There is only one way to deal with this and it is to wash your hair less often. I know, it's AWFUL while you're doing it, but I promise it's worth it. Five years ago I washed my hair at least every other day and the second day was always itchy. Now I wash it every 4-5 days, and it doesn't get itchy at all. But it was tough for the first few months going from 2 days to 3 and then 3 to 4.

What products do you use?

Oh also, Neutrogena T-Gel.

Just wash it every day.

Tgel is crap for me. Nizoral or Oilatum shampoo, they are little bottles. I use it every other day until the bottle is gone and then I use the really cheap Alberto Balsam mine and tea tree shampoo. It is the only one I've found my scalp agrees with. Everyone I use anything else my scalp is itchy and flakey and gross after a couple of days and I have to start the process over again. Might not work for others but who knows.

bridgetreilly is right.
I had this problem all my life and it was just getting worse.
I kept my hair short and washed it daily. I used every shampoo on the market, coal tar, oilatum, nizoral, coconut oil you name it. I never put any products on my hair but the itch just got worse until sometimes my scalp was bleeding. Betnovate scalp treatment worked but GP was very reluctant to give it.
In the end my GP said the only way to help it was to wash my hair much less often. I couldn't do that with short hair that needed styling.


So at the age of 60 for the first time in my adult life I have long (well collar length) hair. I wash it twice a week and the relief is bliss. I get a very mild itch now and again but nothing like the torture I had before.

Change your shampoo

There are only 2 shampoos I can use on my hair - Head & Shoulders
(I don't have dandruff but do get the extreme itch) and Neutragena T Gel - I alternate them.

Forget the shelves full of all the other lovely products - can't use them or anything that my hairdressers use either!]

The new H&S with Argan oil is lovely though.

The solution is to wash it every day :)

Hair gets dirty and secretes oil just like the skin on our bodies: we wouldn’t try to go two plus days without washing our bodies, it’s be unhygienic. Our hair is no different.

I used to have a really REALLY itchy scalp but I don't anymore and I can only put it down to the water and the places I lived when I had an itchy scalp.

Moving areas to somewhere with a different water source may not be practical though. My DH has a very itchy scalp and he uses T-gel, it works for him. But if you have bleached hair it's not great.

Klorane used to do a shampoo that was good for an itchy scalp and there was one by Kerastase as well. Maybe do a bit of research on a website like lookfantastic.com

This www.amazon.co.uk/Klorane-Soothing-Shampoo-Peony-200ml/dp/B000PY9HJQ?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

and www.kerastase.co.uk/hair-care-products/hair-type/itchy-scalp

Good luck.

@RachaelGeller
This is nonsense. Anyone who has any sort of skin complaint knows this is the very worse thing you can do. When I had severe eczema I could only use water on my skin once a week-daily would have made it so much worse!
The oils in hair do not need washing out daily-if I washed mine daily I’d need the colour redoing every 5 mins.
I wash mine 2-3 times a week max.

Palmer's Coconut Oil shampoo has really helped my scalp.

I get a truly horrid scalp too - proper big chunky flakes and that gooey shed skin mulch when it's moist - and it's definitely sulfates which are in basically every high street shampoo. Most people can tolerate it, but for me they're like slopping on paint stripper.

I use a shampoo bar from a local lady and my head is very happy! Funnily enough I switched to Lush one when the last ran out and my scalped flared up within 48 hours, I naively thought they'd be sulfate-free but they're absolutely loaded with them. Lessen learned.

I found switching to a sulphate free shampoo with no silicones helped. I often will co wash, which is washing with conditioner only and scrubbing my scalp for a few minutes.

Another itchy scalp sufferer here. Drives me crazy. I use Faith in Nature lemon and tea tree shampoo, alternated with T-Gel if it gets particularly bad.

I also found switching to a sulphate free shampoo has totally sorted my scalp.

It look till nearly the end of the shampoo bottle to see any change though.

I started with Aubrey Organics, also get on well with Avalon but the most gentle on my scalp is the Jason fragrance free one. They’re all here:

www.gentlebubbles.com/buy-phthalate-free-products/sulfate-paraben-phthalate-free-shampoo/

(Along with Faith in Nature!)

I tried the palmers coconut one and it made it 10 times worse. I’m still looking for something that works.

Stop washing your hair all the time. It takes a brave week or two of greasy hair and then it just becomes lovely. I use a sulfate free shampoo. Pureology or alfaparf are expensive but brilliant. I wash maybe three times a week max but often just two. Give it a try you have nothing to loose.

Have you been checked for eczema or psoriasis at all?

Don't wash it so frequently. I used to really suffer but forced myself through a month or so of greasy hair every few days to stop the problem. I've just washed my hair because it was starting to get a bit lank, however before that I washed my hair last Friday. 6 days is the longest I've managed to go, mainly because I didn't have to leave the house yesterday otherwise I would probably have washed it then. I haven't had an itchy scalp since I stopped washing it all the time.

I have seborrhaeic dermatitis and have discovered that I can’t use anything with any kind of silicone. Most shampoos and styling products have them (especially conditioners) Silicones that are not soluble in water and build up on the hair: Cetearyl methicone, Cetyl Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Stearyl Dimethicone, Amodimethicone (and) Trideceth-12 (and) Cetrimonium Chloride, and Trimethylsilylamodimethicone. Note: Trideceth-12 and Cetrimonium Chloride are only considered a silicone when both are combined with Amodimethicone. Some products claim to use water soluble silicones which are supposed to rinse clear, but my experience is very negative with these also. (Massive irritation) I have found solace with one product in particular which is unperfumed and sls/paraben/silicone free. It is called A’kin or Alchemy (they are the same company and seem to have a hard time choosing which name!!!)

alchemy unscented very gentle shampoo

I know it’s also available in the uk. It’s expensive, but it lasts for EVER!!! (Easily 4-5 months with daily use, collar-bone length hair.)

My hair was falling out in clumps around the irritated lumps and now it’s soft and thick and back to it’s healthiest. Oh, and the leave-in conditioner (which doesn’t touch your scalp) smells divine, and you use less than a pea-sized amount. It will last you years.

Tropic hair products have helped my daughter. She uses the hair cleanser as her scalp is itchy and scaly - it’s not perfect now but it’s definitely helped it be better.

Sometimes the greasy hair is just a transition until your hair gets used to not having sulphates.

Personally having switched to the curly girl method (I don’t wear my hair curly just use the products) has stopped all of my irritation. I was previously using Phillip Kingsley flaky itchy scalp shampoo which is good but was spending about £50 on a bottle of it :S my hair is in much better condition now and my scalp is pain free. My DH was the same and switched to the same products as me and his scalp is fine now. He was using special shampoo from the doctor and taking anti hystimines and even that didn’t really help.