Having an itchy scalp can sometimes be very embarrassing. Let’s say, for example, that you’re meeting someone new and you’ve put on your most fabulous outfit, you look your best, and you’ve just spent 45 minutes styling your hair to make it look perfect. Imagine that you are sitting at the dining room table across from the person who could very well be ‘the one’ and then all of a sudden you feel your scalp itch. What do you do for a living? do you scratch it? Do you try to ignore it and try to keep thinking about colorful conversations at the dinner table while feeling a burning sensation in your head that is dying to scratch? If you scratch once, it might go unnoticed, but if you keep scratching your head throughout dinner, it will most likely be noticeable, and not in a positive way.

Considering that itchy scalp is extremely common in adults (most of us experience some form of itchy scalp at some point), there is still a huge stigma around scratching an itchy scalp. Perhaps this goes back to the days when we were on the playground and having an itchy scalp made us social outcasts because it was a symptom of head lice. Fortunately, in the adult world of an itchy scalp, it usually doesn’t mean we have lice, but it can actually be indicative of a lower condition our scalp may be suffering from.

An itchy scalp can be caused by a variety of conditions, to get to the bottom of how to solve the problem, we’ll look at the two most common causes of an itchy scalp.

Seborrheic dermatitis

This is the most common reason why we have an itchy scalp. This type of dermatitis most commonly affects areas of our body where we have many sebaceous glands (those glands that produce natural oils to keep hair and skin healthy). So this type of dermatitis isn’t actually localized specifically to the scalp, but the scalp is one of those areas of the body that produces a lot of natural oils, so it’s very common to get seborrheic dermatitis there (other parts of the body that this type of dermatitis can form is around the face and torso). Seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp will cause an itchy sensation and the skin affected by the dermatitis will become flaky, red and may even cause hair loss in some people around that area. Skin that is scratched a lot around that area may flake slightly and this can contribute to dandruff. A known cause of this type of scalp dermatitis is a fungus called Malassezia Globosa. This fungus is known to grow on the scalp and produce toxic substances that can irritate and inflame the skin. The best way to treat seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp is to use a medicated antifungal shampoo that can kill the fungus that is causing the dermatitis.

Eczema

Many people experience eczema on various parts of their bodies. From feet to scalp, eczema can be prevalent anywhere. Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition that, unlike seborrheic dermatitis (which usually only affects areas where the sebaceous glands are found), eczema can appear anywhere, including on the scalp. When eczema is localized to the scalp, this can be extremely problematic for sufferers because one symptom of eczema is the continued overproduction and shedding of dead skin cells. This can cause some extremely adverse effects on appearance because people with scalp eczema can appear as if they are suffering from very bad dandruff with lots of white scaly strands all over their hair and falling over their shoulders. This gives the impression that the person is dirty, but it’s really just that their skin cells are being overproduced and shed, and it has nothing to do with their cleanliness. Modern science has yet to find the exact cause of eczema. But there are some critical factors to help people control their eczema. One of these factors is making sure that people with this condition reduce skin irritation whenever possible. People with eczema have sensitive skin, so long hot showers should not be taken, only lukewarm baths should be used. They should install a shower filter to remove irritating chemicals like chlorine and soften the water so it doesn’t irritate the skin on your scalp.

When drying off after a shower, they should also pat their hair dry, rather than excessively rubbing their skin. Also, people with eczema should avoid chlorinated pools at all costs, the chemicals in the water will irritate the skin and cause accelerated shedding.

Having an itchy scalp or excessive dandruff does not mean that a person is dirty or unhealthy, it just means that they may be suffering from treatable forms of skin conditions on the scalp. So the next time you’re at a special occasion with someone and you scratch your head a little too often. You can rest assured knowing that most adults will go through exactly what they are going through, and you don’t need to judge them for it.