Dandruff- at my wit's end

**BranwenWolf** · January 10th, 2011, 02:13 AM

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** · January 10th, 2011, 02:20 AM

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** · January 10th, 2011, 02:23 AM

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** · January 10th, 2011, 02:26 AM

I agree with Eolan!

for me personally apple vinegear rinses made a great difference.

**Una** · January 10th, 2011, 03:27 AM

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** · January 10th, 2011, 03:29 AM

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** · January 10th, 2011, 03:35 AM

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** · January 10th, 2011, 03:45 AM

Originally Posted by 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 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** · January 10th, 2011, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by 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!

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** · January 10th, 2011, 04:36 AM

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.