addicted to scratching the dandruff flakes from my head

wow, that's amazing.
i am a 16 year old girl and i recently started doing it
i've found it quite "enetertaining" and fascinating,
thinking that no one in the world would have such a weird and unique interest
of scratching their head and watching the white flakes fall from their head..

really, I used to do this but it's really annoying and gross. Just take your mind off of it, it's a really bad habit. Think about it: don't you have something better to waste your life on? Tell yourself to get a life and move on. :-D

im 22 an i have the same problem lol i sit in front of the mirror and scratch dandruff out of my head but i bite my ails so i scratch eith scirrors which is really bad but my scalp always has lil cut marks every where ive tried using hair products to make it go away i thought i use to get it from using cheap shampoo

I came here tonight because I had to find out if I was alone. I'm over 40 and I've been obsessed with scratching my head and watching the flakes fall since I was a kid. I used to do it then as a form of procrastination when I wasn't focused on my school work. At times it's related to stress.

I love scratching my head over dark clothes or a piece of paper and moving the flakes around into a ball. One time and I got caught and I was so embarrassed. So now when I'm at work I go to restroom and scratch me head over the toilet.

I don't see a problem with it but I'm concerned about the health of my scalp.

Hahaaha, there are people in the world like me! I just totally "cleaned" my scalp tonight. I washed my hair 2 days ago. That's how long it takes for the flakes to come off. I'll wash it tomorrow morning and all the "scabs" from scratching will be BACK. Amazing isn't it ? It's ANNOYING ! I'm def. asking the dr. for an RX soon.

I too, have an obsession w/ scratching flakes. It's gross, embarrassing, mortifying and satisfying all at the same time. It really is an addiction. I am the same way with scabs too. Can't leave them alone. I have far too many scars on my legs to think about. I also will scratch an itch until I bleed or it hurts, because itching is more torturous than hurting/bleeding. Curse you dad for telling me that! LOL. (That's why I got the scars/scabs on my legs.....) But really, if you think about it, which is easier to ignore, the ITCH of a mosquito bite, or the PAIN of itching one too hard! I also the dry skin off my lips, not leaving them alone until they're all raw.

I think I have psychological issue, LOL.

I have had dandruff since I was about 12. I am 40. It's gotten worse in the past year, but for a good 2-4 yr period, it was practically non-existent. Best years of my life! I guess I can be thankful that I only have dandruff because 4 of my other family members have Psoriasis !

I started out with Head and Shoulders, that wasn't good enough.
Then went to Selsun Blue. Worked for a little while.
Then next to Denerox. That worked a little longer, but died out too. ( I think I still have that bottle, I bought it like 5 years ago)
Now I'm on to Nutragena T-Gel. It works for the time being, but since the "flare up" a few months ago, I need to use it at LEAST 3 times a week. I usually wash my hair twice a week (Yes, I shower every day! LOL). I learned washing your hair too often ruins it, however, that's what HELPS dandruff !

I read just yesterday that stress, certain meds and hormonal imbalances can cause dandruff to get worse. (I think mine may be hormones now.)

Does anyone else just get it on certain parts of their scalp? I only get it on the front part, but in the last few months, it's been migrating further back.

any tips on how to get more flakes on your head?
Sometimes I get the dandruff but other times I get the nice big flakes that i can pick off there the ones I like any ideas how to cause more flakes to appear on your scalp?

I'm 30 and I've been a headscratcher since I was 10! lol
I'm surprised there are other people who do this.. I thought I was the only one. WOW
anyways, I found that the the most effective method for removing the flakes is to cut my hair really short (almost bald)along with using Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Cleanser AND cutting my fingernails really short. It was so effective at reducing dandruff that I started to miss picking my scalp so I stopped with the shampoo and started scratching again. I feel a great deal of satisfaction, especially if I just pluck out a HUGE slab of flake... the bigger, the better. Don't feel bad--- Think about it like this: I would rather be scratching my head for flakes than smoking or doing drugs.

