Scalp freaking out!

[Sparklylady82]

I've been around the forum for awhile and I've still never figured out a solution for my scalp. I've been having a flare up of itchy scalp and Seborrheic type pimples on my scalp. I've had it under control for quite some time. My routine now is that I use sulphate free shampoo... The only time I use sulphate shampoo is if I use silicone to straighten my hair which is only 1-2 times a month. I also have increased the dose of a medication that I take recently. I guess I'm just looking for advice. I've heard several different things around here that are complete opposite. Some say use harsh sulfates and condition twice, some say no poo method like baking soda and ACV some day Co wash... I'm just so confused on how to attack this. Only thing I haven't tried is the baking soda. Any help appreciated :)

[LongCurlyTress]

I know that the popular theory is to stretch washes, but I get very itchy/oily scalp if I go longer than everyday shampooing. Also, I notice alot more hair shedding if I wash every other day... granted this could just be the couple of days worth buildup, but it seems to be alot less if I wash/detangle with conditioner everyday. Anyways, I just wanted to say to try to use diluted shampoo and wash everyday and keep the conditioner off of your scalp area... Hopefully this will help your scalp! :pray: I really like the clean feeling from washing my hair everday, but I do dilute the shampoo... the Kirkland, as you know.
Good luck!! ;)

[Nadine <3]

Well, SD requires harsh shampoo to be happy. Things like psoriasis generally do better with gentler methods.

Have you been to a derm to have the condition diagnosed? That would be your first step in treating it since scalp conditions have vastly different treatments depending on what you have, and the wrong treatment can easily make it worse.

[Sparklylady82]

I know that the popular theory is to stretch washes, but I get very itchy/oily scalp if I go longer than everyday shampooing. Also, I notice alot more hair shedding if I wash every other day... granted this could just be the couple of days worth buildup, but it seems to be alot less if I wash/detangle with conditioner everyday. Anyways, I just wanted to say to try to use diluted shampoo and wash everyday and keep the conditioner off of your scalp area... Hopefully this will help your scalp! :pray: I really like the clean feeling from washing my hair everday, but I do dilute the shampoo... the Kirkland, as you know.
Good luck!! ;)
Thanks LCT! I haven't tried daily washing yet so I might give that a try :)


Well, SD requires harsh shampoo to be happy. Things like psoriasis generally do better with gentler methods.

Have you been to a derm to have the condition diagnosed? That would be your first step in treating it since scalp conditions have vastly different treatments depending on what you have, and the wrong treatment can easily make it worse.
HI Nadine,
Yes I've been to my doctor and she diagnosed it as seb derm. She said to wash with head and shoulders twice a week and gave me a medicine to put on the bumps. I don't always trust doctors that don't know anything about hair care though so I thought I'd ask here.

[Nadine <3]

They maybe don't know much about hair care, no, but they do know something about scalp care. Definitely use what the doctor suggested! I found Nizoral shampoo worked better for me than head and shoulders did, but Nizoral is expensive and I have to order it, so I only use it during a bad flare. I use a strong sulfate shampoo in between to keep it in check.

It can be drying, so you'll want to find a good conditioner and leave ins/DT that your hair loves to counter act that :)

[lapushka]

The only thing that works for me is Nizoral 2%, maybe ask your doctor for a medicated shampoo, if he wants to give you one. It's the only thing I can use on it, and it works. Tried just about everything else.

I have to use harsh sulfate shampoos to keep it at bay, but it's been *years* since I've had a flare-up. You want to keep those flare-ups to a minimum because they make you lose hair as well; if sulfates is what I need to use to keep it away, then that's what I'll do.

I had my journey towards milder things too, sulfate-free & CO, it all worsened like you wouldn't believe. No, that's not worth it!

[turtlelover]

To control mine, I need to wash every day and a half, no matter WHAT sort of shampoo I use. I can use a sulfate free shampoo no more than every other wash session or I get a flare up. I NEED sulfates every other wash. Approximately every other week, I wash with Head & Shoulders but prefer not to do that often because it fades my semi color. Sulfates and frequent washes keeps me from needing Head & Shoulders more often, which makes me happy.

