Issue with hair scalp

[leo]

Hello, i been having this flake issue with my scalp and have no clue whats going on. I needed some direction to see if anybody here know how to get rid of these unsightly flakes that seem to be coming out of my hair scalp. Here are some pictures
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/oakland41/3c756776.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/oakland41/3d258d1d.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/oakland41/84a3d21c.jpg:confused::confused::confused:

[jacqueline101]

Some ladies have used monistat and swore it helped them. Some of them do vinegar rinses and have promising results. Have you tried a scalp scrub to exfoliate the dead skin? If not there is a method of getting a small tooth comb like a lice comb. You comb the danderuff off. Use a shower brush as your shampooing. That's another method I've heard of.

[caiti42]

Coal tar shampoo. It's very drying but works with one application for me. I get this when seasons change. Or if I use SLS shampoo a few times in a row.

[Madora]

You might want to look into Neutrogena T-Gel shampoo for your problem. I've used it (diluted) with good results.

I would not recommend using anything more abrasive on your scalp than your fingertips (and very gently then). The last thing you want to do is damage your scalp skin while this condition is on going.

[caiti42]

Neutrogena T-Gel is the one I use also.

[WaterMusic]

I would check with a dermatologist just to be sure.

[Bethmc]

Hi, I agree with the previous post- you should see a dermatologist. I have psoriasis on my scalp and have had good results with using oil (jojoba, coconut and various essential oils) on my hair and scalp. I prefer natural treatments when possible. I'm not suggesting that you have psoriasis, but you should have it checked out. It might just be a symptom of a dry scalp. Anyway, I hope you get better :)

[luvnaz]

Hi, it looks like basic dandruff to me. You didn't complain of itching, which is more common with psoriasis and other scalp issues. I have eczema on the back of my scalp from allergies and washing in hard & bad well water along with SLS shampoos which irritated my scalp along with a lot of stress!!! It got really red, the skin was so itchy & came off in plaques and my scalp was very tight & dry. At times I'd scratch it so much it would bleed. Ouch!

I tried a lot of medicated shampoos: coal tar, pyrithione zinc (PTZ) and selenium sulfide (head & shoulders), Nizoral, monostat, scalpicin, baking soda wash with ACV rinses, non SLS shampoo, CO, WO, CWC, oils: tea tree, coconut, vitamin E, scalp salves, olive oil, just about anything I come across that I think would help...and nothing ever did.

Until I went to the health food store and a kind employee suggested Nature's Plus natural beauty cleansing bar. Acid pH 4.5 and contains Allantoin and 500 IU of vitamin E. It is completely free of soap and lye, tallow, hexachlorophene & alkalis. It smells great, cleans really well and I have a lot less itchiness, the redness is gone, the plaques are gone, the tight scalp is gone!

Your situation isn't as severe if it's dandruff so you may find Head & Shoulders works great for you. From what I've read dandruff is a chronic condition and you can't really cure it, but you can control the symptoms (flakes & itchiness etc...). Dandruff or Seborrheic dermatitis is thought to be due to a combination of an over production of skin oil and irritation from a yeast called malessizia. Seborrheic dermatitis appears to run in families. Stress, fatigue, weather extremes, oily skin, infrequent shampoos or skin cleaning, use of lotions that contain alcohol, skin disorders (such as acne), or obesity may increase the risk.

Using a non soap that cleans my scalp & hair with a slightly acid cleanser has helped me tremendously! I think using products with a high alkalinity and that have harsh detergent cleansers like SLS can upset the balance of the scalp and create problems. The scalp gets "too clean" and compensates by producing oil to protect the scalp which makes the hair oily and we want to wash it again to combat that oiliness creating dandruff! It's a no win cycle!

I wash every two to three days with the Allantoin bar and my scalp has never felt oily or dirty! It's been a real relief for me!

I hope you find something that will help you too! Try the Allantoin beauty bar and you might save some time and money!

:)

[LaceyNg]

i have flakes that look VERY much like that!

mine are primarily at the front of my hairline, the hair right in front of my ears, just below temple area, and just behind the top of my head, where my crown area is. the flakes are quite large and itchy, and when i peel them off they are kind of waxy to the extent that they can be rolled up into little balls (eww, i know!). they appeary sligtly yellowish in color, and the scalp is very red underneath them.

i went ot a derm years ago and was told it was seborrheic dermatitis. she gave me a shampoo that had to be used once or twice daily. made my hair sooooo dry, and didnt really do much to help either.

i've tried all of the conventional shampoos that are supposed to be good for dandruff & SD. they helped with the itchies right away, but in no time at all the itchies were back and my scalp was just as flakey, and even more dry.

i tried the neem and tea tree oil shampoo bar from chagrin valley, and liked it well enough to order the full sized one. helped a lot with the flakes, but my scalp was still not 100%.

so recently i've started doing WO washes. i know, you may think its gross! i scritch with a fine toothed comb right before washing and comb through all of yhair really well. my hair looks quite greasy at this point. then i do the WO wash and my hair's not greasy anymore, all the flakes have rinsed out, and no more itchies! i'm only on day 5, and i'm soooo suprised! if i'd gone 5 das with no shampoo or washing of any kind i'd have been unbearably itchy by day 3, 4 at the longest! AND, flakes are decreasing! i think in time i MAY even get to be 100% happy with my scalp!!!!

i should note that i DID try the monistat for a while, and yes, it got my scalp 100% clear as well. BUT, if i went for more than a week without using it the flakes and itchies slowly creeped back. and i just didnt want to have to use it for the rest of my life till i've tried other more natural options, you know?

do let us know what you end up trying and how it works for you!

[sycamoreboutiqu]

I don't agree with the regular old "dandruff" diagnosis. Dandruff is usually tiny flakes that occur all the time without too much irritation, not big plates of skin peeling off with redness beneath them. This looks very much like a dermatitis of some variety, where something is highly irritating to the scalp.

I have had the same condition for years and years and years, it would wax and wane in severity sometimes so bad that literal "chunks" of scalp would come off during a bad scratching episode leaving bleeding sores.

I rarely have any trouble with it these days.

I think the key factor was eliminating shampoo entirely - going to CO wash only and more recently adding Aloe gel as a scalp treatment.

The CO on it's own I think made the most difference, as I think it was the SLS or some ingredient in the shampoo that was aggravating the condition. Incredibly though, I can still get a dry scalp from using conditioner only. I tend to leave it on for an hour at a time and that may be too long.

What I do now is first massage some Aloe gel into the scalp, especially the traditional itchy spots along the hairline and the crown - then massage in the conditioner. The Aloe must help balance the ph or the moisture level, plus it is jut healing on it's own. When I had a bad spot that didn't clear up right away I put aloe on in between washings and it helps a lot.

Good luck with it and let us know what ends up working for you.

[Seeshami]

I was having that same problem but mine where not as noticeable. I am sure if I didn't notice them when I did it would have gotten worse. I am using a natural tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner and after one wash showing improvement.

[Teazel]

It looks like some sort of dermatitis to me, or even an allergic reaction. You should see a dermatologist to have it diagnosed.