localised scalp smell

[happybear]

I have an area above my right ear that maintains this dirty scalp smell no matter how much I wash. I wash my hair everyday, a thorough lather and i let the shampoo sit on my scalp a bit too.

One day a few weeks ago i scratched my scalp above my right ear and there was a lot of whitish/greenish gunk under my fingernails which smelled like dirty scalp. Alarmed, i scratched other parts of my scalp to see if it is everywhere and it's not...just in that one spot. It makes no sense!

I have no dandruff and no abnormal itchiness either

Anyone ever had this happen and know how would I fix it?

Thanks!

[Kaelee]

Sounds like a visit to a dermatologist is in order.

[AnqeIicDemise]

Sounds like you may have a slightly irritated scalp in that area. Try seeing (or use a camera to take a picture if the angle is odd) with a mirror to see what's going on? It could be that something's not healing.

[happybear]

ya i have looked and i don't see anything untoward. It doesn't look irritated or anything. It also does not look overly oilier than the rest of my scalp either. it's pretty weird.

[happybear]

Do you think it might be fungal?

I have this stuff called Natures Aid, that is just aloe vera gel, vitamin E, Witch Hazel, Tea Tree and Rosemary essential oils. I use it on cuts, acne etc. It apparently has antifungal properties, maybe I will put some of that on it and see what happens.

What about coconut oil? that is antifungal right?

[AnqeIicDemise]

ya i have looked and i don't see anything untoward. It doesn't look irritated or anything. It also does not look overly oilier than the rest of my scalp either. it's pretty weird.

It could be an ear washing thing. Hubby had something similar. He had a clean scalp but he'd get ickies on the ridge where the ear meets the scalp and it smelled like dirty scalp smell. Turns out he'd rinse in the back of the ear and clean it up really good but somehow missed the top consistently so stuff accumulated. Maybe that's it? I'd try cleaning that area with a bit of witch hazel. It sorted him out rather quickly and now he makes sure to clean behind and *on top* of his ears in the shower.

I personally never had that issue but I don't have a greasy scalp like he does.

[happybear]

repeat post

[AnqeIicDemise]

Also, forgot to add, its always ONE ear too. The right one. He doesn't have issues with the left one at all. He sometimes gets really dry bits right outside the ear canal going into the ear lobe too when the weather changes. Its weird, but he manages with a tiny bit of coconut oil when that happens.

[AnqeIicDemise]

repeat post

He uses that too after the witch hazel. Again, it doesn't happen often but when it does its just weird. I'd say try that approach (with the Nature's Aid) and if it does not go away in a timely fashion, make a doctor's appointment.

[Firefox7275]

I have two tiny patches of dermatitis above my ears my mother has a large patch on one side, it is perfectly normal for various skin complaints to be in patches. Few here are medically qualified, you should see your family doctor or a dermatologist: self treating a self diagnosis can easily worsen it. Do not overwash, you should not need to leave shampoo sitting on your scalp every day nor lather excessively.

[prettyinpink]

My mom has psoriosis and she has a patch in the same spot above her ear

[BlazingHeart]

Sounds a little bit like the way my psoriasis manifests, too. There are a handful of spots where I get it more often than others - in the widow's peak of my hairline, left side of the crown, and halfway between the right crown and the right ear are probably the most common. It's rare for me to have my whole scalp involved, it's usually patches somewhere between the size of my fingertip and half the size of my palm. The stuff that comes off does tend to smell like oily scalp, and it's kind of weird colored - sometimes kind of cream colored, sometimes almost silvery-white.