Can't get rid of Scalp Inflammation which is thinning my hair fast.. help!

[helpmyhair]

I went through this in my early 20s, it's the intense emotional stress that has to be resolved and quick, before the inflammation becomes chronic and fibrosis sets in...

I know it's easier said than done and you can't force yourself to "get over it". You can however force yourself to workout, and get sun tanned, eat highly nutritious foods and take immediate steps to improve your life situation.

Sometimes it's absurd how quickly you can find yourself feeling better (within a few weeks) if you actively try.

I've already noticed the fibrosis. I do scalp massage and a few months ago, my scalp went from being lose and pliable to being thick like fibrosis and hard to move around. Could've been from the inflammation/stress. But I also had started an SNRI at the time (trazadone) which I am weening off.. so I thought maybe that could've caused the fibrosis in the scalp.

I was just prescribed Wellbutrin and Hydroxyzine because my depression/anxiety are too out of control and its been going on for a long time now and seems to be getting worse as time goes on. Debating if I will try the Wellbutrin as I'm worried it could cause hairloss (among other side effects). Gonna give the Hydroxyzine a try first but thats not really a long term solution. Just helps kill anxiety in the moment as well as itching.

I have been working out 4 times a week.

 

[L_C]

Yes I am doing a blood test/full blood panel later this week or next. Also urine test. I agree that the anxiety and depression have a link to the stomach problems. She told me why but I dunno. I think part of it has to do with my hair changing.. which is depressing. I look so bad with crappy hair. Its a defining feature for me so I really need to figure a way to fix this

Unsure how much this is going to help but....the looks are somewhat important to women but personally I screen attractive guys way more than the ones who are not as they tend to have way more shitty character.

It seems like you are obsesed with your looks but really focus on the inner you and your skills. For example, I appreciate if the guy can repair things or can teach me something useful like how to fix a car.

The looks don't tend to last in a relationship anyway.

 

[helpmyhair]

Bumping this thread to see if anyone has solved these scalp inflammation? My seems to be caused from gastrointestinal issues which I can't solve and also high amounts of stress, anxiety and depression. Its itching a lot right now and driving me insane

 

[LadyRae]

Bumping this thread to see if anyone has solved these scalp inflammation? My seems to be caused from gastrointestinal issues which I can't solve and also high amounts of stress, anxiety and depression. Its itching a lot right now and driving me insane

My daughter has dealt with this a lot. She says to make sure there's no sodium laureth sulfate in your shampoo. (Do not use Head and Shoulders). She says there are a lot of inflammatory stripping ingredients in most shampoos... There are a few YouTube videos about harmful chemicals in shampoos that you could watch because it's difficult to remember the exact names of all of the chemicals.

In the meantime, you could massage some oil into your scalp and leave it on overnight, with a shower cap over it, and wash it out in the morning. Castor oil works well...coconut or argan oil too.

Do you eat oysters? It may take a while for the bioavailable zinc to do its work but they will help long-term. Do you get little white flecks in your fingernails? This is a sign of zinc deficiency...

 

[helpmyhair]

My daughter has dealt with this a lot. She says to make sure there's no sodium laureth sulfate in your shampoo. (Do not use Head and Shoulders). She says there are a lot of inflammatory stripping ingredients in most shampoos... There are a few YouTube videos about harmful chemicals in shampoos that you could watch because it's difficult to remember the exact names of all of the chemicals.

In the meantime, you could massage some oil into your scalp and leave it on overnight, with a shower cap over it, and wash it out in the morning. Castor oil works well...coconut or argan oil too.

Do you eat oysters? It may take a while for the bioavailable zinc to do its work but they will help long-term. Do you get little white flecks in your fingernails? This is a sign of zinc deficiency...

Yeah I'm already using Dr Bronner's Organic shampoo. Theres not chemicals in it.

I actually just did a castor oil mask and my scalp definitely feels less inflamed. Not 100% better, but a big difference to how it was earlier.

I don't eat oysters.. can't stomach the canned ones without gagging, and don't have fresh oysters at restos often. I don't see any little white flecks on my fingernails.

 

[LadyRae]

Okay, got it. I noticed earlier you mentioned that you suspect gastrointestinal issues. Do you have regular bowel movements? Do you have a white tongue? How about cleansing fibers in your diet like carrot? Itchiness could definitely be caused by something that you're eating. It would not be easy for me to sleuth it out though, you might need to eliminate a few things to try to figure out the culprit...

I'm glad you got some relief from the castor oil but of course topical remedies are just going to be a Band-Aid for what is probably a systemic, internal issue...

