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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to be driven mad by itchy head?!

56 replies

wordywitch · 17/09/2022 14:36

My DD (16) and I went on a trip abroad together two weeks ago, for 3 nights. On the last day of the trip and ever since we got back, we’ve both had itchy heads. My first thought of horror is that we’d somehow got nits but we’ve checked each other’s heads and there are no signs at all that that’s the case, plus we’ve both had nits before and this doesn’t feel like that kind of itch, where it’s a creepy crawly feeling or intensely itchy like a bite. The itch isn’t super intense but it seems to be aggravated when I wash my hair, I suppose because I’m irritating the area with my fingers. Mostly it just feels like my scalp is very dry and irritated.

Initially, we thought it must have been the cheap travel sized shampoo we bought at the airport and that once we’d washed our hair a couple times with our usual shampoo it would be gone but it’s still persisted. My hair also feels a bit greasier than normal, needing a wash every two days instead of every three, though that could be because I’m touching it more while scratching.

Could it somehow be that we were allergic to something on the hotel pillows, or that god forbid it’s some other kind of infestation besides nits (bedbugs maybe??). If that was the case surely we’d be itchy on the rest of our bodies too, not just our heads though.

I’ve done an apple cider vinegar rinse on my hair plus a deep conditioning mask to try to help strip out whatever is in there and help moisturise my head but nothing has changed.

AIBU to be driven mad by both the itch and not knowing why? Open to any and all suggestions!

OP posts:
OutdoorHousePlant · 17/09/2022 21:20

My scalp gets itchy on the back if I don't dry my hair properly or sleep with wet hair. I have to make sure that for a week my hair is dried very thoroughly with a hair dryer then it goes away. I'm guessing it's related to the excema or perhaps it's fungal. Did you both have wet hair from swimming perhaps with polyester sheets or pillows?

DixonD · 17/09/2022 21:24

I would use a Headlice solution and then wash with T Gel. Hit it from all angles.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 17/09/2022 22:03

T Gel original (not the pale imitations, the dark brown version) and make sure to apply it to the scalp rather than the hair - then let it stay on the scalp for several minutes before rinsing. Then finish with a light conditioner on the ends and comb through just in case there are tiny headlice or other illegal aliens taking up residence, but it could have been mosquitos.

If that doesn't give almost instant relief (it does for me in all but the worst Psoriasis flares), then try to get an OOH medical appointment and then, whilst you will feel even greasier in the process, request a steroid lotion for the scalp and follow the instructions, washing out with T Gel.

Seaweed42 · 17/09/2022 22:20

Nits don't feel like a creepy crawly thing, they just cause itching. Esp behind the ears and back of neck.
Tomorrow, look again at your daughter's head beside a window if possible in good light. Get some clips and go through the scalp section by section. If you have a pair of reading glasses put those on.
If it seems like nits it usually is, sorry to say.

Whatiswrongwithmyknee · 18/09/2022 00:52

I just used to treat us all when this happened though we never saw thr nits. One time my son saw some crawling on some hair which had been pulled out with the nit comb but it was always impossibly to see them in our massively thick nit coloured hair. I'd just treat for nits as the first step.

wordywitch · 20/09/2022 17:59

My apologies that it's taken me so long to reply to all the great suggestions and comments. I've been at my head with the nit comb all weekend, checking for nits as I'm becoming more convinced that's what it is, even though it doesn't present like it has in the past. Alas, nary a nit or louse to be found, and I have combed every inch of my head x3. Finally took antihistamine this morning and that helped, though it hasn't gone completely.

I'm going to do a nit treatment anyway and also try the T gel, see if that does the trick. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment, I appreciate it. :-)

OP posts:
Justalittlebitfurther · 20/09/2022 18:05

I wouldn’t do nit treatment if you haven’t got nits (or even if you do - the conditioner treatment is the best) it’s insecticide and will aggravate your head further if it’s a scalp dryness or some kind of allergy. A good hairdresser should be able to help they are trained in hair and scalp health. Best of luck!

wordywitch · 20/09/2022 18:13

Justalittlebitfurther · 20/09/2022 18:05

I wouldn’t do nit treatment if you haven’t got nits (or even if you do - the conditioner treatment is the best) it’s insecticide and will aggravate your head further if it’s a scalp dryness or some kind of allergy. A good hairdresser should be able to help they are trained in hair and scalp health. Best of luck!

