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View Full Version : could ponytail traction be causing dandruff?



piratejenny23
February 13th, 2010, 10:06 PM
i've been having the worst outbreak of flakes & red irritated scalp, for weeks :(

i recently started a job where i have to keep my hair tied back all the time, and i wonder if that change could be affecting my scalp? it's worst along my hairline (forehead/temples area).

i've had flakes for over 20 years, and have never been completely free of them despite changing shampoos, diet, and trying dozens of oil & supplements. sigh. but at times i've found treatments that work for a few days, weeks, or even months.

a few months ago i went CO and gave up using head & shoulders shampoo. while H&S would keep the flakes away for maybe 24 hours, there hasn't been a huge difference since i stopped.

in the past few weeks i have tried fenugreek paste, vinegar rinses, oiling my scalp, taking liquid iodine, putting straight glycerin on my scalp, Sea Breeze, dissolved aspirin, and today i even used Head & shoulders conditioner on my scalp. except for the fenugreek, i have used these remedies before with some success; however, this outbreak is very stubborn! i started taking homeopathic sulphur 30C today.

if anybody thinks it could be the traction, i am going to try making my bun without the front section of hair, and then just pinning that section back gently.

but in the meantime, any suggestions to soothe this scalp? TIA!

Arriens
February 14th, 2010, 10:35 AM
I don't think its traction, as I have a ponytail for quite some years and only recently I got dandruff.

Somebody advised me to use kesham instead of my normal shampoo. And it seems to be working. You might try that as well.

Longlocks3
February 14th, 2010, 02:00 PM
I have noticed when my bun is way to tight some dandruff right along the hair line. I have no way to soothe it other than redoing my bun! Not very helpful, I know!

jera
February 14th, 2010, 03:28 PM
A ponytail shouldn't cause dandruff such as you describe. I put my hair in one daily for exercise.

I think taking sulfur is a good idea. Hey, it can't hurt. I take fennugreek and have had awesome growth with it but I don't see any diff in the condition of my scalp from it.:)

Darkhorse1
February 14th, 2010, 07:17 PM
I wear my hair back all the time at work, and under hats and I only get dandruff outbreaks due to weather changes or stress.

The best product I used was Nizoral for really stubborn outbreaks, but make sure you don't have colored hair. They have a new head and shoulders with 2% zinc, which I LOVED.If head and shoulders works, i'd stick with that. I rotated with my head and shoulders with pantene clarifying and found success, but sometimes you just have to 'ride it out' with the persistant flakes. If it's really itchy, the nizoral will cause itching at first, but it's because it's getting under the scalp, where the fungus starts. It works amazingly, but the itching drove me bonkers.

I'm currently dandruff free and have found that going every 3 days for a wash has helped (letting natural oils develop), but as I work with horses, I can get away with that. Only in the winter though. Summer--no way. Even now, the 3rd day is a rough one for me as I have very oily scalp.

Centelleo
March 2nd, 2010, 02:14 PM
It sounds like you may have some sort of fungal infection on your scalp. I would try taking neem leaf supplements and/or neem & tea tree shampoos but they may be difficult to find. Have you tried virgin coconut oil, applied to the scalp and taken internally? Virgin (and only virgin) coconut oil is a natural anti-fungal that happens to work very well to moisturize skin and hair. Give it a try and even if it doesn't work for you, you can use the oil to cook with and continue to take internally as there are a myriad of health benefits that comes with consuming virgin unrefined coconut oil.

ktani
March 27th, 2010, 10:38 AM
I agree. I do not think wearing your hair pulled back can cause dandruff. You ar probably just more aware of the condition by exposure of your hairline. I would at this point see a dermatologist to determine just what type of condition you are going through on your scalp to better treat it.

I just updated the peroxide thread with the newest post from my blog on dandruff and hair damage. My blog is below. Just click on it.

Gypsy
March 27th, 2010, 12:27 PM
Oh yes. You can get some flakes from consistent pony tails!
Not fungal, regular dandruff but dry scalp flakes.
I get that all the time and try to move my ponys around so the tension is on different spots.
It's either the tension or the exposure to the air as opposed to the hair "covering" the hairline like it does when it's loose.
Even Derek Zoolander (really, really, really ridiculously good looking) mentioned it , lol!!

Brat
March 27th, 2010, 12:56 PM
I have well water, and the hot water smells like sulphur most of the time.. I still have a scalp problem. Not sure topical and internally taken sulphur would do the same things though. My dermatologist gave me a solution to put on my scalp twice a day for two weeks, but I haven't been able to do it consistently. It's difficult to get it on my whole scalp and I'm not convinced it hasn't made it worse...

Anyway, good luck and no, I don't believe a ponytail would cause flakes.