itchy and flaky scalp

[tigereye]

I wash my hair once a week, with just a plain old shampoo on my roots and conditioner on my length. Every so often I do an ACV rinse, to get rid of build up, primarily because it leaves my hair feeling so soft!! I tried oil before, but my hair HATES it...
I have trouble with my scalp though. It can sometimes feel itchy, and often gets flaky.
I feel I must mention that even though I only wash it once a week, my hair never feels greasy or oily when wash day comes around. It doesn't even feel greasy if I wash it a couple of days later than normal. I think my scalp might actually be too dry...
Does anyone else have any advice on how to fix this?
Should I wash less often? Should I try diluting my shampoo? Should I try and find an SLS free shampoo? Or maybe a combination of all of these things... And could the hard water in my area be part of the cause? I know we have hard water because of all the build up that we get on the showers and sinks that are practically IMPOSSIBLE to clean off. We live in practically the only area in scotland that actually has hard water.

Also, I was wondering if it was possible to replace shampoo with say an ACV rinse for most washes? Because ACV would clean your hair too, so why not use it instead of shampoo...

[georgia_peach]

You and I have a very similar hair type. But as far as scalps go, that can be tricky to diagnose. I also have spells of having a very itchy, flaky scalp. Part of that is my lifelong problem with psoriasis. But I also think that hard water, as you mentioned, can be a big contributor to the problem. If you haven't already, try searching ACV and other alternative washing methods on our forums here. Some have great success with water only, no water/sebum only, shampoo bars, baking soda. Really, your options are endless but will probably require some experimentation on your part to see what will work best. Lots of luck to you and enjoy the journey!

[Ozzie]

I have heard that you can sort of peel your scalp gently with sugar. Haven't tried it myself but maybe that could be worth a shot?

[Miasen]

Getting an SLS-free shampoo fixed most of my scalp issues. It used to be very itchy and flaky, but after a couple of washes with one without SLS it was totally problemfree.

We don't have hard water though, so don't know what the difference would be with that...

[pixiestar]

Hi, I also live in a hard water area. I have a sensitive scalp which used to get flakey and itchy. I swapped to tresemme naturals, cone free but low sls's , and have not had any flakes for a while now Itching is better, not sure if the henna has helped as well. Did have a prob after last gloss, but is ok now I tried a rosewater rinse this week and that helped also

[hs_atreides]

I was having a similar problem over the past year. What worked for me was deep conditioning (coconut oil, but whatever you normally use) the hair first. I then massage in anti-dandruff shampoo into the scalp and let it sit for at least a few minutes. Rinse like crazy! Condition again. I know that these shampoos can be harsh for the hair, but it really helped get the itchiness/flakiness under control. I only had to use it fora couple of weeks, now I am back to using a gentler shampoo. Good luck!