Here's Why Your Scalp Hurts When Your Hair Is Dirty When you go too long without shampooing your hair, oils and dead skin cells can start to build up around the hair shaft. While a little bit of oil can be beneficial for your hair, too much oil can suffocate the hair root and lead to inflammation.
According to Joshua Zeichner, M.D., a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, accumulated oil, grease, and dirt on the scalp promotes the growth of yeast which is responsible for the pain.
When you don't wash your hair for 3 or more days or if your scalp is naturally oily, the oils your scalp produces naturally gets accumulated near your hair shafts. While this alone can cause itching and irritation in your scalp, it is ultimately the overgrowth of yeast that causes the throbbing pain in your hair.
A sore scalp can be caused by infected hair follicles, scalp pimples, or tension from certain hairstyles that may pull the hair too tight. Other causes for scalp tenderness include trauma from a head injury, or underlying skin condition like eczema or cellulitis.
Dr. Fusco says that this can lead to scalp inflammation, dandruff, excess shedding, and even folliculitis, which are tiny pimples on the scalp. "When we don't wash often enough, the hair follicle beneath the surface can be suffocated to a degree leading to less than optimum new hair growth," says Abney.
How Much Should You Wash? For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there's flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it's time to shampoo, Goh says.
"The average individual can typically go 2 to 3 days without shampooing their hair. However, if your hair is visibly oily, you may not want to wait that long," she says. "Usually, you can go longer without washing your hair when your hair is styled up, but no one should ever go more than 14 days."
Migraines, headaches, and autoimmune disorders can cause scalp pain, irritation, and inflammation. Sunburns, rashes, wounds, and insect bites are also common causes of scalp tenderness. Most cases of scalp tenderness clear up on their own or with medication, but some are signs of an underlying condition.
Scalp pain and tenderness can be caused by dermatitis, scalp and hair follicle infections, or psoriasis . Other causes of scalp pain or soreness include sunburns, headaches, and hair extensions, as well as certain pain or inflammatory conditions.
If you don't wash your hair and keep it in the same style, it feels sore because it's lacking hair and scalp stimulation. If you're that girl who has to go five days without washing, then brush your scalp.
If you don't wash your hair regularly enough – dirt, oil, and product build-up can cause your scalp to become itchy and irritated. When your hair is too dirty, it can also lead to unwanted bacteria, sometimes turning into dandruff and other scalp problems.
Headaches. There have been some studies that suggest that sleeping with wet hair may actually cause headaches for some people. The water on your scalp may be soaking into your skin causing water weight and an uncomfortable feeling of blocked sinuses which may lead to piercing headaches.
“Not washing your hair, or just having a naturally oil scalp, can result in an accumulation of sebum on the scalp, which just sits there, causing inflammation and itchiness in the follicle,” says Yale dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD.
When to wash. Rossi generally tells his patients they should wash their hair once or twice per week. But if you've had chemical treatments that can make your hair drier — such as bleach, perms or relaxers — you might want to wash it less than once weekly to avoid breaking or brittle hair or split ends, he said.
"When you wear your hair in a tight-fitting ponytail, the nerve endings become accustomed to being in that direction, and pressure is placed on the follicle," she adds. "When you remove the ponytail, the nerve endings are suddenly stimulated, resulting very commonly in the feeling of sensitivity or pain."
What can cause sores or scabs on the scalp? Sores or scabs on the scalp are often harmless and clear up on their own. However, they can sometimes be a sign of a condition that may require treatment, such as psoriasis, contact dermatitis, or head lice.
Even so, since burning, itchy, and tight scalp are common symptoms of stress, including anxiety-caused stress, it's harmless and needn't be a cause for concern. They will subside when unhealthy stress has been eliminated and the body has had sufficient time to recover.
At first it may look like small pimples around the tiny pockets from where each hair grows (hair follicles). The condition can be itchy, sore and embarrassing. The infection can spread and turn into crusty sores.
The pain, burning, or tingling sensation that you may experience when you move your hair comes from the nerves on your scalp. You feel a strong pull on your head. This happens when the blood vessels in the skin of your scalp are inflamed and press the surrounding nerves, causing scalp sensitivity [1].
Scalp dysesthesia has been described as secondary to a number of neurologic disorders, including brain tumors.
Giant cell arteritis frequently causes headaches, scalp tenderness, jaw pain and vision problems. Untreated, it can lead to blindness.
Madeline Miller, a product specialist at The Laundress, agrees and recommends washing bras every two to three wears. "In general, fine lace lingerie can be laundered less often if it's used for 'special occasion' wear, while everyday synthetics and cottons can stand to be washed on a regular basis."
The no-poo method is a hair-cleansing technique that removes shampoo from the equation, says Geeta Yadav, MD, a dermatologist in Toronto. Instead of using shampoo, followers of the practice use alternatives such as apple cider vinegar, a cleansing conditioner, or just plain water.
Dermatologist Alok Vij, MD, says you should wash your sheets at least every two weeks — maybe more, depending on factors like whether you live in a warm climate and whether your pet sleeps in your bed. Dr. Vij talks dead skin, dust mites, bed bacteria and how to keep your skin safe when you lie down to sleep.