Seborrheic Dermatitis (Dandruff + Rash + ITCH!!)

[gutsygirl]

As most probably know, I went sly because my head itches and gets rashes, not just on my scalp but also my face and neck.  I recently saw a dermatologist.  She diagnosed it as seborrheic dermatitis.  She prescribed ketoconazole shampoo but it's doing nothing for me.  The only thing that helps is to stay totally SLY it seems. 

As a lady, I'd like to have the OPTION to be sly or to grow out my hair without such suffering.  But that would mean getting the SD under control without the head shaving option.  I just want to have options. 

I also find that I'm extremely sensitive to chemicals and I've had to change my bath products and even my laundry detergent to a free and clear brand.  What's more, I have Severe Celiac Disease and cannot tolerate even a little gluten, and I also have nut allergies.  So I'm really limited as to what I can use in the shower and for shaving products.

I heard about some folks using Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to treat SD.  How do you use it?

I cannot use the St. Ives Apricot scrub or the others they make - I think it had tree nuts in it if I remember correctly.  HeadShed also uses walnuts.  I'd prefer not to use my Epi-Pen just because I was trying to exfoliate!  Haha!  So I'm looking for a good, SIMPLE, fairly natural and gluten free approach to exfoliation, and because I shave WTG I want it to be a product I can apply rather than just using a loofah (which is what I've been doing for the past few months...or avoiding exfoliation altogether).  Ideas?  "Recipes"?

Thanks for the help!  I love you guys...I really really do!!!!   

[-Doug-]

I'm not sure of all of the ingredients, but Bee Bald makes a nice exfoliant that seems fairly easy on the skin. That might be worth looking into. Also, you may want to talk to Schro. He sought relief from SD by shaving his head. He might have some tips for you.

Good luck in you search!

[Mikekoz13]

Here's another vote for the BeeBald exfoliator. I love their line of products and the exfoliator is my favorite of all.

They are a sponsor on the Forum and you can see their advertisement at the top of the page as part of the scrolling sponsors.

Also... go to BeeBald.com to see what they offer. Their products are a little pricier but you literally need a pea sized drop of the exfoliator to do your head.

[gutsygirl]

Cool. I will call the company today.  :-)  thanks!

[InProgress]

You could try exfoliating... but i'm not 100% sure it will work. It might though. I get seborrheic dermatitis on my face, and what works for me is washing my face every day with a scrubby face wash (one with the little beads in it for scrubbing), as well as using a ketoconazole cream. Keep in mind what's causing the problem - your skin is oily, which is feeding the yeast that naturally grows on your skin. If you wash your scalp frequently, that will reduce the oil. If you exfoliate, that might get off dead skin that traps the oil. And if you use ketoconazole or another azole cream/product, that kills the yeast.

Try combining a few approaches and see if that works. Face wash + head and shoulders (pyrithione zinc also kills the yeast) work for me.

[BBCAlex]

Before I went bald by choice I had a couple outbreaks of seborrheic dermatitis and used T/Gel shampoo. It smells awful but the coal tar cleared my head up within a couple weeks. The results were amazing.  You could just slather it on your bald head and let it sit.

http://www.neutrogena.com/category/hair/t-gel-.do

[gutsygirl]

Great replies, guys.  Thanks.  Glad you're finding success in combatting the SD. 

Hard for me to find shampoos and products that don't either dry my skin like the Sahara or give me contact dermatitis due to the chems or have gluten (I have celiac disease and gluten can literally kill me because I also have gluten ataxia).  Whew!  H&S is gluten free, but it dries me out and doesn't work.  I'm now using a ketacola...whatever it is....shampoo from my dermatologist which doesn't dry me out but nor does it work wonders.  I'm able to keep the SD *mostly* under control if I shave a few times a week. 

As soon as I try to grow my hair past day 6 or so, the demons of SD hell are rattling the gates!  I'm going to try ACV first because at least I won't be adding a whole lot more chemicals to my already sensitive skin.  Just don't know that I'll find anything that will keep it under control enough that I could actually grow my hair out again.  :/ 

I'll also try washing my head and face more often, changing my pillow case every other day, and continue washing my hats or just wearing them less.  I might try this recipe for an exfoliating scrub tonight: http://www.food.com/recipe/lemon-or-lime-sugar-or-salt-scrub-197417  but I will use salt instead of sugar to hopefully avoid feeding any yeasties. 

Good think I look hot sly!   

[greatnessinc]

I was just going to ask if you've considered a sugar scrub.
I have Dermatitis as well. How I've been able to control it is by using Selson blue with aloe.
Also switching to a shave soap instead of a cream has helped. Also consider using a shave brush (it lightly exfoliates while applying soap/cream/gel/etc). Given your allergies, I'd recommend trying a hypoallergenic shave soap.

[gutsygirl]

I was just going to ask if you've considered a sugar scrub.
I have Dermatitis as well. How I've been able to control it is by using Selson blue with aloe.
Also switching to a shave soap instead of a cream has helped. Also consider using a shave brush (it lightly exfoliates while applying soap/cream/gel/etc). Given your allergies, I'd recommend trying a hypoallergenic shave soap.

Ya know, I just did my first shave soap and brush lather pre shave this week. Unfortunately either I stink at making lather (I hear it takes some practice) or my bush isn't broken in yet, so it may be a while before I get the lathering down to a science. But I am looking forward to soap and lather shaves in the future. :-)

[CP2013]

You mentioned you're allergic to chemicals, but there's something called Tersi Foam which is 2.5% selenium sulfide specifically for SD.  I had a little dandruff and my derm prescribed this for me and it cleared it up.  Not sure if you've tried this yet.  The natural approach would be tea tree oil, neem, apple cider vinegar, etc.  I've heard of people diluting these them in water and applying for 15 min or so and then rinsing out.  Also, tea tree oil shampoo seems to be a good natural choice for SD. 

Its a yeast that causes dandruff so switching to a low glycemic diet and avoiding any and all sugar helps tremendously.  Unfortunately, since the yeast is naturally present one can only manage the issue. 

[baldOUfan]

I have read that dry coffee grounds can be used as an exfoliant, as for shampoo I have Psoriasis on my scalp and beard  I put 100% tea tree oil in my shampoo bottle, I make it about a 5% solution seems to help me. Hope this helps you.

[Psukhe]

I use tea tree oil in the shower  and then slather on a ton of coconut oil afterwards.   It's cleared up 90% of my SD!!!

[greatnessinc]

I just started using Aveeno Eczema therapy, it seems to help so far.
As for shave brush, try a badger not a boar. Badger brushes don't need to be broken in.

[Unenlightened]

I'm also in the seborrheic dermatitis boat. That's why I ended up here; I was thinking of shaving.

Can you tolerate magnesium hydroxide? Milk of magnesia works wonders on an oily flaky head; dead skin just falls right off along with the oil. I've read that leaving it on the skin, as in a cosmetic application, can be bad; however I don't think there is a major downside to using it as a dandruff treatment. It's highly basic and contains a tiny amount of what is basically bleach as I understand, but it's worth reading about for yourself if you think there's a chance you could use it.

[smoothsailing]

Youtube is your friend if you're looking for good lather technique.