I have had a problem with an itchy scalp off and on for the last few months. My scalp looks clear, no rash, no flaking. It just itches. I'm assuming that it is dry. This is a new problem for me. I'm assuming that some ingredient in my hair products must be irritating my scalp. I read the labels of my products and found that many of them have three ingredients in common - rosemary, wheat protein and jojoba.

Rosemary, wheat protein and jojoba are suppose to be great for the hair and skin. My hair does look great. But my scalp is not happy. I'm pretty sure it is dry. I wonder if the jojoba or rosemary is clarifying the scalp too much? Do you think any of these ingredients could irritate the scalp?


I'm puzzled because I have been using gentler shampoos, more moisturizing conditioners, and pure jojoba oil over the last six months. When I had the bad habits of a sodium lauryl sulfate shampoo and an average conditioner, I never had an itchy scalp. So I am truly confused!

I appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Hmm. I'm pretty sure jojoba and wheat protien are ok, but according to Paula Begoun's cosmetics ingredients dictionary:

rosemary extract. Can have antioxidant benefit for skin (Source: Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, October 1999, pages 3954–3962), but its aromatic components can cause irritation, sensitizing, or toxic reactions on skin (Source: Chemical Research in Toxicology, November 2001, pages 1546–1551).

So, maybe that's your problem? I know mint and citrus oils can be irritating, too. (Too bad, because mint, citrus, and rosemary all smell wonderful...)

yes, rosemary can be the one :rolleyes:

I think that's the rosemary oleoresin extract Paula's referring to, although I could be wrong. It's often used as an antioxidant in natural cosmetics, although it has not been shown to be effective in cosmetics, only food.

The essential oil would be a different thing. But one thing you need to keep in mind is that essential oils ALWAYS need to be diluted, and more diluted is better. Think of how concentrated those things are! Generally, you use a dilution of 1 drop of oil per every 2 mls of carrier oil. For 2 teaspoons (10 ml) you'd use 5 drops of essential oil.

Any more essential oil, and you run the risk of being sensitized to the plant. In aromatherapy, less is better.

Thanks Bethany, Violeta and Rachel for responding.

Yes, I'm thinking rosemary could be the culprit. I'm going to do a patch test and apply the product containing rosemary on a small area of my scalp. If it itches, I'll know that the rosemary is the problem. I may do a patch test for all the items in question until I find out what is irritating my scalp.

I do hope the jojoba and wheat protein are okay. My hair loves them!

If all my products cause the itchies and I can't figure out the exact culprit, I may just switch products. I might try a completely natural line like Aubreys or Giovanni. But I really love my Redken and L'oreal. So I hope that it is something like my African Glory Hairoil that contains rosemary.

Thanks again for the advice.

Hi RedButterfly,

Just a quick caution, if Rosemary is the culprit then AO may not be the right product line for you because some do contain Rosemary. I use the Island Spice Cream Rinse and it has Rosemary.

Take care

Quick note: I wouldn't call Giovanni a natural product. Take a close look at the labels. I like these products though, I think they're good, but natural.. no. (I don't like the shampoos though.) You can get free samples from www.giovannicosmetics.com to try them out first. (they might have rosemary in them too... probably do, might want to check that..)

I hope you find out what is causing your irritation!! It very well could be the rosemary.

Thanks, Charlyee and Cowgal, for the advice. I'll let everyone know what is irritating my scalp when I figure it out. I hope I can trace it to one thing like rosemary.