BEFORE
Why is my hair all over the place? Because I was picking at my scalp, of course. It is a bad habit I picked up from my relaxed days when chemical burns were the norm. Don't judge me.
THE DILEMMA
Have you heard about the Cantu Shea Butter warning? The one that states that you you should avoid putting the product on your scalp. Well if you do some further research, you will learn that this rule applies to all leave-in conditioners. This is particularly important if you have a sensitive scalp like mine. Thanks to my hard-headedness, I ravaged my scalp. Imagine how sore and itchy your scalp feels after a chemical burn. Yup, that was me. It wasn't pretty.
Hair. Resilient. Scalp. Super-sensitive. (I bet you thought my hair catastrophe would be fried hair. Bwahaha.)
When I first BC'd, my go to (modified) wash and go routine was to put Cantu Shea Butter on a dried-up twist-out (approximately 3 days old). The next day did I wash it out? No. Or, the next day? Of course, not. So by the the third day, As you can imagine, my hair itched horribly. The itch-factor coupled with the strong smell forced me to switch to Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie.
With a new product, I continued the same habits. (I didn't feel like re-twisting my hair mid-week and needed an easy solution. I'm stubborn. Don't judge me.) At first, my scalp was ok. Eventually, the itching ensued. But worst. By the time I straightened my hair in late February, my scalp was ready for a break.
THE TREATMENT...
I clarified my hair and applied jojoba oil and castor oil to the scalp, which provided some relief. But I still found myself picking at my scalp and my scalp flaking horribly. This weekend, I finally decided to do a Bentonite Clay treatment. Ultimate relief. Ahhhh! My scalp no longer feels sore and raw.
LESSON LEARNED
Will I stop using Shea Moisture? No. It works great for wet twist-outs. Will I stop putting almost half the jar on my head for a wash and go? Yes. I've learned my lesson. My scalp doesn't like build-up. I get it. I'll stop being lazy. I'll do my hair mid-week. I also will not be one of those people who leaves 90% of conditioner in their hair. I will stick to leave-ins since they are not as heavy and are designed to be left in the hair.
AFTER
My luscious curls are ready for their close-up.
Has anyone had a similar experience due to misuse of products? Any suggestions for someone with a sensitive scalp?
