SORE SCALP AND HAIR LOSS?

[Raine Monroe]

Hi! I am a 23 year old African American female and I am desperately trying to find out what is going on with my hair and scalp. My scalp is REALLY sore and my hair "grows" but only as long as half of an inch. The area where this is happening is in the crown area. The outside areas are growing just fine and is not sore at all. I really would like ANY opinion on this. A doctor's point of view would be great. I value my hair so much and it really takes away from my self esteem. The fact that I don't know what's going on adds to that. I stopped perming it about 4 months ago due to this issue. I was using Dr. Miracle's regular relaxer. I don't really grease my scalp or oil it....I just wait for it to show me SOME TYPE OF SIGN that it will grow further than just my scalp. I have new growth but it doesn't grow further than that. Again, it's only in the crown area accompanied with soreness.

Thanks guys!!

[Sur La Mer]

I'm not a doctor but I'm Top Contributor for a reason because I've got 5 decades of hair know how, reads a lot and I'm wiser & older now.
The official complaints against hair straightening products range from serious hair breakage and hair damage to serious scalp burns that may require an emergency room visit.

Examples of what one suffering severe hair loss after Japanese Hair Straightening from YA HAIR:
I got my hair rebonded back in March and have lost more than a third of it since then. Everytime I run my hands through my hair, I lose 7-10 strands on average!
In the shower I lose clumps after shampooing and conditioning.
Bald spots are showing up in my hair.
I used to have beautiful thick hair, ho can I get it back?

Hair straighteners are known as hair relaxers, keratin treatments and hair-smoothing products. They work by breaking and reforming the chemical bonds in keratin, which is the main protein that gives shape to each hair.

The FDA has previously received complaints that the products cause adverse reactions, including nervous system problems such as headaches, respiratory tract problems, nausea, chest pain, vomiting and rashes.
12-12-12

Hair-straightening products are allowed to contain small concentrations of formaldehyde (0.2 percent). But several hair-straightening solutions have been found to contain well above the allowable limit. For example, one popular hair-straightening product that advertised itself as “formaldehyde-free” actually contained 6.8 percent to 11.8 percent formaldehyde.
Another example: Fourteen women, including two from North Texas and one from Houston, are suing Unilever, the maker of a product they claim caused permanent damage to their hair.
"It transforms frizzy, unmanageable hair into hair that's sleeker and easier to style," said the commercial for the Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion 30-Day Smoothing Kit, which is no longer being sold
When she began looking online for more information about the product, she said she found some people who said it worked, but more who said it damaged their hair.
She discovered a Facebook page devoted to angry consumers, and there are multiple postings on YouTube. I've been warning people about relaxers since 2009 and people are giving me thumbs down!
BTW: A variety of hair-straightening products used in professional salons can expose both hairdressers and their customers to formaldehyde. The results show that three professional hair-smoothing treatments labeled "formaldehyde free" can produce the cancer-causing chemical at concentrations above the occupational exposure limits set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They tested four products: Coppola Keratin Complex Blonde Formula, Global Keratin Juvexin Optimized Functional Keratin, La Brasiliana Escluso Keratin Treatment with Collagen, and Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution. While ChemRisk tested four popular brands of hair straighteners, THERE ARE HUNDREDS on the market. Nov. 11-11

By contrast, beauty salon owners and stylists generally lack a scientific background and don't have a keen awareness of the danger of working with products that contain formaldehyde, experts say.

Watch: Good Hair a documentary by Chris Rock 2009 on BET or HBO. According to Tyra Banks, 80% of the black population are part of the billion dollar hair industry. Clips on youtube videos, also.

Chemicals can enter the body through the skin.

Sources:
Google FDA.gov & search for Hair Dye & Relaxers.
Google: Hair Dye FAQ's Are Hair Dyes Safe?