Flakey Scalp after starting CO

[Harriet]

Hi everyone,
As well as going silicone free I have just started (done 3 washes so far) doing CO washes. Mainly because I was having trouble finding a SLS free shampoo so I thought perhaps just going to -poo was the answer.
it's going well except that my scalp seems very flakey. I don't really want to call it dandruff because that's caused by a fungus, and i'm pretty sure this is just because my scalp isn't being exfoliated enough or something.
I massage my head quite well with the tips of my fingers (not using my nails) for about a minute. Is this long enough?
Am I missing something?!

[curlylocks85]

I would try rubbing your scalp for about three to five minutes and then letting the water rinse your scalp for a minute, then see if you still have flakes. Sometimes it just takes a little more rinsing.

[little_cherry]

Hello :)
What sort of conditioner are you using? Do you condition then condition again?

[Ravenwaves 88]

I had the same problem....so I went back to shampoo but diluted. It's helping but I still have a slight flake problem.

[FrizzBall]

have you tried a brown sugar scrub to try to exfoliate your scalp?

Some people have used heavily diluted baking soda or apple cider vinegar so maybe look into that?

[GoddesJourney]

Really scrub, wet the conditioner a little, really scrub again. Rinse thoroughly. I have a similar scalp. The conditioner will probably feel oily coming out. Keep rinsing until this goes away. Make sure you're getting all parts of your scalp on both the scrub and the rinse.

[piratejenny23]

i've been getting a lot of flakes lately; i think it's because i am working in a kitchen and i have to keep my hair back all the time PLUS i'm sweating slightly all day...so the damp + less air circulation maybe = flakes?

anyway, last night i tried a brown sugar scrub and today my scalp lovely!

after the scrub, i doused my scalp with diluted glycerin as a moisturizer. the first time i tried a brown sugar scrub, the next day i had tons of huge flakes, that i suppose had gotten loosened up!

good luck!

[Trixie]

Wetting the conditioner a little bit really helps when I CO. It makes it a lot easier to really scrub my scalp that way. This being said, I never have been able to go completely CO - my scalp just gets flaky/bumpy if I don't use some kind of shampoo a couple of times a week. If you'd like to continue looking for a low-poo, I would suggest the Giovanni line. I love both Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat (my scalp LOVES this) and the 50:50. Hope you find a good solution! :)

[rhubarbarin]

I had scalp problems from CO for 5 years. Also, scrubbing my scalp as I need to with CO to get it clean, makes more hair fall out. So I'm back on sulphates and shedding less with less flaking etc. Hair is pretty happy too.

I know CO works really well for lots of people though, so I would stick it out for some time.

[Leabhar]

I actually had flaky scalp after using SLS clarifying shampoo and thinking a vinegar rinse would cover for it (it didn't). I was hating the greasy/itchy scalp-dry length combo and slathered my scalp and length in coconut oil and tried to forget about it until wash day.

On wash day, I gooped on cone-free conditioner, rubbed it in, gooped some more, rinsed it out, repeated, and then rinsed it completely. No vinegar rinse, yet my scalp and length were flake-free, fuzz-free, oil-free, itch-free, and better yet, no frizz or dryness on the length!

I was happy with my hair again, and will be careful to dilute and use only a tiny bit of the SLS shampoo in the future if needed.

Maybe you need to scritch before a wash, and perhaps oil your scalp before COing, and that will help get all the flakes out.