Sweating, Washing and Dandruff

Did you notice any improvement when getting to the month mark? It ain't that I don't have the patience, but it doesn't look too good, just a little better. It's still snowing from my head. My scalp seems very oily after I wash, I believe this is how it goes.

 

it takes a couple of months for the itch to go away. how often are you washing now? and with what? i only wash once a week and that is pushing it. my scalp is always a bit dry even after a week. so, give it another month for the oils to level out

 

im washing every other day. I kno that it can be too little time between washes, but by the second day my head itches quite a bit. Even the same day it itches, but just a little. Ill stretch the time between washes when my scalp gets better.You think itll be ok? Thanks

 

As long as you make sure your dreads are thoroughly dry in between washes (mould!) you can wash them as many times as you like.

 

what worries me about washing every when-i-want-to is breaking the cycle. For example, if im taking two weeks between washes, and wash lets say the third day after washing, wouldnt my scalp overproduce oil again? Or maybe take four days between a wash when im washing every other day, and then coming back to every other day washes, wouldnt this cause over production of oil?

It doesnt exactly worry me, but, its been very hard to get rid of my dandruff, and I dont even know if im getting it because my scalp is too dry or too oily, so perhaps disrupting the wash cycle would cause me some dandruff again? I dont kno, you tell me.

Oh, forgot to mention im washing with water only, vigilanteherbalist2

 

Nope. Although generally I wash my hair once a week, sometimes my hair gets washed 3 times a week sometimes once a month. Once the hair's established it's oil production it's unheard of for it to go greasy so quickly unless you start washing 3 times a week every week for a while, if you follow.

Can you post pics of the dandruff? Some people say they have bad dandruff when actually it's not.

I can't give any advice on dandruff as I don't get it but why don't you get some anti dandruff shampoo from a health shop? I've used head and shoulders on a past set of dreads but I read it can be bad for younger dreads [I fail to see how but I don't want you to eff up yo' dreads]. Maybe someone else can be of more help?

Edit

Just re read the whole thread saw you are washing with water and still itching. I think you will just have to train yourself to stop scratching.

 

ok... i would seriously think about using shampoo once a week. then do rinses in between with water if you get sweaty. the itchiness is because your scalp is dry.

 

actually, I stopped scratching long ago, the first time I read it wasn't good, I stopped doing it inmediately, and that was about 6 months ago. I tried shampooing once every 5 days, but my scalp got way too itchy and flaky, probably dry.

Today, when I thought my dandruff was starting to go away, it came back just like before. However, my hair is really greasy right now. Perhaps my scalp is still getting used to washing with water only? I really dont want to try shampoo again, it just didnt work.

As to my dandruff, it ain't waaay too bad, but it looks kinda dirty, and its starting to get stuck in my hair. if i lift some hair i can see my scalp with the dandruff on top, and some loose in between the hair. Ill try to upload some pictures.

Using anti dandruff shampoo will be my last resource, I dont want all those chemicals on my head really. I will only do it after ive tried everything else.

 

You may need to give it more time to get used to being washed with water. Really wish I could help you more. I hope you do post pics.

 

Sorry I have posted no pics, but I dont think I can, lol! I tried shooting some, but it doesnt show, I guess my cam is not too good. Anyways, what bothers me the most is not the dandruff, but my scalp. It gets VERY itchy some times, mostly when my temperature rises, but sometimes it just does. After I wash, it is somewhat (sore?) irritated I guess would be a better way to describe it. I believe the irritated spots become flaky... Ive been thinkin of cutting even though ive come this far... but what holds me back is that I dont think that will fix my problem. I just hope that the dandruff doesnt go inside my dreads and make them all nasty I want my scalp to get well. I just know I can get it right some way or another.

Ive gone through 1 month and 5 days of water only. My scalp still gets very oily. Im still washing every other day. Perhaps less frequent washes? I do think that would cause loads of dandruff though... What do you think? Im also going to try some aloe vera soon, ill just wait a little longer, perhaps until my scalp gets aclimated to washing water only (if it does...). HELP!!

 

LOL sorry, that was my girlfriend's account that was logged in

 

Yes. Even though your only washing with water, the water is still washing away the oils your scalp naturally produces just not as harshly as a shampoo. Every other day really is not needed. If you plan on having matured dreads, washing them every day will turn them mouldy inside as they won't be able to dry properly, I know mine would certainly get mouldy if I washed every other day.

