According to Healthline, Scalp pruritus, known as itchy scalp, is a common condition. There’s a wide range of causes. Dandruff and an inflammatory skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis are the most common causes of itchy scalp.

The human scalp naturally secretes oil via the sebaceous glands and this oil protects the hair and sustains its structure. However, due to many factors, the sebum production could go into excess, causing excessive oil on the scalp, a condition known as seborrheic dermatitis. Excessive oil production not only makes you feel uncomfortable and itchy and it could ultimately lead to hair loss if worsened.

The hot weather, unhealthy diet, stress and wrong use of shampoo are factors that cause excess oil production in our scalp. Excess oil builds up on the scalp causing hair follicles to get clogged.

This is a common hair problem especially in temperate countries like Malaysia.

Seborrheic dermatitis can be the result of stress, seasonal changes, fluctuating hormones, or an overgrowth of yeast on the skin. Dandruff can be caused by scalp that’s too dry, oily hair, and a variety of skin conditions.

Other causes of itchy scalp include: autoimmune disorders, such as fungal infections, such as tinea capitis, or ringworm, allergic reaction to a product such as hair dye, eczema atopic dermatitis, head lice, stress or anxiety, diabetes, herpes zoster, or shingles.

One of the most common causes of oily and itchy scalp is the use of inappropriate shampoo type and unhealthy diet (for example consuming too much oily fried food and chemically processed food). This condition is triggered by oily scalp and an overgrowth of yeast. Bacteria and yeast can infect the hair follicles leading to you feeling the itchiness felt in your scalp!

Poor hygiene could be another reason. Poorly taken care scalp induces the production of sebum in the scalp. If your hair is not washed with shampoo frequent enough, the oils on the scalp will accumulate. Oily scalp can then even lead to dandruff, dandruff caused by excess oil are yellowish in colour and the flakes are larger than their other types of dandruff caused by dry scalp.

In the short term, hair loss may not take place. However, in the long term, if left untreated, it could lead to hair loss. Here is the reason why:

If you scratch your scalp very often, you could introduce bacterial or fungus to the broken skin on your scalp. You may even damage your hair follicles from frequent scratching. Therefore, indirectly, oily scalp can lead to hair loss.

Even if you are able to resist scratching, that may not solve the problem. When hair pores are clogged for too long, the supply of nutrients to the hair will be stopped and hairs growing out from these clogged pores are not healthy and this may lead to thinning hair issues.