I’m going to scratch my scalp off!

[TVwontwork]

My scalp is so unfathomably itchy that I’m madly scratching so frequently that I look deranged. There is one main patch of about two inches that’s the worst, but then there are another few areas which I am regularly scratching also. My scalp isn’t dry in that there is no flaky skin coming off when I scratch, and apparently it’s not red or discoloured and there’s nothing notable when people have checked it for me, they say it looks completely normal.

This has been going on for 10 months now. I’ve switched what kind of shampoo and conditioners etc I use, but there’s no change. I’ve tried the mint shampoos, tea tree, anti dandruff and none help. I do get my hair coloured, but only once maybe every 3+ months.

I’ve asked a couple of different hairdressers who have no idea and can’t see any issue, a pharmacist was at a loss but suggested a fungal shampoo (Nizoral) might be worth trying - it’s made no difference. I haven’t been to a doctor (GP) because it feels like a waste of time when there’s nothing for me to show them.

Anyone any ideas on what else it could be that I could explore the option of trying to treat? Or any ideas of how to stop the itching before I scratch my scalp off!

Could it be hormonal OP?
I only ask as this was one of my symptoms when I had my overactive thyroid.

Aldi shampoo and conditioner. Orange/ gold packaging. Precious Oil I think. There are no sulphites or silicones in them.
Game changer

I am abroad atm so not sure if any English websites sells Linola Forte. It’s a German brand but their products are amazing. They do scalp tonic and I think it’s worth trying.

I recommend it because I had exactly the same problem for years.

My daughter suffers with this and sometimes gets relief from this. (Though not always).

My daughter has dry itchy patches on her scalp. Coconut oil has been our saviour. We tried all the really expensive medicated shampoos. Now we just rub on a little bit of coconut oil and once a week rub it in all over, wait 20mins, then wash it out.

Just throwing it out there as an idea but could it be an irritation from whatever you’re washing your pillowcase in?

I think it’s worth a GP appointment to rule out any medical issues.

Have you been near any kids recently and gone through your hair with a nit comb? Im guessing the hairdressers might have seen but might be worth a check just to rule out before anything else? 😬

Not sure whether mine is also hormonal but I've had awful scalp / hair health recently and I've switched to MooGoo shampoo off the back of a MN thread. It seems much gentler and working quite nicely so far.

Thanks for the suggestion. Would that mean it would be only at the time of the month if it was hormonal? Because this is daily.

Thank you for the recommendations, I’m willing to try anything.

Thank you but I don’t think so because it’s in random patches and most of those are areas which wouldn’t really be making contact with the pillowcase.

No definitely not headline as it’s been going on for ten months, so I’d be crawling wirh them by now if that were the case.
Thanks for the product recommendation, I’m willing to try anything.

Can you stop dying it for a while?

I’ve had similar some years ago that came out of nowhere but drove me mad. I found taking an antihistamine tablet daily stopped it immediately . Might be worth a try - you can buy cheaply over the counter or in Tesco etc. I stopped taking g the tablets after a couple of weeks and scalp was fine. Every now and again I feel it restarting so just take an antihistamine and it goes away. Possibly an allergy and you’ll never know why.

I did leave it for six months after the itching first started because I thought it was maybe a reaction to the dye (although I checked with my hairdresser and it’s the same one she’s been using on me for years) and it continued, so I had it coloured again because my greys were out of control by then, but it’s just been the same. I’m not having it bleached or anything, or even having an all over colour so I don’t think it will be the dye.

I actually do take antihistamines daily anyway for a different allergy but sadly it doesn’t do anything for whatever is going on with my scalp.

I had something very similar so can really sympathise. My GP prescribed Enstilar which is a foam and it cleared it up beautifully. I also started using an organic shampoo which is sulphate free. I hope it clears up soon.

Have you tried Fexofenadine, rather than the other more common off-the-shelf antihistamines?

A GP can prescribe the higher dose (180 mg) but you can buy the 120 mg tablets from a pharmacy. I am prescribed them to control itching from a skin condition.

Thank you. Is Enstilar prescription only?

I obviously want to fix this but also conscious of wrecking my hair with anything too abrasive. I’ve suffered a lot with breakage in the past I’ve only in recent years got my hair looking and feeling semi healthy.

Haven’t tried 180mg so that might be an option. I have wondered whether

…oops, pressed too soon! I have often wondered whether I’ve become in some way immune to over the counter antihistamines as some days they barely keep my symptoms my other allergy at bay.

Have you tried an antihistamine OP? Could you get a referral to a dermatologist?

I haven’t read the thread clearly.

i bet it’s nits.

I had an itchy patch on the back of my head and used the Cornish Seaweed shampoo and conditioner. Stopped itching and my hair is in great condition