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I've noticed a major difference in the amount of hair I shed when I make it a point to not scratch itches. Not a small amount either. In fact, unless I am mistaken as to the cause, I think this also leads to a lot less tangles, and makes my hair a bit more silky too. Please call me out if you think I'm insane :)
Regardless, I'm wondering what tricks or things you do to keep your hands away from your hair?
JeffL
the more your hair moves, and the more it rubs off of objects (such as clothes,pillows etc) the more tangles you'll get.the purpose of combing and fingercombing is to remove tangles.So, the more you keep your hands away from your head,the more tangles you'll get :P
you probably have itches because there is residue on your scalp...I remember you said you don't use shampoo...it might not be a bad idea to shampoo once in a while to stop the itching
for me...it's simple..I don't keep my hands away from my hair lol..I can't anyway...it's too irresistable for me to not run my fingers through my hair...it's one of the simple joys of having long hair :)
what I do is shampoo every week and condition daily ;)
where it says "it's too irresistable for me to not..." should be
"it's too irresistable for me to run my..."
lol, okay guys :)
JeffL
If you have an itch, try not to let your fingernails do the scratching. Instead, massage with only the skin of your fingers. Much less abrasive this way.
Well, I simply go ahead and scratch, --- regardless of wherever it is I itch! I'm not trying to be funny or silly here: I'm just saying that it's pretty normal to scratch when itchy. As far as shedding hair goes... if the hair was about to shed anyway, then what's so bad about that? You may want to check out Bill Choisser's, "On Being A Longhair" in the Links section, --- a lot of helpful info about hair's natural growth process in there (including the natural shedding process).
Something I personally swear by is dry-brushing my hair. By "dry-brushing", I simply mean I never use a brush on my hair when it is still wet or even damp (hair is weakest then). Brushing stimulates the scalp, helps distribute the hair's natural oils down the hair shaft, AND relieves itching as well. I went into more detail on this topic in responding to someone else further on down the page...
Not everyone may agree with me on this dry-brushing topic (very curly-haired people, for example, have often voiced their difficulties in doing this); but at age 53, and with hair that is now touching the top of my belt. I guess I must be doing SOMEthing right!
Besides regular morning and/or evening dry-brushing, I shampoo about twice a week, --- using the typical "wash - rinse - repeat" directions found on most shampoo bottles. And i VIGOROUSLY massage my scalp whenever I lather my hair, --- which also helps relieve itching. Just make sure you generously rinse and condition well. Yes, you will shed a lot of hairs; but shedding IS part of the natural process of hair growth. Eventually those shed hairs will replace themselves, --- unless your genetics make you prone to MPB (which is another topic entirely).
Hope this helps!
- Ken in San Francisco
Aye, it's pretty much a reflex because it's a very ingrained habit.
I think some experimenting is in order.
JeffL
justin is right about scratching. also use the backs of your hands and palms as much as possible when you need to move things around or flip it out. I'm not so sure I agree with the vigorous scalp rubbing while shampooing. I rely on the shampoo to lift out foreign particles so they can be rinsed away, so I mostly gently agitate with my palms.
You need to use a good shampoo, furthermore, you should consider using Nizoral shampoo twice per week. The active ingredient in Nizoral is "KETOCONAZOLE" which is an anti-fungal. Nizoral is very effective at controlling various scalp conditions. You might also consider Neutrogena T-Gel, or Denorex. Either way, it sounds like you may have Seborrheic Dermatitis and using any of these shampoos twice per week will almost certainly help you. Personally, I like Denorex and the FDA has declared these coal tar based shampoos safe to use. Only the state of Califorinia requires warning lables on coal tar shampoos. Keep in mind that Nizoral is not a coal tar shampoo. I should also mention that seborrheic dermatitus may also go hand in hand with some other more permanent scalp conditions. It would be nice to see a picture of your hair from the top since you mentioned that you were shedding excessively at times.