What is this "stuff" when I scratch my scalp?

[pinchbeck]

I don't have visible dandruff. Perhaps, I have mini-dandruff if there is such a thing. Sometimes when I scratch my scalp (it's always in the same place at 11 o'clock or 2 o'clock) I get this whitish-yellow stuff under my nails? What is this? Is it a combination of sebum, dead skin, a garden of fungus, and a carpet of yeast or other?

[Quixii]

Oh, I get the same stuff and was wondering the same thing! I don't have a chronically itchy scalp or visible dandruff, but every now and then I'll get an itch and scratch and see this whitish stuff under my nails. D:

[Teresa9000]

I have the same thing. It's always the most near my cowlicks, lol. I always just assumed it was sebum/dead skin flakes.

[shockinglength]

I have the same thing. It's always the most near my cowlicks, lol. I always just assumed it was sebum/dead skin flakes.


I get the same things or sometimes little flakes. (I never have dandruff or flakes in my hair)

[RoseRedDead]

It's dead skin and sebum. Possibly dust. No garden fungus, that I know of. :D

I'm pretty sure it's normal, unless you have like a freakish amount of it. Scalp massages can help, as it warms up the sebum and makes it easier for it [the sebum] to travel down the length of hair... At least for me, anyhow.

[rogue_psyche]

Does it look like the little white thing at the scalp end of a shed hair? If so, it is a sebum plug. Your scalp is constantly spitting those out. The itch occurs when one is protruding but hasn't completely left the pore. If you're noticing a more of them since switching to LHC washing methods, it is because detergent shampoos dissolve sebum a lot more effectively than most LHC wash methods.

[Anje]

Just sebum and skin cells. I get it too. I think everyone does, with the possible exception of people with dry sebum who have a harder time getting it off. I'm pretty sure whitish-yellow is about the cleanest color. It can get a bit gray, and mine's a little orange right now, a few days post-henna.

This may be a disgusting question, but what texture is yours? Mine's a little powdery, barely any oil to it at all.

[pinchbeck]

Just sebum and skin cells. I get it too. I think everyone does, with the possible exception of people with dry sebum who have a harder time getting it off. I'm pretty sure whitish-yellow is about the cleanest color. It can get a bit gray, and mine's a little orange right now, a few days post-henna.

This may be a disgusting question, but what texture is yours? Mine's a little powdery, barely any oil to it at all.
It's kinda powdery with an oil texture to it. I wonder if it hampers hair growth or is unhealthy for our scalps and if I should be shampooing more than 2x per week.

[Tyrinaniel]

It's dead skin and sebum. Possibly dust. No garden fungus, that I know of. :D

I'm pretty sure it's normal, unless you have like a freakish amount of it. Scalp massages can help, as it warms up the sebum and makes it easier for it [the sebum] to travel down the length of hair... At least for me, anyhow.
I was going to say the same thing. That's why I'm happy I have good combs now. I actually do daily scritching so that I can get rid of the dead skin. Plus, your scalp does get pimples too, just like the rest of your body.

So, the oil mixed with dead skin is understandable. The oil is good, but you just need to massage and scritch. Is it just me or does scritch sound so odd sometimes? lol

[Peter]

I get this too, I scalp massage every 2-3 days now which really helps. I always end up with a bunch of flakes on the ground. About the texture -- mine is a white/pale yellow color, and it feels oily yet it's solid. If I rub it between my fingers it'll break into smaller pieces.

Sorry if that was TMI :D; am I the only one with sebum like this? Or is it normal and okay to have to clean it manually? I CO wash once a week.

[Tyrinaniel]

Well, our body skin needs exfoliation constantly, and I view our scalps the same way. We just don't see our scalp the same as the rest of our body. Your scalp has feelings too! lol But it's important to exfoliate your whole body; the scalp too!

[rogue_psyche]

I get this too, I scalp massage every 2-3 days now which really helps. I always end up with a bunch of flakes on the ground. About the texture -- mine is a white/pale yellow color, and it feels oily yet it's solid. If I rub it between my fingers it'll break into smaller pieces.

