It is TOTALLY normal and even expected for any new dreadhead to experience a fair amount of itchiness for the first few weeks. When you have “normal” hair your scalp is used to the regular, daily stimulation of a hair brush being run over it, but once you put your dreads in that comes to a sudden, screeching halt. An itchy scalp is just your heads way of begging for scalp stimulation. Here are a few suggestions of things you can do to help minimize this maddening symptom of new dreadlocks:
1.) The Peppermint Cooling Spray recipe page can be a great way to topically treat itchiness, as can dabbing witch hazel on itchy spots.
2) You can use Clock-wise Rubbing locally to help squelch itchies. Not only will it scratch the itch but it will help your new growth lock up at the same time!
3) You can head over to Sally’s Beauty Supply or any local pharmacy (OR you can head to DreadHeadHQ where they sell a tool specifically for this purpose called ‘The Head Honcho’) and pick up a hair pick that has metal tines on it. Hold it approximately parallel to the scalp and you can feed it underneath your dreadlocks at their base and scratch the itching that way.
The bonus of added scalp stimulation? It will help your hair grow faster, too!