I'm so confused, help! (really long)

Irresistible

Irresistible

New Member
I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

About my daughter's hair. here I am on all these hair boards and her hair has me at a loss right now.

here is the deal...

far as I know her hair is doing fine. she is doing it every day and has no complaint or anything.

so this weekend i went to conditioner wash it , i used cholesterol (that was nothing new) rubbed it all through, massaged her scalp , all the usual...then i went to apply the oils and butters mixture i made, and i notices scalp irritation, upon closer inspection , it looked like skin thickness and bumps , as well as some kind of scaley looking stuff...(ok yes i panicked in my heart) i'm thinkin what is this scalp disease. so i ever so carefully took my time to get every single section of her scalp with the oil/butter mixture, massaging it in and rubbing away the scaley stuff. (she noticed i was doing this and started asking questions) i told her she had something different than ive ever seen goin on with her scalp and im trying to fix it. i then asked her a bunch of questions , has it been itching? had she been scratching alot? does it hurt? etc etc. none of her answere were anything that made me understand what was going on...she said she hadnt scratched and it didnt really itch...but everytime i massaged and rubbed away the area with the hard skin and bumb and scales , she would react like it bothered her, and she said that as i rubbed it away it was making it itch there, anyway i got it all done and put it up. she said it felt much much better. i got on her about any scratching , and telling me if its bother her at all , at any time.

fast forward to the next day, a school day, she did her hair in the morning..i noticed her hair is looking dry, and dull , so i resolved that either that night or the next morning i would inspect it again.

so yesterday morning upon inspection..no more scaley stuff. but the thick skin and bumps are still there. (mind you i have never seen this on her scalp before) and her hair is the dryest i have EVER seen it or felt it before...and her scalp once again looks dry as the desert...so i pour olive oil all through out her hair and scalp and rub it in....the olive oil seemed to be just sitting on top of crispy hair...so i soaked it with some motions oil moisturizer lotion as well (for the wetness) it looked better again.

fast forward to this morning...i take her hair down to see if its any better...and inspect her scalp again..her hair is STILL the dryest i have ever seen it....at this point she notices it too and is crying....her scalp sitll has the thick skin and bumps....i start asking , is she sure she is taking her vitamins every day. she says yes (for the most part im the one tellin her to take them so i know she is) im just grasping for straws at this point....so i decide im taking her to the doctor for two reasons...
1. to look at her scalp
2 because this is how my hair behaved when i was sick and started losing hair...it was really brittle no matter what i did, because my body was fighting illness and took everything from my hair to do so

so yes at this point im panicing...thinkin omg she is sick or something. i tell her to pray...she is crying...and im reminding her of what i went through , that yes i went through it and it wasnt easy but its all ok now.

im freakin out and want to keep her home and think of something to so...cute she misses school cause of her hair right? so thats a no go. so im thinking , thinking , thinking all while im messing with her hair at a loss as to what to do.

so i take daily doctor leave in and section her hair and just start pouring it on her scalp.....and soaking it, and soaking her hair in it, till dripping, comb through it and her looked and felt 300 times better. i was like huh? ok so we put it up and i ask her some questions and starting thinking again....

1 she told me that she never put the moisture products i've given her to use on her scalp ...when we were doing the soaking the hair thing, she never sectioned her hair and put it on her scalp (I assumed she was, cause i always did and showed her this) she also never sections her hair and puts any of the oils and butters on her scalp. i also assumed she was doing this as well....so could this be the problem?


also , i thought about the fact that the daily doctor has glycerine in it..as you all know this is a humectant and it pulls moitsture from that air to your hair and can also pull moisture from your hair if there is not enough in the air.
1. so do you think that all that long term use of the glycerine while we were soaking our hair caused this dryness? that we are just now seeing? and meanwhile as long as she was using it , we didnt see it?
2., is it possible to for hair to need or get addicted to glycerine? like once its used to it...it then needs it for moisture?

i plan on paying lots of attention to her hair now , and will inspect it agian tonight to see if the daily docotor took the brittleness away. Im gonna also get her a spray bottle, so that she can section and spray her scalp with whatever i come up with for moisture for her scalp, she doesnt seem to be able to figure out how to section and pour...and i dont know if i can trust that she will get serious enough with this to section and moisturize her scalp....

i have never had any scalp problems and she hasnt either till now, so im at a loss ...im really fearing that the thick skin, bumpy areas might lead to hair loss if i dont figure this out. any and all advice is appreciated!!! I'm freaking out


frown.gif
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

I'm sorry to hear about this. I would go to the doctor immediately to rule out any systemic problems. When you had your hair issues, did you have any of the scalp symptoms you see on your daughter. I don't put anything on my scalp and I don't have scaly bumps so I wouldn't think that your daughter not greasing her hair would cause that. The way you describe it reminds me of eczema.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

