I have a bad habit

[I_UndergroundPanther]

That comes and goes. Haven't had a problem with it in over a year.

I pick my skin,on my scalp on my fingers. I've been good about the fingers but my scalp looks like hell.
I got some salycilic acid shampoo to get rid of excess oil, I wash my hair everyday the scabs form I tell myself to leave it alone. But when I start to relax I catch myself digging at it. By time I realized that I was doing it a bunch of scabs are gone.
I dunno how to make this stop.

Btw when I go out from my house I wear a bandanna to cover my head.
And mask and sunglasses.

[safeinOhio]

1. I haven't had one in a long time,

but I remember getting a cavity filled and no matter how I tried, I just couldn't stop running my tongue over it. Sounds like the same reflex.

[Jack-o-Lantern]

2. For years I've been picking and biting my nails until they bleed... awful habit.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. My guess is that it's an aspect of OCD.

And at the risk of sounding like a nutcase, if you can find a good hypnotherapist in your area, this is exactly the kind of thing they are very good at resolving.

Otherwise, in conventional medical terms, perhaps some kind of anti-anxiety medication would work. I absolutely must point out I'm not a medical professional, and nothing I say can be construed as medical advice.

[patricia92243]

4. Sounds like the shampoo is irritating your scalp and making

you pick at your scalp. Better oily hair than scabs. Lose the shampoo and see if that doesn't take care of it.

[Phoenix61]

5. My Mom would do that when she was super

stressed. She got a prescription for some type of liquid to put on the sores to help them not itch as the healed.

[janterry]

6. Can you wear gloves for a few days?

You want to break the habit. Start out by making certain that you can't do it

Gloves are the perfect answer. Or one glove (is it one hand or both?). They make very inexpensive mittens that are very sensitive.

Then after they heal, it will be easier.

I think you could even cut the finger off of a really cheap glove and keep that on one finger (if you scratch primarily with one finger).

Are you home? How about wear a hat for a few days? Just to break the cycle.

[chia]

7. Habit Reversal Training

Habit Reversal Training (HRT) incorporates self-awareness, relaxation training, competing responses, replacement behaviors, and avoiding trigger situations. There are therapists who specialize in HRT for what they call body-focused repetitive behaviors, here's one of them speaking on some of the main components here (in this instance it's in relation to the current Covid-19 'don't touch your face' admonitions):

https://brooklynminds.blog/dont-touch-your-face-tips-from-a-habit-reversal-therapist/

[Chainfire]

8. I thought I was the only one

Thank you!