Why the head can itch: the most common causes of itching and skin irritation, how can I heal the scalp if it is itchy.
There are a lot of causes of itching, which fall under suspicion if the head suddenly begins to itch. Find among them the true and relieve you of all the unpleasant sensations can only be competent doctor during a personal examination for internal consultation. Especially in those cases, if severe itching is accompanied by intense hair loss or sores or red spots appear on the scalp. However, there are reasons that are encountered in the practice of trichologists more often than others. It is they who in most cases cause severe itching and irritation of the scalp. To cope with some of them is real and at home.
1. The first thing that comes to mind is if the head is itchy parasites, such as lice or ticks, do not settle in the hair? Completely exclude the possibility that the cause of itching was a parasitic infection, for example, pediculosis or demodicosis, only a dermatologist can. As an option, first ask someone from your family to carefully examine your hair at the roots and scalp through a magnifying glass.
2.Seborrhea is another frequent cause of irritation on the scalp. Its cause is excessive fat formation and changes in the composition of the sebaceous secretions. Depending on the condition of the skin and the activity of the sebaceous glands, it can be dry, oily or mixed. Very often, seborrhea causes severe peeling of the scalp, which is called dandruff.
Usually, seborrheic dermatitis - A serious chronic disease that is difficult to cure yourself. The treatment should be complex and last for several months - here you can find special medical shampoos, and dermatological lotions, and medications, and immunomodulators, and a therapeutic diet. In order to cope with the effects of seborrheic dermatitis, including irritation and itching, trichologists recommend avoiding nervous stress, sudden hormonal fluctuations and everything that can weaken the body's immunity, for example, chronic infections and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Allergies to shampoo and other hair care products. Often the scalp begins to itch strongly after changing the shampoo or hair mask. If the itch appeared suddenly and coincided with the testing of new cosmetics, it is worth trying to return to the old proven shampoo, which did not cause similar reactions. Or try using a neutral baby shampoo that lacks a substance such as sodium laureth or sodium lauryl sulfate, which is often used as a detergent base. If the change of shampoo did not help, and the head still scratches, you should contact a dermatologist, and even better to the trichologist, to make a computer diagnosis of the scalp and, possibly, to test for allergies.
4. Severe dryness of the skin, perhaps, most often leads to the fact that the head is constantly itching. If the hair is dry and brittle, slowly pollute, strongly electrify, push, poorly fit and quickly absorb moisture, most likely, there is insufficient production of sebum. Sometimes, dehydrated scalp begins to produce more fat in order to protect against negative external influences. Such a skin reaction is mistaken for an increased fat content of the roots and use products for oily hair, which further defat the scalp, deprive it of moisture and make it even drier. Trichologists recommend washing your head with special moisturizing shampoos, be sure to use balms, creams and masks for intensive moisturizing.
Very dry scalp can itch badly from a lack of vitamins, trace elements, unsaturated fatty acids. What products will help to cure itching and improve hair, read in this article. We also recommend you a publication on the selection of vitamins for hair, and other materials on seborrhea and itching of the scalp on our website.
5. Allergy to hair dye is another reason why girls and women can have severe itching. Most often, allergic reactions are caused by permanent hair dye, which contains ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. A more benign effect on the scalp is having ammonia-free paints and tinting shampoos. However, dyeing hair with their help, you are also not immune from allergies. Despite the sparing composition, they can also cause the head to itch.
Trichologists and hairdressers strongly recommend: before using any hair dye, be sure to take an allergy test, as described in the instructions. If the head is still scratched after dyeing, you can try special dye neutralizing shampoos. They are recommended to wash your hair after washing off the paint. You can buy them in professional stores for hairdressers or beauty salons with a good reputation.
6. Fungal diseases of the scalp. Fungal lesions also require complex and long-term treatment. In cases where the scalp is itchy very much, and go to a consultation with a dermatologist or trichologist at the moment is not possible, try using pharmaceutical shampoos that treat fungi. As a rule, they contain such antifungal components as pyroctonolamine, zinc pyrithione, climbazole and others. From natural remedies can recommend tea tree oil, which also helps in the treatment of fungi.
However, it is more effective to sow the fungus and undergo a course of treatment prescribed by a doctor. As a rule, it includes not only shampoos and lotions, but also antifungal drugs, and sometimes also means for improving immunity.
7. Allergy to detergent or rinseThe way you wash bed linen can also irritate your scalp.
Probable causes
- Seborrhea, dandruff
Improper functioning of the sebaceous glands leads to large problems with hair. One of the most unpleasant is dandruff (seborrhea), accompanied by intolerable itching and damage to the skin. And also covered with white scales, shoulders and back. Just these scales are a source of itching, they irritate the skin.
