Dandruff- at my wit's end

[BranwenWolf]

I've tried every shampoo on the market for dandruff- Nizerole, T-Gel, Head & Shoulders, Selsun Blue...etc.
I tried baking soda, I tried NOT using dandruff shampoo.
This has gone on for as long as I can remember- at least age 10 or so. I'm 23.

Can anyone give me pointers on tea tree oil or lemon juice treatments? (or a thread detailing these, haha)

I still need to cleanse my hair with something because I have a really oily scalp, and when I don't wash it gets greasy and itchy.

[Red Leo]

My husband had it really badly I had him start puting olive oil on it and it went away(but he doesn't have long hair)The truth is the soap in the shapoo is what makes it bad,you can try anything with goats milk in it it helps alot too.

[Eolan]

I have psoriasis on my scalp, wich is a totally different thing, I know. But I discovered that since I stopped using schampoos with sulfates in them, I have almost zero breakouts. As soon as I use a schampoo with sulfates, my psoriasis gets triggered. Perhaps it is something you can try as well?

If this has been a problem for so long it might have to do with diet or allergies. Have you had it looked at by a professional?

[Ishje]

I agree with Eolan!

for me personally apple vinegear rinses made a great difference.

[Una]

Hmm..it could be psoriasis, which is an entirely different condition to dandruff. Perhaps you should speak to your doctor about it. If it is psoriasis, your doctor could prescribe you medication to clear it up.
Like Eolan noted, psorasis (and dundruff) can be treated naturally and by cutting out certain chemicals.
My partner has psoriasis and he finds not eating dairy helps with his condition.
Best of luck.

[Una]

Oh, I should note too that chemical treatments specifically designed to eliminate dundruff will not be effective against psoriasis...perhaps that is why you are not having any luck.

[BranwenWolf]

More than one person (several not on this board) have brought up psoriasis. I have a dermatologist that handles my other skin problems so I think I will make an appointment on that.
I've had small outbreaks of flaky skin elsewhere on my face- is that psoriasis?
It's really annoying to have lovely hair and such an icky scalp!


Thanks so much for the advice- I love having such wisdom on one board!

ETA: Subsequent research has revealed psoriasis may have a genetic component. My uncle has it badly and my mom has had random patches here and there. I will definitely look into this!

[Eolan]

Hmm..it could be psoriasis, which is an entirely different condition to dandruff. Perhaps you should speak to your doctor about it. If it is psoriasis, your doctor could prescribe you medication to clear it up.
Like Eolan noted, psorasis (and dundruff) can be treated naturally and by cutting out certain chemicals.
My partner has psoriasis and he finds not eating dairy helps with his condition.
Best of luck.

Una is right, it could be psoriasis. Some common signs on psoriasis is that you get flakes on sertain areas on your head, normally around your forehead and ears while dandruff often is something you have on your whole head. The flakes often also comes with soreness, itching, redness and sometimes the flaky areas leak. Sorry if this is disgusting you, but that's how it is.
However, ten is a very, very young age to get psoriasis, (BrawenWolf states in the first post that that's when the problems started) so I'm thinking that it's moore probable that it's something else.

If it is psoriasis I would NOT recommend that you try to treat it yourself. I had a huge outbreak last winter and tried to treat it with oils and such, wich lead to a major shed, since untreated scalp issues often leads to shedding. I just cut of four or five inches of hair due to that. If I have an ongoing outbreak, the only thing that stops it is a strong steroid treatment, that I get on prescription from my doctor.

To prevent outbreaks however, wich is something you definetly want to learn, a more natural, less harsh routine works wonders for me.

Sorry about the rant. Just thought it would be good to tell you this.

[Eolan]

More than one person (several not on this board) have brought up psoriasis. I have a dermatologist that handles my other skin problems so I think I will make an appointment on that.
I've had small outbreaks of flaky skin elsewhere on my face- is that psoriasis?
It's really annoying to have lovely hair and such an icky scalp!


Thanks so much for the advice- I love having such wisdom on one board!

ETA: Subsequent research has revealed psoriasis may have a genetic component. My uncle has it badly and my mom has had random patches here and there. I will definitely look into this!

You beat me to it. This to me sounds a bit more like psoriasis. Don't get upset if it is, it is totally treatable. I think seeing your dermatologist sounds like a good idea.

[frizzinator]

If it is not psoriasis, maybe try scritching everyday. Scritching with clean, filed fingernails can remove flakes and stuff from the scalp. Then shake the hair out, and brush if necessary.

Scritching can be done with a comb, held at a slight angle to the scalp. Push the comb along the scalp. It takes a long time because only a small part of the comb touches the scalp, accomplishing little more than can be done with one fingernail.