 

Don't wash your hair in HOT water and rinse with vinegar. I have oily hair and the drandruff got bad. This helped but I still have a little bit, it's better than before.

 

Alright so i will start reducing frequency.

SeeingBlue:

was that to rinse or not rinse with vinegar?

Recently ive been washing with neither hot or cold water, just right in between both, maybe colder than hotter.

How often should I use aloe vera on my scalp? and how should I prepare it? Im using the plant. I also have a rosemary plant which im planning on using again. How often should I do tea rinses? and how much should I use of both?

 

Inpsydout:

i have had problems with oily hair and dandruff at different times in my life, usually when i move somewhere with a different climate/humidity level. after a while it sorts itself out though. as several other people have said, your scalp has natural oil levels that are disrupted when you wash. especially when you wash with soap or shampoo. so when your hair is stripped of oils, your scalp works overtime to get back the balance and usually ends up overcompensating which is how you end up with really oily hair. so it sounds like you had been going from one extreme to the other (really dry to really oily).. now that you're just using water you're not stripping the oils completely, so your head is more on the oily end of the spectrum. it can take a few months, but if you just keep washing with water, leaving as long as you feel comfortable between washes (hopefully after a while you will be able to wash less and less often) your head/hair should balance out. the in-between time just kinda sucks. the itchiness should stop too.

what works for me is washing in the hottest water i can stand, and then finishing with the coldest water i can stand! i've heard that that's good for your skin, as the heat opens up your pores and clears everything out, then the cold water closes them again so that after your shower they're not immediately getting dirty again. it's also very invigorating! a great way to start the day. i also figure that if you're just washing with water, cold water won't do much to wash away oil. if you think about trying to wash a really oily pan without detergent, hot water is going to do a much better job than cold water, right?

don't expect your hair to be completely dry (as in non-oily) after washing though, remember that your hair needs a certain amount of oil. a little bit is good and also, a little bit of dandruff is normal, so your dandruff probably won't go away completely. dandruff is just dry skin, and your skin all over your body is constantly shedding, so why wouldn't the skin on your head do the same?

anyway, all of the above have worked for me, it just takes time. i really hope it works out for you. having oily and dandruffy hair sucks.

 

Thanks, its really good to hear experiences from other people that have had similar problems. It gives me more hope (which has always been present)! I really dont wish to use any medicated shampoos or any other shit like that.

By the way fickle, was your scalp also irritated? Im not too sure if Im at oily dandruff now, i think its still dry, even though my hair looks greasy, unless i can have dry dandruff with oily scalp? i dont kno.. lol its just confusing. However im standing tough about using water only, and will continue to do so. I kno it has to get better.

 

i never had too much of a problem with an irritated scalp so i can't relate there, sorry

haha i don't know what people mean by dry dandruff or oily/wet dandruff. i don't know what the difference is. is the dandruff actually different, or is it just that your scalp is oily or dry? i mean skin sheds whether it's oily or dry right? just sheds more so when it's extremely oily or extremely dry?

i've had dandruff both with dry scalp and with oily scalp. my scalp is pretty balanced oil-wise right now, and i get minimal dandruff. i notice it more right before i need to wash it, but i'm not sure if that's because my head is actually shedding more dandruff, or if it's just a bit of a buildup from the last few days.. it's really minimal though.

 

This is true. I do this myself but I use shampoo. It's not so nice in Winter but in Summer.... I love rinsing in cool water.

Wet dandruff is moist caused by oils, compared to dry dandruff which is fluffy.

 

well, ive felt some oily dandruff when I stopped using normal shampoo. The dandruff wasnt just like skin, but like oily skin, that desintegrated on my fingers when I rubbed it, turning into grease? And dry dandruff is really dry, like when you get a face burn and shed skin. I really dont know too much, just from a bunch of websites which ive read, that actually havent helped much. I do have read however that when you have an irritated scalp it can be caused by a skin condition like scalp psoriasis, eczema, or dermatitis. I sometimes think I do have one of these because I also shed skin from my eyebrows and behind my ears, but have refused once and again to visit the dermatologist because i dont want any chemicals on my scalp anymore. I kno it could be wise to visit so i can have my problem diagnosed, but will try hard enough before doing so.

 

I just read on wikipedia that apparently andrew marr and matthew parris do not wash their hair at all.