Dandruff vs Dry Scalp - Page 2

Laura Lee · 03-10-2009, 11:41 AM

Bumping so it doesn't get lost

waterlily716 · 04-14-2009, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laura Lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomygrrl

I would recommend CO washing less, if you can get away with it. Although conditioner can be soothing to your scalp, like lotion can be for dry hands...you don't leave conditioner in the scalp. Conditioner should be rinsed off thoroughly to avoid build up issues. Many people leave some conditioner in their hair, but it should really only be on the length of the hair, not the scalp.
If you CO wash your hair less, it gives your natural oils a chance to start moisturizing your scalp.

I agree

Thanks so much for posting this article Laura Lee! Scalp health has always really puzzled me. Hair I'm starting to get, but skin? No way! lol Anyways, I noticed I had less dandruff--oh wait dry scalp--after switching to CG, and I bet it was because I wasn't drying out my scalp with all those sulfates. Did this happen to anyone else?

I still have some dry scalp issues now though. It's not bad, but right now if I scratch my scalp I have a little white flake on my fingernail. Does anyone know if that's normal? I'm going to try to not cowash as much, but I seem to think that made it worse in the past. My scalp would feel itchy and such. I always though massaging my scalp helped get rid of buildup, old skin, and dirt. Now that I think about it, maybe the conditioner is the culprit. Hmmm.... help?

P.S. There is a girl who sits next to me in band that has severe dry scalp. It's rather noticeable since she has black hair. I think she relaxes her hair, but I really wouldn't know by sight. I think I will direct her to this site, as I can't think of a polite way to broach the subject otherwise.

Laura Lee · 04-14-2009, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whimaway

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laura Lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomygrrl

I would recommend CO washing less, if you can get away with it. Although conditioner can be soothing to your scalp, like lotion can be for dry hands...you don't leave conditioner in the scalp. Conditioner should be rinsed off thoroughly to avoid build up issues. Many people leave some conditioner in their hair, but it should really only be on the length of the hair, not the scalp.
If you CO wash your hair less, it gives your natural oils a chance to start moisturizing your scalp.

I agree

Thanks so much for posting this article Laura Lee! Scalp health has always really puzzled me. Hair I'm starting to get, but skin? No way! lol Anyways, I noticed I had less dandruff--oh wait dry scalp--after switching to CG, and I bet it was because I wasn't drying out my scalp with all those sulfates. Did this happen to anyone else?

I still have some dry scalp issues now though. It's not bad, but right now if I scratch my scalp I have a little white flake on my fingernail. Does anyone know if that's normal? I'm going to try to not cowash as much, but I seem to think that made it worse in the past. My scalp would feel itchy and such. I always though massaging my scalp helped get rid of buildup, old skin, and dirt. Now that I think about it, maybe the conditioner is the culprit. Hmmm.... help?

P.S. There is a girl who sits next to me in band that has severe dry scalp. It's rather noticeable since she has black hair. I think she relaxes her hair, but I really wouldn't know by sight. I think I will direct her to this site, as I can't think of a polite way to broach the subject otherwise.

I get the white gunk too. Things that have helped are switching up the cowash conditioner every once in a while (I swear, my scalp is such a diva!), the occasional low poo (GTTT), and BROWN SUGAR SCRUBS! My favorite

cherish313 · 05-03-2009, 11:39 AM

Soooo glad I found this thread. I have suddenly developed dry scalp that seems to have increased since I returned from vacation. I am going to try a few things, first that GTTT, and see if it helps...Its very irritating!

**disregard my signature, its old and I haven't had a chance to change it**

nettap · 05-13-2009, 03:12 PM

maybe i missed something ... what's gttt?
i've got serious dry scalp, and it seems to be getting worse!

WurlyLox · 05-14-2009, 01:46 PM

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo and Conditioner, where to buy discussed further up the thread. Lots of discussion about it on other threads.

cherish313 · 05-18-2009, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherish313

Soooo glad I found this thread. I have suddenly developed dry scalp that seems to have increased since I returned from vacation. I am going to try a few things, first that GTTT, and see if it helps...Its very irritating!

**disregard my signature, its old and I haven't had a chance to change it**

Reporting back... I tried an oatmeal mask, washed and conditioned with Phyto products, then massaged olive oil into my scalp. Worked gread for 3 days. by day 4 I was screaming again.

So I got rid of my entire former regimen and went to Whole Foods to get all of the products below (except the Phyto). I washed with the GTTT shampoo, followed by GTTT conditioner and conditioned hair with Phytosesame Express Conditioner. Did this every other day for 3 times, then began to co-wash with GTTT every other day for an additional week. After each final rinse, I lightly parted my hair in small sections and dabbed Goldilocks Hair Oil on my scalp then massaged it in. I used Giovanni Air Charged Mousse on my hair to control my curls and it left them soft and beautiful.

