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Thread: Scalp care

  1. #351
    Member gin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    Quote Originally Posted by enting View Post
    There's something called "aquagenic pruritis" which I have *not* been diagnosed with (nor have I particularly asked my dermatologists about), but I have noted that when I have been washing dishes, or soon after a shower, my arms are particularly itchy. I often have flat red rashy looking areas on my arms after showering that fade after a bit. Anything water based on my face makes the skin on my face itch, so immediately after showering I apply oil to my face. Using cooler water when showering helps with the itchiness on my body/arms, but I'm also sensitive to temperatures, so it's a delicate balance. Even cold water when washing dishes will still make my arms itch if the water stays there and dries on my arms rather than me toweling it off quickly, which is why I really do think that I have some sort of water sensitivity. Using oils or moisturizer on the itchy spots after showering seems to help if it's too bad to just wait it out until it calms down on its own.

    Water apparently dries out skin, probably akin to being able to use water only to strip the hair of excess oils. A friend of mine with dry skin said she was advised to always dry off very well with a towel after showering to prevent her skin from getting even more dried out and itchy. She suggested that perhaps my scalp itch was similar, and since then I've tried to towel dry my scalp as well as I can. I do that with my head upside down and my hair hanging down so I avoid toweling the rest of my hair as much as possible.

    I also do better when I make sure to oil my scalp before washing. I use a layered combination of castor oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil. Coconut oil especially seems to leave a protective film on my skin even after washing, and that helps mitigate the itchiness from washing. I also have a small scalp patch that the dermatologist said is "psoriatic-ish", and I especially make sure to oil soak that area. I do have to make sure not to oil my scalp too far in advance of washing it because on me at least, the oils weaken my roots and hairs come out more easily if it's oiled for a while and I touch my hair.

    Hello Hydration conditioner is my holy grail of conditioners to make my hair softer and my scalp less itchy in the areas where my hair is more wiry/dry. I tried the new biorenew formulation and nope, the itch is back. I checked the ingredients and the biorenew has humectants that the original HH does not have.... leading me to believe, yet again, that my itchy spots do not like water.

    To be honest, my scalp was happier back when I used a ball-tipped regular brush, but it was ripping my hair so I stopped using it. It took a while to notice that my scalp was itchier. I might need more regular scalp massages, but I don't like doing them myself because that could just as easily trigger itchy feelings and the urge to pull (I have a habit of hair pulling). For all I know, my scalp would have gotten itchier anyway and the brush change is a red herring, but I'll add it in there in case it makes a difference.

    I wonder if the ball tipped brush stimulated my scalp to produce oils more effectively than my wide toothed comb. Hmm.

    All this is to say: I've tried a bunch of stuff, some helps a bit or some of the time, but this is still something I struggle with and am trying to figure out. I'd also love to hear if there's anything that works for you, even some of the time.
    Thanks so much for this! My legs and arms do mildly itch after bathing or showering some or most of the time, so I wonder if I have something similar. The itchiness has never really been bad enough for me to focus on it or try to do something about it - similar to my scalp. Though the past 2-3 weeks my scalp has been much worse than usual, hence me coming on here desperate for solutions.

    How long before you wash do you oil your scalp? How would you oil it and how much oil would you use? I used to oil my scalp before washing when I started paying attention to my hair, but I had stopped because I thought it was making my scalp worse. I might try again. I was using a blend of jojoba and castor oil with vitamin E, tea tree, peppermint, and menthol added. I suspect though that perhaps I added too much menthol and that was culprit.

    RE: conditioner, do you apply it on your scalp? I actually hardly use any conditioner now, just ROO and a little bit on the ends. My hair apparently doesn't need conditioner, which was mindblowing to me when I figured that out. Perhaps my scalp might need it though? I's on my list as something to try, but I've been trying other things and haven't gotten around to it. Admittedly I'm a bit scared to try, haha.

    As far as drying your scalp, have you tried blow drying just your scalp with cold air? I didn't see much of a difference for myself, but I only tried once and it might be something worth trying for you. I use a large microfiber towel to squeeze out the water from my hair (upside down like you) and then put it up in a separate microfiber towel turban for 20-30min. I'll try focusing on drying the scalp during this process next washes.

