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View Full Version : Scalp Issues, and a Warning!



sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 04:51 AM
Hi everyone, I've not been able to post here for a while due to technical issues, I missed you all! :)
Anyway, I have been having problems with an incredibly itchy scalp lately, this has been going on since September. At first I though DD had given me lice, but there is no sign of them, or of anything else for that matter, no redness, bumps, sores, some minimal tiny dry flakes but that is it. In desperation I went and bought some Neutrogena T Gel shampoo, which I was pretty hesitant about using due to it being so harsh but the itching was crazy so I went ahead. I used it according to the directions, and yes it did relieve the itching, but after I finished using it I looked in the mirror & was greeted by the sight of bloodshot eyes & red drip marks on my face & neck where the shampoo had touched my skin. I immediately took an antihistamine which helped, then I could have smacked myself for being so stupid. I am allergic to PPD in hair dye, PPD is a COAL TAR derivative & I had just gone and used a COAL TAR shampoo :rolleyes: Idiot. So in case any of you suffer from the same sensitivity to dyes, just be aware that other products may cause issues for you as well!
Back to the scalp issues, the T Gel itch relief only lasted a week so I saw the nurse at my GP surgery who took a look at my scalp, she also couldn't see anything amiss. I explained my PPD allergy & the fact I had reacted to the shampoo, so she had a look through her book & recommended a different shampoo, Capasal. Luckily I went home and googled it before going & buying it because the the woman had just advised me to use ANOTHER coal tar shampoo :rolleyes:. Needless to say I didn't bother with it. Instead I made a blend of coconut, olive & tea tree oil & massaged that into my scalp for a while (can you say SHEDDING? My god I thought I was gonna go bald :() which irritated while it was on my skin, then CWC'd that out & did a rinse with a strong rosemary tea with ACV added. This was good. No itching. Now 4 days later the itch is back, so I repeated the rosemary & ACV rinse, which has had no effect :( Ugh, maybe the oiling is what did the trick, only I am loathe to do it again because of the shedding :( Would anybody have any other ideas for things I could try? This is driving me insane!!
Incidentally, the rosemary & ACV rinse gave me the most silky, shiny, soft and full of body hair EVER. This is staying in my regimen! (There are some concerns with the use of large amounts of rosemary, if anyone is considering using this rinse please do your research first to make sure you are informed of the risks :))

Allychan
December 5th, 2012, 05:05 AM
Wow your itch issues sound very intense! to say the least. I'd be careful using Tea Tree it is very strong especially using it on an already sore head (I use it to remove glue and labels from bottles) but you have probably realised that after your massive shed. I am a big advocate of castor oil, it is an antibacterial and antifungal and if either of these issues is the cause of the itch it may give you some relief. I'd also google "indian herbal treatments for itchy head" Licorice herb is one of them recommended. Indian herbal medicine is very focused on 'inflamation' internally and externally so you may find some anwers there too.
As for coal tar my hubby had really itchy hands from a reaction to cement and coal tar was a big no no for him too

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 05:10 AM
Thanks Allychan, funnily enough I just had a huge bottle of castor oil delivered yesterday but was reluctant to use any more oils on my scalp after the shed from hell! Maybe I should patch test it. Also I'm sure I scalp oiled with coconut oil in the past with a result of a huge shed, so maybe it's the coconut in the mix that did it? Need to do some experimenting and check out the Indian herbs too :)

Carolyn
December 5th, 2012, 05:11 AM
The only thing I can think of for an itchy scalp is tea tree shampoo. It always seems to help me when I have an itchy scalp.

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 05:14 AM
Hi Carolyn, I do believe that the tea tree did help, as the rinse on it's own did nothing, so maybe adding a few drops to my shampoo might be a better plan than just dumping it on my scalp. Ugh, this is driving me mad!

door72067
December 5th, 2012, 05:34 AM
a witch hazel rinse always helps me with dry, itchy scalp

I follow it with a baby oil treatment (I used to just deep condition, before I discovered the joys of plain baby oil)

clairenewcastle
December 5th, 2012, 05:34 AM
My husband has scalp problems and found in the past that any shampoo with coal tar in it made them much worse.
Although I've no scalp issues, I bought a bottle of Faith In Nature tea-tree oil shampoo recently which has improved his scalp a lot and left my scalp feeling more refreshed than any other shampoo I've used in years.

