Pretty pretty please???? :)

is your itchy scalp due to sensitive skin, an allergy, or seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff? Different causes, different treatment. The most common cause is seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff.

Daily shampoo really helps.

Ketoconazole is a very effective antifungal used to treat seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff. For severe cases it may take several weeks of daily use to be effective. Begin by washing hair with regular shampoo, rinse well, then lather with ketoconazole shampoo - leaving it on for a few minutes - before rinsing.

Some may get quicker relief from Denorex coal tar shampoo, however, the smell is a bit strong. http://www.denorex.com/therapeutic-dandruff-shampoo

Are you sure your problem is dandruff? You might be allergic to some of the ingredients in those commercial dandruff shampoos or to the sudsing agent, something like laurel sulfate, I don't remember exactly. Check the ingredients list. Other offenders include other hair products you may be sensitive to as well as washing your hair with detergent shampoo too often can contribute to the problem. Some people love the tea tree oil products like Larsi said unless you are sensitive to them like me. Funny though, the cause of my "dandruff" was the chlorine in the water. Once that was gone, so was the dandruff. It's a treasure hunt. Good luck.

I agree with Larsi's recommendation..PM Tea Tree Oil Shampoo...very good for dry itchy scalp, I have this problem once the heat comes on for the winter. And this shampoo has worked great. However I really think its best used for short periods of time or switch back and forth . I think a hair stylist is the one that told me not to use this exclusively.

If it is a shampoo ingredient/allergy, the itching should get worse immediately after using it. When is it most severe? Does washing your hair more, or less often make it better?

I can't seem to find a pattern to the itching. It is so frustrating. It doesn't seem to matter if I wash my hair daily, every other day, twice a day. All super itchy. I do feel like it gets worse when I get hot. I actually think it is thinning my hair.

Sweety, my doctor or I should say one of Amiees Docs, a dermotologist, who I chit chat with on Amiees visits told me dry air, like when the heat comes on for the season is a big common cause for dry itchy scalp and less shampooing is more. In otherwards shampoo less frequently, every 3 days instead of everyday, don't use hot water, use warm and try using a moisturizing shampoo. And stay away from hair styling products, blow dryers, hot rollers. I can not attest if this will work as I never tried it, I tried a few days of not shampooing, but no styling products ect...do you have any idea what Mamapinky would look like, Wicked Witch comes to mind.lol.

@KITTY listen to mama pinky that is a standard way to find out what product is the culprit. If you color your hair other than streaks away from the scalp, that is also a common irritant. Sometimes you have to give up treasured products to stop the itching. If it is worse when you get hot, your sweat could be the problem. I like to rinse off with plain water no products to forego that. If you have already seen a dermatologist, I would get a new one. This is an art, not a science, nobody has all the answers. I started with a dermatologist who sent me to an allergist. The person who solved my puzzle was a nutritionist. Happy hunting.

Do you take any medications or started a new one lately? I had this and it was connected to a bp med I was on at the time(side effect). Our system also changes with what foods agree and disagree with us where they used to not bother us. Try rinsing your hair in a 50/50 blend of apple cider vinegar WITH the mother and water mixed. Pour that on your hair, work in and leave for a minute or two, then rinse. I actually found dandruff shampoos to make it worse some days because they were drying the scalp so much. What worked best for me was Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo # 3 but everyone is different.

Another vote for the tea tree shampoo. I buy the Sally's version. (GVP) http://www.sallybeauty.com/tea-tree-shampoo/GVP22,default,pd.html I get it in the liter size. This is my daily shampoo. I also occasionally use one by Medi-Dan also available at Sally's. http://www.sallybeauty.com/extra-strength-shampoo/SBS-625228,default,pd.html I use this one maybe twice in one week, about every 3-4 months. I rotate out my conditioners but swear by these shampoos. Only side effect is that I don't think my hair dye jobs last near as long. :)

We're all so different in what works. My only issue is a medical crisis a while back that cost me my hair. Starting to finally grow back - my concerns are keeping my scalp clean after wearing close fitting hats, etc. ... and any shampoo will do when every two days or so I wash my scalp in the kitchen sink because it has the nice sprayer.

My go-to for itching, dry flakey skin in this very low humidity environment, is the gold Bond Ultimate Eczema Cream. You might try massaging that into your particularly itchy spots.

I wish you relief, and will concede that notions, potions, and lotions have a "this works" factor anywhere from 0 to 100 on any two people.

"I actually think it is thinning my hair."

I am of the opinion that a lot of those medicated type shampoos really do make our hair fall out, more than "regular" type shampoos. But sometimes one has to try different types/active ingredients to see what works.

A few thoughts come to mind. . .

You might just be suffering from dry skin in the scalp area. Are you washing your hair in the coolest water you can tolerate? Hot water will dry the scalp.It can also make your hair fall out. Our dog's groomer told me that, because they are careful with the dogs.

I personally find tea tree oil to be very drying to the skin. For that reason, I won't use any product that contains it on my dry skin. Try pure tea tree oil on zits; best stuff ever for them! It is a great natural anti-fungal, though.

Are you following the standard shampoo industry label instructions of later, rinse, repeat? If "yes", stop doing that. Really. That "repeat" is in order for them to sell more shampoo. That's it. All my dandruff problems went away years ago, when I heard this and stopped the "repeat." No more dry scalp.

Allergy..... if the first two things don't take care of the problem in a week, as others have already mentioned, you could be allergic to any number of ingredients in the shampoos --- color, fragrance, you-name-it.

Try some Scalpicin. It is a liquid hydrocortisone and might give you some relief.