In mild cases, dandruff is beautifully treated on its own at home. It is better to treat more complex cases together with a trichologist, and to approach this comprehensively and tune in for the duration of the process.
- Dry scalp
Again, the malfunction of the sebaceous glands and some other causes lead to dry hair and skin of the head. The glands are actively trying to relieve dryness and protect weakened skin from the negative effects of the environment and thus cover the entire surface with a layer of sebum. Hair begins to quickly get dirty, it adheres a lot of dirt, bacteria and microbes develop strongly. You can mistakenly suspect that you have oily skin and oily hair. Frequent washing of hair drains the skin even more, cracks and scratches itch much. After washing, everything is pushed and electrified, the hairs split and break off.
Moisturizing masks, replenishment of vitamins and microelements in the body, proper and healthy nutrition, compliance with the rules of washing and drying, protection of curls from the sun, wind, and frost cope well with this problem.
- Fungal infection
These are serious diseases that require mandatory treatment. In addition to the constant chastotki on the skin there are also plaques (lichen), which look very repulsive. It is best to undergo a course of treatment in a medical institution under the supervision of a specialist dermatologist, but if this is not possible for some reason, then try to relieve symptoms with tea tree wraps and special antifungal shampoos.
- Parasites (lice, ticks.)
Another very serious injury that also requires mandatory and immediate treatment (you must visit a dermatologist). Most often it is lice. Jumping louse can anywhere, especially where large crowds of people or large groups of employees. You can find under a magnifying glass, carefully examining the scalp (better if the doctor does). Tick-borne infection found at home will not work.
Inspection for lice
Treatment for pediculosis is quite simple and not long in time. Special shampoos and some folk remedies will do their job.
Perhaps one of the most common sources of pruritus, and all because recently there has been an incredible amount of new allergic reactions. The main are reactions to food. Also, many today are faced with allergies to hair care products (shampoos, balms, masks, styling products.) And decorative cosmetics. It is usually accompanied by rashes, redness, itching, sometimes swelling.
Allergies can also occur when changing your usual hair care products. If a return to the old remedy does not solve the problem of allergy, you should contact the trichologist.
The solution to the problem is to find the allergen and naturally eliminate it. It is best done in the office of an allergist.
- Allergy to paint
It also happens quite often, especially if the master used not very high-quality paint or paint containing ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. There is only one way out: you need to control what the master paints for you and choose to paint non-ammonia paints or tinted shampoos. In addition, it is desirable to test for allergic reactions before the procedures.
- Powder Allergies
Washing powders, fabric softeners contain many different chemical components. Any of them can cause skin irritation, and, accordingly, allergies and itching.
The source of many of the most diverse problems with the body is nervous tension, stress, depression, neurosis. Hair and scalp is also not spared. Stress can cause a change in hair type, and abnormalities in the sebaceous glands, and spasms of blood vessels, and problems with blood microcirculation. Against this background, the metabolism suffers greatly and skin irritation occurs.
To remove this irritation, first of all, you need to eliminate stressful situations and calm your nerves, drink a course of sedatives (prescribed by a neuropathologist during treatment), massage scalp and cervical spine.
- Malnutrition
Excessive consumption of sweet, spicy, coffee, smoked, canned and more. It is not very useful products and overeating them inevitably affects the skin: dermatitis, eczema, acne, rash. These skin manifestations are always accompanied by itching and strong combing of the rash sites. To cope with this problem is quite simple: temporarily eliminate “harmful” food, drink more plain water, consume lean foods with a small amount of spices. Itching and rashes will quickly go away!
- Wrong headdress
Cramped and synthetic headgear often causes headaches. Debate further aggravates the situation. I want to scratch my head all at once and as quickly as possible. There is only one way out - immediately change the headpiece to a more pleasant, natural material, and in addition, different hats should be worn at a certain temperature (hair care in winter) and try not to overheat the scalp, as well as not to overcool.
In addition to these main reasons, there are also minor ones. These include:
- disturbances in blood circulation
- gastrointestinal tract diseases
- passive lifestyle,
- frequent use of hair dryers, pleyk. ,
- overvoltage.
There are of course many reasons and you can paint each one for a very long time. If your reason is not among the main reasons, then you should look with a specialist in the rarer ones. But the reason why the scalp is scratched must be found, since this can be a symptom of a serious disease, and it becomes problematic to go to the hairdresser.
