Originally Posted by
enting
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.
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