Sore/tender scalp, but no braids/no perm/nothing?

[greight]

I'm a natural 4b/c whatever and I've been having this weird issue where the front edges of my scalp are sore as if I'm braiding or twisting them.

I'm very wary since I don't braid or twist my hair tight. I also keep them for weeks at a time and the scalp is still sore even after 3 weeks of being left alone. I don't do manipulation styles because my hair is fine.

It feels like my scalp is tender. Only front, no where else.

I haven't worn extension in years, but I do feel like I have hairline damage from them . My friends say it's all in my head, but I'm just erplexed. It ain't Naomi Campbell, but my front edges + soreness has me bothered.

Any idea what it could be??

I don't want to miss the issue of a symptom and then lose my hair

 

[virtuenow]

You could be allergic to something you are using on your face. I had some recent hairline issues from prodcut. Your face may be oily... You may need to wash more often. Your hairline may be more sensitive from past wear and tear (or hairline abuse?!). Some things to consider.

 

[Fhrizzball]

If you finger part you may have some strands laying in a way it's not use to. I would say perhaps incorporate massaging your scalp more and see if that helps. This happens to me too but it comes and goes and is not constant.

 

[greight]

You could be allergic to something you are using on your face. I had some recent hairline issues from prodcut. Your face may be oily... You may need to wash more often. Your hairline may be more sensitive from past wear and tear (or hairline abuse?!). Some things to
consider.

Washing is going to dry my hair out though. And it's also a lot of manipulation for me. I don't know if more manipulation will make it worse or better

I haven't worn extensions in years either I also basically wore my hair out for most of the year, avoided twists, etc and I still had these issues in the front. I did co-wash more often back then though. I can't do that since I'm 8inches and that's not good for my 4b hair.

I'll have to check my products. Maybe do another shampoo? It's just bothering me a lot.

If you finger part you may have some strands laying in a way it's not use to. I would say perhaps incorporate massaging your scalp more and see if that helps. This happens to me too but it comes and goes and is not constant.

It even happens when I kept the same parts I tend to re-twist the same parts after I wash. I've been trying lately to vary it though because I don't want permanent parts

Thanks ya'll... I guess I'm going to have to do some experiments and see what is happening. I'm so tender headed, but I don't know if it's another thing since it feels SO SORE as if I braided tightly.

 

[sckri23]

How about you stop twisting and braiding? It always cause my soreness. Twists arent the only styles, wear headbands.

 

[aa9746]

Sore scalp usually means I waited too long to wash. Neem oil helps.

 

[virtuenow]

There are ways to wash w/o it drying your hair out. I only shampoo my scalp, that's what I mean when I say wash. I use a color applicator bottle and highly dilute the shampoo. My actual hair gets cleansed w/conditioner. I don't know why washing is too much manipulation for you, but there are ways to do it w/o roughing your hair up.

 

[Ann0804]

I experienced a sore scalp when I was using CV shampoo bars- I guess I had an allergic reaction to them. I no longer use them or have that issue. It could be a product that you are using that is causing this. Can you think of any products you started using when this issue started for you?

 

[greight]

How about you stop twisting and braiding? It always cause my soreness. Twists arent the only styles, wear headbands.

I actually DID eliminate twists for half the year and still ran into the problem of the sore front scalp.

I'm a 4b. I simply can't do wash and go's. That's asking for tangles, knots, the whole nine.

This really may be a product thing?

Sore scalp usually means I waited too long to wash. Neem oil helps.

I have Neem tea. Can that be also an option for me? To do tea rinses?

There are ways to wash w/o it drying your hair out. I only shampoo my scalp, that's what I mean when I say wash. I use a color applicator bottle and highly dilute the shampoo. My actual hair gets cleansed w/conditioner. I don't know why washing is too much manipulation for you, but there are ways to do it w/o roughing your hair up.

I have really fine hair so it's prone to tangling and split ends. I generally do protein treatments and that requires basically unbraiding the 6 - 8 braids that I have and make sure that I thoroughly rinse the product out.

I used to shampoo only my scalp, but I also shampoo the length of my hair due to product build up. My hair tends to dry out and get build up pretty quickly.

I've done a lot of different techniques over the years (8 years I think as a natural now!)