[Obsidian]

I too have to wash every 1-2 days with a sulfate shampoo to keep my SD under control. The worse things I can do is let conditioner or oils get on my scalp, so I'm very careful to only put conditioner on the ends of my hair.
I was using selenium sulfate 2.5% shampoo for flares but my insurance won't cover it anymore so I'm going to try selsum blue, same medicine just in a lower dosage. Head and Shoulders have different formulas, what is the active ingredient in yours? Whatever shampoo you decide to use, make sure you apply it to your scalp and let it sit for 5 minutes so the meds can work.

[littlelivething]

I have terrible scalp sd troubles as well. Shampooing more frequently with dr. Bronner's tea tree oil Castile soap or desert essence tea tree oil shampoo help, but my hair looks much better with stretching washes. I am phasing out the desert essence though because I think it is too harsh and drying. Henna keeps my scalp nice for about a week, and I am going to try neem as well. I also have Jason's dandruff shampoo, which is essentially the same active ingredients as selsun blue without sls, silicone, parables, etc. I haven't used it for long enough yet to figure out the minimum frequency I can use it while still being effective, but it definitely works for sd. One thing I have noticed is that I tend to scratch at my head where the build up is worse, which makes my scalp produce more oils, making the problem worse. Sometimes just putting up my hair in a bun or braids helps my scalp stay clearer longer.

I use all natural products because it is less maintenance for me in the long run, and I have an autoimmune disease, which I think makes me more careful about the kinds of products I use on my body. That doesn't mean that these products are necessarily better. The reason I use tea tree oil stuff is because it is anti fungal and antibacterial naturally. I use the trader joe's tea tree tingle conditioner and love it, so maybe the shampoo might be worth a try as well. My skin has a bad reaction to baking soda, and this is very common, so that is something to be cautious about.

Hope this helps!

[spirals]

Of course the whole YMMV thing comes into play, but I can tell you what I do:

--CWC, using soap for troubled skin (contains activated charcoal) as a shampoo. I like Yes to Tomatoes bar soap. It smells good, too--sort of a perfumey tomato, haha.
--Have a spray bottle of diluted ACV on hand to treat scalp. I use 1 part ACV, 3.5 parts water, .5 parts rubbing alcohol (as a preservative). I put it on stream and spray on the areas that are bothering me before bed. I just let it run down the back of my head so it doesn't sting my eyes.
--Wash every other day in summer, which for some reason makes it worse.

[Ellethwyn]

I have a similar problem and haven't decided how to tackle it yet, other than washing daily. I was stretching washes, every other day to every two days, but my head was too itchy and breaking out. I've been washing everyday without putting conditioner on my scalp and it cleared it up... it took a week to clear up.

ETA: I use a sulphate free shampoo.

[Sparklylady82]

I have terrible scalp sd troubles as well. Shampooing more frequently with dr. Bronner's tea tree oil Castile soap or desert essence tea tree oil shampoo help, but my hair looks much better with stretching washes. I am phasing out the desert essence though because I think it is too harsh and drying. Henna keeps my scalp nice for about a week, and I am going to try neem as well. I also have Jason's dandruff shampoo, which is essentially the same active ingredients as selsun blue without sls, silicone, parables, etc. I haven't used it for long enough yet to figure out the minimum frequency I can use it while still being effective, but it definitely works for sd. One thing I have noticed is that I tend to scratch at my head where the build up is worse, which makes my scalp produce more oils, making the problem worse. Sometimes just putting up my hair in a bun or braids helps my scalp stay clearer longer.

I use all natural products because it is less maintenance for me in the long run, and I have an autoimmune disease, which I think makes me more careful about the kinds of products I use on my body. That doesn't mean that these products are necessarily better. The reason I use tea tree oil stuff is because it is anti fungal and antibacterial naturally. I use the trader joe's tea tree tingle conditioner and love it, so maybe the shampoo might be worth a try as well. My skin has a bad reaction to baking soda, and this is very common, so that is something to be cautious about.

Hope this helps!
Thank you this does help! My hair looks ss better too if I stretch washes so it's a bummer thinking I have to wash daily.


