My Hair Hurts
Sometimes my hair hurts. It’s a migraine thing. But tell someone your hair hurts and they look at you like you’re crazy. There’s even a question on some personality tests asking if your hair ever hurts. When I had to take one for a job I lied and said no. I didn’t tell them I had migraines either. Employers and employees are natural enemies. Think of a job interview like you’re being interrogated by the Nazis. Say only what you have to cause even if you have migraines you have to get a job and make a living.
Anyway, back to my hair hurting. What really hurts is the hair roots, the living part of the hair. When you move your hair, it moves the roots and hurts. So it’s like the nonliving part of your hair hurts but it’s really the scalp that’s aching. The pain will be in just one area but when you move any part of your hair, it will make your scalp hurt there. It kinda feels like a new bruise. If you touch it, it will be very tender. Hair is very sensitive to touch. That’s one of its main jobs. Even if the information it gives you is pain.
Maybe when you have a migraine and take a strong painkiller and lay down in the dark cause you can’t stand the light or the pain, maybe you lay on your hair wrong, lay on it so it’s pulled but you can’t feel it because of the painkiller but when that wears off that part of your scalp is sore where your hair was pulled for a while. Except. Except I’ve had my hair hurt when I was sitting up while I was having a migraine. At work. Working through the headache with the help of painkillers. Thank God for drugs. They made it possible for me to work despite the pain. Without them I probably have ended up homeless cause I don’t think you can get disability for migraines.
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© Alllie 2006
Distribution: This article is copyrighted by Alllie, but permission is granted for reprint in print, email, or web media so long as you tell me where and this credit is attached as well as a link back to this page, http://newsgarden.org/chatters/homepages/alllie/alllieblog/ .
January 11th, 2006 at 7:10 pm e
Hi I too, have hair headaches. Don’t tell people this, they think we are nuts.
My hair headache is always on the right side, about 2 inches beyond the temple and 2 inches above the ear. I seem to have these a couple of times each week. They are nothing like a migraine, for I become violently ill with those. This is just an annoying headache. If you find out more information, or a physician who is familiar with this type of headache, please let me know.
(I feel your pain) in Ohio.
February 7th, 2006 at 10:08 am e
I did a search for “hair hurts” and stumbled upon your blog. MY HAIR HURTS right now. It only affects my right side too and is not constant…it pulses pain (some times more frequently than others) to the point it stops me in my tracks with a grimace. If I apply pressure to the area of my head that has this “sensitive hair” it does not cause additional pain…it is only when I lightly touch my hair that it hurts (in addition to the periodic surge of pain I mentioned earlier). Sure would like to know what causes this annoying (and sometimes incapacitating) pain.
February 17th, 2006 at 12:21 pm e
I totally understand what’s been written here. I agree that it hurts right at the root — mine is almost a “hurt-so-good” kind of pain. It hurts but it is like a toothache that hurts while you press on it but it also feels good … okay I’m a little more crazy than you all. One thing that I have different is that I do not have a headache when this episode happens. I find it to be more cyclic but now every month but no headache. Wierd.
February 20th, 2006 at 9:14 am e
I have the same problem. MY HAIR HURTS! I have very long hair and people always say it’s because I put it up too often. But that can’t be true because it only hurts maybe once a month. And since my hair doesn’t gain weight once a month that can’t be true. I also get migraines that make me very sick… but it’s not the same thing. This hair problem is nothing like a migraine. It’s like a toothache. I can almost “draw a line” around the area that hurts… just like a bruise.
March 28th, 2006 at 11:26 am e
Talk about hair hurting and folks think you are crazy. Well my hair HURTS and it prevents me from sleeping. As pointed out in one of the other comments it is one specific area. I have found my cure - antiinflamtory medication which was prescribed for another ailment. The hair ache disappeared. The drug name is NOVONAPROX in Canada. Still free of “Hair Hurt” after 3 great days.
April 6th, 2006 at 8:52 pm e
I am right now suffering wit this scalp pain. I was searching on site to see if I get some quick solution. This is really killing me when each hair move. I will visit again to this site, someone please give some quick solution. Linda, I doubt if I will get the medicine referred above in my area. Thanks.
April 7th, 2006 at 4:21 am e
Sundari… I have looked it up and the drug called Novoprox in Canada is Naproxen in the US. That is the active ingredient in the over the counter medication Aleve. You might have to take two Aleve to get the same effect. Also Aleve is very bad for your stomach but if you don’t take it too often maybe it would be okay and help your pain.
Alllie
April 14th, 2006 at 7:52 am e
I have this sensetive section on the left side of my head which made me
change the parting of my hair from left side to the right side. I also suffer when I tie my hair with an elastic band or hairpins. It is like pulling my hair and the
scalp feels also tender to touch. If someone know something or experienced the same thing, pelase advise.
April 19th, 2006 at 10:21 pm e
My hair hurts also and I just did a search on it and found this! I can relate to you all with this problem. The last week or so has been the pits. Last week it was more on the left side of my head and today it is more on the right. All I need to do is go out in the wind and it blows my hair a certain way and my hair hurts. Tonight I washed it in the sink so I could use the spray thing and massage it a bit. Wow…it hurt so bad to try to massage it or put any pressure. I will be back here often so see of any remedies. In the meantime, I’ll try a couple of Aleve. Do you think there’s a name for this?
