You’re Not Alone. . .
So you have a problem that’s much more common than you probably think: your hair hurts. No matter what you do, the pain keeps coming back and driving you crazy.
If you have been dealing with hair/scalp pain and you’re not exactly sure why, then it’s no wonder you want to figure out why this is happening. The scalp is very sensitive compared to the rest of the body, and this is why we’re going to help you figure out why your hair hurts and what you can do to combat the pain.
Why Does Your Hair Hurt?
While your hair isn’t the actual thing that’s hurting, it’s your scalp that’s feeling pain and soreness. This discomfort can be a problem caused by many different reasons from tension from your pony tail to more serious problems, such as Fibromyalgia.
The wide spectrum of possible causes can be a bit overwhelming, which is why we decided to break it down for you and give a bit more insight on both the possible causes and solutions.
We know the frustration you’re dealing with can leave you feeling helpless and like there’s no clear answer. But hopefully you can find some useful information from us and finally cure the discomfort you’ve been dealing with.
No more wondering, “Why does my hair hurt?” We’ve got a ton of reasons to share with you on why exactly your scalp and hair aren’t feeling so well.
As we make our way through the list, please keep in mind that your discomfort may be caused by more than one of these things - rather than just one.
Hair Loss
Hair loss is a common problem that causes pain and irritation to the scalp. This is caused by anything from hormonal changes, chemotherapy, and even stress.
If you’ve noticed that you’re going through hair loss or are losing more hair than usual, it’s very important to see your doctor in order to determine whether or not it can be a serious illness.
Is hair loss the reason why your scalp is in pain? Great ways to combat hair loss include scalp massages with essential oils (coconut oil and egg oil are also great), juice made from either garlic, onion or ginger, applying green tea to the hair and more.
Fungal Infection
Yes, it sounds nasty, but it’s actually not that uncommon for someone to experience a fungal infection on their scalp at some point in their lives. Symptoms of scalp infection (aka ringworm) that you shouldn’t ignore include a circular rash, loss of hair, redness, crusting and swelling.
To help reduce the chances of your scalp being exposed to ringworm, take precautions such as not sharing hats or brushes with other people. Curing ringworm typically involves your doctor prescribing you with some medication as well as suggesting that you use a medicated shampoo.
When choosing shampoo to help fight off your ringworm, make sure that it contains the powerful anti-fungal chemical ketoconazole. It might sound weird, but it is highly recommended that you apply the shampoo to your whole body to ensure that you rid all of the fungi from your body.
Headaches
Headaches happen for all sorts of reasons that include stress, dehydration, depression, teeth grinding and so much more. The best way to keep headaches out of your life are to maintain a healthy diet, keep hydrated, get good rest as well as keep stress levels at a minimum.
Believe it or not, headaches (be it a tension headache or a migraine) are a very common cause for any kind of scalp pain people experience. When you have a headache, the muscles of your scalp contract and can cause pain.
Any ongoing and reoccurring headaches that seem to happen for no reason should be evaluated by your doctor.
Fibromyalgia
Every year, millions of people in the US are diagnosed with a condition called Fibromyalgia. This is when someone experiences muscle pain and tenderness throughout their body that can’t seem to be cured.
The most common places this pain will happen include the abdomen, back, and neck. Treatments of Fibromyalgia are regular exercise, management of stress, relaxation (through meditation, yoga, etc.), prescribed medications and a healthy diet.
In order to be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, you’ll need to be evaluated by your doctor. If you’re already diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, then you may want to look into some more ways to help improve your condition.
Your Hairstyle
For many people, styling their hair up in a pony tail or in braids is routine. Something as simple as your hair being pulled up too tight, whether it’s tied or styled up, can be the cause of your discomfort.
Not only is having your hair tied up too tight going to cause pain for your scalp, it’s a known fact that over time it can cause hair loss. If you adore your lovely locks, then keep in mind to keep hair tied or braided loosely rather than tight.
It would also be smart to limit how much you wear your hair in a pony tail to minimize the tension on your scalp.
Head Lice
Every year, more than 6 million U.S. citizens are diagnosed with head lice. While most of the diagnosed are children, it’s possible for adults to get head lice too.
Symptoms of head lice are an itchy scalp, small red bumps on the scalp, shoulders and neck, difficulty sleeping as well as physical signs of lice and lice eggs. It’s possible to have lice and not even know it, so make sure you get evaluated to rule out this possibility.
Treating lice to reduce scalp pain is done with many different remedies that include tea tree oil, olive oil, combing, essential oils, lice killing shampoo (available OTC), vinegar and more.
Greasy Roots
It’s so simple it hurts, but having hair that is too dirty or too greasy is arguably the most common reason you’ll feel pain and discomfort on your scalp.
