how do i get rid of soap residue on my scalp

[mulch]

good morning everyone,
i have african american hair
so i do not wash my hair everyday instead i do it once a week
i read a post about how most shampoos are not good for your hair and i decided to just rinse my hair with rosemary water and regular tap water. i oil it with coconut oil
i was wondering how to get rid of my residue/dandruff from the shampoo/conditioner
thanks

[CaliRaw]

Have you tried doing an ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinse? For example, a one quart container filled with 4 oz of ACV and 28 oz of water? I use ACV (Braggs raw organic with the 'mother') to clarify my hair, rather than using harsh shampoo/conditioners to clarify. It's really good for sealing the cuticle and decreasing dryness too.

[mulch]

thanks, i will try this

[queenfluff]

You are saying you have flakes on your scalp? Your post is a little broken - missing words.

If you used shampoo or conditioners with silicones in it, you have a lot of build up to get rid of.

Plus, there is an adjustment phases when going off shampoo. Also don't mistake sebum for buildup. Sebum is a waxy substance produced by your body to protect your hair. It is supposed to be there.

To remove build up, try a sea salt rinse or white vinegar. ACV is more of a
"conditioning" rinse.
You need to dilute these. They can be very drying.

Sea salt rinse: 1 tablespoon sea salt/ 1 cup warm water

White vinegar: 1 tablespoon vinegar/ 2 cup warm water.

Increase the salt/vinegar dependant on how much oil or build up you have. Start with a lower concentratation and if that doesn't seem to do anything than increase it. Never use full strength.

[solarliving]

Lemon juice mixed with water in a cup. Pour on scalp evenly, massage in and rinse. ACV is good too.

[mulch]

sorry about my broken words
he he

i used to suffer from bad dandruff but used dandruff shampoos to take care of it. unless i use the shampoo every week, i have dandruff.

i have stopped using the shampoo for the last couple of weeks and the flakes and dandruff are out of control. i also read that shampoos leave a residue on the scalp and maybe my dandruff is a result of the shampoo residue. i can scrape off some residue stuff off of my scalp when it is wet.
i didn't think that was normal so i decided to post my question here.

thanks everyone for your help

[CaliRaw]

I wonder if it's some type of detox going on?

[queenfluff]

It is normal to have a little bit of flakey skin come off your scalp. Don't forget too that scalp is skin so it shed dead skin cells too. Dandruff is an a lot of the cells but they may not shed off unnoticed and stick to the scalp because they mix with the sebum. (and since you are going off of shampoo - you sebum production is starting to balance out - it will take a while before that process is completed)

My guess is that since you used a dandruff shampoo before ?(and those are medicated so they defintley have some serious chemicals going on)

The medication in the dandruff shampoo kept your dandruff away. In place of the shampoo doing the job, you will need to use your finger tips or a fine tooth comb to get the dandruff off.


Do a scalp massage before you rinse your hair. (*you can use your finger tips or an electric one) This will loosen up some of the dead skin and than do a thorough comb though with a fine tooth comb to try to get out any skin that has come loose than do your rinse. Oh, if you can, get a shower head with a massage or pulsating setting on it - this will help clean off your scalp and loosen dead skin off too. When you do your rinse, make sure you get your whole scalp cleaned (you can massage the scalp in the shower again too).

I never had any dandruff but I use a massage shower head and since the water comes out harder I can feel it on my scalp and I know it gets it cleaner than using the fine spray (feels great too!)

When scalp gets through normalizing off of shampoo, I will bet your dandruff will disappear too. It will just take a bit - it won't happen overnight.

Aloe vera and tea tree oil are two supposed natural remedies for dandruff. Maybe try making a rinse of out them (tea tree is strong full strength so make sure you dilute it.) ?

Either way use the comb and scalp massages to get off the dead skin. Rinse hair as often as you can will water to rinse out the flakes. Once a week, isn't going to cut it if you have dandruff - try for at every other day until the dandruff is gone.

[juliebove]

My daughter sometimes has flakes on her scalp. Sometimes it's from a food allergy. Other times it is dried shampoo because she didn't rinse well enough. I have her shampoo every other day and prior to shampooing I have her massage some baking soda into her scalp to soak up the excess oil she seems to get at the roots. It also seems to take care of the flaking. She does use shampoo most of the time but sometimes she uses a bar of coconut oil and lavender soap instead.

[luckitri]

Hmmm . . . I used to see African-Americans with the flake problem many years ago before properly designed cosmetics for that hair type were being widely marketed.

I have also seen older Caucasian females have a condition of flaky cheesy cradle crap type scalp - sometimes it stinks really badly and does not scrub off. Sometimes it is so thick that there is open sores under and their scalp bleeds really easily. I have seen it associated with diabetes and arthritis and do not know if the doctors even recognise it as a symptom. It is horrible if their hair is thin (usually is) and you can see the thick cradle crap and the blood spots.

I do not have these problems at this point in time but am really wondering what can be done about them. I want to try the soap-nuts on Newstarget and make a shampoo out of them for me and my dog. (LOL) (She reacts badly to all kinds of soaps just as I do.)

