The dreaded itch, which I cant seem to defeat.

So, since this itch/scalp inflammation started around 10 years ago, nothing has gotten rid of it. Some things have helped, most havent. It still persists. Can anyone shine a light on what I could possibly do to get rid of it. I went to a dermatologist many moons ago and he said it was seb dermatitis, and have me some stuff which didnt work.

Considering a lot of people with MPB have this itch, it makes me think it's just a part of the balding process. But maybe I'm wrong. It is only in the areas I am losing hair - not the sides.


Things that make it worse..
- Any liquid put on my scalp makes it itch more. After showering is the worst.
- Moving my hair with my hands
- Wearing a hat
- Summer heat/humidity
- Sugar
- Masturbation
- Stress (sometimes when i get angry I can feel a non itchy tingling in my scalp)

Things that help it slightly but not efficient enough to give any lasting effect
- Finasteride - I take 1.25mg. It reduces it a little. Am thinking maybe taking Dut (i know this isnt the crowd for this approach, but Im desperate).
- Dermarolling - doing it intensely till I bleed is the only thing that gives me a compete respite. Lightly doing it gives me just a little respite.
- Certain shampoos - Selsun Blue, Head and Shoulders, Nizoral calm it a little. Not a lot. I shampoo every day (maybe overkill, but hair greasiness makes it worse)
- Massaging/pinching - Im not great with keeping this regularly but it does calm it a little. It hurts like hell to do it so it makes me think im just making things worse in the long run.
- Keeping scalp dry - I use Cetrizine and talcum powder topically. They help a little.
- Zix (zinc and b3) - not strong enough but maybe helped a little
- Bee venom - stopped this but maybe was helpful
- Brushing with a boar bristle brush - gives me a few minutes of calmness.

Things I take which arent doing anytjing to calm it
- Magnesium Glycinate
- Omega 3
- Oil of Oregano
- Vit d3 with Vit K2
- NAC
- Glutamine
- L Reuteri yogurt (strain that is meant to help with inflammation and hair loss)
- topical ACV
- topical finasteride (stopped since doing internal fin)



Im not going to list the things ive tried which havent proved fruitful as it's just too long. I think ive tried everything that anyone anywhere has recommended on line (even weird stuff like lard!).

Should I be going back to the dermatologist or is this just the frustrating part of losing hair? It drives me crazy. Im thinking of getting a hair transplant but the itch will still be there and will continue to torment me. The fact that any liquid on my scalp makes it a lot worse makes me think it cant just be mpb, but im at a loss.

I used to take thyroid meds (armour) but that didnt help either. Ive done gf diets, no sugar diets, no dairy diets. Nothing has done much. Sugar def makes it worse so perhaps it could be yeast related but ive taken anti candida stuff in the past.

If anyone can help I would be eternally grateful. 10 years is just too long to have to deal with this on a daily basis!

Sugar is definitely a major factor. I remember eating a pack of lollies and my scalp itch going crazy a few years ago.

Interestingly, I noticed that when I attempted a 3 day water fast, after the two day mark the itch was completely gone. no matter how hard I rubbed my scalp, it felt completely normal.

Perhaps try to really focuson cleaning your diet. Your post does not say whether you eat healthily consistently


Also for me when I take nizoral shampoo, the itch is gone the next day and half. But if I eat sugar rich foods, then I'll still feelit.

Thanks for your response. I have tried all kinds of restricted diets in the past and nothing got rid of it.

At the moment, I very rarely eat sugar. I do have carbs though - am looking into resuming a low carb diet soon but right now it's difficult. I do enjoy the occasional alcoholic drink so some sugar is coming from that I suppose.

Interesting that your water fast had that effect. I guess most inflammation does indeed originate from the stomach.

Many months ago, mentioned I helped someone with severe seb dermatitis. Used many topicals. What worked was listerine original. Place on scalp. Moments later it lifts right off of scalp if you rub it off. 100% of it. Interesting phenomenon.

They had help and used kleenex dipped in listerine to rub the seb derm off each time it came back. Then shower. But I’m sure you can go in shower, listerine. Leave on a minute then use a boar bristle brush or similar method.

Probably best to not have wet hair but blow dry right away. Also, certain shampoo an$ conditioners definetely make seb derm worse.

Sounds like a histamine problem (all too common today). Probably indicates need of gut repair, so most of those things listed will do very little.

Jdp710 wrote:Many months ago, mentioned I helped someone with severe seb dermatitis.  Used many topicals.  What worked was listerine original.  

