Nits? Dec-plugs? Or something else?

[Memme]

Man do i have scalp problems...and since I don't know what the problem really is I don't know how to cure it.

First I thought I had lice. And it might still be, but I have lice combed my hair several times, used lice treatment from the pharmacy and nothing seems to help. I've never actually seen a single lice but I find these white, slightly oval, egg looking thingies very near the roots o hair strands. I can pick them out but usually it takes some effort since they seem glues to the hair just like nits...and they slide along the hair strand too just like nits.
But since I haven't seen a single louse and combing and treatment just didn't help I'm starting to doubt that it's nits. Do you guys think it might be dec plugs? the white thingies are usually just one one side of the hair strand, just like nits, but then I also read somewhere that nits aren't white, but brown...what I have is definitely white. So confusing!

Related to this problem or not; I also have flakes and dry scalp(but dryness seems to be only at the hair line an that's also where most of the falking is). I first thought it was dandruff but no dandruff shampoo will help. I've tried three different ones for longer periods but the falking just goes on.

I want to be proud of my long, blond, thick hair, but just the thought of flakes and perhas nits and lice in my mane is almost making me take out a pair of scissors and go really short to see if it takes the problem away. Please save me from doing something drastic.

I've also tried rasul shampooing (my hair went crazy! We're talking ultimate chaos hair!... and the flakes continued...), ACV rinse(blended out 1/2 with water. It didn't work...should I try stronger? ), washing with sun flower oil (now where the *piip* did I get that idea? It really was NO good!) and tar shampoo (nope...didn't work).

[Morrighan]

I don't know much about lice. But I heard that they take on the color of whatever color the persons hair is. So they'll only be brown if your hair is brown. If your blond is a white blond then that would explain their white color, if it is lice or nits.

Also the fact that you have never actually seen a bug sounds strange. Are your egg looking thingies hard? I'll occasionally get these round clear and white balls stuck to my scalp and sometimes the hair strand right next to the scalp. They only come off if I scratch them off my scalp, or if they're stuck to the hair then I have to slide them down the hair strand. I also have a dry scalp and lots of flakes no matter what. I came across a post a while ago where someone was explaining something similar and she said she has dry or hard sebum. I didn't pay much attention to it because at the time I thought my problem was something else and I forgot who posted that. But now that I tried to fix it every way I can think of, including dandruff shampoo which just makes me more flaky. And the fact that I never get oily hair no matter how long I go without washing, but I do get more of the clear and white balls, is making me think I have hard sebum too.

Does this sound like what you have? How long has this been going on and do you find that you have no oil at all? Or maybe it's possible that one can have both hard sebum and oily or waxy sebum at the same time? Since my hair is straight my follicles are round, which might explain why they are round balls on me. If your hair is wavy or curly then you have oval follicles, and if in fact you do have hard sebum, this can explain why your hard stuff is oval.

I don't know. Just throwing ideas out there. Don't listen to me too much. I'm just guessing and don't know much about hard sebum and not even sure if I have it myself.

Edit: When I wrote this I didn't know what a dec-plug was. But I looked it up and it does sound like what you have except for the circleing around the hair shaft thing. My round balls are also just on one side of the hair.

[Memme]

Oh you sound so clever! Yes, what you describes that you have is exactly what I have; hard balls that come off when I scratch. And yes, my hair doesn't get oily at all. I can go a week without washing and it doesn't really look oily, just untidy and the white oval (and yes, my hair is wavy) balls and flakes increase.

I think the reason why the balls are just on one side might be because the sebaceus gland is positioned on just one side of the hair shaft. check out the picture
(http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v18/n1/images/nbt0100_20_F1.gif)
Morrighan, I think we have the name for our scalp problem. That's step one! Thank you so much! Now is there anybody out there with a cure?

[Morrighan]

Oh you sound so clever! Yes, what you describes that you have is exactly what I have; hard balls that come off when I scratch. And yes, my hair doesn't get oily at all. I can go a week without washing and it doesn't really look oily, just untidy and the white oval (and yes, my hair is wavy) balls and flakes increase.

I think the reason why the balls are just on one side might be because the sebaceus gland is positioned on just one side of the hair shaft. check out the picture
(http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v18/n1/images/nbt0100_20_F1.gif)
Morrighan, I think we have the name for our scalp problem. That's step one! Thank you so much! Now is there anybody out there with a cure?

I also go a week without washing. But my hard balls aren't so bad then. I'll find maybe one or two, if any, when doing a head massage at the end of the week. I really started noticeing them when I tried nw/so (no water, sebum only). After a month they were all over my scalp (I used to not scratch them off because I heard scalp scratching can make hair thinner), and my flakes also increased dramatically, but no oil. nw/so was really bad for me, but in a different way than it is for most people. My hair and scalp got drier! :laugh: And yes, that picture does explain why they are on just one side!

[HairColoredHair]

I get the same thing and about the only thing I've found to help is warm oil massaged into the scalp (since like dissolves like) and then washing it out (or letting it absorb overnight). Using gentler shampoos helps too (sometimes).

[Morrighan]

I get the same thing and about the only thing I've found to help is warm oil massaged into the scalp (since like dissolves like) and then washing it out (or letting it absorb overnight). Using gentler shampoos helps too (sometimes).

I tried that with non-warmed olive oil and it gave me a scalp pimple. Just one. lol. I'll try again with warm oil. What oil do you use? I only have olive, jojoba and coconut.

[Merkaba]

I have the same thing- they aren't flakes. I also have acne. I find when I eat less sugar and clarify with SLS shampoo and vinegar that they are greatly reduced.

[HairColoredHair]

I tried that with non-warmed olive oil and it gave me a scalp pimple. Just one. lol. I'll try again with warm oil. What oil do you use? I only have olive, jojoba and coconut.

I typically use olive and coconut.

I don't usually get pimples, though I'll break out from harsh shampoos... everyone's different. :)

[Memme]

I found a link that gives some tips on how to deal with it. http://www.hemp-guide.com/normalize-excessive-sebum-secretions.html

[mira-chan]

I get these too. Dry sebum build up. I also use oil massages pre-wash and between washes to reduce them. I use Indian herb oils or pure coconut oil (Parachute) mostly.