itchy

curlyoperasinger

I have been shampooless for over a month now, but my scalp is so itchy and I've had a couple of bumps crop up. Should I be clensing my scalp more often. Right now, I just scrub with conditioner once a week. Any suggestions?

spiderlashes5000

What do you do during the week?

curlyoperasinger

Well in the past, I've been co rinsing. You know, just combing condish through my hair and then rinsing it after a while. I was only scrubbing my scalp every 7-10 days. But I went a second day one day and my scalp was super itchy. So I really gave my scalp a rigorous scrub that night, first just with water and then with condish. Today I have second day hair and its itchier too. It seems if I don't co wash every day it gets worse. Wierd. I'm just trying to follow the book.

echokitten

Well...following the book may not work for you. It didn't work for me, I co wash or water wash just about every day and I scrub my scalp with my fingertips pretty good every time too. I use [buylink=http://www.curlmart.com/Jessicurl-Hair-Cleansing-Cream-p-103.html?utm_source=naturallycurly.com&utm_medium=text-link&utm_content=curltalk-post-text&utm_campaign=jessicurl-hair-cleansing-cream]Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream[/buylink] occasionally (not scheduled) when my scalp gets a bit itchy or when I feel like it. I work in foodservice so I get stuff in my hair everyday, so it's necessary to co-wash daily. It's a good starting point, the book anyway, but if it's not working then you should change the routine to suit your own needs. I think it's important to remember that CG is a very subjective system, every one's version is a bit different depending on her needs.
IMO, you probably just need to scrub your scalp a bit more frequently.

memes

I'm with echokitten. I've been CG for years and I cowash or water wash almost every day and make sure to really massage my scalp every time. I've actually had many less scalp issues since going CG.

I hope this helps,

Michelle

spiderlashes5000

curlyoperasinger wrote:

Well in the past, I've been co rinsing. You know, just combing condish through my hair and then rinsing it after a while. I was only scrubbing my scalp every 7-10 days. But I went a second day one day and my scalp was super itchy. So I really gave my scalp a rigorous scrub that night, first just with water and then with condish. Today I have second day hair and its itchier too. It seems if I don't co wash every day it gets worse. Wierd. I'm just trying to follow the book.

As far as I can remember, the book never mentioned co-rinsing or combing conditioner through the hair and rinsing. The book suggested that you SCRUB your scalp every day or as close to every day as possible. Mostly this should be done with plain water. And maybe once a week with conditioner. And occasionally w/ one of the recipes, as needed.

I don't follow the book very closely. And I started brush-detangling my hair in the shower when it's full of conditioner. Maybe once a week at most. My scalp really missed that and it helped w/ the minor itchiness I experienced.

Also, what kind of conditioner are you using? Many conditioners say "rinse completely" on the label. They aren't meant to be left in. Some people leave them in but I think they're doing that at their own risk. Certain ingredients can irritate the scalp.

And certain ingredients are supposed to be good for the scalp, like tea tree oil, peppermint, lavender, citrus-based oils, etc. Maybe try looking for a washing conditioner that contains those?

echokitten

spiderlashes5000 wrote:

curlyoperasinger wrote:

Well in the past, I've been co rinsing. You know, just combing condish through my hair and then rinsing it after a while. I was only scrubbing my scalp every 7-10 days. But I went a second day one day and my scalp was super itchy. So I really gave my scalp a rigorous scrub that night, first just with water and then with condish. Today I have second day hair and its itchier too. It seems if I don't co wash every day it gets worse. Wierd. I'm just trying to follow the book.

As far as I can remember, the book never mentioned co-rinsing or combing conditioner through the hair and rinsing. The book suggested that you SCRUB your scalp every day or as close to every day as possible. Mostly this should be done with plain water. And maybe once a week with conditioner. And occasionally w/ one of the recipes, as needed.

I don't follow the book very closely. And I started brush-detangling my hair in the shower when it's full of conditioner. Maybe once a week at most. My scalp really missed that and it helped w/ the minor itchiness I experienced.

Also, what kind of conditioner are you using? Many conditioners say "rinse completely" on the label. They aren't meant to be left in. Some people leave them in but I think they're doing that at their own risk. Certain ingredients can irritate the scalp.

And certain ingredients are supposed to be good for the scalp, like tea tree oil, peppermint, lavender, citrus-based oils, etc. Maybe try looking for a washing conditioner that contains those?

ITA with this also. The scalp scrubbing is the most important part of cowashing, IMO. Using condish is better for detangling hair and helps to lubricate for easier scrubbing, but is not absolutely imperative for scalp cleansing really. Water does a very nice job alone.

miralaluna

I have found that using lemon juice on my hair and scalp once a week or so helps with any itching. However, after a few months on CG, the itching does disappear.

ewenique

Some find that it's better to water wash and scrub/massage the scalp more often than using CO to wash the scalp. Too much CO left on your scalp could be irritating it, so be sure to rinse thoroughly. Certain conditioners can irritate, so maybe try a different one.

ms_isela

you should try making a paste in your hand with baking soda and conditioner, then use that to scrub your scalp, and roots, it breaks up any build up, and gets your scalp clean without disturbing your hair, it also helps if you have hard water, causing mineral build up. after scrubbing, apply your normal conditioner to detangle if you need too.. I use the baking soda with VO5 Lemon Verbana/Kiwi clarifying conditoner, it works great.