[LD224]

I use Jasons Tea Tree Shampoo for dandruff, it is sulfate free (I think) and takes care of my flakes better than any other poo out there.

[pelicano]

It could be seborrheic dermatitis, which is often misdiagnosed as psoriasis.

The best things I've found for mine are:
- fish oil (internally)
- changing my diet - reducing gluten and dairy
- vegetable glycerine - put on my scalp and face where I'm affected neat

I find any sort of acidic rinse makes me worse (unfortunately, because it's great for my hair!)

[Noula]

Like you I've had this problem for a long time, I've had it since my late teens. I've only been at it for about a week which means it *could* just be an anomaly, but scritching has helped a great deal. I've not had any itching since I started.

For a long time I've avoided touching my scalp apart from combing because I thought scratching would make it worse, and I think it can unless you're careful not to scratch it raw. You're not trying to scratch an itch, you're trying remove stuff that is *on* your scalp (and possibly stimulate it to increase blood flow a little) so you should be careful not to scratch hard enough to damage the skin.

[Kerynna]

Neem oil works for me. It smells bad, but I just apply it directly on my hair and scalp about 10 minutes before shampooing. Let it soak in. Then shampoo, twice, and the smell goes away as does the dandruff. :cheese:

[ktani]

I've tried every shampoo on the market for dandruff- Nizerole, T-Gel, Head & Shoulders, Selsun Blue...etc.
I tried baking soda, I tried NOT using dandruff shampoo.
This has gone on for as long as I can remember- at least age 10 or so. I'm 23.

Can anyone give me pointers on tea tree oil or lemon juice treatments? (or a thread detailing these, haha)

I still need to cleanse my hair with something because I have a really oily scalp, and when I don't wash it gets greasy and itchy.

The best advice I can give you if you have not done it already is to see a specialist, a dermatologist, to determine just what you are dealing with.

There are different kinds of dandruff conditions and no one here, including me is qualified to diagnose or treat you online.

ETA: No one on any other website, qualified or not, can do that either. You need to see a specialist in person.

[weatherwax]

Say, if psoriasis is the culprit, look for a shampoo with salicylic acid. It's kind of magic--it dissolves dead skin and oil, and works on rosacea and cradle cap as well as psoriasis. Neutrogena and Selsun Blue both make dandruff shampoos that contain it, and there was a natural-foods-store non-sulfate version at my local co-op. If you do have psoriasis, it's probably what the dermatologist will recommend (though she might prescribe a stronger version). As Ktani said, though, only the doc can verify what's really going on.

Since you asked about tea tree and lemon, I can say that the Chagrin Valley Tea Tree and Neem Shampoo Bar (followed by a dilute lemon rinse) worked okay. It was enough to keep a medium attack at bay in combination with fortnightly Cassia treatments. When I tried to use it to kill a really epic case of dandruff all by itself, though, it didn't do so well. In any case tea tree, neem and cassia are all antifungals and won't do a thing for psoriasis, except possibly irritate it.

Good luck. The first time I really got rid of my own dandruff, it felt like a miracle. I hope that happens for you!

[BranwenWolf]

Scritching only seems to make it worse. It's also feeding my OCD skin picking habit. If it helps or not, I also have many pimples and blackheads in my scalp.

I tried lemon last night and there are fewer flakes today... maybe, just maybe it will work.
I will make an appointment with my dermatologist to see what's going on. I do agree that it's time for a specialist.
Argh.

[ktani]

Scritching only seems to make it worse. It's also feeding my OCD skin picking habit. If it helps or not, I also have many pimples and blackheads in my scalp.

I tried lemon last night and there are fewer flakes today... maybe, just maybe it will work.
I will make an appointment with my dermatologist to see what's going on. I do agree that it's time for a specialist.
Argh.

Good luck!

[Jules diamond]

ACV rinses helped me a lot. The first rinse made it worse but since then it's been loads better.

[Una]

Good luck BranwenWolf. Seeing a dermatologist is the best thing you can do for your condition. I hope your beautiful hair will soon be matched by a healthy scalp :)

[Finchen]

I think the best would be to see a dermatologist.

If it is neurodermitis, then you could try evening primrose oil, which has helped many people with neurodermitis.

[CaityBear]

Be consistent with washing your hair. My dandruff was best when I had chin length hair and washed it more often.

But then again it depends what you use. I use conditioner so it doesn't dry out my scalp.

I also found oil treatments to work. I tried to do them overnight once a week (then started missing some and now I'm going to try getting back into them). And that made a HUGE difference with the flakes and itchyness.

I also found ACV rinses to be amazing. When my scalp was REALLY itchy I would let some ACV sit in my hair for half an hour before showering.