Irrisistable-
Are they in circles? Do they look like ring worms? Thick bumps that kind of form a circle. When I was a family practice nurse we had kids come in with them. They are often in the scalp area.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

She may have true dandruff. Some people mis-diagnos a flakey scalp to be dandruff, but what dandruff really is, is clumpy, sometimes fleshy mounds of skin on the scalp the may flake or crust or come off in scabs. They are often the color of the scalp or a gray or grayish-white version of whatever color your particular scalp is.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

Maybe it is psoriasis. Psoriasis is characterized by redness, and sometimes scaliness. Hopefully that isn't the case, but maybe you can check that out. Ask your M.D. about it. Hope it gets better soon.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

I think that Adrienne is a psoriasis sufferer, she maybe able to shed some light as to whether it sounds like it or not.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
cutebajangirl said:
I'm sorry to hear about this. I would go to the doctor immediately to rule out any systemic problems. When you had your hair issues, did you have any of the scalp symptoms you see on your daughter. I don't put anything on my scalp and I don't have scaly bumps so I wouldn't think that your daughter not greasing her hair would cause that. The way you describe it reminds me of eczema.

[/ QUOTE ]

no i didnt have the scalp issues when i was sick, just brittle falling hair.

yanno that's what i said it looks like, and when i said the big scarey word , thats when she started crying..i was like stop it...its just a word and God is bigger than any scarey word and its treatable, she stopped cryin then
smile.gif


i dunno if for years while i was taking care of her scalp , i always used moisture on her scalp...im thinkin now that she hasnt , which i had no clue of, that maybe thats a part of it
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
flyjump00 said:
Irrisistable-
Are they in circles? Do they look like ring worms? Thick bumps that kind of form a circle. When I was a family practice nurse we had kids come in with them. They are often in the scalp area.

[/ QUOTE ]
no they look like little pimples kinda, but they arent pimples. just raised hard little bumbs, some looked scratched and irritated (those were red) , , some were just bumps (the same color as her scalp) , they feel kinda hard...the scalp in that area also has thick like hard skin...and she said it doesnt feel numb there and she could feel me touching her scalp..she said it doesnt hurt either, i dont get what da hayle is goin on
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
LondonDiva said:
I think that Adrienne is a psoriasis sufferer, she maybe able to shed some light as to whether it sounds like it or not.

[/ QUOTE ]
waiting to hear from Adrienne....i hope she logs in soon
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
Boadicea said:
She may have true dandruff. Some people mis-diagnos a flakey scalp to be dandruff, but what dandruff really is, is clumpy, sometimes fleshy mounds of skin on the scalp the may flake or crust or come off in scabs. They are often the color of the scalp or a gray or grayish-white version of whatever color your particular scalp is.

[/ QUOTE ]..hmm that kinda describes it, but what about the thick skin, and the bumps...omg im goin crazy ...tryin to guess ..im scared though.

but i have worries about goin to a doc. ESPECIALLLY a caucasion doc. who doesnt understand our hair....i'm gonna have to do some calling around....what kinda doc do i even take her to? lawd with an HMO i cant even just take her to a specialist... you know the red tape referral crap. well i gotta start at some starting point though.. i dont see ANY hair loss whatsoever on her scalp..but when im feeling on that thick skin area im thinkin thats what might be next
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

I have only seen flaky/scaly psoriasis on patients. None of them have had bumps or pimples with their cases.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
NapturalGlory said:
so sorry to hear about this! try using aloe vera gel on her scalp.

[/ QUOTE ]
thats a good idea....just now i thought about tea tree oil too.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
flyjump00 said:
I have only seen flaky/scaly psoriasis on patients. None of them have had bumps or pimples with their cases.

[/ QUOTE ] ok so then its probably not that...these arent true pimples though ( just a way i could think of to describe it) oh gawd this is drivin me crazy
ohwell.gif


well , with prayer, i trust i will get to the bottom of it and find the answer though
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

How is she wearing her hair daily? As a teacher, I have seen many little girls with the bumpy, red, thick scalp (mostly around the edges) because their hair was pulled to tight.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
Supergirl said:
How is she wearing her hair daily? As a teacher, I have seen many little girls with the bumpy, red, thick scalp (mostly around the edges) because their hair was pulled to tight.

[/ QUOTE ]
supergirl i know that bumpy situation your talkin about, tension bumps..this is totally different and its in the middle of her scalp at the crown, she wears it in a bun. no tension bumps at the edges whatsoever
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

does anybody know anything about what i asked about the glycerine? im still confused as to what caused the brittleness too
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

I just read a description of Eczema, and it says thick leather skin...is it really possible to just have this in one are on the scalp and no where else on the body?...also, just suddenly develop it?
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
Supergirl said:
How is she wearing her hair daily? As a teacher, I have seen many little girls with the bumpy, red, thick scalp (mostly around the edges) because their hair was pulled to tight.

