Sweating, Washing and Dandruff

Hey Inpsydout maybe you can gain something from this?

My scalp can become very irritated and produce large flakes of oily dandruff after only about 4 days of not washing. I used to think it was psoriasis, but I was told by a doctor that it's a type of dermatitis that happens because my skin is oily. I have tried unsuccessfully to wash with varying temperature of plain water, but the oil on my scalp builds up more than what washing with plain water removes. A few times, I've tried to go as long as possible without washing, but the itching and dandruff became absolutely unbearable within 2 weeks.

I've also tried using various soaps and/or shower gels to wash my hair, but those only leave residue and make the "wet" dandruff worse. Also, any soap made with oils like the Dr. Bronner's that so many people with dreads swear by infinitely increased my oily dandruff and misery.

I have had my dreadlocks going on 2 years now and experimented with many washing techniques, and the only thing I've actually found to work at removing the oily dandruff and keeping the itching away is to wash with baking soda and warm water once per week, sometimes twice. Washing my mature dreads this often coupled with the fact that it takes almost 12 hours to dry on cold, damp, or cloudy days has led to some funky smells the day of my wash. The smell actually goes away after they dry, but I do give a fuck about going out in public on wash days.

 

hmm, ive tried baking soda before, wash every 3rd day, but didnt work.. i think it left my scalp too dry. I hate itchy scalp and dandruff

 

thanks for the clarification on dandruff guys. i guess most of the problem i had was with wet dandruff.

maybe if you think you have a skin problem it really would be a good idea to go to the dermatologist. you can always ignore their advice if they're just all about the chemicals. or maybe you could see some sort of natural therapist?

 

yeah that would be a good solution. maybe they know about it.

I put some aloe vera on my scalp today. Felt good

Moving onto 3rd day washes too.

 

didnt check before posting again, sorry ! lol

 

I started using aloe, both for my stomach(because my throat always get burned) and my scalp. Im drinkin juice with aloe gel every morning before eating anything.

My scalp is still itching and flaking.. its been 1 month and 11 days, but still waiting I think my scalp hasnt acclimated to the change, cause I still have a lot of oil on my hair, looks and feels oily.

If the aloe vera helps, how long will i need to use it? like for life? lol oh by the way, moved to 3rd day washes. Will wash less in a couple of weeks I guess.

 

Update:
My scalp is still flaking, but the aloe vera has reduced the irritation a lot. I've read that aloe is good for psoriasis, excema, and also dermatitis, so perhaps this should help, even if it's not any of these (also read that it can control oils). I'll keep up with the treatment and see how it goes. It's been only about 9 days since I started. However i'm still not sure when I should apply the gel on my scalp. I'm doing so the night before washing (water only). I'm still at third day washes.

 

Tea Tree oil deep cleanse is the shiznit:cheers2:

Maybe twill help?

 

I tried tea tree oil with baking soda (every third day washes) and in shampoo but it didn't work for me. perhaps it was too frequent washing, but im already at water only so I'll just keep up at it.

 

i've had dreads for going on 1.5 years and i'm telling you, wash whenever you feel like it. its not gonna slow anything down, its not gonna cause mold as long as you let it dry, its not gonna take 10 hours to dry if you shake out your hair.

i go to the gym every day and get all sweaty on my scalp. hence i wash with water everyday. fuck it, my hair is mad clean. my dreads are wicked tight. and i never smell funky after working out.

the benefit of having natural dreads is they happen when i do my natural routine. i don't maintain or rub, or add saltwater, or any shit. just wash when i have to and chill with a cap on. i've had itchies, but that means its time to wash my scalp.

 

believe me dude, my itches aint sign of next wash. Its my scalp falling off! I get flakes all over the same day I wash! lol Its getting better now, the aloe has helped! A magic plant, like the one or your signature!

 

hmmm, are you scrubbing real hard when you're washing? cuz when i shower i kinda scrape my scalp with my fingers to get it real good. plus i'm obviously washing way more than you, so that might be why my scalp isn't dry.

aloe, i guess that could work. sounds like a hassle.

some people have suggested to me that i put essential oils in my hair. i've done that before to make it smell nice, but it can also have benefits. maybe some rosemary oil on your scalp would do some good. hemp oil, maybe.

keep trying different stuff and get back to us. kthnx

 

I wash with only water and treat my scalp once a week with a rosemary solution, which is basically 3-4 dried rosemary branches (or about 3 tbl spoons of storebought) with 2-3 cups water, bring to boil, simmer for 10 minutes, dab on the scalp with cotton or paper towel, this should kepp your scalp healthy, i get dandruff/seb derm every autumn/early winter and sometimes I have to use Nizoral shampoo, it wont harm your dreadlocks as long as you only apply it to the scalp where the problem is...dont use for more than a month but should be avoided.

btw wash with water but get your fingers in there and scrub especially important if you live in the city as the cause of some scalp problems and dermatitis is from the grime in the air that builds up when you dont shampoo and comb everyday

if you do shampoo just pay attention to the scalp, no need to wash the actual matted locks, it causes buildup even with res free shampoo, they get clean just from the excess shampoo making its way down

hope this helps... if not pm me

 

dont put any oils in your hair!!! besides maybe a dab of patchouli

but not in any large amount!!! especially with new dreads (1-7 months) will slow your progress and make your hair look greasy
i use tea (see above post) because its not greasy or oily
if you do use essential oil make sure its organic cause the last thing you want building up in your hair is pesticide residue!!..... which can be more concentrated due to the extraction process (its proven)

its best to not use products at all if possible, cause corp industry is sketch to the max....if beauty industry had their way everyone would shower shampoo and perfume 3 times a day with their poison

 

that's why Aloe Vera is so rad

 

true.! Do you use it? It has improved my once irritated scalp. I still get a bunch of dandruff however, dont know why... I hope the aloe will cure my scalp, get me rid of this annoying situation im in.

By the way, what happened to your flakes? ever get rid of em? or just shaked head?... Cause theyre starting to stay inside my dreads I guess.

 

I get flaky, but for me it seems to be an indicator that it's time for me to wash. I've used a little aloe vera before during my "what can I do to my locks to make them 'better'?" phase, but a while ago I decided that they don't need my help other than to stay clean. I'm growing a couple plants though for sunburns and whatever. I'll probably put some more in my hair or on my head at some point, but right now I can't be bothered.

 

Thanks for all the advice.

mmq:

Sometimes I believe thats why I get the flakes. Im not too sure, but I think that when I wash really hard its worse.

Apple cider vinegar didnt work either.

Some days I go mad and think about using nizoral, but, I dont want to use chemicals, and i dont know if i would need to use it like every once in a while to get rid of the dandruff.. so fuk it

 

I haven't read all 6 pages but if you wash your hair regularly for instance I wash mine every other day and used to get bad dandruff, I've used a Head and Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo solution once a week, all the washes within the week remove any residue and I gets rid of the majority of the dandruff.

 

I am having great success with the rosemary soak. The apple cider vinegar seemed to make my hair more soft and less knotty.