Happy scratching! :-D

a friend suggested Aveda Scalp Benefits shampoo. She gave me enough to wash my hair like 5 times and I could
tell it was helping. As soon as I ran out, I was back to itchy scratchy... so I just bought some ( you need to buy it
from a salon or the internet) and I am trying their dry remedy conditioner. I will let you know how the combo turns out
but at least i can recommend the shampoo for now.

anonymous wrote:

It's funny u said that because I do the same thing. When I get my hair washed...no flakes for about 2 days then suddenly, huge flakes appear when I comb/brush my hair/scalp. So then at my desk, I do the snowflake thing too. I try to beg folks to scratch my scalp and as they do, I'm all like, "Do you see any dandruff?" ...lol My mom, boyfriend, friends...whoever I can get to do it. If you don't mind my asking....are you Black? Do you grease your scalp? I've found that the only grease that STOPS the dandruff is Virgin Hair Fertilizer in a yellow and white tube. It's made from Peppermint extract, sulfur and something else. But no only does it stop the dandruff....it grows your hair! Seriously! I'm so happy w/it. you have to look it up on the internet....also, you can order online. It comes from Nigeria. But please do check it out. The key is, try to wash you hair every 2 wks, as to not dry your scalp out, thus making hair brittle. Also, oil it w/the hair fertilizer and you'll see....the dandruff stops! Right away. I wear braids and it increases the growth....by the time I get my braids out, I have about 1.5-2 inches or newgrowth.

That's it for now....gotta go but I hope your problem improves. TTYL.

Quote:

the same things happen to me and i am a 12 year old kid

My dandruff is small specs but it can really go especially in the winter. My dad used to have it crusted from side burns all over his head. He'd comb it out and his shirt be almost covered in white. And he could keep going and going. Some times his flakes here about the size of an m&m. My brother didn't have dandruff as bad as my fad but the front hairline was crust and thick. Then just his scalp. One time he was trying to go out and I told him he had some flakes. He started combing the front part and it was like a white out snow storm i remember he was combing it out and it was covering his game boy screen became covered that u actually couldn't see it at all. Then because he was obviously self concious he asked me to look. I said give me the comb and slowly pulled out a giant piece. He had shorter hair so easier to get out....and the piece of dandruff was at the minimum a half dollar size. As I pulled it up there were probably 30 hairs weaver through it. It was also so thick that it made it all the way off in one piece. My brother was in awe and embarrased he grabbed another comb next to him and scratched/combed away. Those pieces were the size of nickels. And no joke Maybe 100 of them. I wanted to get a picture but being emberassed he destroyed the evidence...gas anyone ever had giant pieces like that? If so was it one piece or a lot. Has anyone had the thick crusty green dandruff? And if so when scratched does it fly off in volume and big pieces? Ex if ching onto an iPhone to see what they looked like has your dandruff covered and even buried the screen so the light didn't get through? It did withy brother. So I am seeing if anyone has had it that extreme and what "type" of dandruff was it. Color, size, thickness and ammount ex. Of ammount like 3 big pieces or chunk after chunk kept flying and u could have kept it flyig for like an hour...any comparisons would help. He has ben misbfiagnosed and if I can compare I think I can put together nutritional, cleansing and a right way to clear his druff light combing rather than scraping and cool showers he might be able to make it better. Any feedback and stories would help. Thanks people!

My dandruff is small specs but it can really get going especially in the winter. My dad used to have it crusted from side burns all over his head. He'd comb it out and his shirt be almost covered in white. And he could keep going and going. Some times his flakes were about the size of an m&m. My brother didn't have dandruff as bad as my dad but the front hairline was crust and thick. Then just his scalp. One time he was trying to go out and I told him he had some flakes. He started combing the front part and it was like a white out snow storm i remember he was combing it out and it was covering his game boy screen became covered that u actually couldn't see it at all. Then because he was obviously self concious he asked me to look. I said give me the comb and slowly pulled out a giant piece. He had shorter hair so easier to get out....and the piece of dandruff was at the minimum a half dollar size. As I pulled it up there were probably 30 hairs weaved through it. It was also so thick that it made it all the way off in one piece. My brother was in awe and embarrased he grabbed another comb next to him and scratched/combed away. Those pieces were the size of nickels. And no joke Maybe 100 of them. I wanted to get a picture but being emberassed he destroyed the evidence...has anyone ever had giant pieces like that? If so was it one piece or a lot? Has anyone had the thick crusty green dandruff? And if so when scratched does it fly off in volume and big pieces? Ex if scratching onto an iPhone screen lit up to see what they looked like has your dandruff covered and even buried the screen so the light didn't get through? It did with my brother. So I am seeing if anyone has had it that extreme and what "type" of dandruff was it. Color, size, thickness and ammount ex. the ammount like 3 big pieces or chunk after chunk kept flying and u could have kept it flying for like an hour...any comparisons would help. He has been misdiagnosed and if I can compare I think I can put together nutritional, cleansing and a right way to clear his druff light combing rather than scraping and cool showers he might be able to make it better. Any feedback and stories would help. Thanks people!
sorry i wrote this on my iphone it mispelled a lot...so i quoted and changed some bad mispells i am sure there are plenty more...thanks for those who help...

