My 11 year old is constantly complaining of an itchy scalp. It's not lice, he's blond so they would be easy to see and he has been checked multiple times by multiple people because he keeps digging at his head. We haven't changed laundry detergent, shampoo, or conditioner. He washes it about 5 times a week. He has not been swimming (once, but the itching predated the swimming). His head is not sunburned. He's not taking any new medications. It does not appear to be dandruff, there are no flakes. As far as I can tell there are no visible dry spots. His hair is not long, it's about 2 1/2 inches on top and about an 1 1/2 inches on the sides.
He's going to start getting teased at school if we don't figure this out, he is constantly scratching at his head. I am taking him tonight for a haircut, will most likely cut it short (1 inch or so) in the hopes it will help.
Any ideas for what could be causing this and what I can do to help him get some relief?
I had an itchy scalp and it was not dandruff or lice but a reaction to the sulfates in shampoo. I have since switched to sulfate free and my scalp is much happier!
He may have an oily itchy scalp brought on by puberty. Try a t-gel shampoo. Have him put it in and let it sit for about 2 minutes. Then rinse. Do this twice a week. You'll notice a difference.
BTW - dandruff is not dry scalp. Dandruff is oily.
Try different shampoos. I used to have an itchy head and it turns out I was allergic to something in my shampoo.
The second thing that made my head itch was a candida overgrowth.
You can buy a special solution at the store for scalp itching. I found that helps me out when I have really bad itch.
I suggest Head and Shoulders scalp itch shampoo and conditioner. That with the special solution should take care of the immediate itching.
I think sometimes scratching it causes more irritation, which then causes more itch.
If that doesn't work, I suggest trying Nizoral shampoo. You'll have to order it on the internet because I can't find it in stores. That will help if he has any kind of fungal infection causing the itch. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with my head--but when I used the Nizoral shampoo the itch was gone within a week and stayed gone.
Good luck!
Does he wash it every day? He could have a dry scalp. If he's blond, you may not see the flakes, but it sounds like he needs to wash it less so that the oils stay on his scalp and maybe use a dandruff shampoo or use conditioner.
Yes, he has what's known as itchy scalp! My son had it too at that age. Tar shampoo can help. I think the one we used was called SunTar.
Now, it really only gets itchy when he's hot. No hats!
You didn't say how long he's been doing this for. I would talk to his dr. His scalp may be drying out. He's starting or getting close to starting puberty so his body is changing. So you may need to change his shampoo. My son has a skin condition that makes his skin peal and can do it on his head and it's not easy to see with the blond hair and they have given us special shampoo for when it's like that. It's been years since he's used it so I coudn't even tell you what it was. I would also cut down on how often he washes it unless it looks oily. I know my oldest has to wash his everyday at least for school or it's nasty.
Go to a dermatologist. They likely will prescribe Nizoral shampoo. Someone else mentioned it but please don't just buy it online -- it's supposed to be by prescription. The active ingredient is "ketoconazole" and you want to be sure he does not get it in his eyes. If you get it online you can't know that what you are buying is the real thing with the real active ingredient.
Nizoral or over the counter coal-tar shampoos will make his skin more sensitive to sun and likelier to burn! He is already fair-haired, so if you use prescription shampoos, a constant hat is an absolute must or he will indeed burn badly.
For fast itch relief, I used to use an over the counter product called Scalpicin that stopped itch fast but not forever; it's not a treatment but just an anti-itch liquid.
Also, he may not need to wash his hair five times a week. That likely is drying his scalp out badly.
I really would get doctors involved at this point. Persistent itch is horrid to live with.
It sounds like he is not rinsing the shampoo and conditioner well. I would start there and see if it gets better.
I would try a more natural shampoo before going to the Dr I think. Burt's Bees makes one like Head & Shoulders but without the harsh stuff in it.
Mine itches with allergy season pretty bad. Also, sweat also makes it really itchy.
My head gets itchy when my allergies are bad, and benadryl helps.
I would second chagning the shampoo and cut down how often he washes unless he has oily hair. My son was washing his hair everyday and started itching. I looked for lice and nothing. No dandruff either. I changed shampoo to the H&S anti itch and he only washes his hair every other to every 3 days, depending on what he has been doing. It has helped a lot. One of my girls used Selsun Blue Naturals for a while and it helped a lot.
BTW, I had suggested clipping my son's hair and got a big fat No Way. Once we changed other things, ended up not needing to go real short.
