Terrible itching and some questions after 9 months of dreads...

Hi There!First of all - i'm so glad to have found this page! I've been getting most of my info from dreadheadhq and knotty boy pages so far, which never really helped much...Well i spent the last couple hours browsing the forums and found some very helpful info but i figured i'd share some of my dread experience so far and i was also hoping to get some advice!Well, i've had dreads for just over 9 months, i used the backcombing/palmrolling to help them form. And well, the biggest issue i've been having is just absolutely terrible itching, pretty much non-stop from the beginning of my dread experience. The first few weeks i figured it's normal. I was using the knottyboy shampoo. After a couple months of washing twice a week i tried changing washing routines, i tried washing nearly every day, then i tried washing once a week, but i felt no difference. I switched to the dreadheadHQ shampoo, which i still use now, but i also feel no difference whatsoever. I love my dreads and i'm pretty persistent, but the constant itching, especially in hot weather is driving me absolutely nuts. At the beginning i had some dandruff for a while - that went away pretty quickly, but the itching never stopped. Sometimes i have to scratch so bad, i make my scalp bleed. I'm quite positive there's no bugs or mold or anything though.Another issue (though maybe it's supposed to be like that?) is that my dreads are just very stiff. If i grab it at the root and point it up it'll just stick straight out. I've sort of gotten used to it by now, but it can actually be painful sometimes if i try to put my dreads up or just style them in any different way. It starts really pulling me at the roots and hurting (even though all my roots seem to have plenty of wiggle room). I've read somewhere that this may have been due to constant palm rolling (i have been rolling the dreads pretty much nonstop, but after reading that a few weeks ago i stopped, though my dreads are still all pretty stiff.I was also going to ask about loose hair and fuzz issues and such (they get frustrating at times) but after going through numerous answers about lose hairs i feel pretty reassured that everything's fine with my dreads So really, i'd mostly love to get some advice on what to do about the itching. I saw people suggest something with baking soda and vinegar but i wasn't able to find clear recipes/proportions? Also, as an added difficulty i currently live in Vietnam, where to be honest, i have absolutely no idea where i'd even start to look for specialty items like special oils or such if necessary. Baking soda / vinegar should be easy to get, but is that all i'd need?and just one last thing - after finding this page, i feel i've been using all the wrong advice from dreadheadhq and some other pages - so, actually - should i continue to palm roll my dreads from time to time? Should i still rub the roots to keep them in order? how about thumb-rolling the tips?Sorry this is pretty long, but i appreciate any advice and big thanks for being a great resource about dreads matt
updated by @matt4: 01/13/15 08:39:43PM

stop using that soap it causes itchingare u absolutely sure no bugs? have someone check uany crusty stuff comming off your scalp when u scratch?ok the oils im sure u can find there but if needed order online but i believe they use alot of herbal medicines there so local appothocaries probably might have em? not sureand the recipie is adaptive u want basicly a spoonful of baking soda per cup of water and a couple to a few drops of teeatree rosemary (optional pepermint and for stiffness jojoba)did u use wax? wax im sure would be the reason they are stiff remove wax wax is evil and no dont roll or rub or twist or do anything but seperatedid u use wax? if so ttop priority should be removing waxoh rioght also use cold cold water when u wash they will help the itches tpootip if u do have bugs teatree on the scalp will stop them from bitting for a couple hoursbut wont get rid of em alcahol will kill em dead but u gotta repeat it every 3 daysneem seeed oil also is great


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Thanks a bunch!yeah, i do get some crusty stuff coming off the scalp sometimes. Luckily never used wax. As for the bugs, i'm kind of creeped out now at even the thought of that possibility. But no, i highly doubt it. I play with my hair way too much and i just started inspecting it again, i would notice something if i had bugs. i will have sb else check it for me just in case, but i'm quite positive there's no bugs.Do you think that baking soda + water mix alone would do anything, until i can locate some of the other oils? i have no ideas what the vietnamese names of all of those would be, so i'll have to do some research first. btw - i just saw big aloe leaves for sale near my place today, do you think adding aloe to that mix could be a good idea?Thanks much again! soaringeagle said:

