Red bumps on scalp can be irritating, annoying and painful. Here are some possible causes of outbreaks, and recommendations to prevent them.
Talk about a real head scratcher….
For some, the root cause of red bumps appearing on the scalp is a mystery. And not all bumps on the noggin are similar. Sometimes, the bumps are itchy. The bumps can be quite painful, while for some people they are a minor cosmetic annoyance.
Regardless whether the bumps on your scalp are red, itchy, or painful, you probably would rather not have them. But the bumps on the top of your head don’t appear out of nowhere. There are a few primary root causes of red bumps on scalp.
Let’s take a look at some of them….
Scalp irritation occurs because of these following reasons:
- Fungus
- Allergic reaction
- Infected hair follicle roots
- Hair modification (extensions, braids, etc.)
- Hormonal imbalance
There are other root causes of red bumps on scalp. Viruses, yeast, bacteria and other microscopic invaders can produce bumps.
However, many times, the main root cause of your bumps could be lifestyle factors.
Sugar: the root cause of your red bumps?
For example, if your diet is high in sugar, an overgrowth of yeast can occur. Yeast is a type of fungus. A specific fungus commonly known as ringworm is a major cause of red bumps on scalp. Ringworm can produce painful bumps. And these bumps can fill with pus. Medically referred to as tinea capitis, ringworm can spread very quickly.
Conventional advice for ringworm includes visiting a doctor or dermatologist. Chances are, the dermatologist would prescribe a medication for the ringworm to stop the spread of the fungus. Additionally, you might be told to use an antifungal shampoo.
While this mainstream treatment protocol is effective for treating red bumps on scalp, it’s not a holistic solution.
You must examine your diet to determine if the food you eat contributes to red bumps. Eating a diet high in sugar, even natural sugars, could contribute to an environment that’s conducive to yeast or other fungus overgrowth.
Stress: can it contribute to red bumps on scalp?
The next lifestyle factor that can cause bumps on the head is stress. Stress throws all your body systems out of whack. This includes your endocrine system. Your endocrine system controls your hormones. There are several forms of stress that can disrupt your hormone levels. For example, environmental stress may boost your estrogen levels too high.
Environmental stress includes using skin care products that contain synthetic chemicals. These chemicals can disrupt normal hormone balance, especially estrogen. And estrogen can affect every part of your skin, including your scalp.
Mental or emotional stress can also disrupt hormone levels (so can menopause, which in itself can be an emotional stress). In fact, any kind of stress can cause red bumps on top of your head. Thus, from a holistic perspective, to minimize the chance of an outbreak, practice stress management techniques. Meditation, tai chi and yoga are a few ways you can reduce the effects of stress on your body.
You can also take certain herbs such as adaptogens. These herbs help you adapt to stress by controlling the amount of stress hormones circulating through your bloodstream.
Red bumps on scalp: other dietary factors for getting rid of them
In addition to limiting your sugar intake, also consider reducing your total carbs. Many people don’t realize that high-starch foods such as pasta, rice and bread are essentially sugar. And considering that sugar can cause yeast and other fungal outbreaks, if you want to minimize the risk of future outbreaks, try to eat a low starch diet.
If you’re not sure how to eat a low-glycemic diet, check out our guide for starting a low carb diet. Also, consider ditching dairy. Conventional dairy is one of the leading food allergens. Moreover, dairy can cause inflammation. This is especially true if you’re sensitive to it. Inflammation can manifest as skin irritation, including those dreaded red bumps on scalp.
And if you have bumps on your head, you may also want to cut down on gluten as well.
In fact, if you suffer from red bumps on your scalp, consider getting tested for food allergies. And go a step further if you can by getting tested for environmental allergies. Allergies, in general, can create an environment that’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet for bacteria. Unfortunately, for you, this can manifest as bumps.
Red bumps on scalp: an internal problem?
Just like other skin disorders such as acne, bumps on the noggin can be a sign of internal disharmony. Specifically, gut disharmony. If you don’t have enough good bacteria in your gut, your skin can suffer. What’s the connection between not having enough good bacteria and bumps? A proliferation of harmful bacteria can cause irritation anywhere in the body, including the scalp.
To get more beneficial bacteria, take probiotic supplements. If you take antibiotics or took them frequently in the past, you definitely should supplement with probiotics. Also, eat fermented and cultured foods. Yogurt, kefir, raw sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi are some examples.
Furthermore, those same topical creams and antibiotics that treat red bumps could exacerbate the problem. These prescriptions do nothing to address the microflora (bacteria) balance.
There’s yet another potential trigger for red bumps that could be food related. And that’s poor mineral and trace mineral intake. If you don’t eat enough foods with zinc, copper and magnesium, skin health can suffer. To know for sure if you’re deficient in these minerals, you can take a blood test.
While these minerals don’t necessarily affect just the skin, they impact overall health.
In addition, another reason you may have internal disharmony is due to a sluggish liver. Your liver is the main detoxifying organ. If you have a history of eating junk food or using toxic chemicals, it’s possible your liver is having a hard time purifying your body.
If you have the budget, get a consultation from a natural health expert. This way, you’ll be able to tackle red bumps on your head without drugs. Medications are ok to use but they don’t address the root cause.
Bone Broth to Treat Red Scalp Bumps?
There’s a good reason bone broth has become a trendy health food. Well, actually, bone broth has been around since the dawn of civilization. Intuitively, ancient people as well as traditional societies to this day, knew there’s good stuff in bones. And the good stuff is called collagen.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It’s not exactly known how many proteins there are in the human body. But scientists know collagen is by far the most common type. In fact, about 30% of the proteins in your body is collagen.
There are many types of collagen, approximately 20. But your skin contains primarily types 1 and 3 collagen. And the older you get, the more your own collagen breaks down. While there might not be a direct link between your collagen and red bumps on scalp, anything that can help your skin can’t hurt.
That is why consuming bone broth is a good idea. Bone broth that comes from grass-fed cow bones is rich in collagen protein. By consuming the collagen from the bones of cows, you are helping your own collagen in your skin regenerate. This could prevent outbreaks of red bumps. Although it’s not a guarantee, it’s worth a try.
Bumps on scalp that hurt
It’s possible that If you have painful bumps on your head, the cause is the fungus known as ringworm. See a dermatologist immediately to confirm this. Your dermatologist will likely prescribe medication. An antibiotic may be necessary to eliminate the outbreak. However, keep in mind that you should address the root cause of what gave rise to the fungus or bacterial outbreak in the first place.
Painful bumps on scalp
Perhaps a virus is the cause of your painful bumps. Consider having a doctor examine you to see if you have shingles. Shingles occurs from the same virus that causes chickenpox. Unfortunately, no amount of lifestyle modification can eliminate or cure the shingles virus. However, eating a low-sugar, low-starch diet that encourages a healthy bacterial balance in your gut can prevent outbreaks.
Scalp folliculitis
Scalp folliculitis is a fancy way of saying ‘bumps on the scalp.’ Similar to acne, it’s not really a medical diagnosis. And try the same lifestyle modifications that encourage a healthy internal environment that can help treat acne. You can use them to limit outbreaks of scalp folliculitis as well.