    I actually have one of those electric head massagers from Amazon and it's awesome because it's super comfortable on the scalp, easy to get through the hair, and I don't have to try to get my fingers in there. Unfortunately I don't do scalp massages regularly. Now I'm thinking I should add it to my routine, like every night before going to bed or something.
    Virginia from Virginia. Climber / fitness junkie trying to figure out how to grow out my hair and be active inside and outside everyday!


  2. #352
    Member gin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    Quote Originally Posted by MusicalSpoons View Post
    ME TOO!!! I have to dry quickly or put cream on while still damp, especially after a shower. I've never had massive problems thankfully, but before I realised what it was it would incredibly frustrating when I was all itchy just after a shower - and with nothing visible either, I've never had a rash. My face is okay as long as I put something on reasonably soon afterwards, though it can dry slightly before that without itching. My scalp used to itch straight after watching when I used very warm or hot water, but using ordinarily warm water is fine.

    Lost my thread now, but yeah that's my experience.
    This makes me glad. Well, not glad that you have this issue, but glad that I'm not the only one that itches right after washing!

    Now that I think about it, I blow dried my hair my entire life until recently when I joined LHC and started doing real hair care, and I don't think my scalp itched as bad then. Now I air dry my hair. Maybe I'll blow dry agin!
    Virginia from Virginia. Climber / fitness junkie trying to figure out how to grow out my hair and be active inside and outside everyday!


  3. #353
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    It's kind of exciting to find other people with a similar itchiness to talk with!
    Musicalspoons, exactly that - I need to put moisturizer or whatever on when my skin is still wet or damp to avoid the itch.

    gin, I haven't really timed it, but a half hour would probably be a good amount of time. However if I've forgotten to pre-oil, even adding oil just minutes before showering will help and be better than skipping the oiling. I just pour some into my hands and slather it on and try to work it into the scalp. I probably use something like a tablespoon, but I'm mostly eyeballing it so I'm not sure. Personally I'd probably avoid using mint/menthol on my scalp as it might "wake it up" more which could make it more itchy. I want it to sleep, relax, calm down, be less sensitive. When I add oils to my vinegar rinse I use cedarwood and sometimes add rosemary and/or vanilla and/or tea tree, nothing more aromatic than those. But YMMV of course!

    I sometimes use conditioner on my scalp. At some point I was doing CO washing and putting it on my scalp, but DH and I are pretty sure it made me shed more. I wasn't using HH at that point though, I was using Dove conditioner. I don't put HH all over my scalp, just in the itchier areas. Some will get to my scalp regardless because I often pile my hair on top of my head to dry, and gravity will make some get through. If my scalp gets itchy after my hair is dried I'll put a little bit more of HH conditioner on the itchy spot and then add a bit of water to spread it out evenly over the area. It kind of acts like a moisturizer, except regular moisturizers leave residue on my hair and make me want to pick at my hair. HH doesn't leave that kind of residue.

    Oh, my eyebrows and eyelashes get very dry and itchy also after being washed, so I usually apply either the oil I put on my face to them or I also put on a layer of castor oil on each. Sometimes I put just castor oil on my eyebrows and lashed *before* showering instead.

    I've never actually tried blowdrying at all with any temperature - I've never owned a blow dryer to try with. I did sit in front of a blow heater in the middle of winter last year to dry my roots because I just couldn't sit there with cold, wet, itchy scalp anymore. I don't remember if it helped, but it definitely sped up the drying process so I wasn't miserable.

  4. #354
    Curious. Very Curious. Ophidian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    Quote Originally Posted by enting View Post
    ...I also do better when I make sure to oil my scalp before washing. I use a layered combination of castor oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil. Coconut oil especially seems to leave a protective film on my skin even after washing, and that helps mitigate the itchiness from washing. I also have a small scalp patch that the dermatologist said is "psoriatic-ish", and I especially make sure to oil soak that area. I do have to make sure not to oil my scalp too far in advance of washing it because on me at least, the oils weaken my roots and hairs come out more easily if it's oiled for a while and I touch my hair.
    This is really helpful. Now that my scalp is on a good routine, I have been contemplating adding back in a light pre-wash scalp oiling sometimes so I can use my NightBlooming blends, but I have had some hairfall in the past with scalp oiling. Nothing major, but I try to avoid losing more hair than I have to . I'd never thought about a connection to the length of time the oil is on, but it makes sense and it's good to hear that you've had success leaving it on for a short period. I know milage my vary, but I'm inspired to give it a try since I have a good baseline now.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ylva View Post
    If I remember correctly, Katsura had a liking to piroctone olamine. Hopefully, she'll stop by to share some information.
    I think I remember Arctic liking it too


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  5. #355
    Member gin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    Quote Originally Posted by enting View Post
    It's kind of exciting to find other people with a similar itchiness to talk with!
    I agree! I'm super ecstatic, haha.

    enting, thanks for all the info RE: your routine and experiences, it's been very helpful and giving me a good direction of things to try next. I don't have as much itchiness as you do on the face and eyebrows/eyelashes, but my hairline on my forehead and at my nape can get itchy. So I'll definitely try your tips/tricks. Do you use ACV or another type of vinegar for your rinses?

