Henna for seborrhoeic eczema/dermatitis/dandruff

[2luvmycurls]

2luvmycurls, hon, could you edit your comment to remove my real name? Thanks!

Sure thing, sorry!

[Elettaria]

I've just checked the herbs you mentioned from the herbalist I may be buying henna from.

Plantain - available as a powder
Liquorice - available as a powder
Neem - available as an oil, leaves and in various creams and such
Burdock - looks like chunks of the root
Celandine - didn't come up

I already have liquorice teabags, so I might try the plantain. Actually, I think I'll try to find someone who knows more about this, my old herbalist or the supplier, and find out what's likely to be most effective without irritating my scalp, and if any of these herbs have a nice sticky texture for easier application.

[Teazel]

I find rosemary vinegar rinses quite helpful for seborrhoeic dermatitis. My dermatologist reckons I should leave it on for 20 minutes to get the full benefit - he says it has an exfoliating effect - but I can't be bothered: I just rinse the very dilute solution out straight away.

Other than vinegar rinses, the only thing that has ever helped at all is betamethasone. A tiny amount of that now and then keeps the flaking right under control.

[Elettaria]

Could you give me instructions for how you do your rosemary vinegar rinse? I have rosemary essential oil and powdered rosemary at the moment. How often do you need to use it?

[Caldonia Sun]

I've been trying the vinegar rinses for my SD, but my scalp gets even redder and more sore. I use it very diluted - 1 T/1 C water and do not leave it on for more than a few seconds before rinsing well. I still, after six years, have not found the "right" products, although in the cooler months, I am usually ok with just a diluted shampoo. Summer is tough. I've never tried henna, mainly because I have silver hair and don't want any color.

[Elettaria]

OK, I now have 20ml organic virgin coconut oil with 20 drops of rosemary EO sitting on my hair. I sectioned it into four using the fantastic T-rex clips my hairdresser recommended, smothered the roots with oil, put the leftovers on the ends, plaited it, and put a towel on my pillow as I'm about to watch a film. I'll leave it on for a couple of hours or so.

Since the strongest cider vinegar rinse I've done is 5ml in a jugful as a leave-in, could people advise me on how much vinegar I should use and how long I should realistically leave it on for? I generally put a couple of herbal teabags into a 1 litre plastic measuring jug, add the vinegar, add enough boiling water to cover, steep while I'm washing my hair, then remove the teabags and fill it up with cold. This gives me enough to dip my hair in both sides and pour the rest over my scalp. Should I do the same only with more vinegar and then rinse it, or should I use less water?

[Teazel]

Could you give me instructions for how you do your rosemary vinegar rinse? I have rosemary essential oil and powdered rosemary at the moment. How often do you need to use it?

I pour about a tablespoon (15ml) of the vinegar into a a 2-cup (500ml) plastic jug and take it into the shower with me - or to the sink, if that's where I'm washing. A stronger solution of vinegar burns my skin. After shampooing and rinsing I fill up the jug with warm water, tip it over my head, and rinse briefly. (Were I to follow the dermatologist's advice I'd wait 20 minutes before rinsing.)

I do this every 3rd or 4th day, whenever I shampoo.

There is a description of how I make rosemary vinegar here; I also explained why I use rosemary in the comments.

[Elettaria]

The rosemary vinegar looks lovely. I wonder if I could get my mother to make some for me? I live in a flat with no garden and little direct sunlight, whereas she can steal from the neighbour's rosemary bush which overhangs her drive (I used to do that all the time for herbal rinses when visiting) and has plenty of sunny spots in the house.

I did put rosemary EO in the vinegar, though. I noted your 16:1 ratio and used 60ml ACV in 1 litre herbal tea (2 chamomile, 1 liquorice, left to steep with a lid on the jug). I left it in my hair for somewhere between 10-20 minutes while I struggled with shaving my legs for the first time since I don't know when and with a fairly blunt razor (but hey, I discovered that my 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner makes a reasonable shaving gel). The coconut oil had been left on my hair 3 1/2 hours in the end, and smelt out of this world by the end, the rosemary in it had really mellowed.

Anyway, now my hair seems to be in reasonable condition, doesn't really smell of anything (slight vinegar smell when it was damp, no discernible rosemary alas), and my scalp appears to be exactly the same. Also there's no way I'd go through that process as anything other than an occasional treatment, it's too tiring for me. Do you reckon there are any tweaks I can make to the process to get it to work better for me? At least my scalp wasn't feeling remotely irritated at any point.

[Elettaria]

I just wanted to mention that the vinegar may not have irritated my scalp, but it irritated other parts of me and I'm still putting on steroid cream several days later. I won't be using this method again.

Could anyone answer my original questions about henna, please?

[Jenny.Wren]

I'm also a bit stuck for suppliers. I'm in the UK,

Me too. Try these people: Free delivery and next day too

thespiceworks.co.uk

I've had a problem with itchy scalp for quite a while. Been to the doctors numerous times and used all sorts of medicated shampoos (yuk)! and even a steroid scalp application. There are no flakes, sores, bumps, red patches, just itchy.

I've stopped using chemical hair colours and now use Lush Henna and now using sls free shampoos to see if that helps.

I also do ACV rinses and coconut oil in the scalp as a pre-wash. I'm hoping it will all help soon.