Hair and Face Break Outs

[Bunnehlvr22]

I have a problem and was posting this to see if anyone else has the same problem and might have some solutions.

My scalp is very oily. I have to shampoo it every day to avoid scalp acne. Anyway, I've noticed that once my hair gets BSL my face starts breaking out more, especially my chin. I wear my hair loose 99% of the time. I don't really know why it would make my face break out once it gets about BSL and longer. But whenever my hair is shorter my face doesn't break out. :confused:

[yogagirl]

Scalp acne sounds like you might have seborrheic dermatitis. It can affect both the scalp and the skin. I have also noticed that when my scalp flares up with it, so does my face though it is mostly on the cheeks for me. Maybe read up on it and see if it sounds right. You can see a dermatologist too. They might prescribe something, but there are also over the counter things you can try.

[meteor]

Have you tried shampoos for oily and/or dandruff-prone scalps? I think something with BHA exfoliant - Salicylic Acid (e.g. Neutrogena T/Sal or SheaMoisture Deep Cleansing shampoo) might be a good option for excessively oily skin.
If it's SD-related, then something with anti-fungals (e.g. ketoconazole - Nizoral; or selenium sulfide - Selsun Blue) is worth a try.


Anyway, I've noticed that once my hair gets BSL my face starts breaking out more, especially my chin. I wear my hair loose 99% of the time. I don't really know why it would make my face break out once it gets about BSL and longer. But whenever my hair is shorter my face doesn't break out. :confused:

There is a possibility that your sebum is travelling from oily scalp down the strands pretty fast and touching the skin, maybe? :hmm: I know that it's a somewhat common issue with bangs/fringe touching skin and contributing to oiliness, for example, as well as for people who oil their hair and let it touch their skin...

[lapushka]

I don't think it's from the length as much as it might have something to do with SD as well. At least that's my thoughts on it as a fellow SD'er. Maybe go see a derm for it? I think it might be high time. :flower:

[meteor]

Yes, I agree, I don't think the length, in itself, has anything to do with that, but the fact that you have more surface area (more hair) now to "hold" all that oil (as it travels down from the roots) and that you wear your hair down 99% of the time might possibly contribute to the hair touching skin more, thus transferring some of the oil more than it did when it was too short to flip around and touch face too often? :hmm:

[eternallyverdan]

This may be a silly question, but what do you do with your hair when you sleep? If you wear it down in bed, I think it's very possible that the additional sebum produced when your hair is longer could be transferred from your pillowcase to your face. Just a thought!

[Arctic]

When you say "I have noticed..." do you mean a) you have during your teen/adult life grown to BSL (and longer?) several times and cut back to shorter length several times, and noticed this same thing happening every time. Or b) after joining LHC last summer I have finally grown to BSL and suddenly, for the first time in my life, I notice my face breaking out.

If b, then it's possibly just the care methods/routines that you have adopted that might be the culprit. Have you started to oil your hair (in any way or form)? Stretching washes? Using more conditioners/masks/treatments? Using less sulphate shampoos in favour of gentler methods?

I personally got the worst acne of my life after joining LHC and starting to dabble with oils. It didn't start straight away, so I didn't at first count 1+1=2, but the acne went away when I quit all topical oil usage. I also learned that I can't stretch washes or, for example CO-wash, and I need almost daily shampoos. My skin/scalp needs to be as clean and oil-free (sebum and other oils) as possible.

[-Fern]

My theory is that if you wear it loose all the time, you may be touching your face with your hands more to smooth it out of the way. My hair doesn't affect my face breaking out, but my hands definitely do. @_@

There is also a chance that you're sensitive to something you are using in your hair... if that's the case, either you are not rinsing everything out all the way, or you are reacting to your leave-in product. Then again, when I briefly tried caffeine rinses, my back broke out badly, no matter how well I rinsed. :shrug: