A little lesson in PH and understanding your skin and hair and why you get the oily skin/hair...

PH refers to "potential hydrogen"

-A PH of 7 is considered neutral (water is neutral)

-A PH lower than 7 is considered acidic

-A PH higher than 7 is considered to be alkaline

Now that you have some info on the ph scale you are probably still asking 'why do I care? How does this relate to my question'...Truth is, it has a lot to do with the condition your hair and skin is currently in.

The skins PH level is 4.5-5.5. A product that is too acidic will make your hair and skin dry/brittle, a product that is too alkaline will strip away skin cells and the natural oils your skin needs, while blowing your hair cutiticle wide open leaving it open to damage, and forcing your body to overproduce sebum (oil). This is your body attempting to protect your skin from outside sources, the more you continue with these damaging products the more you signal to your body that it is under attack and needs to produce more oil to correct your skin.

Ideally a shampoo should be formulated to closely match the PH level of your hair/skin, a good shampoo ranging between a 5-8 on the PH scale. Conditioner is also important as this helps close the cuticle layer of your hair back down and bring the PH level back to neutral. Many drug store shampoo's use extremely strong detergents (ie: you might at well be washing your hair with dish detergent), that are normally around 11-13 on the PH level (you want to know what else sits at that PH level, nair and other hair removal products). Some of the worst offenders being Head and Shoulders, Herbal Essence, Pantene Pro V, etc.

My suggestion to you would be to:

a. Invest in a good salon quality shampoo and conditioner, a little goes a long way.

b. Stop washing your hair every day if you are currently doing so. Start with every other day, slowly increasing the amount of da until you can go a few days between as all you are doing is stressing your skin out.

c. If you are using bar soap on your face, stop with the bar soap and invest in a gentle face cleanser and moisturizer (I get that most guys dont want to invest in this stuff so two decent products you can buy right from the drugstore for like $10 and under are Cetaphil for the facial cleanser, and Complex 15 for a light moisturizer.)

Initially you are going to feel like a greaseball when you go from shampooing every day to every other day, but I promise if you follow these guidelines within 2 weeks to a month that will start to level out when your skin isnt constantly being overstressed and no longer needs to protect itself it will slow down the production of sebum.

I suggest you see a barber about your condition.

I will suggest you change the shampoo and soap you are using, ask a dermatologist for the best choices for your type of scalp and skin

Apple cider vinegar rinse. Let it dry. Don't worry, it wont make you stink for long. :) I make my own vinegar from my apples but you can use Braggs (with the mother).