WaitingSoLong
December 5th, 2012, 05:44 AM
I am allergic to something in Neutrogena T-Gel as well. I don't know if it is the coal tar or what. Nothing else has done to me what that stuff did. My scalp turned red and swelled up and hurt/burned. It was awful! I did not lose any hair though, that I recall.

I have no other suggestions other that massaging oils into your scalp. My condition has just gone away on its own.

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 05:46 AM
Thanks Claire, another vote for the tea tree then :) Door72067, I have some witch hazel but it has alcohol in, is this the stuff you mean or should I try to get hold of another form of it? WaitingSoLong, that stuff is evil, isn't it?! Frustratingly though it's been the most effective itch relief I've tried so far, not that I'm about to use it again & risk a worse reaction.Thanks for all the suggestions :)

Kiwiwi
December 5th, 2012, 07:27 AM
So, you might have an extremely dry scalp which could cause the itchies (but you're not very flakey so I guess that's not really it), or you're allergic to something you're using, or there is something fungal going on.

I've had the itchies all my life, too. When I stopped using harsh sulfates last year it got a LOT less. But when I started using a mild shampoo with tea tree in it it really got better. So I'd suggest that, too. (I use Petal Fresh Tea Tree Shampoo)
Also, now that it's getting colder I find I have a bit more itchies. I've started scalp oiling once a week (argan mostly, sometimes coconut) and find that helps too.

Yes, when you oil your scalp for the first time (or for the first time in a loooong while) the shedding will be crazy. I assume that is because it loosens the hairs that would go soon anyway. I suggest trying it again. The shedding should be less with frequent use. If not, then of course don't do it anymore. Everyone is different.

Good luck!

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 08:36 AM
So, you might have an extremely dry scalp which could cause the itchies (but you're not very flakey so I guess that's not really it), or you're allergic to something you're using, or there is something fungal going on.

I've had the itchies all my life, too. When I stopped using harsh sulfates last year it got a LOT less. But when I started using a mild shampoo with tea tree in it it really got better. So I'd suggest that, too. (I use Petal Fresh Tea Tree Shampoo)
Also, now that it's getting colder I find I have a bit more itchies. I've started scalp oiling once a week (argan mostly, sometimes coconut) and find that helps too.

Yes, when you oil your scalp for the first time (or for the first time in a loooong while) the shedding will be crazy. I assume that is because it loosens the hairs that would go soon anyway. I suggest trying it again. The shedding should be less with frequent use. If not, then of course don't do it anymore. Everyone is different.

Good luck!

Thanks Kiwiwi, I'm starting to formulate a plan of attack now;
First I will try adding a few drops of tea tree to my shampoo (I use an all organic, sulphate free aloe vera shampoo which is very gentle, also I have been using the same one for the last 18 months so I'm sure it's not my shampoo that is causing the problem)
If that doesn't give me some relief I will try scalp oiling again, when I did it before it did help and I was itch free for 4 days, it was just the shedding that scared me! Your theory about first time oiling makes sense, hopefully this time the shedding will be less, but I am not going to use coconut oil again. I have EVOO, sweet almond oil, castor oil and tea tree oil, would you have a suggestion of which to use?
Thanks again :)

Khiwanean
December 5th, 2012, 08:40 AM
I would imagine it was the tea tree oil that helped. Tea tree oil is known to be antifungal. Maybe you could try using it mixed with somethign other than coconut oil? Or as other suggested, you could get a tea tree oil shampoo if you're not willing to risk the possibility that it wasn't the coconut oil which caused your shedding.

As for the rosemary rinse, the only negative thing I've heard about using rosemary on hair is the possiblity of darkening light hair. If your hair is dark enough, it shouldn't be a problem, but you should keep an eye out for darkening. As far as I know, it's only temporary staining of the hair anyway.

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 08:59 AM
Hi Khiwanean, yes the tea tree actually felt like it was doing something, it was an irritating feeling when it was on my scalp which dissapeared, taking the itch with it, when I washed it off. I am in love with the rosemary rinse! A bit of darkening is fine by me since I dye my hair darker than my natural shade anyway, the concerns that I was referring to are the fact that it can be an emmenogogue & abortifacient, and can interfere with hormonal BC. Not really a problem for me as I am sterilised, but I'm guessing it could be used safely if you were to just rinse your length & not the scalp :)

sisi33
December 5th, 2012, 09:10 AM
Have you thought about catnip rinses? Sinse TTO BURNS LIKE A THOUSAND SUNS! On my scalp, I've had great luck with catnip. I even have some in a spray bottle that I occasionally use on just my scalp. I figure that it's cheap enough, that if it doesn't work, you wouldn't be über disappointed, either.

