like as I've seen the overseas advertising for it.

[RebeccainGA]

Garnier Frictis also has a dandruff line - I use it, and like it. Some of it has a sort of scrubby texture (some grit in it) which helps exfoliate the scalp - it also makes it easier to tell if you haven't rinsed enough, so if there's any issue like that going on as well. It smells neutral (not too girly or masculine - either a vaguely fruit scent, or a mint one, depending on which you get) so it's good for others in the family to use occasionally too, especially in winter.

I have a ton of scalp/skin issues, as well as long, curly, slightly oily hair. I was my hair once a week, and use a dry shampoo in the middle of the week if I get really oily (but usually a long session of brushing my hair out does the trick).