hair
May 17, 2024

Itchy scalp - that helps

Itchy scalp ? if it itches and leaves us no peace

Itches the scalp, our alarm bells are ringing. Is that about lice? The little beasts are not always behind it when the scalp torments us. The itching can also have completely different causes:

a very dry scalp
shed
a skin fungus
the wrong hair care
a harmful styling routine
Eczema or psoriasis
hormonal fluctuations
sun damage

The causes of an itchy scalp

1. lice

Anyone who has much to do with children is at a higher risk of being attacked by head lice. In autumn and winter, head lice in schools and day care centers have high season. It's very easy to check whether the head is lying on lice - distribute plenty of conditioner on damp hair and then carefully comb out with a fine-toothed lice comb. This makes it possible to check whether lice or nits (the white eggs of the lice) find hair. If so, that is no reason to panic: In the pharmacy, there are now fast-acting Läusesprays that make the little crawlers in 10 minutes the end - purely physically with the help of oils. Important: After eight days, the procedure should be repeated, because then the lice hatch from the nits. Why do the lice itch so much? It is not her crawling, we are allergic to the saliva of the louse that she gives off while suckling.

2. A very dry scalp

Often the cause of itching is a dry scalp. Although we always pay attention to our facial and body skin, but especially forget our scalp in the care. Instead, we even strain them every day with heavily perfumed shampoos, styling products and high foehn temperatures. Important: Our scalp also needs gentle care that will do you good. She likes it:

Do not wash your hair every dayThat's not necessary - and even more counterproductive. The scalp dries faster if we clean it daily with foaming surfactants. Better: Wash every two to three days, depending on the hair type. With gentle shampoos, the little or no surfactants contain, are not perfumed and do without mineral oils, silicones and parabens. Even natural hair soaps or washing earth can cleanse and at the same time protect the scalp. We tried it: hair soap in the test.
Some shampoos have special ingredients to soothe irritated scalp: Urea (can help dry scalp to store more moisture), linoleic acid and Dead Sea salt, willow bark, heart seed, avocado, wheat germ oil then stand on the INCI list of shampoos.
Also a micellar shampoo with reduced ingredients is an option: it cleanses the skin with a different technique and pulls the dirt out of the hair with the micelle technology. Also a mild baby shampoo may be an option: they usually contain no controversial ingredients such as aggressive preservatives or artificial fragrances, However, things are different with the children's shampoos - those with pink princesses and bubble gum ...
Do not wash your hair with hot water - It extracts lipids from the skin and dries them out.
Do not wash too often, daily shampooing does not have to be. If you want to extend the time intervals between the washes in a self-experiment, you can start slowly and then increase. Here are a few hairstyles for unwashed hair that you will not notice!
Apply tinctures and hair tonic to soothe after shampooing.
Do not blow dry too hot and do not hold the hair dryer too close to the scalp. Let the hair dry in the air, which also does the hair structure well.
Apply sunscreen for hair. It is as important to the scalp as it is to the rest of the body.

Home remedy for dry, itchy scalp

An oil treatment is good: with Coconut, almond or jojoba oil Make a hair cure, leave for 20 minutes and then rinse with gentle shampoo and lukewarm water.
Also done quickly: a few Droplets of sunflower or olive oil drip on hair in the evening with a pipette.
A gentle head massage can help stimulate sebum production. With a little oil (always look for natural products), massage the scalp for 5 minutes.
No Poo: What haunted the social media as a hashtag has its meaning. It does not have to be a one-year washdown, but more often a break in washing your hair can only do the scalp good. (We already explained: why you should not wash your hair anymore.)
Important: If the itching is so severe that it stops us sleeping, redness, scalp swelling, crusting or sticking areas and hair loss occur, the should dermatologist take a look at the head.

3. dandruff

Dry white scales caused by a dry scalp. Here it helps to bring the skin on your head with the right care back into balance. Dandruff shampoos can help, they contain antifungals? These are agents that fight certain microorganisms on the scalp. Their metabolites irritate the skin and cause inflammation. It reacts with dandruff, redness and itching.
Yellow greasy scales may indicate a fungus, a so-called seborrheic dermatitis (co-gneiss) is mostly due to certain yeasts that over-colonize the skin. Here the dermatologist can help and prescribe an anti-fungal shampoo.

4. Skin fungus

Head mushrooms are transmitted from person to person and from the animal to humans. This causes nodular inflammation or a superficial irritation of the skin. Skin fungi are contagious and should be treated internally and externally for six to eight weeks with an antifungal remedy.

Hair care and styling routine

Shampoos with overloaded ingredient lists irritate the skin, Fragrances, preservatives, silicones to soften the hair, surfactants that create the beautiful foam, but dehydrate the scalp - often we are blamed for our desperation for clean, fragrant hair. It is not only important to choose a mild shampoo, the styling routine also plays a role. Never apply conditioner to the scalp and pay attention to inhalants. Mousse, heat protection spray, hair gel and Co. must also be checked for their quality and generally reduced.

Hormonal fluctuations can cause itchy scalp

Our skin becomes drier with age. This also applies to the scalp. Therefore, we should also consider the change in hair structure and scalp in our care routine. Special shampoos can also help with the lack of keratin formationthat wears off in old age. Hyaluronic acid is also found in such special hair products as amino acid-rich essential oils such as argan, camellia, wheat germ or rice oil.