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 09:16 AM
TTO BURNS LIKE A THOUSAND SUNS!

Sisi33 I lol'd at that! So that is a pretty normal phenomenon when putting TTO on the scalp then, I thought I'd done myself a mischief! Actually I have a couple of catnip plants on my kitchen windowsill which I was growing for my over-indulged kitties, I may have to steal it from them :)

torrilin
December 5th, 2012, 09:16 AM
My skin is pretty dry. Not type 4 curls type dry, but unlike most type 1s, no way is daily washing good for me. Try more like every 3 days at the most frequent, and more like every 7 nowadays. My scalp doesn't get flakey if I wash too often. It just ITCHES.

I also react to a lot of fragrances. A regular scented shampoo is not a good idea, and most of them will leave me itchy. Going SLS free doesn't much matter, or can be actively harmful, but going fragrance free is a huge deal. Strong detergents like SLS are a good way to kill bacteria and fungi, which is why we use 'em for cleaning things besides our bodies.

As other people have noted, fungal infections can also cause itching. I'm pretty careful about that, and so far I've not had one. And thankfully the medicated shampoos to clear up infections are fragrance free. But since I react to both too frequent washing and to fragrance ingredients, I'm sure it could easily look like I had a fungal infection that cleared up by using the medicated shampoo... whoops!

A lot of medical stuff can be stealthy and tricksy like that. Since your doctor obviously wasn't paying attention, it might be a good idea to arrange to see a specialist. There's no way they should have recommended a coal tar product when you just reacted to a coal tar product!

lapushka
December 5th, 2012, 09:23 AM
I have SD and use Nizoral shampoo. When my head starts to itch *badly*, it usually means there's huge flakes on my head as well, and using this shampoo relieves it like no other. Might want to look into that.

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 09:33 AM
Hi Torrilin and Lapushka, yes, eventually I might be forced to use something like Nizoral if I can't shift it, the pharmacist did suggest it but I was concerned that I might make it worse if it was just from dryness or something. Hmm yes I was seriously unimpressed by the nurse reccomending another coal tar product, since I had just sat & told her about my PPD allergy & the fact I had reacted to T Gel!! Thank god I did my homework before going & getting it & dumping it on my head!

ravenreed
December 5th, 2012, 10:04 AM
ACV has pretty much cleared up my itchies and flakies. I do a rinse at darned near every cleaning because the itchies comes back if I don't. I shed a lot when I do a scalp oiling, so I only do them every few weeks. Hope you find something to relieve the problem. I used to scratch until I had scabs, it itched so much!

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 10:46 AM
Ugh, it sure is frustrating, Ravenreed, I haven't managed to damage my scalp yet luckily, I manage to catch myself before I really get stuck into a good scratch lol but it sometimes feels kind of bruised and tender :( I have never, ever in my life had a problem like this, I wonder if it was my stretching washes too long that caused it? All I know is it can do one, NOW!

DinaAG
December 5th, 2012, 10:49 AM
thats my experience i wish it can help http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=108838

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 10:53 AM
Thanks for that DinaAG, another vote for salycilic acid then. You have all been so helpful, now I have a few ideas to try hopefully I can knock this on the head :) I will report back when I have had a chance to work though the possible solutions and list what helps and what does not, maybe it will help someone else :)

DinaAG
December 5th, 2012, 10:57 AM
and it might still be sls thats doing that, try mixing the salycilic with an sls free shampoo also something im doing recently that helped me "nt sure its ok for any scalp though" daily vinegar without dilution on the scalp and leave it there without washing, hope that can help dear ♥

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 11:03 AM
I have been sls free for nearly 2 years, besides the very occasional clarifying shampoo, I clarified a few weeks ago actually & it made no difference at all to the cursed itchies. I have read elsewhere about the neat ACV on the scalp trick, I use a fairly strong dilution in my rinse so I think my scalp could probably handle that. Also I had a thought, I know a lot of people on here use Monistat or Daktarin as a growth aid, if this is a fungal problem maybe something like that could help too? My DF has monstrous athletes foot periodically so I have a bunch of Daktarin kicking around!

jacqueline101
December 5th, 2012, 11:16 AM
I've had an itch scalp before and I used monistat on mine and it went away. If its fungal it will help.