Sorry if that was TMI :D; am I the only one with sebum like this? Or is it normal and okay to have to clean it manually? I CO wash once a week.

I get sebum like this. But I know I also secrete sebum in a more liquid form. I don't know what causes the hardened bits. :shrug:

[Tyrinaniel]

It's simple. Your scalp has oil ducts, just like the rest of your skin. But not all of your scalp stays moisturized. For instance, you get dry skin on your elbows, knees, or the back of your hand. The same thing happens to your scalp. Try to think of your scalp the same as the rest of your body. Any part that grows hair will behave differently with longer hair. I foundd my legs would get dryer when I allow the hair to grow too long between shavings (lol). So now I try to keep that from happening.

The dry bits in your scalp are where you have dyer skin in the scalp than in other parts of it. Exfoliation actually helps this a lot.

I feel like I'm preaching scalp exfoliation. But the truth is, exfoliation helps the growth of new skin, which in turn helps give healthy hair. It all grows from the scalp, after all. I've been reading up a lot, and that does seem to be a major factor in healthy hair.

[hmmm]

How would you exfoliate the scalp?

I get these things too, and they increase when the weather becomes colder or dryer, so what Tyrinaniel said seems spot on. They don't itch very much ever since I started doing scalp massages. I use oil (castor/hibiscus or castor/coconut mix) on the scalp and massage it for a while. The stuff gets moisturized and comes 'off' easier. I don't like dry massages very much, I use a water-based herbal product that's doesn't make the length of my hair greasy.
I haven't heard of scalp exfoliation though, my mom always used oil on my scalp when it was itchy or flakey since I was a kid. :shrug:

[Konstifik]

I get them too! I found that semi-daily massage with gentle scratching (not "itch-scratching", more like "rub-scratching" :)) with the nails helps to get rid of it.

[missy60]

How would you exfoliate the scalp?

I get these things too, and they increase when the weather becomes colder or dryer, so what Tyrinaniel said seems spot on. They don't itch very much ever since I started doing scalp massages. I use oil (castor/hibiscus or castor/coconut mix) on the scalp and massage it for a while. The stuff gets moisturized and comes 'off' easier. I don't like dry massages very much, I use a water-based herbal product that's doesn't make the length of my hair greasy.
I haven't heard of scalp exfoliation though, my mom always used oil on my scalp when it was itchy or flakey since I was a kid. :shrug:

I think oil is a great way to exfoliate your scalp. I have also read on here about a brown sugar scrub, but I have never tried it on my scalp.

[mamaherrera]

This is so what I was looking for. But i have a couple more symptoms. My scalp feels tight and a little painful, like if I move hairs on a sensitive area, it hurts. And at times, there are circular areas that are a light pink color. No visible dandruff, but if my husband scratches, this white-yellowish powder appears all over. Now here I am worried it's product buildup, making me scared more to do a brown sugar scrub with conditioner, afraid I'll get build up from the conditioner, and don't know if it's a dry scalp issue or oily. What have you all found to work, and should I try to avoid conditioner/wash or do more lowpoos or what do you all think. I've been to dermatologists, they never scratch, just look, and say it's all good. So wish someone could help me out!

[QueenOfTheSkye]

This may be a disgusting question, but what texture is yours? Mine's a little powdery, barely any oil to it at all.

Mine's downright sticky; it's more than a little gross. It's almost pure white, though. My scalp must be REALLY pale... :rolleyes:

[racrane]

I get it, too. It doesn't really bother me, though. It's normal.

[Piyo]

Yeah, oil and skin cells. If you have a lot it can be product buildup too, or not rinsing out shampoo/conditioner well enough.

[julliams]

Dead skin and oil all mixed up. Nice :disgust: It's totally normal.

[mamaherrera]

Mine is powdery, like dust. I don't mind IT< but I guess I don't like the irritated scalp and it does worry me that shampoo/conditioner isn't rinsing off, but what more can I do. I think I rinse SOOOOO much, that I dry out the scalp and the pressure of teh water might be the culprit.