Overall, by the second day I was around "5" on a scale of one to 10 ("9" being the severe itchiness I felt). By day 3 or four I was near a 2, which is just small, random scalp itches a couple of times a day.

By the end of week 1, my level 8-9 (out of 10) dry, flaky, cracking, red scalp was nearly back to NORMAL. Hair was healthier and not falling out in the front where the severe dryness was.

I straightened my hair last week and wore it like that for a few days with no problems. The oil was a little heavier with my hair straight, but I believe I used too much since it was my first time (I normally don't oil my scalp when I straighten my hair).

Thanks a bunch ladies!!! The GTTT was amazing!

BakaNeko · 05-23-2009, 08:47 PM

Hi, I'm new and have lurked a bit. I'm very intrigued by this website but I have hesitations because I have seborrheic dermatitis. The article doesn't really touch on that...just "dandruff". I know what I have is genetic, not hygiene-related. I have been told by a dermatologist that no one thing will fix it, nothing will cure it, but 2% zinc pyrthione (sp?) and salicylic acid rotated in and out will ease the problem. It looks like cradle cap on newborns, if you're familiar with that at all.

Anyway...I am stuck between having to use harsh shampoos to control my derma**** and wanting beautiful curls. I can't follow a lot of these routines described in the forums because otherwise I'm afraid my scalp would go haywire. ANY advice on this would be appreciated. I recently got some GVP Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner and have been rotating that with my other two shampoos. Oh yeah...I live in Florida so the frizz is really starting to pick up now *boooo*.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

WurlyLox · 05-24-2009, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BakaNeko

Hi, I'm new and have lurked a bit. I'm very intrigued by this website but I have hesitations because I have seborrheic dermatitis. The article doesn't really touch on that...just "dandruff". I know what I have is genetic, not hygiene-related. I have been told by a dermatologist that no one thing will fix it, nothing will cure it, but 2% zinc pyrthione (sp?) and salicylic acid rotated in and out will ease the problem. It looks like cradle cap on newborns, if you're familiar with that at all.

Anyway...I am stuck between having to use harsh shampoos to control my derma**** and wanting beautiful curls. I can't follow a lot of these routines described in the forums because otherwise I'm afraid my scalp would go haywire. ANY advice on this would be appreciated. I recently got some GVP Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner and have been rotating that with my other two shampoos. Oh yeah...I live in Florida so the frizz is really starting to pick up now *boooo*.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

There are plenty of us here who have seborrheic dermatitis. I've had hereditary SD for over 45 years (I'm now almost 53), and Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat shampoo and conditioner have helped more than anything else I've ever tried - either OTC or prescription.

I don't know anything about GVP's Tea Tree. If it's supposed to be a knock-off of Paul Mitchell's TT products, I'll just say that the real PM stuff made my scalp worse, if anything. If it's supposed to be a knock-off GTTTT, I'd stick with it for a while because the GVP products are usually pretty much equivalent to the original, in my experience.

I also apply Fruit of the Earth aloe vera gel generously (usually 3 pumps) to dripping wet hair as soon as I get out of the shower, massaging it into both my hair and scalp - further helps calm the scalp, adds some additional weightless moisture to the hair, aids in curl formation, definition, clumping, and helps control frizz. I also have SD on my face, and using The Oil Cleansing Method www.theoilcleansingmethod.com and lightly applying FOTE AVG after an alcohol-free toner also helps with that itchiness and scaliness.

The occasional - no more than once a week - apple cider vinegar rinse (1-2 tablespoons in a cup of water) also helps. I apply mine between washing and conditioning, and there's no lingering vinegar smell.

Brown sugar scrubs can help, too, although I've never needed them myself since using GTTTT. If you want to try, work a little brown sugar into a puddle of conditioner and massage your scalp with it.

Overall, my scalp has been much better since going modified CG - modified just means that I low-poo occasionally with a sulfate-free shampoo, in my case GTTTT. I co-wash with the conditioner when possible, always leaving it on my scalp for at least a couple of minutes and making sure I scrub my scalp well with it. If my scalp starts getting too itchy or scaly with just co-washing, then I low-poo with the GTTTT shampoo, usually about every 7-10 days, although I have been able to go as long as two weeks occasionally.

The sulfates seem to have been the biggest culprit for me, so even if tea tree products don't do the trick, I'd say try not to go back to sulfate shampoos. Another sulfate-free one to try that I use occasionally is Theraneem shampoo with neem oil. It's an all-natural Ayurvedic shampoo - very gentle but makes my hair a little too soft. I switch off occasionally sometimes just to give it something different, though.

Psoriasin is sulfate-free if you feel you just have to have a medicated shampoo.

Hope some of this helps you.

