addicted to scratching the dandruff flakes from my head

interesting, at least you have a point of reference for progression, i can't even remember when i started doing it...

wtf is wrong with u people. take care if your scalp and stop scratching your head. talking about scratching, collecting it, and making it snow, lmao weird as people. i cant imagine what your hair looks like with scabs and blood dripping from it, smh.

To the above, does he or she have a habit?? Maybe its picking their nose in public? ok, i dont smoke or do drugs and im not a big drinker but i find that running my fingers through my hair and watching the "snow fall" relaxing and could say a stress buster, i dont use my nails as dont want head scabs but if some people do then thats up to them. I dont agree with the woman on an earlier post who scatched her childrens scalps which would often bleed as this is a form of abuse and she should stop right now. So in reply to guest above my post, please leave us dandruff lovers alone, we are not weird we just do what makes us happy and at the end of the day we are not hurting anyone.

i no what you mean im 15 and i constantly do it ill just stop doing my work at school and like daydream wilst doing it a teacher told me that the daydreaming would be caused to sress as well as the fact that ive lost weight and was self harming ( i havnt done it in over 2 weeks now ) but someone told me it could be a form of ocd is that true ?? if it is what do i do should i see a doctor ? or is it just another form of self harming ?? xx

Here in Bradford we had snow today , the flakes were larger than my dandruff flakes, it set me doing the dandruff snow shower thing big time just watching the snow fall outside.

well said! it is as if he was forced to read this forum.
when i read the post of a woman who does this to her children i was horrified! please stop doing that to your children. this is a lovely forum for peeps who love to srcatch.

I'm a girl who's 17 and I do the same thing. It started to manifest maybe like when I was 14 i think. I always I thought It was related to ADHD because I'd get so distracted and entranced with it. But when it started I didn't shake the flakes out to watch them fall, I would just try to accumulate a whole bunch under my fingernails and then flick/scrape it out. I had always had a thing about getting stuff/dirt underneath my nails and cleaning it out though ever sense I was a kid. I still think thats somewhat related... anyhow. Wasn't till a year ago that I discovered watching the snowflakes, and yes gosh, I do the same thing as pretty much everyone else. I am obsessed with finding black surfaces and shedding on them. I realize it's so gross and yet It's gotten to the point where I do it in public and I know people are watching me, but I can't stop. I've been formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, adhd, ptsd, and paranoia, and sometimes its worse when those symptoms are around sometimes its not. It's getting to be an issue because I waste so much time doing it. Just today I was in the library (and was supposed to be studying) yet I spent 2 hours doing it without stopping. It doesn't really relieve stress, like someone says it's just puts you in a zone. People are always asking if my head is itching, but even then that doesn't stop me. This thread is pretty amazing though, so strange that we develop weird but very similar habits....

It would be interesting to find out what colour hair each forum member on this site has?  Im a 38 year old male with darkish hair, i love my flakes, my dad is 63 and he has a very good collection in his hair, dark hair like me.  I often go through his hair with a pen and pick out or flick the best bits as he is sat down watching tv.  I myself love to find a dandruff flake with a hair shaft stuck through it or find a flake with a red/brown dot in the middle (dried blood)   To me this is a bonus!  

Omg I thought I was weird hahaha. I really don't want a bald spot or anything so hopefully I stop this awful habit :/ but it's so entertaining yet so gross at the same time

No, you are not weird! regarding getting a bald spot i dont use my fingernails, only my finger tips. Worse thing for me is i work in an office and my computer keyboard gets in a right state with the regular dusting of dandruff, i do however take a microfibre cloth to work to clean up my mess as dont believe in leaving it for the cleaners to clear up. With the cold weather recently i have been wearing a wooly hat and have noticed an increase in flakes, bring it on i say!! Let it snow,let it snow!!

sh*t I'm 12 and I had this problem since I was 7. Yes I do the snow flake thing on a spot on my desk and sometimes bits of hair comes off. I do it in class because it gets irritating. I use head and shoulders but I'll keep in mind not to use head and shoulders. I know I can't scratch it but I can't help it. I use to have scabs but now I protect my scalp but I comb my hair so it doesn't damage my scalp but the dandruff falls out. When I use to have my showers I use to scratch real hard and I find this oily substance but it looks like a solid and washes of easily. And I also get that huge flake with blood and pull it out from my hair. It's fun but I need to get rid of it because it's getting rather serious for me. It's not getting worse but quite annoying. And yes I know the cause because I'm stressed and I need more time to complete my homework. And yes I'm one of those people who has never had detention or in trouble. I just turned 12 and I'm in high school and I got other classes such as sketching, oil painting, Language and maths. So I do get really stressed. 

I should warn you as you get older this can lead to diseases. You will get thick dandruff up to half cm thick and 4cm long. It often happens when you get bald and you can see your entire scalp filled with dandruff and cracks through the middle, now seriously this is not funny it has led to deaths before.

Okay, so I am 17 years old and I began scratching my head about 2 years ago due to depression. It's such a habit, whenever I feel like there's something in my head I will go to all lengths to scratch it out, it usually pulls out hair. It's not necessarily itchy, it's just when i have nothing to do with my hands I just scratch my head. I have 6 massive cuts in my hair that bleed so much, it really hurts but I still can't stop. It's like enjoyment of self destruct in a way. I honestly have had enough and want to get help but I don't know where to start. I am also happy to know I am not the only one!

I had my hair cut today and never felt pain like it, my normal hairdresser didnt cut my hair but a junior. Well she was a bit heavy handed with the comb and managed to rip through 2 of my head scabs, to make matters worse she sprayed my hair with hair spray when she had finished, i think she could see the pain on my face, i spent 20 mins at home with ice cubes placed on the open scabs and that seemed to take the pain away on contact.

Hi. I'm a 14 year old boy and I have had this problem for a couple of years now. I love pulling it out from the roots and holding under my fingernails ahhh so satisfying but so strange!! I'm so glad I found a couple of people to relate to. One time I had nits and my mother used this "banlice" stuff I guess she left it on too long because my scalp started to shed. I loved picking on it. sometimes I use it just to pick on it. This is when I started to think there was a problem. haha I'm so glad I found this thread