I experienced a sore scalp when I was using CV shampoo bars- I guess I had an allergic reaction to them. I no longer use them or have that issue. It could be a product that you are using that is causing this. Can you think of any products you started using when this issue started for you?

I have to come back to this because this might be it. But I generally switch my products a lot. This might be hard for me to decipher

 

[Hairness]

How do you moisturize? For me, when my scalp is wet or has too much moisture, I get sores/scabs and my head gets tender. For a time I wasn't able to bare the elastic of a shower cap when I conditioned my hair. I would have to put a paper towel around my hairline. Also, I can't baggie anymore...too much moisture and guaranteed scabs.

 

[greight]

How do you moisturize? For me, when my scalp is wet or has too much moisture, I get sores/scabs and my head gets tender. For a time I wasn't able to bare the elastic of a shower cap when I conditioned my hair. I would have to put a paper towel around my hairline. Also, I can't baggie anymore...too much moisture and guaranteed scabs.

I moisturize every other day, generally in twists. I *DO* baggy, however because of the weather and my hair tends to go dry . I do that every day and that's something that is fairly recent....hmmm.... this is interesting... I also always do overnight deep conditioning with a shower. Have never not done it actually....

I always put the elastic of the cap about three inches away from my hairline. I only use satin caps nowadays and I keep that at least two inches off since it's tighter.

 

[CharUK]

My daughter had a really sore and tender scalp, I made up a spray bottle with Neem oil, tea tree oil and water. After a week her scalp was back to normal.

Pity I don't use it on myself as I had tender scalp also!

 

[DarkJoy]

Sounds like an allergic reaction to a product. I get this from time to time. It even happens when I've used a product for a while with no issues...then bam! allergic. :/ makes no sense.

Try eliminating products from your reggie to see if there's any changes.

 

[TopShelf]

did you find a remedy?

i have the same sore scalp issues and i have no idea where it comes from

 

[NappyNelle]

I get this from time to time as well, but it was much worse when I did overnight deep conditioning treatments. I was allergic to the conditioners I was using, so my scalp was not happy. I didn't make the connection for a very long time. Maybe you can try deep conditioning for a shorter amount of time?

 

[southerncitygirl]

@greight

what products and reggie do you use? it does sound like an allergic reaction or possible irritation as stated upthread.

 

[greight]

@greight

what products and reggie do you use? it does sound like an allergic reaction or possible irritation as stated upthread.

TopShelf
southerncitygirl, yes, I think so too! I ended up buying this special shampoo for extra tough dandruff even though I don't have it. It actually REALLY helped a lot. It dealt with itchiness and irritation.

What I've been using for the last month is Taliah Wajid Protective Mist Bodifier, Nubian Heritage EVOO Moringa Custard for styling. These had been rotated in only recently in November so after my post so I don't consider them part of the problem. I generally use Duo Tex as my conditioner too. I DC'ed overnight with it (not on purpose though ) and had no problems

Since I shampooed with that extra tough dandruff, I hadn't had issues at all even as I've been manipulating the hair. Crazy. I don't have the shampoo in front of me, but I'll definitely post back.

 

[southerncitygirl]

i'm glad things are better greight

@TopShelf
@southerncitygirl, yes, I think so too! I ended up buying this special shampoo for extra tough dandruff even though I don't have it. It actually REALLY helped a lot. It dealt with itchiness and irritation.

What I've been using for the last month is Taliah Wajid Protective Mist Bodifier, Nubian Heritage EVOO Moringa Custard for styling. These had been rotated in only recently in November so after my post so I don't consider them part of the problem. I generally use Duo Tex as my conditioner too. I DC'ed overnight with it (not on purpose though ) and had no problems

Since I shampooed with that extra tough dandruff, I hadn't had issues at all even as I've been manipulating the hair. Crazy. I don't have the shampoo in front of me, but I'll definitely post back.

 

[TopShelf]

does that shampoo make your hair feel dry?

 

[greight]

does that shampoo make your hair feel dry?

TopShelf

I only applied it to my scalp and then DC'd with Duo Tex right after. I washed in braids, but focused more on my front which I didn't braid too tightly (this is where it was most irritated/sore)

The shampoo was Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Extra Strength. The active ingredient is Coal Tar.