Itch and oil

> I used to have dandruff but lost the problem for a> year and now it's coming back again. I don't have any> white flakes but rather an itchy oily scalp. My scalp> was never itchy till this problem arose again. I have> no idea what causes the itch and don't think it's even> called dandruff as there's no flaking either. I> noticed there's a lot of oily sebum whenever I> scratch. I wonder if my problem is called dandruff or> just due to an oily scalp. I am thinking of buying> Nizoral or a Neutrogena dandruff shampoo but would> like a second opinion first.Hi, Christine!Your problem sounds very similar to the problem which I had before I switched shampoos. My scalp was extremely oily, but I did have sticky flakes. A few times I drew blood on my scalp because of the dreaded itch. I switched to a castille based shampoo, rather than the sodium lauryl sulfate base. It was just too strong for my scalp. The shampoo also has jojoba oil as a major component which is supposed to regulate sebum flow and helps with many skin and scalp problems. It definitely soothed my scalp and I use the oil for hot oil treatments, as needed, and to moisturize my ends directly.> Scalp massages are recommended for long hair, but I> have stopped as I find this tends to increase oil> production on my scalp. I don't use an oily hair> shampoo as my ends are dry. Could sweat possibly> exacerbate my itchy condition?I found that sweat definitely exacerbated my excess sebum and itch problem. I sometimes felt that my scalp was on fire.Hope this helps a bit.Jade21

Christine, do you have a filter on your shower? Chlorine can often cause scalp and other skin irritations and all municipal water supplies contain chlorine. Also, try shampooing just the top of your hair, crown to shoulder kind of thing and just let the shampoo run down to the rest of the ends, then condition only the ends and about to neck level. This prevents the shampoo from drying out the ends too much and the conditioner from making the crown hair too oily too soon. Also check to make sure you haven't developed a sensitivity to something in your shampoo or just switch for a while to see if that helps.Good luck! Let us know how it goes.Best wishes to all!Dawn> I used to have dandruff but lost the problem for a> year and now it's coming back again. I don't have any> white flakes but rather an itchy oily scalp. My scalp> was never itchy till this problem arose again. I have> no idea what causes the itch and don't think it's even> called dandruff as there's no flaking either. I> noticed there's a lot of oily sebum whenever I> scratch. I wonder if my problem is called dandruff or> just due to an oily scalp. I am thinking of buying> Nizoral or a Neutrogena dandruff shampoo but would> like a second opinion first.> Scalp massages are recommended for long hair, but I> have stopped as I find this tends to increase oil> production on my scalp. I don't use an oily hair> shampoo as my ends are dry. Could sweat possibly> exacerbate my itchy condition?