good lord the size of a half dollar? Ive never had them that big my average flake would be the size of say 1/2 an mnm sometimes they will get as big as a whole mnm but thats about it. I think maybe once or twice ive pulled off ones the size of a nickle but never a half dollar. Once I had it so bad when i looked in the mirror i was covered in flakes, i ran my comb through my head for about 20 mins and when i was done i had enough flakes to fill 1/4 of a small bottle. I took a nice hot shower and went to bed but in the morning the dry crusty stuff was back, not as bad as before but it was like a bunch of dandruff and if i had let it go it would have turned into what i had before in a couple of days. It's a tough condition the worst parts for me are behind my ears for sure sometimes i forget about that area and when i look i have flakes covering flakes back there it turns super thick and when i start peeling it off i realy have to dig in there to get at the bottom of it. I heard the condition is called dermatillomania it's an ocd condition that causes a compulsion to pick skin. Good luck everyone

Yup giant pieces. My brother can scratch or comb and it snows and snows. I watched combing once and he said it itches so bad it's unbearable. So he starts combing and it's literally a white out. He said he can't see through it while the flakes fall. Once he said watch this.... Lays his iPhone down screen lit up...three heavy comb passes like ten giant pieces fall from his scalp on to the screen. Then he combs out the front of his hair and within minutes the phone screen is covered. He finally finished and I'm like wow that's a quarter pound of dandruff! F course I'm exagerrating but the next daybe said my head is itchy again! I say no way he has dandruff less than 24 hours from his last snow storm. That's when he was going to a party asked me too look and that's whn the half dollar piece came out. It migrated from thefront hairline to his scalp connected. He scratched and combed because the itch was so bad. He doubled the snow druff from the night before!!! He said I don't get it I use good shampoo! Green tea and peppermint...(I use it and feels so fresh) so I told him it can't be regular dandruff.... He got a good comb to clear as much out as he could and the slabs of dandruff....I can't even explain....slabs....he is going to the doctor...I'd have to say in 2 days he filled what be about half a plastc keg cup...about 8 oz. Anyone have that much or anything?? Anything we could use to tell his doctor....hard to think it's making him suffer....itching,maintenance, the emberassment. Sad when he comes home and says "yeah I was talking to a girl a deep burning itch came up and I quickly scratched hoping to stop it and not make any snow, but of course I knocked a huge slap off!" wow...that's why I'm here for him...anyone have it that bad or any stories or advice? He's really down....

TheGeeze wrote:

Have any of you been saving your dandruff and storing it in tupperware or something? Maybe you could all get together and have a "Convention of Flakes!".

Seriously folks. That is one of the wierdest compulsions I've ever heard of. And that is exactly what it is, a psycological compulsion. Seek help! Seriously!

(TheGeeze scratches his head as he walks away)

i tried it before but after few weeks,i forgot whr i put the ''clear plastic containing my dandruff'' and when i found it its infested with tiny lil white bugs i dunno what but im so freaked out i threw them out away.hey wait someone mentioned scratched till bleeds meaning u have fungus!?omg.i do have some bleeding at times after scratching helpp!!!!?!?!?!?!?!

TheGeeze wrote:

lnw wrote:

Hey, "The Geeze", don't judge people who are asking for help by calling their compulsion "weird". This is not "one of the weirdest compulsions ever". It is just a compulsion.

Lighten up, lnw. I was trying to inject a little humor into the subject. And it would seem that one persons "weird" is another persons "normal". You will also notice that I DID tell them to seek help for a "compulsive behavior".

Sorry if I ruffled your dandruff... errr.. I mean feathers.

Lighten up a bit and don't take life so seriously. After all, it isn't permanent.

How do you know it isn't permanent! I do the same thing, and my head starts to bleed. I want to stop! It's from anxiety. I'm only 12. It hurts. It's hard to just stop doing something, once you started. It's like people who bite their nails. You shouldn't comment on something, if it has no concern to you. You technically are making fun of people when you comment like that.