BakaNeko · 05-24-2009, 12:50 PM

Thank you so much that really did help tremendously and gives me hope. I have been able to control the flaking on my nose and face with DermaZinc cream from DermaDoctor. It's always been my scalp that's been insane. The GVP is supposed to be a knock-off of PM. I will try this GTTT that everyone here raves about =) After a little more digging on this site it sounds like some others have had great success with Nizoral which I have never tried. I will try the GTTT first because I hate medicated shampoos. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

WurlyLox · 05-24-2009, 01:22 PM

After trying Nizoral exclusively for a couple of months about 10 years ago, I then rotated it with salicylic acid, tar and zinc shampoos. It has sulfates just like all the others, plus I could never tell it did much good either in rotation or alone - it's supposed to kill yeast, which can be a contributor to some scalp problems, but that evidently isn't the case with SD. I even had some hair loss before starting CG. Cutting out the sulfates and getting it well-moisturized took care of that, too - Some claim Nizoral's supposed to help with hair loss, but not for me.

Used to use DermaZinc, but I don't have a need for anything more than AVG most of the time nowadays.

HTH - I'm about to be away from a computer for the next week, so I'll check back in then to see how it's all working for you.

BakaNeko · 05-24-2009, 04:41 PM

Thanks again. I just got my GTTTT from Target today and am about to try it with the AVG. Fingers crossed and thanks for the info about Nizoral! I'll think about it as a last resort but if I can save 20 bucks, I'll be happy to never use it lol

mslittlelala · 11-05-2009, 08:18 AM

lol im in houston and we get 3 minute rains too I promise i've been here a year and havent seen more than 10 minutes of straight rain lol

Laura Lee · 01-10-2010, 01:11 PM

bumping

cakj99 · 01-10-2010, 02:03 PM

.

opalinesque · 01-21-2010, 12:34 AM

No kidding! I had what I thought was dandruff for around five to ten years (started in my early teens) and was always really itchy. Medicated shampoos never helped, so I had basically resigned myself to flakiness (it didn't help that my favorite color to wear was black...).

And then I switched to CG and it was gone like I'd never had it! It took me a day or so to figure out what had happened, but after reading up a bit it all clicked into place: the sulfates had been drying out my scalp so badly I had a small snowstorm whenever I scratched. I'm so glad it's gone; the "dandruff" disappearance was what made my family accept my sudden refusal to touch shampoo!

YesItsNatural · 01-31-2010, 06:02 PM

So this is my first post ever, but I've had both dandruff and dry scalp my whole life. My dandruff is on the back center (Crown?) of my head, and the dry scalp is everywhere else, and it flakes something fierce.

I've been using sulphate free shampoos and conditioners for years now, and I've been told by my Deva stylists to shampoo as infrequently as I can. But then itching is crazy. Everything I read about dandruff treatment says shampoo every other day (just the opposite of what my curls want!) I feel like my scalp and my curls are constantly at war with each other.

I'd love to not wash my hair - my products are so expensive! I use Deva Angel gel and Joico Joiwhip mousse. But even after 1 or 2 days without washing, I can barely stand the itching. Anyone else have these issues? I'm afraid to use dandruff shampoos b/c in the past they've just wrecked my 3b curls.

Thanks

WurlyLox · 02-01-2010, 10:37 AM

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo that we talk about above is not a dandruff shampoo, per se. It's just an organic, sulfate-free shampoo with tea tree oil. I only use it about every third time I wash. I between, I co-wash with the conditioner, still getting the tea tree oil benefits without "wrecking" my curls, as you say.

I also have recently been using a shampoo brush that I picked up for $.99 at Rite-Aid - they had a jar full of them sitting on the shelf below all the hair brushes:

www.amazon.com/Shampoo-Scalp-Massage-Brushes-Pack/dp/B0020S5F9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1265045539&sr=1-1

It feels wonderful, doesn't tangle my hair any more than using my hands alone - surprisingly, stimulates the scalp and loosens any dead skin. It's important that you scrub your scalp well, however you do it, for both your hair and your scalp.

I try to keep whatever product I'm using off my scalp as much as I can - often it's product flaking and causing the itch as much as anything, at least for me.

SusieQin · 02-25-2010, 08:42 AM

This was very useful! I just noticed today that my scalp is a little itchy and flakey, now I understand why. And the scalp massagers.... I could kiss you for bringing that up! What a fantastic idea.

BlueBalloon · 02-26-2010, 06:27 PM

I've always had this problem. This thread has been great, but I still need help! I can't find GTTT near me... I need a better ingredient break-down if anyone can help.

The problem is I have BOTH dry scalp and seborrhea, and they set each other off. I have these problems everywhere, not just my scalp. The rest of my skin is a daily battle, let alone the skin under my hair. I had it long before curly girl too. For awhile it got worse because I wasn't rinsing right, but I fixed that.

When I find a conditioner with Tea Tree Oil in it, it seems to have something that I've heard is bad for dry scalp in it (usually glycerin. true?). Then again, I've heard all different things make your scalp dry. I need help pretty badly. What do I need to avoid and look for to help both my dry scalp and seborrhea?