    I do suspect that my recent woes are due to going from ACV to white vinegar. I washed today and didn't let the white vinegar solution touch my scalp, I just dunked my lengths in it. My scalp seems (so far) to be better off than before, though it's still recovering. Perhaps the white vinegar dilution I used was much stronger than the ACV dilutions I was using before. I just re-stocked ACV so I'll know for sure when I use it next and can compare the pH. Or maybe my scalp doesn't mind ACV but can't stand white vinegar, who knows!
    Virginia from Virginia. Climber / fitness junkie trying to figure out how to grow out my hair and be active inside and outside everyday!


  6. #356
    Member gin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    enting, I also forgot to ask you about how your scalp handles updos? I find that my scalp is pretty sensitive to being put up in anything - buns, braids, etc. Since you mentioned being cognizant of "waking up" the scalp, hair pulling with itchiness, etc, I was wondering if you might have a similar experience with updos.

    I wore my hair down and loose my entire life up until the past few months. I believe that if I put my hair up in a bun when my hair isn't fully dry, I'll get these sensitive spots (and sometimes acne) where there's slight pressure from the bun. Same thing even from a loose braid. Surprisingly to me, even a loose braid will pull or put pressure on some spots on the scalp, at least more so than when my hair is loose. If it's a tighter bun or tighter braids (which I have to do for working out and climbing), it can be worse. But the combo of damp scalp + updo seems to make it much, much worse. My scalp LOVES it when my hair is loose, but at my current length I need to put it up when I go climbing or do other activities. Plus I love hairtoys and I do like learning all the new ways to put my hair up. I just wish my scalp loved it too.
    Virginia from Virginia. Climber / fitness junkie trying to figure out how to grow out my hair and be active inside and outside everyday!


  7. #357
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    Quote Originally Posted by Ophidian View Post
    This is really helpful. Now that my scalp is on a good routine, I have been contemplating adding back in a light pre-wash scalp oiling sometimes so I can use my NightBlooming blends, but I have had some hairfall in the past with scalp oiling. Nothing major, but I try to avoid losing more hair than I have to . I'd never thought about a connection to the length of time the oil is on, but it makes sense and it's good to hear that you've had success leaving it on for a short period. I know milage my vary, but I'm inspired to give it a try since I have a good baseline now.


    I think I remember Arctic liking it too
    The time that oil is on my head definitely makes a difference to me, but then again, the shorter the time frame the less chance I've had of giving in to the urge to play with my hair. If I just don't touch it I've been able to have oil on my scalp for a full day and night without any hairfall issues, but again, I really have to make sure not to touch it or manipulate it at all if it's oiled for longer periods of time. If you try pre-oiling again for just a short time, let us know how it goes.

    gin, I'm happy to relay any experiences I remember
    I use the super ultra cheapest synthetic vinegar in the store. Sometimes I use the one that's colored with caramel coloring and is masquerading as ACV (it's totally not), and sometimes I use just the plain white one. I think I used real ACV only once in my life, when my MIL bought some for me during a visit to her house because I asked if I could use some vinegar for showering. (I hadn't asked for ACV specifically! She's nicer to my hair than I am, apparently :P)

    If your scalp was happier with ACV and you've recently switched, I'd switch back with no qualms. It could also be that whatever they made the white vinegar out of is something you're sensitive to.

    Regarding updos: my scalp is pretty forgiving of different styles, interestingly enough. It does take me a little while to train my hair and scalp into a new style but I don't usually have a lot of pain or sensitivity about it, or if I do, it passes easily enough. When I started wearing topknots to sleep I think it took me a few days or weeks to get used to the style, but I think most of the "getting used to" was me getting used to how it looked!