Yes, I did think that too as I don't want to aggravate it further if it's not, but I've also come out in these red itchy bumps on the back of my neck that look an awful lot like insect bites, could that be caused by something besides nits? I'm just mystified as to how, if I do have nits and they are this advanced as to cause me such intense itching and bite marks all over my neck, that I haven't found a single one with a nit comb. I'm stumped...

OP posts:
Lds1 · 20/09/2022 18:17

This is how it was when I got nits, head itched after washing hair, hair got greasy quickly, no nits to be found for weeks. Then one day nit combed again mainly for the head scratch and there was loads of them.

BoviTraci · 20/09/2022 18:19

This thread is making my scalp itch !

wordywitch · 20/09/2022 19:55

BoviTraci · 20/09/2022 18:19

This thread is making my scalp itch !

Oh god, I empathise! If anyone so much as mentions itching I start to itch too, it’s horrible

OP posts:
gatehouseoffleet · 21/09/2022 08:02

OP you could coat your hair in conditioner overnight and go through it again with the nit comb the following morning. It will (a) help to suffocate them if they are there and (b) help you find them if they are there. And I don't think it will create more irritation if it is a gentle one. If you can't find any after that, then I think you probably are right and it's something else.

30not13 · 21/09/2022 08:06

I get affected by pollen on my head and it feels like the crawling sensation described, also get angry lumps.

Might it be that?

IdiotCreatures · 21/09/2022 08:21

Fail proof way to find headlice. Bend over a bathtub and vigorously brush the hair. If there are any, one or two will drop out through doing this.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 22/09/2022 19:01

IdiotCreatures · 21/09/2022 08:21

Fail proof way to find headlice. Bend over a bathtub and vigorously brush the hair. If there are any, one or two will drop out through doing this.

Even more failproof.

Book an appointment at a posh salon. The buggers will be leaping all over your hairline before you can say 'I've got an appointment this afternoon'.

mum11970 · 22/09/2022 19:05

Could it be scabies? Pharmacist should be able to diagnose.

IdiotCreatures · 22/09/2022 20:29

@NeverDropYourMooncup 😄 I don't use hairdressers but that does sound like it'd work a treat!!

BusyLondonMother · 22/09/2022 21:40

You could have an allergy to methylisothiazoline which is in many shampoos and conditioners - especially if this started when you were using different shampoo. Check the labels. Info here:

dermnetnz.org/topics/methylisothiazolinone-allergy

It's quite common

BusyLondonMother · 22/09/2022 21:45

Here is a better fact sheet - with lots of the products to avoid on the list:
www.contactdermatitisinstitute.com/pdfs/allergens/Methylchloroisothiazinoline%20%EF%80%A2%20methylisothiazinolone.pdf

TeeBee · 23/09/2022 00:21

Did you hotel room have ants? I once got bitten to crap in a dodgy hotel that was overrun with them.
Or have you been to bed with wet hair and developed a fungal infection.

OnlyOpenMouthToChangeFeet · 23/09/2022 03:44

I hate to say this OP as it's pretty gross, but fleas are a possibility.

Head lice don't survive very long once leaving someones head, nor the nits. Unfortunately, flea eggs can last upto 6 months on soft furnishings, carpets, mattresses etc. A friend thought she had nits, but could never find anything in her hair. Turns out her dog slept on the bed, she hadn't done his regular flea treatment, and by the time she worked it out they erupted everywhere. And because unlike nits, the little buggers can jump, you're much less likely to see them.

Obviously I sincerely hope it isn't, but should probably be a consideration.

wordywitch · 25/09/2022 20:58

Itchy head update: I bought another, better nit comb, combed my hair several more times (still nothing), and started taking an antihistamine daily. That seems to have done the trick and today I didn’t take it but no itching. I think it might have been a reaction to the shampoo that I made much worse my scratching too much. So fingers crossed that this improvement sticks and that I’m nearly through it now.

OP posts:
HangOnToYourself · 25/09/2022 21:02

nachoavocado · 17/09/2022 17:38

Yes I'm thinking something like that or Selsun shampoo if you can find it.

Its basically impossible to get hold of at the moment, manufacturing issues apparently 😭

BusyLondonMother · 25/09/2022 22:25

OP glad to hear you are feeling better. I had been wondering. Please do note what I said about the allergy though - if you've reacted once to a chemical you may well react to it again in another liquid (or shampoo, conditioner, body lotion or even liquid washing powder etc) at some point so do bear it in mind

LadyLaSnack · 25/09/2022 22:31

I had this for 6 months.

Went to GP several times, tried a billion types of special shampoos, tried nit combs etc.

skip to the end - it WAS nits.

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