Help! Dry Scalp vs. Dandruff

[BlondeByDesire]

How can you tell is if you have dry scalp or if it's dandruff? I wash and condition my hair once a week - after about 3 days my scalp becomes itchy and flakly and sometimes I get dry patches and it's weird my scalp gets sore as well. Any help with overcoming this. I know I should probably wash more but schedule doesn't permit me to do so. Is there a product that I buy and use to overcome the dryness and itchy feeling.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

 

[shtow]

whats working for me is 1pt jojoba to 2 pts tea tree oil in a nozzled bottle. I part my hair apply, and massage in. The application is so easy because of the tip and because its liquid. The first couple of weeks I had to apply 3 times a week and now I only need to do it once a week.

HTH and HHG!

 

[LivingDoll]

Hey, I'm sorry that you're experiencing this...I can totally relate because I have always had these issues too. From my understanding, dandruff is fungal and is often characterized by oily, flaky skin. Dry skin is much less oily and smaller in appearance (which is what I've suffered from).

For years, I tried to treat my dry skin as dandruff and used medicated dandruff shampoos and those containing SLS. After I joined LHCF, I learned about baking soda for clarifying and also figured out that product buildup and use of SLS exacerbated most of my problems.

Since I stopped using dandruff poos and poos containing SLS my dry skin is about 80% better than it used to be. When my scalp is itchy, I pull out the rosemary and peppermint EO's and add them to everything (poo, condish, leave-ins) and it remedies the situation. I also found that pooing 2x a week (about every 3-4 days) and constant moisturizing and sealing my ends (not my scalp) rid me of the persistent problem. I'm down to pooing once a week but I don't get as much itching and flaking after 3 days as I used to.

I think the first step for you is to have a derm determine if your condition is fungal. Given the diagnosis you can proceed with you next course of action.

 

[BlondeByDesire]

Thanks for the responses.

I use KeraCare Dry and Itchy Scalp Poo and Conditioner. Maybe I should stop and start use regular shampoo. My scalp is very dry so I wouldn't characterize it as oily - put the dry patches are mainly in the back toward the nape and crown. On the other hand when I tried the oiling method on my scalp it seems to cake up. Should oil right after I poo and con?

Daephae - what type of shampoo and con are you using now? Where can I purchase the rosemary and peppermint oils? What moisturizer do you use?

Shtow - what just of jojoba do you use?

 

[shtow]

I get my jojoba from gnc.The brand is now personal care. The tea tree oil is by nourish skin. I had the same problem you did with the patches and everything. Before, I received an antibiotic for scalp fungus by my doctor but when I got a touch up it came right back so this is the easier,most effective, and inexpensive method for me. Also, I do not oil until I have finished styling my hair on wash day.

 

[LivingDoll]

Thanks for the responses.

Should oil right after I poo and con?

Daephae - what type of shampoo and con are you using now? Where can I purchase the rosemary and peppermint oils? What moisturizer do you use?

I only time I use oil on my scalp is mixed with Mega Tek. Oil is a sealant and if you use it without moisture first, the oil will form a barrier thereby locking moisture out, causing dryness. I believe coconut oil is one of the few oils that is easily absorbed by the scalp and hair shaft. You can probably use that. Besides with mega tek, I rarely put oil directly on my scalp. I mainly use it to seal my ends after I put a leave in conditioner on.

I kinda think of it like this. My hair shaft is like a container. I put moisture on/in and then place a top on it (the oil). My scalp then benefits from the mositure I have added to my hair. Therefore I don't need anything extra on it. The extra is what was making the condition worse. On top of that, my hair was extremely porous and I was losing moisture as quickly as I was putting it in. I began using Roux Porosity Control which helped the problem a lot.

I used CON green and CON Nourishing Conditioner. They work well for me. I got the peppermint and the rosemary from The VitaminShoppe. Have you used EO's before? If not, be sure to always use a heavier carrier oil (EVOO, castor, jojoba, sweet almond, emu, etc.) with them. They are too strong to use alone unless you add them to products (poo, condish, etc).

 

[HoneyDew]

I don’t have dandruff, although I do tend to get product build up on my scalp that I have to exfoliate off from time to time. It is not flaky, but soft and like a coating of conditioner, moisturizer or whatever that has built up.

Even when I have no buildup, I do have a problem with dry scalp but only in the crown area. It feels tight and itchy, but not flaky. If I massage some oil there, it helps.

I think mine is caused by sulfate use and I am investigating this, but it is definitely not dandruff.

I have an aunt that has dandruff on her scalp. I remember when I was younger, she wanted me to “scratch her scalp” with a comb. I thought that mess was normal. Now I know that she needed some tea tree oil, MN or something on there! LOL I mean flakes would fly if you just touched her scalp with the comb! Nasty, but she clearly had dandruff - very flaky and it multiplied. Removing it did not help because it came back days later – she needed to treat the problem and not just remove it.

 

[LivingDoll]

I get my jojoba from gnc.The brand is now personal care. The tea tree oil is by nourish skin. I had the same problem you did with the patches and everything. Before, I received an antibiotic for scalp fungus by my doctor but when I got a touch up it came right back so this is the easier,most effective, and inexpensive method for me. Also, I do not oil until I have finished styling my hair on wash day.

Shtow, your hair is gorgeous!

 

[shtow]

Shtow, your hair is gorgeous!

Awww thanks sweetie so is yours!!! I'm surprised I have any with all this stress over this way

 

[LivingDoll]

I don’t have dandruff, although I do tend to get product build up on my scalp that I have to exfoliate off from time to time. It is not flaky, but soft and like a coating of conditioner, moisturizer or whatever that has built up.

Even when I have no buildup, I do have a problem with dry scalp but only in the crown area. It feels tight and itchy, but not flaky. If I massage some oil there, it helps.

I think mine is caused by sulfate use and I am investigating this, but it is definitely not dandruff.

I have an aunt that has dandruff on her scalp. I remember when I was younger, she wanted me to “scratch her scalp” with a comb. I thought that mess was normal. Now I know that she needed some tea tree oil, MN or something on there! LOL I mean flakes would fly if you just touched her scalp with the comb! Nasty, but she clearly had dandruff - very flaky and it multiplied. Removing it did not help because it came back days later – she needed to treat the problem and not just remove it.

How about just before I joined the board, I used to go to this salon where the OWNER & "Master" stylist did this to me. My scalp was horrible and the scratching was making the problem worse because my scalp was crusting over (the scratching was causing sores in my scalp) and my scalp was regenerating skin at a crazy pace...this was less than 2 years ago. I had years and years of ignorant sylists...it boggles my mind that I had to find my own solution.

 

[Hot40]

Great Question?

 

[LivingDoll]

Awww thanks sweetie so is yours!!! I'm surprised I have any with all this stress over this way

Thanks...I remember when I first joined we used to have these discussions about dandruff/dry skin a lot. It's a aggravating problem! I was so happy to finally get a handle on it.

 

[BlondeByDesire]

All of you have been so helpful - thank you.

First, I'm gonna cut out the dandruff poo and con. Use regular poos and cons and see if that helps.

Get some tea tree and jojoba oil and maybe use these as a prepoo treatment.

Rosemary and peppermint oils - I get these and add to my poos and cons.

Moisturize and seal with oil.

I'll check back in after about 2-3 weeks of this regime.