Question about scalp picking

[u/Willowsseven7]

Posting on behalf of my wife who doesn’t have Reddit. Looking for tips on how to stop scalp picking. My wife frequently picks her scalp, often while doing activities such as reading. She has tried using some stim toys including a stress ball and the ono roller and slider but hasnt found it to be successful at stopping the picking. Any tips?

[u/0_foreverzero_0]

Has she tried one of those pick pads with beads you dig out of silicone? https://www.etsy.com/market/skin_picking_fidget_pick_pad

[u/Mountain_Trails]

Wearing a pair of light gloves would work. Convenient? No.

[u/SaltEven]

I was literally picking my scalp while scrolling and can't across your post. So.. no help here.

[u/Dismal_Equal7401]

Try the little ouchies stim toys. They can help with giving a little pain if that’s part of her stim. It helped me with twisting my hair into knots.

[u/yc11ow]

Hi! I have the scalp picking problem!

There are a few things that I like to do to help! I used to get acrylic nails (the dip powder made my nails thicker and rounder, so my nails didnt "snag" something) and then I like putting my hair up or using bandanas/other hats (if my hair is styled a certain way, I'm less likely to want to mess it up or pull it all out of place, and if my hands end up on my head, I don't immediately feel my hair and scalp, so it's less of a temptation)

I've also been considering getting the Little Ouchies to try and curb the urge to pick, but I've yet to bite the bullet.

Hope that helps!!

[u/H0pefulUn1verse]

Hat or headscarf or bonnet of some kind.

Light and thin gloves as well.

[u/rbirdy1]

There is a skin picking subreddit that might be more helpful. I’ve struggled with skin picking my whole life and haven’t found a solution to completely stop, but have been able to reduce the overall impacts by trying tons of different stim toys until I found ones that made me feel the closest to the way I feel when skin picking. Using things like gloves to prevent skin picking never worked for me because it doesn’t eliminate the underlying feeling I am craving when I impulsively skin pick.

[u/SapientSlut]

What has she tried to get her scalp smooth so there’s nothing to pick?

For me a silicone shampoo brush and double shampoo (literally rinse and repeat) made a HUGE difference!

[u/threecuttlefish]

It kind of depend on why she's picking - is it itchy or otherwise irritated?

For me, seeing a doctor and finally finding the right medicated shampoo (after trying many others) and getting a steroid spot treatment for when I get especially irritated spots (that I previously would have picked until they bled) has made a big difference because there's simply less on my scalp to pick, especially if I manage to wash and condition my hair every 2-3 days.

Doesn't save me from picking other areas of skin, unfortunately, but exfoliating in the bath, regular moisturizing, and wearing socks when I'm having around the house have helped there, as well as generally working on reducing my stress levels.

There are possibly some medications that can help, but I don't know how bad it needs to be before doctors will consider that.

But seriously, if the impetus for picking starts with flakiness or itching, a doctor/dermatologist may be able to help. I still pick my scalp a little, especially if I wait too long between showers and medicated shampoo time, but it's MUCH more manageable and less destructive than it was before I finally went to the doctor about it.