[/ QUOTE ]

it also depends on how sensitive the scalp is. children have delicate scalps sometimes and yet they get messy so you get tempted to pull the hair tightly to make sure it's secure for the week while they play (cuz that's really all they wanna do!) to all mom's of lil napturals: aloe gel is great for tension bumps.

irresistible, i think glycerine is a humectant so it sucks moisture from the hair and skin if there is no moisture from the air or something weird like that.
confused.gif


hope that helps
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

Irresitible--I just wanted to say that she did not develop this (hopefully) minor condition due to not moisturizing/oiling her scalp, more likely she may have developed a sensitivity to the those products (even though they are natural).

Definitely see your general physician to rule out something systemic and get a dermatologist referral. You need to go through a process of elimination. Any dermatologist can help facilitate this (IMO) because all they need to do is take some skin scrapings and samples and send them to the lab. So if you don't find one readily that specializes in black hair that's ok. You first need to make sure it isn't some type of pathogen.

My $.02 would recommend that you refrain from putting anything on her scalp or within an inch of her scalp until you have the lab results. I would recommend a gentle scalp cleasing where you don't need to agitate the skin by rubbing. I would put a strong solution of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in a spray bottle and section and spray her scalp, (the kind you get at a health food store, Bragg's is a n excellent brand), let it stand and gently rinse. It will clean her scalp naturally and gently without stripping it. And if fungus or bacteria are present it will aide in killing that too. HTH please let us know.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

ok i just read up some more, and i think it is excema, i think she might of actually had it a while, but this is just her first major flare, because we have been doing things differently ...so its back to what kept at bay for however long she has had this. i always knew her scalp was "itchy" at times and way more sensitive than mine... and i saw flakes here and there, a bump here and there, over the years , just nothing like this. i guess this is just her first flare....

this also seems to be common in folks with a family history of allergies, hey fever and asthma , and thats everywhere on both sides. well thank God its only a patch area on her scalp and not all over , like some people suffer from..seems i was treating a condition i didnt know she even had all along. and i didnt know it cause what i was doing was keeping it at bay.....

this just means to me, i will have to still take care of her hair, she cant be on her own with it. cause all these years while i was doing it , it was fine.

im not happy about the thick leathery skin she has on her scalp in that area now. but im gonna just really work on getttin the flare cleared and seeing how it feels then

and from what im reading, doc's would only perscribe steriod treatments for her scalp , no thanks..im gonna try the natural route first. i have a feeling i know what im doing, before i even knew what i was doing lol

i still dont have the answers about her brittlenes...but the daily doctor appeared to work wonders..maybe (unlike me) she just needs glycerine. i guess some of this will still be one day at time learning...
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
NapturalGlory said:
[ QUOTE ]
Supergirl said:
How is she wearing her hair daily? As a teacher, I have seen many little girls with the bumpy, red, thick scalp (mostly around the edges) because their hair was pulled to tight.

[/ QUOTE ]

it also depends on how sensitive the scalp is. children have delicate scalps sometimes and yet they get messy so you get tempted to pull the hair tightly to make sure it's secure for the week while they play (cuz that's really all they wanna do!) to all mom's of lil napturals: aloe gel is great for tension bumps.

irresistible, i think glycerine is a humectant so it sucks moisture from the hair and skin if there is no moisture from the air or something weird like that.
confused.gif


hope that helps

[/ QUOTE ] this is definitely not tension bumps...
thats what i was saying about the glycerine, i know thats its a humectant and i was wondering if anyone knew if that might of cause the robbed moisture? but then when i put it in, it helped it....so i was also wondering if her hair is addicted to it? if thats possible....

lawd i dunno...im so frustrated
confused.gif
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
Brooke007 said:
Irresitible--I just wanted to say that she did not develop this (hopefully) minor condition due to not moisturizing/oiling her scalp, more likely she may have developed a sensitivity to the those products (even though they are natural).

Definitely see your general physician to rule out something systemic and get a dermatologist referral. You need to go through a process of elimination. Any dermatologist can help facilitate this (IMO) because all they need to do is take some skin scrapings and samples and send them to the lab. So if you don't find one readily that specializes in black hair that's ok. You first need to make sure it isn't some type of pathogen.

My $.02 would recommend that you refrain from putting anything on her scalp or within an inch of her scalp until you have the lab results. I would recommend a gentle scalp cleasing where you don't need to agitate the skin by rubbing. I would put a strong solution of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in a spray bottle and section and spray her scalp, (the kind you get at a health food store, Bragg's is a n excellent brand), let it stand and gently rinse. It will clean her scalp naturally and gently without stripping it. And if fungus or bacteria are present it will aide in killing that too. HTH please let us know.

