For those who avoid fragranced products on their scalps...

[Dendra]

Do you use hair products with fragrance on your lengths, ie conditioner or hair masks?

I can't use perfumed products on my scalp due to eczema, but use a conditioner with fragrance for my SMTs. The conditioner doesn't touch my scalp but goes on the hair near it. Do you think this proximity could be irritating to my scalp?

It's hard to tell at the moment whether it's making a difference as my scalp is already irritated.

[akurah]

Wash it all out with a fragrance free shampoo. If you need conditioner, Vanicream makes a sensitive skin conditioner that is unfragranced.

Go a week without the fragrance stuff, and record daily (ideally 3x a day) scalp irritability. If it improved, it's probably the fragrance.

This is how I find my triggers for my dermatographia. So far: scented anything on skin, scalp, or hair. Bras. Alcohol.

[Dendra]

Thanks akurah :)

I already use a fragrance free shampoo, so that's all good. I use a fragranced hair mask as a conditioner but that also doesn't touch my scalp so I'm hoping its okay.

I think you're right though, I will try one wash without them both and see if my scalp improves, I only shampoo once a week so that would be a full week for me.

[leayellena]

I don't really care about fragrance as long as it does not smell in the entire bus! I care more about non-fragrance products knowing for sure they don't contain alkohol than having a nice smell that can turn into dump-smell when I sweat. But I am into natural products which are not necessarily expensive. The rare Ballance between price and quality... You know... I like my Balea Hair mask a lot!

[akurah]

Dendra, in that case I would recommend going 2 or 3 washes to have enough data to be sure.

[lapushka]

Do you use hair products with fragrance on your lengths, ie conditioner or hair masks?

I can't use perfumed products on my scalp due to eczema, but use a conditioner with fragrance for my SMTs. The conditioner doesn't touch my scalp but goes on the hair near it. Do you think this proximity could be irritating to my scalp?

It's hard to tell at the moment whether it's making a difference as my scalp is already irritated.

I use shampoo on my scalp, and that's it. No conditioner, no oils (I shed bucket loads and my SD acts up). SD = seborrheic dermatitis.

Have you been to a dermatologist yet?

[Dendra]

Have you been to a dermatologist yet?

I haven't, no, just a regular nurse and doctor. The nurse gave me a steroid lotion which didn't work. The doctor recommended a coal tar shampoo which I haven't tried yet. So lapushka do you only put the conditioner from ears down?

Akurah, thanks I will do that.

[lapushka]

I haven't, no, just a regular nurse and doctor. The nurse gave me a steroid lotion which didn't work. The doctor recommended a coal tar shampoo which I haven't tried yet. So lapushka do you only put the conditioner from ears down?

Akurah, thanks I will do that.

I think it might be worth exploring then (the doctor's recommendation). Yep ears down meaning something totally different for me. I don't put it up that high. Also, I wash upside down so, it's a tad different. I put it about 2/3 inches from my forehead an then down the lengths.

[akurah]

So my doctor told me to use zinc soap because topical zinc is good for itchiness from dermatographia (based on her other patients telling her they got relief using it). From my understanding, it is also applicable to eczema?

Guess who makes a pyrithione zinc shampoo without fragrance that can (sometimes) be found in stores? :joy: I'm so overjoyed I finally found a CVS in my area that carried it, I hate ordering online:
https://www.headandshoulders.com/en-us/shop-products/sensitive-scalp-dandruff-shampoo

But the bottle I got doesn't match their website, dunno if reformulation? I got a small bottle of the 2-in-1, and a bigger bottle of the shampoo because I generally prefer just to shampoo. This is what I got specifically:
http://www.cvs.com/shop/beauty/hair-care/shampoo-conditioner/head-and-shoulders-sensitive-scalp-care-anti-dandruff-shampoo-23-7-oz-prodid-1270063
http://www.cvs.com/shop/beauty/hair-care/shampoo-conditioner/head-and-shoulders-sensitive-scalp-care-2-in-1-anti-dandruff-shampoo-conditioner-23-7-oz-prodid-1270060

I haven't tried this yet, but I'm really excited. I actually switched to H&S a long time ago because it alleviates the itchiness, but when I recently tried it again, the fragrance irritated me so much I had to throw it out. (my itchiness is worse than when I was younger)

Vanicream also makes a zinc shampoo that is fragrance, etc., free, but I've never seen it in stores and I don't order online if I can avoid it these days. I like being able to do returns without having to ship.

[lapushka]

akurah, I washed with the H&S classic version today - I can't say I noticed much of a fragrance there.

