Scalp pain?

[owly]

I have a question, and I'm hoping this is the correct place to post it. I have pretty frequent scalp pain. When my hair was long, it would hurt on my crown or the back of my head if I wore my hair up; thus, I hardly wore my hair up. I now have a shaggy pixie cut I'm trying to grow out and I still have scalp pain on my crown. It doesn't hurt constantly, but it's enough to bother me.

What could be the cause of this, and how can I treat it? My hair isn't thinning, so I don't think it has anything to do with that.

[Kaelee]

I don't know the answer, but frustrating isn't it? Some days my scalp really wants to be a diva. :rolleyes: EVERYTHING bothers it. I think dryness has a lot to do with it.

[owly]

Yes, it's super annoying! When I had long hair, it meant I could never wear it up (making it susceptible to damage and really freaking hot in the summer), and now it sometimes hurts when I comb my hair. I guess I need to hydrate my scalp? Could shampoo be drying out my scalp?

Sorry for the newb questions--I'm trying to recover from being a flat-iron, blow-drying, product junkie so natural haircare is a little novel to me.

[YamaMaya]

If you comb your hair a different way than it's used to, it can hurt. When I first started doing updos, it hurt pretty badly, and I had to take it down after just a few hours of wear, now I can get through an 8 hour workday in a bun and usually don't take it down until bedtime. I think hairtoys really helped with this, as it's easy to make a secure and painless bun with spin pins and sticks.

[owly]

Ah, combing might be part of the problem. I'm been trying to encourage my cowlick to calm down by combing it to the side slightly. I played with my hair right now to test it out, and that seems like it could be a contributing factor.

[Madora]

Generally speaking, if the hair in the follicle is being drawn/pulled back contrary to where it usually sits, then your scalp will hurt...until it "learns" the new position. That's why there is pain when you change where you part your hair (if you do).

Perhaps a little bit of gentle, daily scalp massage (with finger pads only) might help make your scalp less "ouchy". Be sure to detangle before and after the massage session.

[browneyedsusan]

Been there. It happens sometimes and you will get used to it. (Like babies get used to wearing clothes and shoes.) When I had a pixie, my follicles protested every new position. Especially the cowlick. That thing had it's own ideas on how it wanted to lay! I'd wet it down, comb it pretty, and it would complain. Everything bothered: the cowlick, a bobbypin in my bangs, a jawclip at my crown, you name it, I could only tolerate it 10 minutes. Credit to Madora who advised me to put it up until it bothered, then take it down. The next day, put it up again and try to tolerate it a few minutes longer, then take it down. Repeat process until you get used to it. I got used to it. Some styles I can tolerate all day. Others I can tolerate about 4 or 5 hours. That said: I try to put my hair up differently every day to get used to all sorts of follicular contortions! You'll get used to it. Just keep after it a little every day. :thumbsup:

ETA: see that little hair sprig on my crown in the May 2012 pic? Yup. It's the renegade cowlick!

[nakima]

stress can cause a burning sensation and tenderness ???