Scalp very sore, reacting badly from Stress?

[irishlady]

I know there is a similar thread at the moment to do with stress related shedding.
I was/possibly still am shedding a lot from the stress, it's one of the reasons I had to chop my hair back to neck length.

However, I am having bigger problems with my scalp in terms of tenderness and dandruff. No matter how I wear my hair, my scalp is very sore and tender, even if I wear it loose all day. I try to wear braids otherwise, or in a bun that's not too tight and with the weight properly distributed. It doesn't help, and my scalp has never reacted like this to updos.

I was doing CO for a while, which worked until last week, and now my scalp just reacts and gets dandruffy and very sore, no matter which conditioner (no cone) I use. I have also tried clarifying but it didn't help. I am now doing CWC, which works better aside from my hair being a bit dryer.

My scalp is really driving me mad, it's just so sore and gives me headaches, even if I just so much as touch it :(

I suspect it's the severe stress I'm under, which is making me ill in other ways, but has anyone been through a similar experience that can suggest anything I can do in the meantime?

Thank you :)

[ktani]

I know there is a similar thread at the moment to do with stress related shedding.
I was/possibly still am shedding a lot from the stress, it's one of the reasons I had to chop my hair back to neck length.

However, I am having bigger problems with my scalp in terms of tenderness and dandruff. No matter how I wear my hair, my scalp is very sore and tender, even if I wear it loose all day. I try to wear braids otherwise, or in a bun that's not too tight and with the weight properly distributed. It doesn't help, and my scalp has never reacted like this to updos.

I was doing CO for a while, which worked until last week, and now my scalp just reacts and gets dandruffy and very sore, no matter which conditioner (no cone) I use. I have also tried clarifying but it didn't help. I am now doing CWC, which works better aside from my hair being a bit dryer.

My scalp is really driving me mad, it's just so sore and gives me headaches, even if I just so much as touch it :(

I suspect it's the severe stress I'm under, which is making me ill in other ways, but has anyone been through a similar experience that can suggest anything I can do in the meantime?

Thank you :)

I had a very similar experience years ago and it turned out to be a very strong reaction to behentriminium chloride from an improperly formulated conditioner. It felt like my hair hurt!

Even when I switched conditioners at the time and that ingredient was not in other products in that amount, any contact with it caused me increasing pain.

When I avoided it I did not have the problem. It did take about 2 weeks to recover from the reaction if I used a product with that in it and stopped. I was left with a permanently more sensitive scalp.

I now can react to certain fragrance subtances too like hexyl cinnimal. I avoid both at all costs.

I wrote about the subject here, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2010/07/fragrances-allergens-and-sensitivity.html

Stress can cause certain reactions like shedding and diet can play a part as well. When I eat too many acidic things I can break out on my scalp. If I increase my water intake and avoid too many sweets for example, the breakouts cease.

[irishlady]

Thank you :), I'm not sure if my conditioner contains that ingredient, but I will check.

[ktani]

Thank you :), I'm not sure if my conditioner contains that ingredient, but I will check.

Many do these days. My point is though that you may be reacting to a specific ingredient or more, in what you have been using. You may be sensitive to different ones.

[GRU]

Are you doing any kind of acidic rinse? I know that since I started with CO-washing and ACV rinses, my seborrheic dermatitis healed up and disappeared. As long as I CO-wash at least every 2-3 days, I don't get any more lesions at all -- no more itching, bleeding, or scabs.

Try taking some oral Benadryl (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) for a week to see if that helps. If it is an allergic reaction, that might help. Otherwise you may need some steroids from your doctor to help clear it up (if it's an allergic reaction).

When it does clear up, please post back in this same thread of what worked and what didn't -- others may be able to benefit from your experience.

(((HUGS)))

[AuburnTresses]

I'm sorry this is happening irishlady. I've had something similar happen to me. I hope it gets better as soon as possible. :grouphug:

[ktani]

By the end of my experimenting and being sure what I had reacted to I took Benadryl over a weekend. Any medication that can make one drowsy like it can makes me "stoned", lol.

It did help deal with the pain but the only thing that really helped was to stop using a product with the behentrimonium chloride. The reaction, as I said took 2 weeks to go away completely but I required no further treatment.

It can be very difficult to determine which ingredient(s) may be causing the reaction. The list in the link in my blog post has the 26 most cited for that.

Good luck and I am so sorry that you are going through this.

[irishlady]

Thank you for your replies :)

I can't do CO anymore because my scalp really hates it, so I've switched to CWC which works fine apart from my hair being a bit dryer.

I'll definitely try Benadryl and check for the chemicals in my products that may be causing allergies, and then let you know :)

[Delila]

Just thought I'd mention that I don't put conditioner anywhere near my scalp, it can lead to tenderness for me.

Also, slicking back my hair when it's wet and leaving it that way to dry can make my scalp quite uncomfortable. I get along better if I let my hair dry pretty thoroughly before I put it up.

[Tealpuffin]

I found ACV rinces are amazing when my scalp gets loke this. I find my hair gets more itch the longer I leave between washes and anti-dandruf shampoo make things so much worse! The best thing to do is try different things and see which works best for you x