Help! New problem: Itch & dandruff?

[maegalcarwen]

Hey everyone,

I have a new ( and not so pleasant) problem with my hair - well, my scalp. Since 3 weeks or so, I have quite itchy yet a tiny little painful, dandruff-ish scalp. I never had anything like this, so I am not quite sure how to deal with it.

Before it happened, I was using a variation of shampoos that never cause problems before (Petal Fresh, Alverde, Ausssie, Dr. Organic), but then I switched to shampoo bars, which was fine. I went to sleep over at a friend and out of convenience, I took my Aussie shampoo and conditioner with, and BAM! Super itchy and flakey scalp. It itched so bad... could it have been a chemical issue? If yes, why?

Since then I went to my Petal Fresh shampoo (SLS and silicone free), but its not really getting better.

I wash once or twice a week, didn't change that routine for a long time. I in general have a lot of hair, so I lose a lot of hair - i didnt notice a difference in that.

Any help would be appreciated, I am so clueless!

[Anje]

Might be worth giving it a few weeks with a dandruff shampoo, in case you've got a little seborrheic dermatitis flare happening. Consider washing a little more frequently, or when it gets itchy/painful, for a bit, and try using sulfates. But honestly, I've gotten dandruff after using Aussie before myself, and I'm not sure what was going on with that -- I went back to my super-cheap sulfate shampoo and it immediately got better.

[meteor]

Yes, I'd go for a dandruff shampoo (something like ketoconazole-based Nizoral or selenium sulfide-based Selsun Blue, for example?)

Just to clarify: you already used Aussi products (among others) before and they were fine, but it's only after using them at your friend's place that you had this problem? Could it be that your skin's balance was thrown off due to water quality differences? :hmm:

I really hope your scalp will feel much better soon. It should get back to normal on its own after some time, but if it doesn't and dandruff products don't work either, I'd go see a doctor. :flower:

[lapushka]

I really hope your scalp will feel much better soon. It should get back to normal on its own after some time, but if it doesn't and dandruff products don't work either, I'd go see a doctor. :flower:

This. ^^ It might actually be worse than just dandruff. I don't think "regular" dandruff itches at all. So it might be SD. As meteor listed, Nizoral or something along those lines should take care of that. Be sure to follow the instructions to a T, though and use it consistently for a number of weeks to a month! Until it is all gone!