    My main thing is keeping the hairs around my extra itchy spots from moving too much. I guess the hair moving in those areas acts like I'm being tickled or something. Whenever I wear my velvet headband it helps to gently press the hair down and somehow that quiets down that area of scalp for me. It's one of the reasons I like wearing bandanas and headscarves, aside from the fact that it helps keep me from pulling hair/hides where I've pulled.

    I've seen some people on the forum mention that a loose braid will pull badly on them because the start of the braid is less stable. An odd question, but does starting the braid lower down help or make it worse? This hairstyle made me think about how it might feel like it's mostly loose while still being a bit contained. Or it might pull horribly, I don't know.

    It makes sense to me that your scalp would be more unhappy about an updo when it's also damp. I'm not sure why, but it makes sense to me. Sometimes my scalp is happier depending on how I styled it when wet/damp. On me it's more like if I style it when damp it's okay how it is, but the instant I take it down when dry and styled like that for a while my scalp will ache.

    I think I'm figuring out that for me, my scalp is happiest right after "reset" with washing, as long as I've gotten the water/oil balance right. It's been two days since my last wash and my scalp is a little itchy again and I will probably wash again today. I think the longer I go without washing the drier my scalp and hair get. Just oiling might help, I know it helps my ends, but then I would have the hairfall problem if I don't also wash it out soon after. The weather is also really humid and perhaps that's also a factor. I also finger combed last night and all that manipulation may partly be making me itchy, too, who knows.

    (I hope you all don't mind my ramblings and musings here in among my responses.)

  8. #358

    Default Re: Scalp care

    Not exactly scalp related but have you tried gentle body cleansers? My niece used to have this itchy skin condition after washing and one of my cousins had a psoriasis-like rash (at first they thought it was psoriasis but after they diagnosed water allergy/Aquagenic urticaria).
    With my niece, the doctors said it wasn't the water but the cleansers, most normal body washes are rather harsh and strip our natural skin protection. What caused the itchiness was the minerals in the water, that's what makes the skin dry (and probably why drying as fast as possible after the shower works for some, you are avoiding these minerals to stick to your skin). The rule of thumb for gentle cleansers for my niece was, if it makes your skin "squeaky clean" is too harsh, as what makes the squeaky sounds are the minerals against your skin. The cheap option was the dove beauty bar and Soaper Duper body wash.
    My cousin had a water softener for the same reason and some pharmacy brought body wash and shampoo so I'm not sure which ones he got.
    So, I'm guessing maybe the same can work for the scalp? Maybe trying some sulfate-free gentle shampoo and not going for the squeaky clean feel.
    I have dry skin so it's not exactly the same, but since I started using gentler body washes my skin is less itchy. My scalp is trickier as I have to use sulfated shampoos for my dandruff but they dry the heck out of my scalp.

  9. #359
    Member enting's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    I was using Dove body soap on my scalp and hair for a while. It seemed all right. It wasn't amazing, but it was no worse than the better things that I've used. My hair didn't like it, but my scalp was okay with it. I kept having this powdery stuff come off on my hands after it dried. I do keep wondering if I should look for a gentler shampoo somewhere, if that would help.


    Followup to the oiling subject - I oiled my scalp about an hour and 15 minutes ago and then put up my hair in a coronet braid right where the slight pressure is best. It's really calm right now, but I'm going to have to wash it out soon. I wish I could get this calm feeling without my head dripping in oil.

    ETA: aaand that was too long. I touched some scalp hair and a few strands pulled away. Washed now.
    Last edited by enting; September 22nd, 2019 at 06:24 AM.

  10. #360
    Member FaerieToast's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scalp care

    I have a question about mechanically distributing natural oil/sebum off of the scalp: (Sebum is just the name for the natural oil of the scalp, right?)

    I flip my hair upside down in front of me when I (horn) comb it, and a big aspect for me is distributing the natural oil/sebum from my scalp into the rest of my hair. But I have problems with trying to get oil from the top part of the scalp distributed... it's like if I was combing down from a circle, O, and I can get the edges just fine but the closer I try to get to the middle, the harder it is. By day-5 there's a giant difference between the oilyness of the top of my scalp and the not-top, and I normally resort to taking a bath and using bit of shampoo bar on the top of my scalp to try and take care of it. I'd love to find a different solution, though, especially since I'm vaguely interested in something like sebum only for the future.

    I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for mechanically cleaning that top part of the scalp? I have a horn comb, a BBB brush, and a plastic hair pick (normally used for henna application days) to work with.

    Thanks ~

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