April 22nd, 2006 at 4:26 pm e
It seems my hair pain is cyclical, about 3-5 days before each period. I have long hair and wear it up a lot (I live in the tropics). I thought it was just from wearing my pony tail too tight or up too high or from wearing braids, but after many months I’ve eliminated most of thsee possibilities and I’m now down to “PMS.” What’s up with that?
I will take a couple of ibuprofen and see if that does the trick.
Glad to know I’m not the only one!
April 24th, 2006 at 12:12 pm e
The same problem has been bugging me for a week, but the pain has also spread into my cheek and even my inner ear. Two nights ago I sneezed, and felt the entire nerve light up from the base of my skull up the scalp around my ear. Another woman with the same problem wrote that a pinched nerve turned out to be the source of her hair pain. I finally put two-and-two together and went to a chiropractor. He gave me one treatment today. ($40) I already feel better. He said to call next week if I need it, but he thinks today’s treatment will be sufficient. I am definitely feeling warmth moving up from my neck around the painful area, so I think the nerve was the culprit.
May 11th, 2006 at 7:30 am e
I’ve been getting a lot of spam comments on alllieblog from posters trying to sell porn or gambling or drugs so I finally had to fix things so you will have to register in the future in order to post a comment. I’m sorry about this, I don’t like to have to register to comment myself, but there was just too much annoying spam to deal with and delete. They must go out in search for blogs where they can post their spam without registering. You can still post, you will just have to register first.
Alllie
May 11th, 2006 at 12:51 pm e
Kim
Looks like your page was heavily hit by spam
May 16th, 2006 at 9:07 pm e
Pod
Looks like your blog was spamed
May 25th, 2006 at 6:30 pm e
Kim
Lookks like your page was heavily hit by spam
November 6th, 2006 at 7:19 am e
I have the same problem with the hair hurting, it seems to be a result of my wisdom tooth extraction. At first it seemed like the dentist must have been trying to knock my teeth out by hitting the top of my head. But after some testing I found that my follicles are very tender, only the ones on the top of my head. Very strange indeed, touching my hair results in a feeling most accurately described as my hair simply hurting. But the pain is all at my follicle. I figure this must be some kind of nervous disorder caused by the trauma of having four huge teeth ripped out of my head, but what do I know? It bothers me and I have a pretty good resistance to pain, best way I can explain it is its like having a very bad bruise, very tender also and with long hair growing out of it so any hair movement triggers the pain like as if you were touching it. sux
March 15th, 2007 at 2:52 pm e
Wow I am not nuts. I to have pain at my scalp when I comb or brush my hair. Movement of it hurts. It dosn’t bother me when I run my hand across my scalp.
I have a cold and my ear was bothering me. I guess as long as I am not going bald I can deal with the pain. Sure would like to know the cause though.
March 21st, 2007 at 12:25 am e
Just like everyone else I was searching the web for “my hair hurts” and scalp pain’ and found this site.I also found a few answers on “yahoo answers”.A few people on there & one on here said it has to do w/the menstrual cycle and I just started my period today and now my hair/scalp is hurting.I don’t know if that’s it though..cause I did see that a guy posted a question on the other site about his hair hurting.
I have somewhat long hair..about to the top of the breast and it’s medium thickness w/some curl..and it hurts when I rub my hair in any direction other than down…and only on the top half of my head.Maybe it’s just from the weight of it pulling it in that one direction all day.Usually when this happens I don’t notice feeling it when I wake in the morning..but I sleep w/my hair pushed up on my pillow..so it’s in the opposite direction than I wear it all day.
I am grabbing at straws here..lol.
It hurts to rub but I can’t stop rubbing it..isn’t that weird!
April 15th, 2007 at 11:09 pm e
I’m 54 years old and into menopause and STILL suffer from this annoying “thing”! I finally took the time to do a bit more research and found out it’s called trichodynia. Here’s a link to a page with a great deal of information: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=186724
If the link doesn’t take you to the right page for some reason, go to Google Answers and search on ponytail syndrome. Sounds like it’s something people are just starting to talk about and research. I have found some correlation to hair loss… I don’t think I’m losing a ton of hair, but it’s sort of like a spring shed! ; ) Web MD also had a good page or two of information but when I went back to the link I was asked to pay for the article. Maybe they let you see it once for free or something! Good Luck to all and thank you for sharing your experiences! Misery loves company!
March 22nd, 2009 at 4:20 pm e
From Austin:
“mine too - I’m sure it’s connected with a severe back/neck pain I’ve
had since spending 12 hours sleeping on a plane, followed by a day of
little sleep, followed by 12 hours contorted in a coach seat on a
plane…my point being, in some sort of way, it’s neurological…like
migraines, in a way, I suppose…for me, nerves hurting one place make
other places hurt, or something…”
September 29th, 2009 at 1:14 pm e
From Marijane:
I have always had these small circular areas on my head/hair that hurt to the touch for about a day and when I wash my hair they go away. They are usually on the left rear side. I think it’s from the way I sleep on my hair. I also have “migraines” but they are painless. A very small portion of the population of migraine sufferers have this type. I have pop art in a circular arch in my field of vision that enlarges as time passes and the right side of my head feels numb and I am very tired afterwards. But I never associated the hair with any migraine. I am sure for me that they are not connected.
Strange, I know.
Marijane