Dealing with Eczema/Dermatitis/Etc

[Soullurre]

So I've been dealing with this for a while. I never thought too much of it til reality hit me hard and I realized I wasn't helping myself any by repeatedly shaving off my hair a total of 20 times in a span of 4 years. I got depressed and my OCD wasn't helping. So, I typed this out to try to analyze for myself how to fix and keep this problem far far away.

The 1st Week of June I used these 4 things and had no rashes on my forehead for a week. I use these 4 things only 1 time. In this order.


1.Hobe Labs Avocado Oil for dry scalp (rubbed it all over my head)
2.Lily of the desert Aloe Vera Gelly (applied it on top of the avocado oil. My scalp began itching after 20 minutes of application.)
3.I washed my scalp with dove unscented bar soap
4.Applied Apple Cider Vinegar to my scalp and rubbed it in and rinsed. Filled the acv to the 3 in a bottle and filled the rest with bottled water)


After those 4 things I had no rash appear across my forehead for a week but I began itching more and more by the end of the week, I had sores and scabs so I applied Walgreens Scalpicin then my mother got me Walmart Scalpicin with the dimethicone polymer.
I used it all up in 2 days cus it wouldn't stop itching. I washed with Dermarest Psoriasis shampoo with conditioner. Left it on for 3 to 5 minutes. It stopped my itching. My scalp doesn't itch as insane as before but my forehead rash is moving around my face and my forehead is oily after 2 days. I'm not sure what's going on. I didn't have all of this til I got pregnant with my 2 daughter's and had c-sections with both of them.

Last year I did go see a Dermatologist and of course he made my mother buy $200 worth of medicated shampoo and fluocinide or however you spell it and I didn't like it cus it made my hair so dry. And being black, that didn't settle well for me. I kept complaining about not wanting to use it cus of having dry hair from it and was told to only use what the dr told me. He insisted that I kept on using it and said child birth can cause a lot of changes and that it's something I'd have to just deal with. So I stopped using what he prescribed. And my mother was very angry with me. So I went back to experimenting trying to get rid of dry hair although my scalp was doing fine I just didn't like my hair. I was being told over and over that I couldn't change my hair and have to deal with it and that my hair was just gonna be difficult regardless. So, I shaved it all over still was experimenting and vowed on New Years Day to be the final time to shave. But that didn't go to well cus I have a permanent rash that never stays away and it's behind my ears, around my nose, my chin, my back, my chest.

I talked to several dermatologists online and they all told me I had symptoms of Seborrhea and that my scalp isn't dry it's actually oily which is why oils make me itch and anything left on my scalp makes me itch yet I still feel it's dry. Sorry for the long post. I'm just fed up with this and have an appointment to see an allergist and then yet ANOTHER dermatologist who I know for a fact is gonna prescribe me stuff of money we do not have. For now I'm using the Dermarest seems to help stop the madness of itching and preventing me from causing more sores/scabs on my scalp. But I feel like I need moisture, but yet again anything left too long on my scalp makes me go insane.

BTW, my hair isn't long enough yet to do anything with cus I had shaved it all off in April or May. I can't remember. Anything I apply for moisture to my hair will have to be on my scalp.:(

[Yarrow]

I'd stay away from oiling the scalp and just use aloe Vera. Also supplementing your diet with fish oil might help, because fish oil is really good for skin conditions. Personally, I have also put molasses on my scalp and found that to help.
Hope you find find the right routine and solution .

[lapushka]

If it's seborrheic dermatitis, the *only* thing that helped me is Nizoral 2% (I think it's prescription in the US). In Belgium the 2% is all we have and it's OTC. I have had SD since I was a wee one, so I have tried *everything* there is to try, even the homemade DIY stuff. It all doesn't hold a candle to Nizoral.

Shaving your hair isn't going to make the problem go away. :flower:

[Anje]

What would happen if you did the same things you did the week of June 1, but did it again every 3 days or so, before the itching started?

Most people need to wash fairly frequently (several times a week) for seborrhea, but I don't quite know how that plays in with the dryness you experience. The Nizoral might be worth trying, though. (I haven't used it. I thought that in the US, the 2% was over-the-counter and there was a 4% version that was prescription-only.)

I do know of one person (GRU) who said that her SD got better with CO washing. You might want to at least give that a try -- some people shed hair from it, but at least it puts something lotion-like on your scalp. Rinse it really well afterward. I'm not sure if it's still available, but if you're fragrance-sensitive but OK with a bit of protein in your conditioner, Sally Beauty used to carry one called Cure Care. It was unscented, good for most people for CO-washing, and inexpensive.

[lapushka]

(I haven't used it. I thought that in the US, the 2% was over-the-counter and there was a 4% version that was prescription-only.)

I don't think there is a 4% version. There's 2% and there's 1%. I think... :hmm:

[mssummerrose]

Hi Soullurre,
I think going to the allergist and the dermatologist is a good idea. Then if they prescribe anything you can't afford, maybe talk to them about cheaper options - or come back here with a diagnosis and people will definately have ideas!
Good luck!!

[Anje]

I don't think there is a 4% version. There's 2% and there's 1%. I think... :hmm:
Darn. I could have sworn I'd seen 4% mentioned around here somewhere....

This is what comes of people who don't have SD trying to advise the SD-afflicted crowd. :lol:

[lapushka]

Darn. I could have sworn I'd seen 4% mentioned around here somewhere....

This is what comes of people who don't have SD trying to advise the SD-afflicted crowd. :lol:

Now I'm not sure either! And any advice can be good advice! :thumbsup:

[turtlelover]

I just want to put it out there that I think blood sugar issues can aggravate this condition, so you might want to have a complete physical including bloodwork.