Thanks, I might well try that!

CausticSymmetry wrote:Sounds like a histamine problem (all too common today). Probably indicates need of gut repair, so most of those things listed will do very little.

I have considered the histamine issue, especially as my sibling has reported he has histamine issues (for him it shows up as brain fog). But the topical cetrizine hasnt done much at all to help. Should I start to take internally as well? I am taking probiotics and oil of oregano. Anything else that I should be doing to help the gut repair? I used to take colostrum so perhaps I should get back on that again.

There are several levels deep on treating it. Using a pharmaceutical approach will never work.

Couldn't really summarize the treatment, because it is highly individual. For example, some people have SNP's related sensitivity, N-metyltransferase (HNMT) which is responsible for inactivating histamine and/or diamine oxidase (DAO).

Then there is iron metabolism, methylation and copper transport regulation. All of these factors can play a role in addition to diet.

Yeah, you can do a search on google or youtube. At first, it was applied to scalp, then rinsed off. This is how many people say to use it. However, when we tried it, it did not work. Later, upon experimenting more, the key to listerine working was it lifts the seb derm.from the scalp after a minute or so. Then just need a little mechanical action to remove it. A little brushing scalp with Boar bristle brush in shower should do it. Then shampoo well after

Here is a quote from google “It sounds strange now, but from the 1930s to the 1950s, Listerine was marketed (very aggressively!) as a cure for dandruff.

There are still many fans who swear by it today, saying that it helps clear seborrheic dermatitis, soothes an inflamed and itchy scalp and leaves the scalp feeling healthier in general – all of which, of course, promote hair health too.”

Great, thanks guys. Im going to try the listerine and also look at low histamine diet (and start taking cet internally). I've been looking at trialling topical Cayenne pepper too.

Forgot to mention ive been taking lactoferrin topically which helps a little.

IMO I think DHT is the underlying culprit for increased itching. I read a few studies where it was found that DHT receptors were found to be upregulated in sweat and sebaceous glands. Im taking a guess that this moist and lipid rich environment would lead to rapid proliferation of fungi / p. acnes. These kinds of infections are commonly associated with itching.

Myself, I only experienced this itch if I went a week or two without washing scalp, other than that, it was largely an inflamed tender sensation I’d experience.

Does the itch lead to hair loss? I have a cousin experiencing these precise symptoms; she says the unbearable itching has caused her to continually scratch her scalp, which has caused traction alopecia. I have zero doubts that continuous combing of temples - for years - also played a role in causing them to prematurely recede.

Like scratching, the teeth of the comb induce a pulling affect (traction), which pulls hair out. I don’t know exactly why, but this continued pull seems to eventually cause follicles to permanently enter resting phase. it’s very common in people who wear tight hairstyles - braids, pony tails, etc. Perhaps this tension leads to capillary vasoconstriction and hypoxia? ...anyone’s guess.

I know this is a natural forum, and I am not endorsing the use of finasteride. Believe me I’d have preferred the natural route, it’s just that fin has made my scalp impervious to inflammation, so I think DHT plays many a role in the onset of hair loss, including reducing stem cell conversion into progenitor cells.

The only thing I find useful is one of those wooden-bristled hair brushes. Brush vigorously for a few minutes, as often as practical

Xenon wrote:IMO I think DHT is the underlying culprit for increased itching. I read a few studies where it was found that DHT receptors were found to be upregulated in sweat and sebaceous glands. Im taking a guess that this moist and lipid rich environment would lead to rapid proliferation of fungi / p. acnes. These kinds of infections are commonly associated with itching.

Myself, I only experienced this itch if I went a week or two without washing scalp, other than that, it was largely an inflamed tender sensation I’d experience.

Does the itch lead to hair loss? I have a cousin experiencing these precise symptoms; she says the unbearable itching has caused her to continually scratch her scalp, which has caused traction alopecia. I have zero doubts that continuous combing of temples - for years - also played a role in causing them to prematurely recede.

Like scratching, the teeth of the comb induce a pulling affect (traction), which pulls hair out. I don’t know exactly why, but this continued pull seems to eventually cause follicles to permanently enter resting phase. it’s very common in people who wear tight hairstyles - braids, pony tails, etc. Perhaps this tension leads to capillary vasoconstriction and hypoxia? ...anyone’s guess.

I know this is a natural forum, and I am not endorsing the use of finasteride. Believe me I’d have preferred the natural route, it’s just that fin has made my scalp impervious to inflammation, so I think DHT plays many a role in the onset of hair loss, including reducing stem cell conversion into progenitor cells.