 

[helpmyhair]

Okay, got it. I noticed earlier you mentioned that you suspect gastrointestinal issues. Do you have regular bowel movements? Do you have a white tongue? How about cleansing fibers in your diet like carrot? Itchiness could definitely be caused by something that you're eating. It would not be easy for me to sleuth it out though, you might need to eliminate a few things to try to figure out the culprit...

I'm glad you got some relief from the castor oil but of course topical remedies are just going to be a Band-Aid for what is probably a systemic, internal issue...

I do have regular bowel movements but still constipated. I also feel dehydrated all the time with dry mouth, dry skin, lips and hair. So I wonder if the lack of water in my body is contributing to the constipation and GI issues. I do have a bit of a white tongue still, but I was treated for candida in the asophogus with anti-fungals and then I did another anti-fungal cleanse right after. So that should've cleared up. I tried the carrot salad but it didn't help. I was thinking about going gluten-free again as I have been eating a lot of gluten lately which is probably not great for digestion.

Yes exactly, the castor oil is definitely a bandaid. Cause hair is still thinning out. I had this happen 6 years ago where I lost 70% density in less than a year and scalp was itching constantly. I remember taking oil of oregano and glutamine for a month and then I went on vacation which relieved a lot of stress, and after that my stomach was brand new. All GI issues gone and hair grew back. I tried doing the oregano/glutamine again but this time it didn't work. Stress could be a big factor as I am going through the darkest period of my entire life, waking up daily with anxiety attacks, and depressed all day. I wish I could easily just solve it, but unfortunately I am just going deeper in a hole. The hair thinning out is really adding to this depression/anxiety/stress and thats messing with me a lot. I know its just hair, but its a big part of my identity and as someone who is in their late 30s and recently single, I really need to keep what I have left or else I'll feel screwed for dating. I would look terrible bald or visably thinning. Right now I am just able to cover up the thinning, but its getting to the point where its starting to be noticable.. especially depending on the lighting.

 

[LadyRae]

I do have regular bowel movements but still constipated. I also feel dehydrated all the time with dry mouth, dry skin, lips and hair. So I wonder if the lack of water in my body is contributing to the constipation and GI issues. I do have a bit of a white tongue still, but I was treated for candida in the asophogus with anti-fungals and then I did another anti-fungal cleanse right after. So that should've cleared up. I tried the carrot salad but it didn't help. I was thinking about going gluten-free again as I have been eating a lot of gluten lately which is probably not great for digestion.

Yes exactly, the castor oil is definitely a bandaid. Cause hair is still thinning out. I had this happen 6 years ago where I lost 70% density in less than a year and scalp was itching constantly. I remember taking oil of oregano and glutamine for a month and then I went on vacation which relieved a lot of stress, and after that my stomach was brand new. All GI issues gone and hair grew back. I tried doing the oregano/glutamine again but this time it didn't work. Stress could be a big factor as I am going through the darkest period of my entire life, waking up daily with anxiety attacks, and depressed all day. I wish I could easily just solve it, but unfortunately I am just going deeper in a hole. The hair thinning out is really adding to this depression/anxiety/stress and thats messing with me a lot. I know its just hair, but its a big part of my identity and as someone who is in their late 30s and recently single, I really need to keep what I have left or else I'll feel screwed for dating. I would look terrible bald or visably thinning. Right now I am just able to cover up the thinning, but its getting to the point where its starting to be noticable.. especially depending on the lighting.

Oh gosh, you ARE going through a rough time, I'm sorry! You know it's interesting that you mentioned the gluten, my daughter has been saying that she would like to try going gluten-free because she has these dry itchy raised bumps on the backs of her upper arms and according to her Instagram stories research , this can be a gluten intolerance issue. I'm hoping to get her a Celiac test soon as we have other family members that have it. And before she completely cuts it out.

I quit eating gluten a few years ago when I noticed that I started getting bad body odor after I would drink beer. My health and digestion improved greatly in the months after I quit eating gluten and then I found out that in order to get a proper Celiac antibody test you have to currently be eating gluten so now I can never get tested unless I decide to start eating gluten again before the test... Needless to say I'm not going to do that.

Even though avoiding gluten seems to be trendy, in actuality it really isn't easy at first so I don't recommend it lightly to people unless they really are having issues. If it improves your health though it is so worth it! I feel so good and I have so much more room in my diet for tasty foods that I enjoy just as much as bread .

My daughter has been dealing with dandruff and skin issues for years but she loves all things bready and gluten-y... I know it wouldn't be easy for her. She is 17 now and is always open to trying different things health-wise...