[lavendarJ]

sorry about my broken words
he he

i used to suffer from bad dandruff but used dandruff shampoos to take care of it. unless i use the shampoo every week, i have dandruff.

i have stopped using the shampoo for the last couple of weeks and the flakes and dandruff are out of control. i also read that shampoos leave a residue on the scalp and maybe my dandruff is a result of the shampoo residue. i can scrape off some residue stuff off of my scalp when it is wet.
i didn't think that was normal so i decided to post my question here.

thanks everyone for your help

I'm guessing that you are a black woman with black hair since you used african american hair as your description...if i'm wrong...sorry:)

Are you wearing your hair relaxed? That's my first question. I'm a Black woman with Black hair...so currently it is relaxed (relaxed it under the pressure of family last year, miss my light and fluffy twists but I'm digressing). Now, I think that for most Black women, wearing our hair relaxed naturally dries the scalp and removes our natural oils. That's why we have to use a little oil on the scalp or a a spray of oil sheen. I know that if your hair is relaxed then you will have to be careful what you try because there could be a chemical reaction to whateer it is and the relaxer chemical...even with natural ingredients. A lot of times, that will increase a flaky, dry scalp which all woman can have...but with Black hair that has been relaxed, the scalp is dry. Right now, I still use a regular shampoo and conditioner; there are a ton of them out there and there are even some that are more "natural-like" meaning not as much junk listed on the ingredient list. I think if you can find a good "natural" shampoo and conditioner then just stick with that while you gradually make changes. It's a process. My hair, since last August, is straight...I guess what I mean is that it no longer holds curls. Before, I could do a roller set and have big long bouncy curls for a week, just get up shake my head and go, now, I'm lucky if those curls make it through an entire day...So I just say it's all a part of the process. I only do 2 or 3 relaxers a year anyway, that's all my hair needs but as far as the shampoo thing goes, I say if you have one that works for you just use it even if it is not raw. Just flow with your hair; I think there will be many more changes. I don't know, just my thoughts, I know that we Black women have hair that is just as unique as it is similiar...different textures and all. My scalp dry now just because of the relaxers and so I had to revert back to a creme of nature detangling/conditioning shampoo. I was using a bunch of natural shampoos that are made for Black hair; some of the ones I used to use just leave a build up on my hair now, before this didn't happen and so I just figure it's a part of the process and I'm just rolling along. When I start growing my hair out again, I shouldn't have any trouble with the natural shampoos again...

[mulch]

Thanks for the replies
To the last poster.
My hair is natural and has been so for over 13 years.
Sorry to hear about having to get a relaxer. I have only pressed (flat ironed) my hair twice. Both times, the texture was changed slightly and the last time, I had to cut some of my hair because the heat used on the iron was too much
For all those who do not know what is natural for many African Americans like myself, it is an afro. My hair is pretty thick (to thick for a normal comb). I will massage my scalp to loosen up the dandruff before I rinse my hair. Massaging the scalp reminds me of how I dry brush the rest of my body. Hopefully it will have the same results because dry brushing is doing wonders
Thanks again for the responses
I will try the aloe vera or the tea tree oil once I run by whole foods again, until then, I will try the sea salt rinse (since that is all that i have in the house).
update
I found one of those fine tooth combs, divided my hair in really small sections and started to comb my scalp. I have to say that I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo disgusted.
I am slowly but surely going to go through each section of my hair and take all of the build up off of my scalp.

[queenfluff]

Hmmm . . . I used to see African-Americans with the flake problem many years ago before properly designed cosmetics for that hair type were being widely marketed.

I have also seen older Caucasian females have a condition of flaky cheesy cradle crap type scalp - sometimes it stinks really badly and does not scrub off. Sometimes it is so thick that there is open sores under and their scalp bleeds really easily. I have seen it associated with diabetes and arthritis and do not know if the doctors even recognise it as a symptom. It is horrible if their hair is thin (usually is) and you can see the thick cradle crap and the blood spots.

I do not have these problems at this point in time but am really wondering what can be done about them. I want to try the soap-nuts on Newstarget and make a shampoo out of them for me and my dog. (LOL) (She reacts badly to all kinds of soaps just as I do.)

the older caucasian females with the "flaky cheesy" scalp reminds me of my hair dressing days. These older women with the cheesy scalp rarely washed their hair. They always set their hair in rollers with TONS of gel and wanted to keep their style (they also used tons of hair spray). So, when they did come in for a shampoo and cut or set - our combs would be full of the cheese. The majority of them had very thin hair and some sores on their scalps. Basically, it is all those gels, hairspray that are basically buidling up on the hair and scalp and never being washed out - this creates a gross condidtion. The "cheese" is all the products and the follicules get suffacated from all the products.

[luckitri]

Ugh! I never thought of it that way. Seemed like they always had diabetes or arthritis. One I do not know how often she washed her hair but she did not style it or use product on it. (Friends mom.)

If that is usually caused by use of all those nasty chemical products - ewwww and yuck! I knew one who absolutely stank from that scalp of hers. I didn't know how other people suffered being near her.