Gasp! What? Gross!
I have been trying to go longer between washes for a while. I used to be one who would at least get my hair wet and condition every single day. I finally stopped doing that in November 2018. I got myself a shower cap and was going 2 days between washing. And it kept getting longer. I would use dry shampoo to extend my days.
In January my scalp got super flakey and dry. I picked up Neutrogena T-Gel and proceeded to wash my hair. Then the second night I would load my scalp up with oils to moisturized and then wash again the next morning. So it was every other day. That was helping a little, but not enough. It was itchy, white flakes everywhere if I scratched it. My scalp was sore. I stopped using the Neutrogena and picked up Kristen Ess’ Scalp Hair Care Collection at Target and I really liked it. The scalp and hair mask was my most favorite and I still use it. I was still washing A LOT and using oil the night before. I was wanting to moisturize my scalp to stop the dryness, which would stop the itching and the flaking.
I picked up a few items from L’Ange during their Mother’s Day sale. I was also following some of Jasmine Rae’s hair tips. I really want her long princess hair! So on Mother’s Day I did a scalp treatment and was hoping it would rejuvenate my scalp. That evening I reached up to push hair behind my ear and felt sticky. It was as if my scalp was oozing. I started to panic because it was not stopping.
**WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW**
The next morning I woke up to the entire left side of my hair matted together, still oozing, and so gross. I had Courtney take a few photos and hopped on to my insurance to find a dermatologist to call. I called and was able to be seen that day. Phew.
As soon as the doctor came in he said “seborrheic dermatitis”… I have googled it. The photos aren’t pretty and my case was not that extreme. He told me to go as long as possible without washing my hair. Apparently my scalp was not producing oil. It makes sense. No oil means dry and flaky and itchy. I was to go as long as possible, letting my hair get as gross as I could handle it. My next stop after my appointment was to Trader Joe’s to pick up the Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo.
I was able to go 22 days before my hair was needing a cleansing. Not because it was oily, but because it was stiff. I could brush my hair and it would just stick in whatever position I brushed it. I washed my hair with the shampoo (most mild shampoo of my life) and conditioned it, put in my leave in products and went on my merry way. I was also told to NEVER use dry shampoo.
The next time I washed my hair was 2 weeks later. Had we not gone camping I wouldn’t have had to wash, but the campfire smoke smell wasn’t my favorite. I am super happy to report that my hair has been getting oily! I had to was again after two weeks because my roots felt gross. That is super promising.
I don’t have flakes, itching or any redness in my scalp.
Stay tuned for my next installment of what products I use now to take care of my hair. How I style my hair, how I am able to refresh my hair (I have discovered the holy grail!) day after day.