Do you have the habit of tying your hair back when it starts to get a little greasy? Both greasy hair and the tension of your hair create the perfect environment to irritate your hair follicles nerve endings.
Style greasy hair in loose ponytails or braids and don’t let your hair build up too much grease either.
Dandruff
Dandruff is one of those things that every person has to deal with in life. While it can range anywhere from mild to moderate, sometimes dandruff can get so bad that your scalp ends up in legitimate pain.
If your scalp is red, itchy and scaling skin, you’ve got a case of dandruff. Some of the most common causes of dandruff are a skin problem (such as psoriasis) or a negative reaction to a product you used recently.
To help ease dandruff naturally we suggest you use tea tree oil, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, lemon juice, aloe vera and olive oil. There are a ton of step by step remedies including these ingredients available online.
Your Shampoo
Believe it or not, your shampoo may very well be the culprit to your scalp pain. There are a lot of chemicals used in shampoos, and some of them happen to be more likely to give you an allergic reaction, giving you all sorts of undesirable symptoms.
Shampoos that use triethanolamine, fragrances, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, as well as many other sulfates, are scientifically known to be skin irritants. Things like scalp rashes, acne or even boils can occur as a negative reaction to these chemicals.
When choosing a shampoo, it will be more than worth it to choose more expensive shampoos that are either “residue free” or free of harmful chemicals. Some good shampoos you should look at include argan oil shampoo, Ginesis Healthy Hair shampoo, NaturOil Soap Nut shampoo and a DIY apple cider vinegar shampoo.
Anxiety
Stress and anxiety naturally cause our bodies to start restricting blood flow ever so slightly to areas like the tips of our fingers or our scalp. This slight change can make your scalp react by becoming inflamed or itchy.
While scalp pain caused by anxiety might feel freaky, it’s best to find the best way for you to relax and try to forget about what was bothering you. If anxiety seems to be a problem affecting your everyday life, make sure to seek help on how to deal with it.
Anxiety is something most will deal with at one point or another, so don’t be too alarmed when you realize your scalp becomes a bit tingly and irritated during a stressful time.
What are Some Effective Ways to Prevent Hair and Scalp Pains?
Many of the things we went over in our reasons why your hair hurts have some great ways to ease and relieve the pain and discomfort you feel. However, this is the time we’ll take to either introduce to you several ways you can prevent scalp pain from occurring in the future.
Try Your Best to NOT Scratch
We know, it’s really hard to not scratch and itch, but it’s really important to follow this rule. Scratching your scalp not only worsens the condition, but gives the opportunity to introduce harmful bacteria and infection to your (already vulnerable) scalp.
Clean Your Scalp, but not TOO Often
It’s important to make sure your hair and scalp are clean, but it’s important to give your hair a break. Many dermatologists actually recommend that you wash your hair every other day or every two days, rather than every day, to let the natural hair oils nurture your scalp.
On the other hand, allowing your scalp to become too dirty or greasy will be the culprit to your scalp discomfort. Washing your hair 2-3 times per week will be more than enough to prevent too much build-up.
Brush Hair on a Regular Basis
Brushing your hair is a great way to promote natural oil production and also aids in the distribution of these healthy oils. Not only that, but you’ll get better scalp circulation that will help reduce any itchy-ness you encounter.
Opt for Natural and Organic Products
Shampoos and hair products that are natural and/or organic are much better for you. Being free of harmful chemicals, these products will be great for maintaining your hair without the sulfates.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle and Diet
Many of the health problems we face are caused by these major things: lifestyle and diet. Make sure you are active enough throughout the day, and also don’t forget to eat a well-balanced diet.
Choose to eat more produce than foods that are processed and manufactured. It is essential that the foods you eat provide your body with the proper nutrition to function optimally.
Stay Hydrated!
Drinking enough water is one of the most important things you should do. Make sure you don’t over-do it because there is such a thing as drinking too much water.
Make Sure You’re Getting the Vitamins and Nutrients You NEED
Some of the most common vitamin and nutrient deficiencies people face in the U.S. include vitamin D, B12, E, omega-3s and 6s, iodine and more. It might be appropriate for you to start taking supplements in order to get all the nutrients you need.
The human body is a miracle and with the proper nutrition, you can watch many health problems go away - especially that painful scalp.
The Final Say
At the end of the day, nobody wants to deal with ongoing scalp pain and irritation. This is why we wanted to help identify and combat the problem.
What do you believe the reason your hair and scalp feel discomfort? Was it something you were completely unaware of?
All too often people want to help relieve, cure and prevent their scalp pain but just don’t know how. Use the information we gave you as well as our prevention methods to help keep scalp pain far and away.
We really hope you found this article to be useful. If you have any experience with successful methods that we haven’t mentioned, please share them in the comments below!