I'm sure that the stress that you are going through is exacerbating issues and I hope that you can make some lifestyle and perspective changes soon that will help. In the last 5 years or so I have paid a lot of attention and have made a lot of changes to my life to reduce stress and live the kind of life that I find personally satisfying no matter what other people think. This has meant reducing a lot of social activities that were actually extremely emotionally exhausting for me. When I quit drinking alcohol 3 and 1/2 years ago I realized that I had been using alcohol to numb out and block emotions in social gatherings... Actually I'm a very introverted person, this was news to me!

Are you able to get out in the sun? Do you know what your vitamin D level is? I live in the Northern United States and for half the year I can't get out in the real Sun but I will go to a tanning bed a few times a week and this helps greatly. I also spend a couple weeks in February in Hawaii and this real sun is such a boost- not to mention just getting out of the north for a while in the middle of February is great for stress.

If my daughter has any other ideas I will pass them along to you. Wishing you peace and contentment and a happy Easter

 

[helpmyhair]

Oh gosh, you ARE going through a rough time, I'm sorry! You know it's interesting that you mentioned the gluten, my daughter has been saying that she would like to try going gluten-free because she has these dry itchy raised bumps on the backs of her upper arms and according to her Instagram stories research , this can be a gluten intolerance issue. I'm hoping to get her a Celiac test soon as we have other family members that have it. And before she completely cuts it out.

I quit eating gluten a few years ago when I noticed that I started getting bad body odor after I would drink beer. My health and digestion improved greatly in the months after I quit eating gluten and then I found out that in order to get a proper Celiac antibody test you have to currently be eating gluten so now I can never get tested unless I decide to start eating gluten again before the test... Needless to say I'm not going to do that.

Even though avoiding gluten seems to be trendy, in actuality it really isn't easy at first so I don't recommend it lightly to people unless they really are having issues. If it improves your health though it is so worth it! I feel so good and I have so much more room in my diet for tasty foods that I enjoy just as much as bread .

My daughter has been dealing with dandruff and skin issues for years but she loves all things bready and gluten-y... I know it wouldn't be easy for her. She is 17 now and is always open to trying different things health-wise...

I'm sure that the stress that you are going through is exacerbating issues and I hope that you can make some lifestyle and perspective changes soon that will help. In the last 5 years or so I have paid a lot of attention and have made a lot of changes to my life to reduce stress and live the kind of life that I find personally satisfying no matter what other people think. This has meant reducing a lot of social activities that were actually extremely emotionally exhausting for me. When I quit drinking alcohol 3 and 1/2 years ago I realized that I had been using alcohol to numb out and block emotions in social gatherings... Actually I'm a very introverted person, this was news to me!

Are you able to get out in the sun? Do you know what your vitamin D level is? I live in the Northern United States and for half the year I can't get out in the real Sun but I will go to a tanning bed a few times a week and this helps greatly. I also spend a couple weeks in February in Hawaii and this real sun is such a boost- not to mention just getting out of the north for a while in the middle of February is great for stress.

If my daughter has any other ideas I will pass them along to you. Wishing you peace and contentment and a happy Easter

Yeah I'm definitely at the end of my rope here, literally hanging on by a thread. Every day is so hard, I dread waking up.. because its straight from sleep to an hour long anxiety attack every single day for the last 10 months. I've tried so many things, supplements, remedies for the anxiety/depression but nothing is helping. I had no choice but to start on anti-depressants which are also not doing a lot at this point.. but its a recent addition.

I used to be gluten free for many years (except sourdough bread as it has some kind of acid in it that offsets the gluten), so I am definitely capable of doing it. I'm sure gluten can cause a great deal of inflammation.

At this point I've become completely anti-social. This whole period of stress/depression started almost a year ago with my ex of 7 years blindsided me with a break up. I thought I was going to marry her. And its ruined my world. I had it all, and now I have nothing. I can't even accept that she's gone, and now a year later, it still feels like the breakup was yesterday. Because the way I am feeling now is the same as I felt when it was fresh.. and perhaps I feel even worse now. I keep having overwhelming thoughts that I won't find someone else.. and that my looks are declining, especially the fast hairloss, and that is just killing me.. because I'm going to become completely unattractive in a matter of months if I don't figure out how to stop this train which seems to be picking up speed by the day.

Yes I had my vitamin D levels checked and was low. I supplemented for months on prescription vitamin D at a high dose and now my levels are normal. So that wasn't contributing to the hairloss. I am however going to travel. I leave in a couple weeks and I'll be gone to a tropical place for 2 months. I hope that will have some kind of reset for me.. or maybe I'll just be completely depressed in a foreign place.