[Yarrow]

I hope you are doing alright. If you don't mind, I'll just dump some links here.

I think this a good overview here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3100109/
This is a nice summary overview http://blackgirllonghair.com/2014/10/scalp-care-how-to-treat-seborrheic-dermatitis/
You can check the oleic acid content of avocado oil here http://www.essentialoils.co.za/avocado-analysis.htm#avocado%20oil
With 50% it's relative high, the jojoba is only 12%.
The abstract of the raw honey study is here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11485891/
It's unheated raw. honey, because heat supposedly destroys the beneficial stuff (enzymes?) in the honey.
In Asia, there is a shampoo that sounds really interesting http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4252671/#!po=0.438596
It contains antifungal agents and rose extract as well as green tea extract.
A study for atopical dermatitis found green tea extract baths to help
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408302/
So perhaps green tea extract might be worth experimenting with.

[catasa]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I don´t have SD or any "real"/serious scalp problems so please pay more attention to those people who actually have personal experience and have already given good advice, but I just wanted to add a caution regarding aloe vera - I get itchiness from that, wherever I use it, and from what I have heard it is not so uncommon to be sensitive to aloe. So please use that with caution since if I read correctly you did get itchy after applying aloe, even if it is hard to know exactly which of the produts, or what, was the cause in that case.

Otherwise I would also recommend trying Nizoral or something similar to start with. If you would like to try something more "DIY", honey has been nice and calming for my acne-prone, sensitive facial skin, and also oatmeal (ground into powder and soaked). See this thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=131308&page=2&p=3025391&viewfull=1#post3025391 where the thread starter has reported that oatmeal added to her shampoo reduced itchiness. I know that there are commercial skin products containing oatmeal extracts for sensitive skin, so there should be something "for real" that is good in it!

I hope you find something that works, good luck! :blossom:

[Alexandra.]

Don't freak out - especially as you have OCD - but you might want to look into the forums and information online regarding Demodex mites. We ALL have these, absolutely everybody, they live at the base of our hair follicles, but sometimes they get out of control. They have been linked to acne and other skin problems. You can't eradicate them - our bodies probably need them in a symbiotic relationship like the bacteria we have inside and out - but their numbers can be reduced - and most reduction involves the use of tea tree oil. Crazy itching and skin rash can be a sign of it. Inflamed eyelids, losing lashes and very gummy eyes after waking also a sign. I am suggesting this as a possibility, so read up, take a long time and sieve through the information on it with a mental pinch of salt, but it could be your issue. Very, very best of luck.

[Soullurre]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I did a process of elimination and have been using Lily of The Desert Aloe Vera Gelly for some days now and it has completely healed my scalp and I don't have any more intense itching. I do not rinse it off. I leave it on and reapply once a day. I wash my scalp with Dial Baby Body Wash Unscented every 3rd day. This seems like a big breakthrough. I think the Aloe Vera Gelly works so well because it dries my scalp out and keeps away the oiliness. I think the dove unscented bar soap was causing my pores to get clogged and the apple cider vinegar was making my rashes worse and scalp worse. I avoid it.

[catasa]

Really great to hear that you found something that helped, and that aloe works for you! :blossom:

[nalgena]

Hi,
I've never been to dermatologist because of my scalp, but I have had dermatitis diagnosed on my face and more often than not, I have very sensitive and itchy scalp. At the beginning of this year I had severe itch and burning sensation on my scalp and I also felt some pain even if I didn't touch it. I didn't go to the doctor because I wasn't in my country if residence at that time, but I experimented with what I had. I was massaging my scalp with onion juice twice a week and I occasionally oiled it.
After a couple of weeks it was completely fine, I can't even remember when my scalp had been that healthy (dandruff and itch free) before. After I stopped applying onion juice, it gradually got worse again, but not as bad as it used to be. Right now I'm doing inversion method challenge, so I'm oiling my scalp daily. It's day 3 today, and my scalp already feels much healthier. The itch and dandruff are gone. I'm using a mix of coconut, jojoba, olive, castor, peppermint, tea tree, lavender and neem oil. I think what helps me the most, are oils with cooling effect, such as peppermint and tea tree oil.

[Anje]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I did a process of elimination and have been using Lily of The Desert Aloe Vera Gelly for some days now and it has completely healed my scalp and I don't have any more intense itching. I do not rinse it off. I leave it on and reapply once a day. I wash my scalp with Dial Baby Body Wash Unscented every 3rd day. This seems like a big breakthrough. I think the Aloe Vera Gelly works so well because it dries my scalp out and keeps away the oiliness. I think the dove unscented bar soap was causing my pores to get clogged and the apple cider vinegar was making my rashes worse and scalp worse. I avoid it.

Oh, I'm so glad your scalp healed up and you found something that works! I really, really hope that this is the beginning of the end of your skin problems. Good luck!

[luxurioushair]

Maybe you can try using just one natural product on your hair. You seem to use a lot of products and it'll be hard for you to tell what is making your condition worse/better. If you use only one hair moisturizer and one shampoo then you will be able to pinpoint the culprit, I think.

[Lark]

I worry that the apple cider vinegar was too strong of a mix, if you are wanting to use it again try just a few spoon fulls instead of inches. I know anytime my mix is too strong then I get the itchies.

[alexis917]

^Seconding this. I have eczema as well, but never on my scalp. My body, and if I'm lucky, my face. I used an ACV toner once during a misguided, "ALL NATURAL ERRTHANG" phase that wasn't diluted enough. Hello, scaly red patches!