[/ QUOTE ]

oh God , im sorry ya'll but i just feel like SCREAAAAAMMMINGGGG!!!
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

This is upsetting to me. Is your daughter getting enough protein in her diet? Have you looked at her nails? Maybe that's causing the dry and brittle hair.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

There is also elledil(sp) which is anon steroidal treatment for eczema. Also people think natural is okay 100% safe but you can allergic reactions to natural products. Take to a family practice guy and he can refer you to a derm or if not then make sure he scrapes it and sends it off to pathology lab to rule out any fungi etc.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
blue_flower said:
This is upsetting to me. Is your daughter getting enough protein in her diet? Have you looked at her nails? Maybe that's causing the dry and brittle hair.

[/ QUOTE ]

girl im ova here like this
cry3.gif


i would look at her nails if she had em..she bites em off, ever since some teacher told her "dont ever bite your nails" it became a curiosity and like the forbidden fruit and she has been biting since.

i never had a reason to suspect not enough protien. but who knows, we all have different nutritional needs and the RDA doesnt always meet our individual needs.

i have her taking a multiple and b complex and vitamin c everyday and just recently had her start taking protien and flax a few days a week. i guess i will up that. she has a better diet than me though
ohwell.gif


the brittleness seems to be connected to the glycering usage somehow...like her hair got used to it, or it slowly sucked out all the moisture out of her hair over all that time she was using it...

like i said the scarey thing , is it reminded me of when i was sick.

i was thinking thyroid too, but she has no major shedding. and her bowels arent constipated, she is not sluggish or no other symptoms...i dunno i guess its gonna be a process of elemination.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
cutebajangirl said:
There is also elledil(sp) which is anon steroidal treatment for eczema. Also people think natural is okay 100% safe but you can allergic reactions to natural products. Take to a family practice guy and he can refer you to a derm or if not then make sure he scrapes it and sends it off to pathology lab to rule out any fungi etc.

[/ QUOTE ] im'a take her to a doc, the thing is the scalp already looks better than it did on sunday, no more of the build up stuff and it's less red now, just the bumps and thick skin are still there.
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
Irresistible said:
the brittleness seems to be connected to the glycering usage somehow...like her hair got used to it, or it slowly sucked out all the moisture out of her hair over all that time she was using it...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm really sorry that this is happening to your daughter, but unfortunately I don't have any answers for you...
frown.gif
If I were you, I'd start by taking her to her regular pediatrician, then have her refer you to a dermatologist.
smile.gif
It doesn't sound like this is something you want to treat yourself.
nono.gif
You don't want to risk her losing any of her hair...
nono.gif


As for your question about glycerin, that's kind of scary because I know that at one time, a lot of members here were using S-Curl, and some of the other glycerin-based activators. I myself always use CareFreeCurl Gold activator on my twist-outs, and I love it and have not had a problem with brittle hair... I'd be interested to hear anyone else's take on the glycerin issue.
smile.gif
 
Re: I\'m so confused, help! (really long)

[ QUOTE ]
Lindy said:
[ QUOTE ]
Irresistible said:
the brittleness seems to be connected to the glycering usage somehow...like her hair got used to it, or it slowly sucked out all the moisture out of her hair over all that time she was using it...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm really sorry that this is happening to your daughter, but unfortunately I don't have any answers for you...
frown.gif
If I were you, I'd start by taking her to her regular pediatrician, then have her refer you to a dermatologist.
smile.gif
It doesn't sound like this is something you want to treat yourself.
nono.gif
You don't want to risk her losing any of her hair...
nono.gif


As for your question about glycerin, that's kind of scary because I know that at one time, a lot of members here were using S-Curl, and some of the other glycerin-based activators. I myself always use CareFreeCurl Gold activator on my twist-outs, and I love it and have not had a problem with brittle hair... I'd be interested to hear anyone else's take on the glycerin issue.
smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

yeah Im takin her to the doc, even though ive already got it mostly cleared.
I just got off the phone with my mother and there is no excema in our fam on this side..i do remember her fathers's neice having it though. so on that side of her family its there.

why is that even when we get grown noone can comfort us like or mothers? they always have the right words....i feel better.

anyway, yes the glycerine....
Lindy have you stopped using it for any amount of time? see, my daughter used this leave in with it in it for a long time and just stopped recently ....im curious about the glycerin too. if your hair can be totally robbed of moisture over time using it? or if your hair can become addicted to it? all i know is when out of desperation i poured it in all through her hair it was like a 300 percent improvement immediately.....i still have to look at it and feel it tonight when she gets home and its all dry though
 
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