stop using that soap it causes itching
are u absolutely sure no bugs? have someone check u any crusty stuff comming off your scalp when u scratch?ok the oils im sure u can find there but if needed order online but i believe they use alot of herbal medicines there so local appothocaries probably might have em? not sureand the recipie is adaptive u want basicly a spoonful of baking soda per cup of water and a couple to a few drops of teeatree rosemary (optional pepermint and for stiffness jojoba)did u use wax? wax im sure would be the reason they are stiff remove wax wax is evil and no dont roll or rub or twist or do anything but seperatedid u use wax? if so ttop priority should be removing waxoh rioght also use cold cold water when u wash they will help the itches tpootip if u do have bugs teatree on the scalp will stop them from bitting for a couple hoursbut wont get rid of em alcahol will kill em dead but u gotta repeat it every 3 daysneem seeed oil also is great

usually you wanna follow up the baking soda wash with something acidic (apple cider vinegar, or lemon ect) to counter the ph of it (which could make itching worse over time)I'd highly recommend trying it coming off that soap, or trying the Dr B peppermint or lavender,if you can find tea tree that'd be awesome to add to any soap you try.aloe vera is good for your hair, but it is conditioning so unless your using it to slick back hairs it's probably not all that great of an idea.the stiffness is something that happened to me to (plus i used a ton of wax) now after switching cleanses my new growth isn't at all stick-stiff like it was months ago, it still does it but I'm seeing a really good improvement overall.oh yeah and bugs won't be an issue, you'll know when you get them, but by taking good care of your hair, you'll hopefully never have an issue with them, even SE's forest of locks didn't have to worry about them until he ran outta tea tree, and I have to agree that stuff is so versatile in uses it's great to have.anyway so you should still try the baking soda, as for proportions just mix it in with alot of water and take care of the clumps and use it and let it work for a little while and rinse, you'll probably be able to scrape anything that had been accumulating on your scalp if it's really bad.umm did I hit all your questions? theres a few

Thanks a bunch for all advice. I picked up all the ingredients today and ironically the cold water was the most challenging one hehe - when it gets hot in hanoi, even cold water in the tap comes out pretty hot.My hair feels good after the wash and i truly hope the itching goes away now! btw - it probably doesnt matter so much, but should i wash with the baking soda twice, and then follow with the vinegar mix? or just once with the soda and once with acv?thanks!

whatever u want or just soak longeri just do 1


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Add peppermint essential oil to your baking soda wash and rinse with cold water....sweet relief brother....the peppermint is a remedy for scalp issues and the menthol in it makes your head feel AMAZING and the actual cooling effect lasts about an hour and the health benefits are long term. The cold water keeps flakies away too combined together its heaven for your scalp.

Thanks a bunch,i will certainly try the peppermint and rosemary, though i'm slowly losing hope. So far, sadly, switching to baking soda+tea tree oil and acv with cold water didn't help much in terms of itching. I've started to wash every other day (used to wash 1/2 times a wk) hoping it'd help but really, it just doesn't stop itching. it itches all the time, even as i'm washing it and right after washing and just all the time... i dont know what the heck im doing wrong... Would it be really bad if i just got some head and shoulders or such and used it a few times?

It won't help any. Sure, you'd be getting an anti-itch ingredient, but you'd also have to deal with the SLS and the SLES which isn't going to help the itching any. It'll only increase oil production and possibly make the itching worse. Just give the baking soda wash some time. It can take up to 6 weeks for your scalp to adjust to a new wash routine. I say take it back to once or twice a week and stick with the baking soda and acv combo. Matt said:

Thanks a bunch,
i will certainly try the peppermint and rosemary, though i'm slowly losing hope. So far, sadly, switching to baking soda+tea tree oil and acv with cold water didn't help much in terms of itching. I've started to wash every other day (used to wash 1/2 times a wk) hoping it'd help but really, it just doesn't stop itching. it itches all the time, even as i'm washing it and right after washing and just all the time... i dont know what the heck im doing wrong... Would it be really bad if i just got some head and shoulders or such and used it a few times?