[Annibelle]

Mine changes all the time... some days its super powdery-- as dry as powdered sugar-- and others it's moist enough to clump. I never thought it was normal... but I guess it is. :D

I wonder what the correlation is between this stuff and what we consider "dandruff." My hair is very rarely dandruffy at all, but I always have some form of this stuff on my scalp (though not visible). I wonder if people with "dandruff" have this stuff on their scalps to the same extent the rest of us do???

[anna_reeves]

Actually I don't think this stuff is natural. I think it is being produced by demodex mites living in our hair follicles. There's an easy way for you to find out if that's the case:
Crush a clove of garlic, let it sit for 5-10 minutes for maximum allicin synthesis then mix it together with some shampoo. Wash your hair with that, making sure to leave the mixture on your scalp for a while. That should kill most of the mites, and it's not too unpleasant. Then notice how little of that stuff returns over the next few days! Demodex mites also make your skin itch, so notice if you suddenly stop scratching your head after this!
Note: Essential oils also work to kill the mites but they are quite toxic, and I have never been able to use them in sufficient quantity to really kill them properly without making myself weak in the process. I think garlic has by far the best ratio of killing effect to collateral damage.

[ArtOfNoot]

I've been dealing with this for years, the way I got rid of it is:
Stop scratching at/ touching scalp, COLD TURKEY
Do vinegar rinses about once a month
Brush hair with wooden brush everyday to "massage" the sebum off the scalp
Head and Shoulders Clinical Strength shampoo whenever the buildup happens
Clarifying shampoo about 3 times a year
Use less dry shampoo and texturizer (really any hair products but these are my only 2 vices)

This is what I've been doing for about 5 years now (except the wooden brush, I got that off the LHC :heartbeat )
I don't know exactly what it is, but my routine is fairly low maintenance and it gets the job DONE!

[Bat]

I am the dandruff King stuff me in a globe and shake me

[Garnetgem]

I get this so often more so in winter,its a pain one thing not tried yet is a sugar scrub but am planning it soon!

[RadioactiveLily]

Yep, I agree with others, it's skin cells + oil, and I can usually get quite a bit under my nails if I scritch. Mine is super oily- think one step dryer than scraping chapstick with your nails. I have dandruff, get sores on my scalp if I let my hair get too oily, and use anti-dandruff (simethicone) shampoo regularly. Hmm wonder if mine is so bad due to buildup. I lean over and give myself a long, thorough scalp massage with my shampoo in the shower though, and it seems to help for a couple days.

[hennalonghair]

I agree that it’s old sebum and dead skin cells. Brushing and or massaging scalp will help but so does vinegar rinses after every wash as well as brushing or combing scalp daily. Scalp health is truly important for healthy hair.

[GoddesJourney]

I used to have a huge problem with this "stuff". It is as people have said. Mine was a bit on the oily side, almost like warm, thin wax. It used to Dutch and I noticed more shedding when I had more of this. My scalp likes to be cleaner, so after years of mostly CO washing, I finally found a gentle enough, slightly oily shampoo to use almost every day. I also found I need to be very thorough with the scalp scrubbing and rinsing of said shampoo process. So even though I don't have abnormally thick hair, I have to really get the shampoo to the scalp from several angles and then part the har every couple of inches for rinsing to make sure I get it all. My scalp is really healthy now but it's not being stripped so as to cause it to overproduce sebum. My hair and skin are both naturally slightly oily, especially the hair, so I try not to give it a reason to go back to that. I do have to wash with something every day though. It's not satisfied with water rinsing, unfortunately.

Anyway, if you find the scalp stuff is not something you want, try the extra attention while washing and rinsing I mentioned and it should keep it under control. I wish it was less time consuming in the shower, but that is my price for long hair.

[Amy-Lee]

Lmaooo, Bat!! You got me cracking up! That used to be me to a T. I had it BAD as a child and teen. The oils I used made it so much worse.