furnival
December 5th, 2012, 11:17 AM
Sorry to hear about your itching, it's maddening isn't it? I'd never had problems with my scalp before but for the past few months it's been driving me crazy- I initially thought it was lice as well... I tried pretty much everything you've tried with disappointing results and heinous shedding. The only thing that has worked is Nizoral shampoo (containing ketoconazole, don't think it's a PPD chemical) used sparingly on the scalp only- it has to be sparing 'cos it costs about £7 for a pathetic little bottle. After two uses 4 days apart my head hasn't itched for nearly two weeks :) Fingers crossed!
Good luck and I hope you find a solution :flower:

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 11:23 AM
Thanks Jacqueline 101 and Furnival, wow maybe I should just bite the bullet & get the Nizoral! Was that the mild one that is on the shelf with the other shampoos, or the one they keep behind the pharmacy counter? How strange, it seems like a lot of people are having very similar issues. Incidentally my growth, which is usually decent (too decent in summer, I have to do my roots very 2 weeks!) has slowed down to barely anything since the cursed itchies reared their ugly heads. Maybe this points to a fungal issue?

Kosmos
December 5th, 2012, 11:33 AM
My sister has this problem and we put a little bit of tea tree oil into her conditioner of choice and it cuts down on itching.

furnival
December 5th, 2012, 11:33 AM
^ The one I used was the off-the-shelf one.

sarelis
December 5th, 2012, 11:40 AM
Thank you :)

door72067
December 5th, 2012, 12:47 PM
Thanks Claire, another vote for the tea tree then :) Door72067, I have some witch hazel but it has alcohol in, is this the stuff you mean or should I try to get hold of another form of it? WaitingSoLong, that stuff is evil, isn't it?! Frustratingly though it's been the most effective itch relief I've tried so far, not that I'm about to use it again & risk a worse reaction.Thanks for all the suggestions :)

I use Dickinson's yellow label witch hazel....it does have alcohol in it, but according to their website, it is a natural alcohol and in limited quantities


http://www.dickinsonbrands.com/faq.asp

I must sadly admit, I had to look it up as I never actually read the label...but witch hazel was my Gram's beauty secret and I always trusted her advice

lapushka
December 5th, 2012, 02:44 PM
Where I live (Belgium) Nizoral is only obtainable in the strong version, and it is over the counter. So that's what we use when it gets bad here.

KarpatiiSiv
December 5th, 2012, 04:03 PM
I'd suffered with a very itchy scalp on and off for years and could never find the reason why. What has really helped me is catnip soaks using Ktani method and adding a few drops of tea tree to my shampoo. The anti-inflammatory properties of catnip combined with the anti-fungal properties of tea tree have stopped my itching totally. I hope you find something that works for you.

LaurelSpring
December 5th, 2012, 10:04 PM
I'll tell you what. I have chemical sensitivities and my scalp is very sensitive. I had insane itchiness and you know what it turned out to be.................. vinegar and citric acid. It turns out my scalp was really sensitive to anything that was too acidic. So stop using anything with citric acid (just about every shampoo) and dont use any vinegar, give it a week and maybe a few castor oil soaks and see if it clears up. Also, I can only tolerate a tiny amount of occasional SLS but not much. These days I have found the perfect solution for me. I melt some CV shampoo bar with baking soda in a plastic ketchup bottle and fill it with water. I can still vinegar rinse ears down as long as it doesnt touch my scalp. I still use conditioner. Going CO might help you out also. I wish I could get away with CO but it weighs my hair down too much. Hope this may help!!

picklepie
December 5th, 2012, 10:43 PM
Is it possible you are experiencing candida overgrowth?

Bunnysaur
December 5th, 2012, 11:20 PM
I just started using "Snake Oil" from LUSH. It comes in a bar, you melt it on your fingers and work the oil all over your scalp. The ingredients are: cocoa butter, lavender oil, tea tree oil, shea butter and alkanett extract (in no particular order, just as I remembered them). Instead of buying it, you could probably just mix it up yourself if you wanted to, as the ingredients are cheap online. I have a ridiculous scalp too, and this has REALLY helped. I have SD, and it's gotten rid of all my flakies, all my itching, all my "OH GOD I HAVE TO WEAR A HAT TODAY" moments, AND it helps with my conditioner sensitivity! I just rub it on about 20 minutes before I wash, and I can use my regular shampoo and conditioner without dire effects.

