10Yr Old Daughter and Her Itchy Scaly Scalp

When we get occasional scaly scalps, I dissolve a few uncoated aspirin, mix them into the little bit of shampoo in the palm of my hand, then shampoo and let it soak in for 10-15 min. Rinse with water, then apple cider vinegar, then water again. You can do it as often as you want. It really helps get rid of the dandruff and makes the hair very shiny.

does she have enough good quality oils in her diet? Does she eat a lot of processed foods and dry crunchy stuff? Does she like avocados?

This sounds like seborrihic dermatitis. I have it, and mine started at about 10-11 years old. Scalpacin helped me, as well as the Neutrogena shampoos T-Gel and T-Sal. Also, blow drying my hair dry seems to help. If I sleep with wet hair, I almost certainly will have scales and itch the next day.
Sometimes, when it gets really bad, I will color my hair. I use the "cheaper" stuff from Wal-Mart. The ammonia (I guess) helps keep the scales down.
The best everyday treatment I can suggest is to blow dry her hair completely after she washes it.

It just may be the shampoo that is causing the itchy scaly scalp. I myself can only use mild shampoo's because a lot of them irritate my scalp. An oatmeal based shampoo is really good. Also if you don't mind the mess you can rub Miracle Whip into her scalp and wrap Saran Wrap on her head and leave it for about ten minutes and then wash her hair real good. It actually works. I know someone that does her hair twice a month like this. It is great for your scalp. I myself do not like the mess. I use an overnight conditioner and it works great. You spray it on at night before bed and shampoo it out in the morning.

I briefly had a problem with itchy scalp and flaky skin. Tried all the different shampoos (dandruff, tar, medicated, etc) with no improvement. Finally I just got some Scalpicin. I used it twice, I think, after getting out of the shower. It burned a little, but after two treatments my scalp healed.

Sounds like your daughter has something more severe than what I had, but I'd still recommend trying the Scalpicin.

I have psorasis, only on my scalp. That could be another option of what she has. If you want to use over the counter products try a tar shampoo (neutrogen has one). I go to my local health food store and the ladies there suggested a product that has worked wonders. It has tea tree oil in it. I also see a dermatologist who has given me a liquid oil to put on at night when it is bad. Good luck.

You should probably see a dermatologist but...!

My son is the same. Fortunately, with his short coarse/dry hair, we have more options than a girl with long hair might.

For sure switch shampoos. Anything without the lauryl sulfates. We like Burt's Bees. But for when the scaly factor peaks, we go w/Neutragena either their T-Sal brand (milder) or T-Gel which is a little more "industrial".

Sunlight is good (again, long thick hair can be a burden). We also sometimes rub Aquaphor into the scalp, leave it (my son's hair is so coarse/dry that even this doesn't make it look greasy) and then shampoo. While the shampoo is soaking in, we use a pretty fine tooth comb to remove the dead skin that has been loosened by the Aquaphor.

Scalp massage can help too followed up with a thorough combing.

Hmmm...Maybe Vitamin E? Or fish oil gel vitamins. Those both improve skin health.

I also got a recent recommendation from a friend whose boys both have excema. It was a skin/scalp oil by Aveeno but I cannot remember the name...

Have you tried using a conditioning treatment for her hair in order to moisturize the scalp? This has helped me in the past. Or an allergic reaction to what is in the shampoo. I would look for a more natural one or organic one. Good Luck.

Try olive oil..This was very good for my babes cradle cap... Massage into scalp & wrap in towel for about 10-15 minutes...Rinse with cool water... Try shampoo that is Dye Free... Aveeno or Neutrogena... Hope this helps:)

It may well be that her diet is missing something, and my favorite referance is WestonPrice.com. Sounds like missing essential fatty acids. It is not from something external- but from inside. Just take a logical look- is she missing dandruff shampoo? No. So fix the inside and the outside will work.
best, k

yes, my husband had this for years. We finally switched to a natural shampoo and it went away. My scalp was constantly broken out until I switched. Let me know if I can recommend.

Stress can also exacerbate this. Is it worse when she is stressed out?

Find a natural scalp formula with tea tree oil, that should work well.

Several years ago, my husband was having problems with a scaley, itchy scalp. He saturated it with Dannon unflavored yogurt. Left it in for several hours, then washed it with baby shampoo. After a couple of treatments with that, the itching went away. Yogurt is effective on many types of fungal infections, and that may have been what the problem was--he's not had a problem since then.

Melaleuca's Herbal or Original shampoo.

NAET treatment for food allergies. She is allergic to something, maybe lots of things. Check out NAET.com for a practicing Dr. near you. Works like a charm.

I am a hair stylist and from my experience I recommend Kerastase shampoo. There is one for oily scalp and dry. you can treat for both scales and itchy scalp. I would go to Kerastase.com and see what works for your daughter.
The bottle is white with gray writing. Hope this helps!!

I had the same issue myself and it actually got so bad that my scalp would crack and bleed. I found it to be the dyes and chemicals in the OTC products even the medicated products would not work and smelled bad then I found a great health conscience store that I truly love and have had no itchy, flaky or bleeding scalp since...imagine that. I started shopping at this wellness company over 2 years ago and have gone non-toxic and safe with their exclusive brand. So if you want to know what I learned, and it shocked me... I am all too happy to share that info with any concerned Moms. I am not a sales person for them, I'm just a happy very loyal customer and they allow us to share our 40% discount too, if you want to try them yourself! Happy to help! ____@____.com
Many blessings!

She is likely reacting to the toxicity of the products we use on a daily basis.
I found a natural line called JUNI with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body bar, and lotion. My husband and son had the itchy scalp - not any more. You can see Juni at www.ktlosee.mymangosteen.com

Is it stress or anxiety????

My Husband... when stressed.... gets itchy scalp.
Not that something is 'wrong' with his scalp... but, his stress for him is expressed that way. He itches his head.
My daughter, sometimes gets like that too.

Or take her to a Dermatologist.

But, sometimes, itching... can actually be a stress thing... not an actual skin problem

all the best,
Susan