Of course the whole YMMV thing comes into play, but I can tell you what I do:

--CWC, using soap for troubled skin (contains activated charcoal) as a shampoo. I like Yes to Tomatoes bar soap. It smells good, too--sort of a perfumey tomato, haha.
--Have a spray bottle of diluted ACV on hand to treat scalp. I use 1 part ACV, 3.5 parts water, .5 parts rubbing alcohol (as a preservative). I put it on stream and spray on the areas that are bothering me before bed. I just let it run down the back of my head so it doesn't sting my eyes.
--Wash every other day in summer, which for some reason makes it worse.
Thank you so much! I'm going trying out the vineagar spray...

I have a similar problem and haven't decided how to tackle it yet, other than washing daily. I was stretching washes, every other day to every two days, but my head was too itchy and breaking out. I've been washing everyday without putting conditioner on my scalp and it cleared it up... it took a week to clear up.

ETA: I use a sulphate free shampoo.
Thank you, I was wondering if I was getting build up from the sulphate free shampoo which caused the SD to flare.

[Sparklylady82]

Thank you all so much for your responses! Sorry I couldn't get back to all of you but I'm taking it all in. As an update, I went ahead and coconut oilled my length for a few hours as a prewash and then did a sulphate wash with biolage. I still got a few bumps today but the itchiness feels better.

[lapushka]

I'm glad the itch is gone. Usually, with me, when I flare-up, I need the Nizoral until it's clear, but you might have caught it early. IDK.

[LongCurlyTress]

I just remembered... Didn't you just use Olaplex recently? Maybe this caused your scalp irritation? Probably not, but just thought I would suggest this... :confused: Also, you mentioned awhile back that cones irritate your scalp. Could there be any cones in the products you are using? Good luck ... Glad the itchiness is gone. I get an allergic horrible itchy reaction on my skin from too much sun so I know how horrible that can be. An icepack is the only thing that helps relieve the intense itchiness. Hugs!! :blossom:

[spirals]

It's weird that I never get bumps or flaking, just the itch.

[lapushka]

It's weird that I never get bumps or flaking, just the itch.

Has it officially been diagnosed, spirals? Because if so, don't doubt it for a second. It can get worse after the itch!

[spirals]

No diagnosis. Doctor visits cost me some, so I keep those to a minimum. I'll go in for pain and medication consults, and that's about it.
My mom has seborrhea, so I often wonder if it's that, since I seem to have inherited her skin. But she says you get flaking and redness, and I don't get either. Maybe the ph of my sebum is perfect for yeasties. The ACV works pretty well.

[lapushka]

I usually get flaking / itch / redness, yes. It seems to go hand in hand, but it's an itch like you wouldn't believe, not just an itch here and an itch there, no it's all over constant and you want to take your scalp off; that kind of an itch. It's really no fun.

If you are fine with the ACV, be glad it's not worse. :flower:

[spirals]

I am. I feel bad for the people with the flaking because you get judged socially, which is totally unfair.

[lapushka]

Yes, and it's not just the tiny pinprick flakes, it's big flakes, often 1/4 of an inch to sometimes even 1/2 inch. Depends on where it is. My temples usually get 1/4 of an inch flakes. But above my forehead it can get pretty big. And these flakes are white to off-white. Yuuuck yes I know - TMI!

[turtlelover]

Yes, and it's not just the tiny pinprick flakes, it's big flakes, often 1/4 of an inch to sometimes even 1/2 inch. Depends on where it is. My temples usually get 1/4 of an inch flakes. But above my forehead it can get pretty big. And these flakes are white to off-white. Yuuuck yes I know - TMI!

Ouch! I've never had it get to that point, but I'm sure it COULD w/out my constant washing! Glad you found a way to stop it!

[lapushka]

Ouch! I've never had it get to that point, but I'm sure it COULD w/out my constant washing! Glad you found a way to stop it!

I just get flare-ups sometimes; it just happens. Hasn't happened thankfully for quite a while, and I can go a week without washing now without (major) issues. It's been years since I last got a flare-up of SD.

[Sparklylady82]

I don't get any flakes and rarely itchiness. . Only these pus filled pimples. So yucky

[lapushka]

I would go to a doctor with this; this is nothing a normal product can solve. Or, any of us, I don't think. I'm sad to say. :(