My Trusted Hair Products Triggered New Scalp Psoriasis

For those who don’t know me, I have super curly hair. A few years back, I committed to a washing and styling method dedicated to those with curly hair. Basically, you use products that exclude certain ingredients known to dry hair out and of course, can cause itch.

Your curls will appear curlier and healthier if all goes right. Just when you think you have things figured out, something goes wrong. Like my trusted hair product line I’ve used for years suddenly triggered a new scalp Psoriasis episode.

A new case of scalp psoriasis

A few months back, something happened while prepping my hair and scalp for a trip to the salon. As soon as I awoke, my scalp felt like it was sizzling with an intense ache. For me, it usually means a hair shed is coming soon. What I didn’t yet know was that my scalp was also riddled with little plaques and sores.

While detangling my hair in preparation for my appointment later in the morning, a massive amount of hair shed and I felt plaques. These are the newest products from the line since the supply store my friend purchases from no longer carries the older products I favor. New is better right?

I threw a lot of hair into the trash bin, it was jarring.

The pain on my scalp!

At first, I resigned myself to blaming thyroid issues, bad sleeping habits, personal stress, and psoriasis in general. Not once at that point in time did I entertain the possibility that it could be the new line of products I was using. I was a loyal customer of this brand for over five years.

When I went to the hair appointment I warned my stylist about my tender head and the intense shedding. She took a look at my scalp. It looked like some active plaques were going on in my usual spots and ones we’ve never seen before. She didn’t use as intense a mixture on my hair and only covered roots.

Yet, the wash and rinse portion of the ritual was excruciating. I had tears in my eyes. She was trying to exfoliate my scalp gently yet it felt like a thousand knives were scraping into my scalp.

Hair loss from scalp psoriasis

Now that it was time to relocate to her chair, I flipped my hair over to detangle as I always do. Instead, of feeling a few knots there was a mass of hair stuck at the ends. It was no longer attached to my head. As I sat there with bunches of hair in my hands, a shaky whisper, “What the…” floated out from my mouth.

My stylist sat me in the chair. She threw the dead hair in the waste bin and reassuringly said, “It’s all okay.” I didn’t believe her, at first. She checked over my scalp. It wasn’t any worse than when I first got there. There were no bald spots.

I went home and texted a friend and retreated to bed to hide.

Connecting hair products to a new outbreak of scalp psoriasis

A few weeks later I saw a notification from a curly hair group that I’m in about hair products. It was a warning that other adults and children are experiencing similar issues with this product line.

Out of curiosity and what felt like urgency, I checked with a friend whose mom knows about my hair issues and asked about clarifying shampoos with Jamaican Black Castor Oil. Her mom has hated me using the curly washing method and I really didn't blame her.

I went to the store on a mission to save my hair and scalp and was no longer blaming my faulty genetics. Here’s what I’ve learned since this all started in November of last year.

A new formula changed everything

The curly salon product I used was sold a few years ago to another company. Not only that, but the ingredients had also changed a few times since I started using the product. I started shedding a lot more hair and found more scalp plaques around the time this latest formula came out.

Each eruption, I automatically blamed on my immune system. I've learned the new line's ingredients were almost identical in comparison to the old line. Almost, being the operative word.

So, if you see new branding, new packaging, or wording like "improved" on the packaging take a picture and compare. Ask a professional if you're unsure of ingredients.

A false sense of security

It's upsetting that I blamed myself. When my hair began to feel softer, I thought that meant it was healthier. It was a totally false sense of security. Meanwhile, a war was raging upon my scalp. My body for sure did not like the new product line.

It’s up for debate if the products are responsible for complaints like mine. Of course, there’s a potential lawsuit in the works, but I haven’t decided if I want to pursue that quite yet.

Improvements in scalp psoriasis

It’s over three months since I stopped using the salon line of curly products. It’s like my scalp and hair took a 180-degree turn. And while my scalp still has some eruptions left, it’s so much better. The plaques left are mostly on the back and sides of my head.

So, I can’t tell if it’s sebopsoriasis or my usual scalp psoriasis. My dermatologist will make that determination the next time I see her.

Have you ever used a product trigger hair loss along with plaques and sores all over your scalp?