How Healthy is Your scalp spinoff: to scratch or not to scratch?

[melodies815]

Hello, everyone.

I know there is a thread for scalp health, but I have a specific question regarding scratching. I won't go into detail, but my DD's scalp was a mess after living in Britain for 2 years. We just returned to the US on Saturday afternoon, and I washed her hair Sunday afternoon.

Before washing, I loosened all the flaking (and some thick scabbing, not wet or weepy, just thick...sorry for TMI) from her scalp. It took me an HOUR to do that one task!!! I did not dig, I did not break skin, but I did make sure I could adequately clean her head. In the end, I surmised that her body chose overproduction of sebum to "protect" from the limescale since we are originally from a soft water environment. I think her body just overcompensated in a way that native Brits don't have to contend with usually.

Anyway, her hair looks good. Her scalp looks perfect. I will trim when I wash again tomorrow(which I am doing to make sure I get her nice and clean and re-acclimated to the water). I may lightly scritch with the comb again.

Question: Is scratching bad for the scalp?

I have heard it is, but I just could not leave her scalp the way it was and wash it. It would not have been completely clean, and I may have caused her soreness from the amount of pressure I would have had to use.

Does anyone know, or could anyone direct me to where I could read about scalp scratching on this site?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Blessings,
cj

 

[nathansgirl1908]

I'm glad you posted this question. I have heard that scratching is bad, but typically my stylists say that it is the only real way they can get my scalp completely clean.

 

[guyanesesista]

IMO it's fine as long as you're not scratching like a lunatic mad woman.

Eta: make sure to wash your hands and clean under your nails.

 

[melodies815]

I'm just bumping to see if there are any other responses...really don't need a lot, but if someone knows, I'd be grateful to learn based on real life experiences.

The flip side of this is that I recall a member with really long hair who said that "scritching" stimulated her growth...along with an Ayurvedic regimen.

Guyanesesista: thanks for the reminder to clean up really well afterwards. I want to second it. My dad's receptionist went blind in one eye after scratching her boyfriend's scalp and a flake of dandruff went into her eye. He had something going on disease-wise that he didn't even know about and the dandruff also contained it. It got in her eye and, after about 25 years of normal sight in her left eye, she has no sight in it now. It took about a year for the sight to completely go, and she's been half blind with the damaged eyes stark white and constantly "weepy" for over 20 years now.



I took a shower afterwards.

Not joking.

cj

 

[vkb247]

Nothing is wrong with scratching your scalp as long as you aren't scratching so hard that you damage it. Please keep an eye on your daughter's scalp. I don't think what you described is necessarily just from different water so it may reoccur.

 

[Junebug D]

I'm just bumping to see if there are any other responses...really don't need a lot, but if someone knows, I'd be grateful to learn based on real life experiences.

The flip side of this is that I recall a member with really long hair who said that "scritching" stimulated her growth...along with an Ayurvedic regimen.

Guyanesesista: thanks for the reminder to clean up really well afterwards. I want to second it. My dad's receptionist went blind in one eye after scratching her boyfriend's scalp and a flake of dandruff went into her eye. He had something going on disease-wise that he didn't even know about and the dandruff also contained it. It got in her eye and, after about 25 years of normal sight in her left eye, she has no sight in it now. It took about a year for the sight to completely go, and she's been half blind with the damaged eyes stark white and constantly "weepy" for over 20 years now.



I took a shower afterwards.

Not joking.

cj

Wow! Do you know what kind of disease he had?

 

[heyfranz]

My daughter's scalp did this when she was about 5. I took her to the dermatologist and they prescribed a shampoo (so many years ago i forgot the name). It did reoccur several times and i used Neutrogena T gel shampoo which worked wonderfully. Oh, I didn't scratch her scalp ever. I was just afraid to especially with it being in that "condition"

 

[melodies815]

Nothing is wrong with scratching your scalp as long as you aren't scratching so hard that you damage it. Please keep an eye on your daughter's scalp. I don't think what you described is necessarily just from different water so it may reoccur.

Thanks for your response. I do believe that what I described is from the different water.

The reason is because we were home for 10 days to close on our house earlier this year. Usually, within a day of washing, the skin would dry out and start to look crazy. We were home for a week. No dryness. No problems at all. It was the same when we came home Christmas of 2007 and were home for 2 weeks. Plus, she never has scalp issues prior to our move.

Immediately upon our return to Britain, the skin issues returned. I don't know if you have ever lived in East Anglia in the UK, but the water there is hard, hard, hard. A beautiful Jamaican woman who braided my hair a few times and lived in London went from a healthy scalp and hair to scabby, crazy looking skin and hair...actually, she's nearly bald as is her poor sister. Our water in East Anglia is harder than in London.

If your skin and hair are not used to it, the water there can be extremely damaging...and even for many of the women with ethnic hair who have been born there, it's a lot to deal with.

I even developed eczema there.

4 showers after our return to the US, my skin is not dry at all...neither is hers.

Anyway, not sure if you live there or not, but the water issues are real and actually create other issues for most of the military women of color I knew there.

Thanks so much for the responses everyone. I got what I needed.

HHG to everyone!

cj

 

[melodies815]

Wow! Do you know what kind of disease he had?

Some kind of herpes simplex...I was little when it happened and I used to be scared to go around her. The pain in her eye was so bad that we had nights when my dad would have to sedate her. It was a mess. Once she went fully blind in that eye, the pain went away.

It makes me sad to think about it.

cj

 

[melodies815]

My daughter's scalp did this when she was about 5. I took her to the dermatologist and they prescribed a shampoo (so many years ago i forgot the name). It did reoccur several times and i used Neutrogena T gel shampoo which worked wonderfully. Oh, I didn't scratch her scalp ever. I was just afraid to especially with it being in that "condition"

I took her to a doctor as well. He said he saw it all the time with his ethnic haired patients and the only remedy he saw was filtered water only or PCSing back to a soft-water environment. We all looked like ghosts after showering. lol It took its toll over time....

For the sake of the water, I am glad to be back in the US, but I do miss my friends there.

 

[Liege4421]

Melodies...I just moved from Newmarket (near Cambridge) and I had the same problem. It's definitely the water

 

[melodies815]

Melodies...I just moved from Newmarket (near Cambridge) and I had the same problem. It's definitely the water

Newmarket is so lovely. I've only been once when DH got ma a spa treatment for my birthday, and I loved the feel of that town...or was that a village? erplexed Anyway, thanks for the confirmation. I hated to always seem like I was downing the entire country because I was not, but the water in East Anglia is horrible for ethnic hair that s not native to the area.

DH mentioned going back in 2 years, and I started making my protective styling hair gameplan!! lol

Do you still live in the UK? I miss the scenic drives...

cj

 

[Pandora1975]

As for the scritching/scratching, my ma did it to me all through childhood. I still ask her to wen I have a major breakout - I sometimes get breakouts of dryness like acne patients get bumps. It helps so much because I don't have to strip my hair to clean my scalp, and usually once its done- its good for a good long time.