That's all I can think about at the moment that worked really good for me.

[GRU]

Co-washing daily basically completely eliminated my flakes.

[McFearless]

CO wash was really good for my dandruff. Cleaned my scalp better than shampoo but kept it soft and free of flakes. ACV rinses are also amazing for itchy scalps. I hope you find a solution, I know how awful dandruff is.

[pelicano]

It just goes to show how different we all are. The worst things for my seborrheic dermatitis are vinegar rinses and conditioner anywhere near my scalp!

[BranwenWolf]

I have an appointment Thursday to confront the beast. My dermatologist seems to really be more enthusiastic about mole removal, though, so if he gives me some brush-off treatment I will get a referral to see another.

I am going to type out everything I did and every shampoo I tried so he won't prescribe something I already tried.

Washing-- I have to wash every day. It gets insanely itchy if I don't.
Lemons were actually working pretty well but I forgot a couple nights, and I think the flakes died down, but I forgot to cut the lemons and forgot. Flakes and itching hath returned.

[lingxi]

I used to have really bad dandruff when I was 13/14, (and people used to comment about it all the time) but then it just kinda went away of its own accord...I blame hormones...errr...sorry to be of such useless help, good luck!

[Roscata]

If you want a natural way to treat it, you might want to read this: http://www.rosaceagroup.org/The_Rosacea_Forum/showthread.php?20789-Seb-derm-Treating-seborrheic-dermatitis-with-raw-honey-and-virgin-coconut-oil.
For me henna, no SLS and washing with cold water worked, but it doesn't work for everyone. Good luck! :)

ETA: I found some articles with dandruff info:
Western Herbs and Techniques for Hair Care (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=134) (the info is like half way down the page)
Dry, itchy scalp treatments (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=6)
Herbs and Essential Oils for Hair and Skin! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=25) (again half way down the page)

[Katze]

I have SD and eczema, and diet is a KEY component of keeping it in check. Taking essential fatty acids, cutting down on coffee and sugar...those things seem to stress my body's systems.

Other than that regular deep washings with sulfates, NO oil on my scalp ever, not conditioning my scalp, and regular SMTs help a LOT. I do have to use 'cones, which my scalp doesn't really like.

Your skin is going to reflect what's going on internally, so in addition to consulting a doctor, you might want to see what you can do in terms of diet, stress level, water consumption etc.

[McFearless]

It just goes to show how different we all are. The worst things for my seborrheic dermatitis are vinegar rinses and conditioner anywhere near my scalp!

Oh no:(
Im glad you know they don't work for you. I'm kind of silly in the way I will use something forever and not know its what causes my shedding or damage. :rolleyes:

[LaceyNg]

so, this is probably going to sound ridiculous to you... but you could try putting Monistat on your head :?

i've been readding on here that a LOT of people do it for hair growth, but the way it supposedly works is that it rids your scalp of fungus (which most ppl naturally have some of anyways), and lets more oxygen in so thats what helps hair growth.

regardless, a lot of ppl who've tried it have reported that their scalp issues w/ itchiness/flakes cleared up WONDERFULY!

so i'm trying it now, and i've done 2 applications, and have stopped usin dandruff shampoo. so far, so good. still some flakes, but i imagine that'll take some time to go away. itchiness has improved though! :happydance:

[BranwenWolf]

so, this is probably going to sound ridiculous to you... but you could try putting Monistat on your head :?

i've been readding on here that a LOT of people do it for hair growth, but the way it supposedly works is that it rids your scalp of fungus (which most ppl naturally have some of anyways), and lets more oxygen in so thats what helps hair growth.

regardless, a lot of ppl who've tried it have reported that their scalp issues w/ itchiness/flakes cleared up WONDERFULY!

so i'm trying it now, and i've done 2 applications, and have stopped usin dandruff shampoo. so far, so good. still some flakes, but i imagine that'll take some time to go away. itchiness has improved though! :happydance:


Tried it. :) There's a whole Monistat thread in Mane Forum I believe.

I may be using it anyway because my meds are causing my hair to thin, and I think it helped for growth, but did nothing for dandruff.

The appointment is tomorrow!! I want to get to the bottom of this damn stuff.

[BranwenWolf]

Okay...
My dermatologist seems to specialize in suspicious mole removal, so he was sort of brief on dandruff and then went on mole hunt. *sigh* I was prescribed fluocin acet, which appears to be for dermatitis, and was told to come back in 6 weeks to survey the results.

If nothing works I may go back to herbal treatments. I'm kind of sick of doctors... I'm keeping this one because it's easier than switching (my insurance is... interesting to deal with) but they suck at record keeping in general.