 

[L_C]

Yeah I'm definitely at the end of my rope here, literally hanging on by a thread. Every day is so hard, I dread waking up.. because its straight from sleep to an hour long anxiety attack every single day for the last 10 months. I've tried so many things, supplements, remedies for the anxiety/depression but nothing is helping. I had no choice but to start on anti-depressants which are also not doing a lot at this point.. but its a recent addition.

I used to be gluten free for many years (except sourdough bread as it has some kind of acid in it that offsets the gluten), so I am definitely capable of doing it. I'm sure gluten can cause a great deal of inflammation.

At this point I've become completely anti-social. This whole period of stress/depression started almost a year ago with my ex of 7 years blindsided me with a break up. I thought I was going to marry her. And its ruined my world. I had it all, and now I have nothing. I can't even accept that she's gone, and now a year later, it still feels like the breakup was yesterday. Because the way I am feeling now is the same as I felt when it was fresh.. and perhaps I feel even worse now. I keep having overwhelming thoughts that I won't find someone else.. and that my looks are declining, especially the fast hairloss, and that is just killing me.. because I'm going to become completely unattractive in a matter of months if I don't figure out how to stop this train which seems to be picking up speed by the day.

Yes I had my vitamin D levels checked and was low. I supplemented for months on prescription vitamin D at a high dose and now my levels are normal. So that wasn't contributing to the hairloss. I am however going to travel. I leave in a couple weeks and I'll be gone to a tropical place for 2 months. I hope that will have some kind of reset for me.. or maybe I'll just be completely depressed in a foreign place.

Not to sound too personal but why did you wait 7 years to marry her?...I know you didnt. I mean typically people would wait couple of years. But if you knew you would marry her why making her wait for so long....?..I mean you dont have to reply if it's a personal thing...just wondering.

I am sure vacation will be good for you.

 

[L_C]

My daughter has dealt with this a lot. She says to make sure there's no sodium laureth sulfate in your shampoo. (Do not use Head and Shoulders). She says there are a lot of inflammatory stripping ingredients in most shampoos... There are a few YouTube videos about harmful chemicals in shampoos that you could watch because it's difficult to remember the exact names of all of the chemicals.

In the meantime, you could massage some oil into your scalp and leave it on overnight, with a shower cap over it, and wash it out in the morning. Castor oil works well...coconut or argan oil too.

Do you eat oysters? It may take a while for the bioavailable zinc to do its work but they will help long-term. Do you get little white flecks in your fingernails? This is a sign of zinc deficiency...

Not to highjack the thread, but I do have white flakes behind the fingernails and according to Haidut's mineral analysis I have more than plenty of zinc. I developed the white flakes when I moved to dry climate. Unsure if that's the real cause...

 

[LadyRae]

@helpmyhair

Andrew Huberman just posted this today. I really like his podcast and it may have some valuable information for you, I haven't listened to it yet though...


View: https://youtu.be/6ZrlsVx85ek

 

[helpmyhair]

Thanks I'll check that out.

Just an update: I have brought down my scalp inflammation by 95% by doing high dose oil of oregano. Going to do it for a couple weeks. Seems bad bacteria could be what's causing it as my stomach pains are alleviating from doing this. Also started putting a few drops of rosemary oil in my shampoo around the same time I started. I believe its helping too but time will tell.

 

[helpmyhair]

Not to sound too personal but why did you wait 7 years to marry her?...I know you didnt. I mean typically people would wait couple of years. But if you knew you would marry her why making her wait for so long....?..I mean you dont have to reply if it's a personal thing...just wondering.

I am sure vacation will be good for you.

TBH, I've had severe anxiety all my life and it kept making me second guess myself about everything. Couple that with some depression and the thought of any commitment to being stared at by family/friends at a big wedding scared me so much. I would get anxious just going outside for a walk. My anxiety also convinced me that I wasn't sure about her even though I loved her all along. It wasn't until she left that I truly realized what I lost and that I do love her so much. But of course its too late now. And as a result my anxiety (and depression) have enter 10th gear for the last year or so. Its hell. Wish I was able to be mentally okay when I was with her and perhaps I would've followed the normal route of commitment. Others say if I didn't want to marry her while I was with her, then perhaps she wasn't the right one. In the beginning, I didnt think she was. But over time, I formed a strong love for her which I didn't realize the true extent of until she was gone. Its so hard.. I can barely deal with it.