Did you stop the itch on your protocol?

Cat with a hat, I used to post here very extensively, but after almost 20 years of research I decided to throw in towel and opt for FUE transplant. I could have continued, but felt like I didn’t have time on my side anymore (I’m 40 now, so I guess you can see my point). Management of condition + very slow / sparse regrowth was no longer enough. Had I have known what was causing it back in the day, I’m confident I wouldn’t have receded at all.

To answer your question, I only suffered the itching if I went a week or two without washing scalp. This would then become a prickly, stinging sensation (inflammation).This sensation was like when you get itchy toes due to sweating lots, then it starts to sting. Again - moisture / dead skin / lipids (sebum) become a perfect feeding / breeding environment for fungus and bacteria.

One of the fungi strains that seem to infest balding skin is tinea versicolor; this particular fungus leaves patches of paler looking skin due to a bleaching agent it secretes. If you look close at your bald areas (where itch is), you might be able to see this.

As mentioned, it’s likely that DHT is the underlying culprit for fungal and bacterial overgrowth - due to causing sebaceous and sweat glands to become overactive.

The best shampoo for this, I found, was Nizoral, but this doesn’t deal with the underlying issue per se, it’s just an excellent fungal killer that will vastly reduce the itch and subsequent inflammation.

Again - not endorsing the use of Fin, but point being, since DHT has lowered, inflammation is non existent. Perhaps, over time, reduction of the hormone also reduces overactivity in sweat and sebaceous glands?

ETA: pillows and hats, if not washed regularly, can massively impact fungal and bacterial growth. I posted studies on this in the past.

Xenon wrote:Cat with a hat, I used to post here very extensively, but after almost 20 years of research I decided to throw in towel and opt for FUE transplant. I could have continued, but felt like I didn’t have time on my side anymore (I’m 40 now, so I guess you can see my point). Management of condition + very slow / sparse regrowth was no longer enough. Had I have known what was causing it back in the day, I’m confident I wouldn’t have receded at all.

To answer your question, I only suffered the itching if I went a week or two without washing scalp. This would then become a prickly, stinging sensation (inflammation).This sensation was like when you get itchy toes due to sweating lots, then it starts to sting. Again - moisture / dead skin / lipids (sebum) become a perfect feeding / breeding environment for fungus and bacteria.

One of the fungi strains that seem to infest balding skin is tinea versicolor; this particular fungus leaves patches of paler looking skin due to a bleaching agent it secretes. If you look close at your bald areas (where itch is), you might be able to see this.

As mentioned, it’s likely that DHT is the underlying culprit for fungal and bacterial overgrowth - due to causing sebaceous and sweat glands to become overactive.

The best shampoo for this, I found, was Nizoral, but this doesn’t deal with the underlying issue per se, it’s just an excellent fungal killer that will vastly reduce the itch and subsequent inflammation.

Again - not endorsing the use of Fin, but point being, since DHT has lowered, inflammation is non existent. Perhaps, over time, reduction of the hormone also reduces overactivity in sweat and sebaceous glands?

ETA: pillows and hats, if not washed regularly, can massively impact fungal and bacterial growth. I posted studies on this in the past.

On the bright side, you've probably learned a lot about your health. Fasting and calorie restriction do help with increasing SHBG, also reduce inflammation.

Yes, cat, I guess I did. As for fasting, intermittent is prob OK, however, from my own experience (I’ve mentioned this many times here on the boards), around early 2010 I went on a prolonged food fast for 4 weeks, towards the end I suffered immense scalp inflammation and subsequent shedding (possibly the most rapid intense episode). This was all over the galea, but the most affected area was the front.

What I vividly recall - during the fast - was the amount of sebum my skin was excreting. I’d literally wake up and my pillow had absorbed so much of it, it was like someone had poured cooking oil all over my head and face. Why did this lead to such severe and rapid hair loss? I’m not entirely sure. Perhaps increased fungus due to so much sebum? I honestly don’t have a definite answer, I just know that fasting too long certainly made it 10x worse.

There was a guy in here (forget who), but he had anorexia, and he reported the same things. Hair loss - as you’re prob aware - seems to affect many anorexics too.

But anyway, when I started eating normally again, I noticed something very strange - my hair began to recover, and grew to the thickest and healthiest it had ever been (for a brief period). It was only the frontal area that remained adversely affected, and never completely recovered.