piffyanne
December 6th, 2012, 04:02 AM
I don't know what to do about it, but I've been itching, too! I may have to snag some catnip for a tea wash. I'm getting desperate.

sarelis
December 6th, 2012, 04:31 AM
Thanks for all the replies, after another uncomfortable, itchy night I think I'm just gonna go straight for the Nizoral. I'm fed up of tippy-toeing around this, I just want it GONE. To top it off I have woken up to find that my wisdom tooth is infected again, I'm so fed up with being poorly lately, it seems there is always something wrong. I can't even do something nice with my hair to cheer myself up, no point in doing a pretty updo when I'm just going to tear it apart scratching in 5 minutes, and my roots look dreadful because I've been to scared of upsetting my scalp further by dying my hair :( I look and feel like crap & I'm sick of it, now I'm gonna have yet another course of antibiotics to take (5th lot since beginning of October) Ugh, I'm drowning in self pity here lol

piffyanne
December 6th, 2012, 04:46 AM
Thanks for all the replies, after another uncomfortable, itchy night I think I'm just gonna go straight for the Nizoral. I'm fed up of tippy-toeing around this, I just want it GONE. To top it off I have woken up to find that my wisdom tooth is infected again, I'm so fed up with being poorly lately, it seems there is always something wrong. I can't even do something nice with my hair to cheer myself up, no point in doing a pretty updo when I'm just going to tear it apart scratching in 5 minutes, and my roots look dreadful because I've been to scared of upsetting my scalp further by dying my hair :( I look and feel like crap & I'm sick of it, now I'm gonna have yet another course of antibiotics to take (5th lot since be ginning of October) Ugh, I'm drowning in self pity here lol

Since you are so far along into the realm of being willing to try anything, I would get a different pillow. Switch with a roommate, buy a new one, sleep on it for a few nights. If the symptoms lessen, sleep on a wood floor away from your mattress. I was having problems with strange allergies a couple years ago, went to bed fine and woke with a nose stuffed on one side, the lower side. Only thing I had introduced to the house was a vintage dress infield want to have to get rid of, so I checked if it was the bed first. It was, and I still have the lovely dress!

If it isn't a change in haircare routine it might be something that comes in contact with it: something growing on your hairbrush, etc. Try switching one circumstance every few days so you can keep track of which thing had what effect. :blossom: Hope this helps!!

louzen
December 6th, 2012, 05:01 AM
Hi sarelis

Really sorry to hear you have this issue. :grouphug: I had contact dermatitis a while back all over my scalp and after trying nearly everything under the sun, I found emu oil to work wonders. It's anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, non-comedogenic (won't block pores), and will nourish your follicles with Omega 3. When I have a flare up, I leave the oil all over my scalp for 24 hours, then wash it off with an unfragranced conditioner. I did it once a week until the dermatitis subsided.

Aveyronnaise
December 6th, 2012, 06:13 AM
Castor oil really is the only thing that has relieved my scalp itching , and it takes away all of the dry skin flakes as well.

sarelis
December 6th, 2012, 06:14 AM
Right, have just shampooed with the Nizoral, so far so good, no allergic reactions! The itching has reduced, I really hope this stuff has knocked it on the head. It's pretty drying to hair, but I only washed my scalp with it & the first 6 inches or so of my hair is virgin (save for direct deposit dye) so I'm sure it can take it. Thanks Furnival for the recommendation :)

DinaAG
December 6th, 2012, 08:37 AM
and watch this dear i found it helpful hope it will help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeSNxoRBmu8

spirals
December 7th, 2012, 12:58 AM
Citric acid rine seems to help me. I do two cupfuls of water with 2 tablespoons of solution in each to get all my hair, as I'm a soap-shampooer. But if my scalp is especially itchy, I pour the solution directly on it. I let it sit while conditioner is working on my lengths. I try to make the solution at 5%, since vinegar is about 5% acid. I do have to wash at least twice a week, or my scalp will really bother me.

furnival
December 7th, 2012, 04:11 AM
Right, have just shampooed with the Nizoral, so far so good, no allergic reactions! The itching has reduced, I really hope this stuff has knocked it on the head. It's pretty drying to hair, but I only washed my scalp with it & the first 6 inches or so of my hair is virgin (save for direct deposit dye) so I'm sure it can take it. Thanks Furnival for the recommendation :)

Good luck, fingers crossed for you! :)

LadyLongLocks
December 8th, 2012, 10:35 AM
The first thing I would do is get a water shower filter.