My scalp gets crazy itchy if I shampoo daily :(. A very thorough rinse and conditioner rinsed well are enough most days for my past shoulder length hair. Tea tree can be added to any shampoo. Rosemary or lavender essential oils have many of the same properties and are a lot milder in scent.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the helpful responses. I have been dealing with this issue for years and it just drives me nuts. I have been showering in just warm water, and I am only on birth control pills. I am going to try some of these suggestions and keep my hopes up! Thanks so much everyone.

Birth control pills can do crazy things.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3233984/

Did the ketoconazole shampoo work? There is a non-prescription formulation of it, it is called nizoral shampoo. It is available at Walmart and probably a lot of other stores. I believe in using the least potent medication that you can use and still gain the effect that you need because if it becomes ineffective you can increase the amount. The prescription level starts off pretty high.

No, sadly I didn't notice any improvement. I have actually considered shaving my head to see if it provides any relief, and to be able to actually see what is going on with my scalp. That's how much this is bugging me. (Not going to actually do it, I do not have the confidence to do it)

My Dr recommended nutritional yeast or a biotin supplement and to limit the amount of egg whites without the yolk I consume. It has helped with scalp itching and hair shedding. I would think an ingredient allergy would irritate your skin and not just your scalp. A diluted apple cider vinegar rinse may help as well. Sometimes the simplest solution actually works. Best of luck.

@practigal, you are correct - use the lowest effective dose! Most of my patients find the OTC 1% (vs Rx 2% version) very effective, also less expensive, but need to use more often and keep it on their scalp longer. Initially it can take 6-8 weeks of daily use to get substantial resolution of symptoms.

Mdln- are you serious?? My dr said if I didn't notice a difference in ten days then it isn't the solution to my problem. Yikes! Wonder if I should try the otc stuff for a longer duration and see if that works. Thanks for the tip!

Here is a screen shot from Epocrates, a very commonly used medical reference. This dosing is for the Rx formulation. After the 8 weeks, it can be used "PRN" which means as needed.

Sounds like I need to try it again, and get a new dr while I am at it! Thanks again for that. :)

@Larsi... I've tried that Paul Mitchell shampoo before. Absolutely loved the smell of it, but... once was enough. Didn't enjoy the tingling at all :P

No itchy scalp or dandruff here. Just was a suggestion from a stylist.

@kitty, it absolutely does not work for everyone. People get frustrated because it is not an immediate fix. However, many like it because the smell is OK and it is gentle on hair. Thus, you need to wash any styling products off first with a regular shampoo.

The most common cause of dandruff and itchy scalp is seborrheic dermatitis. (However, that does not confirm YOUR diagnosis.) A skin fungus and inflammatory response are thought to be the cause of seb derm. It tends to get worse with weather changes and with stress. The following are used for treatment: coal tar, ketoconazole, salicylic acid,selenium sulfide, zinc pyrithione. OTC ketoconazole shampoo is the newest of the choices.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seborrheic-dermatitis/basics/definition/con-20031872

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1108312-overview

As fas as vinegar rinses, wouldn't that be a skin irritant..I mean it can chew thru rubber seals after all.

Cider vinegar is less acidic than white vinegar. Sulphur, salicylic acid, etc. are all more acidic than diluted cider vinegar. How cool to have itchy scalp help on the laundry forum!

mdln - can we return the favor and help with your laundry? :)

You can even buy shampoo with Apple Cider vinegar in it.

OMG, LOL, just realized this thread is on the laundry forum. Laundry is about washing things, we just moved beyond things to washing people. :-)

Seriously, so many have and continue to help me with rebuild info (that I know nothing about) I am happy when I can "give back."

kittycat, if it is seb derm there are MANY systemic & topical treatments available. If one does not work we try another and eventually find the right one. Sometimes that means getting a couple second opinions from dermatologists. Please don't cut all your hair off.

Tree tea oil and vinegar rinses may work but there is not much published evidence/research comparing effectiveness to more traditional therapy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC227028/

"The results of this study support the hypothesis that an acidic environment can be inhibitory to the growth of yeast. It is interesting to note that the amount of acidification required to achieve a significant decrease in yeast growth is greater than that required for bacteria."

I am looking for stuff to reduce itchy and flaky scalp. I recently started using this:

http://www.dr.hauschka.com/en_US/natural-skin-care-products/revitalizing-hair-tonic/

It seems to work. So far it has not eliminated dry/itchy scalp, but it has significantly reduced it. I have to apply the lotion multiple times a day.

I shampoo about once a week.

I've had issues with seb. derm on and off since HS. (And I totally know what you mean about fantasizing about shaving your head when it gets bad) The old school coal tar works for me but takes a long time, as does Rx ketoconazole shampoo. Selsun blue and some other dandruff shampoos don't.

For me (sample size of 1 ;) ) one of the triggers seems to be any kind of shampoo or product buildup on my scalp. (I have no idea why this would cause yeast or other microorganism overgrowth but the correlation is pretty strong) I barely had any problems for years and then I moved somewhere with very hard water and it got really really bad within a few months. I finally realized that the shampoo I was using wasn't rinsing well.

I've figured out that with hard water I have to use a good quality shampoo with sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. I use it sparingly and only wash my hair every 3 days so the SLS isn't too drying, do a weak ACV or citric acid rinse once or twice a week, and I've only needed to use medicated shampoo once in the past few years.

I never thought about my scalp itching being related to yeast but makes sense. I'll add probiotics to my regime and see if it helps.

Do you use any styling products? Decades ago, a friend got her scalp to stop itching when she changed hairspray.