[akurah]

akurah, I washed with the H&S classic version today - I can't say I noticed much of a fragrance there.

The fragrance of lack thereof as detected by our noses isn't the problem. For my skin, presence of fragrance as an ingredient is.

[animetor7]

I have eczema and have had great success with diluting my shampoo and using sulfate free shampoos for all washes except clarifying washes. This helps my scalp not get too dried out and helps my eczema not react to the shampooing. I find that for me, my eczema is more often triggered by harsh detergents than fragrances, so I don't know if just diluting would work for you, but it might be something to try. I was able to go from constant itchiness and red, raised bumps on my scalp after washing to almost no itching and no bumps or redness by switching to sulfate free and diluting my shampoo.

[enting]

I'm not sure if I'm sensitive to fragrances, but I do know that some shampoos/conditioners make my scalp terribly itchy. I avoid using them on my length if I'm going to wet-bun my hair after washing it. From experience, that is still too close to my scalp and will make it itch. If I'm going to leave it down, using it on my length might be okay, but I've been completely avoiding the stuff that makes me itch just in case.

[lapushka]

The fragrance of lack thereof as detected by our noses isn't the problem. For my skin, presence of fragrance as an ingredient is.

Oh, I get it! :) Sorry if I misunderstood. Maybe Aldi (our Aldi has one) has a dupe for H&S, and it might have less fragrance (or more). It is another place to possibly look for stuff, I'm just trying to say, I guess. :) Take a look at their site. Normally their assortment per brand is online. It is here in Belgium.

Yep, here is the brands page for the US:
https://www.aldi.us/en/grocery-home/aldi-brands/

[Hairkay]

I've got eczema also but I just don't use commercial hair products at all, not even shampoos. I can't use soap either. My skin react to a lot of stuff. Eczema is also on my hands so it would irritate my hands applying stuff to my hair that shrinks up so it brushes on my neck, shoulders, back and arms. That's a lot of skin contact without even mentioning the scalp and ear areas. Allergic reactions aren't going to just stick to one area of skin either. One of my skin care products that the docs prescribed had a gentle fragrance and that was okay for a while until my skin rebelled against that too so I found out there was fragrance free version. Even so that's expensive and not found in many shops plus there was a time when they stopped manufacturing it. I switched to using coconut oil, olive oil and almond oil. Fragrances are not for me. I've spent most of my life not using them so I don't feel deprived or that I'm really missing out of something. I do like the smell of coconut oil though. I use DIY hair masks for conditioning.

[Dendra]

Thank you for your replies everyone :)

animetor7 that's interesting to know that diluting shampoos worked for you, I'll bear that in mind. I did notice that my scalp was very itchy after I used a fragrance free shampoo with a strong detergent so we might have the same issue.

akurah, did the fragrance free H+S shampoo work for you? I tried a regular H+S when I first got this problem but it didn't work for me, maybe because of the fragrance it contained.

enting - thank you for your imput re damp bunning! That makes me think I'm not just imagining my scalp getting itchy when I do the same.

Hairkay that's good that you don't even miss fragrances, I don't either actually. They were never that important to me.

I used water only on my scalp today and it's still slightly itchy. I think this means my scalp is dry, as there was no product ingredients to react to with using only water, so I need to get some moisture to the skin without irritating it and without losing loads of hair - oil on the scalp is a recipe for hair loss for me.

[akurah]

akurah, did the fragrance free H+S shampoo work for you? I tried a regular H+S when I first got this problem but it didn't work for me, maybe because of the fragrance it contained.

I've used it 2 weeks now, and I'm really pleased with it. My scalp itchiness is noticeably less, and my symptom diary data corroborates that. Unfortunately, because of the timing, I can't be certain if it is completely to H&S credit or if it's because I went up from 30 mg Zyrtec to 40mg, as both started at the same time.

[Dendra]

I've used it 2 weeks now, and I'm really pleased with it. My scalp itchiness is noticeably less, and my symptom diary data corroborates that. Unfortunately, because of the timing, I can't be certain if it is completely to H&S credit or if it's because I went up from 30 mg Zyrtec to 40mg, as both started at the same time.

I'm really happy for you that your itchiness subsided! That's great. I guess at some point you will find out which thing caused it, maybe if you have a break from Zyrtec.

[akurah]

I'm really happy for you that your itchiness subsided! That's great. I guess at some point you will find out which thing caused it, maybe if you have a break from Zyrtec.

I know exactly what caused it. The doctor who prescribed the Zyrtec diagnosed it. I have dermatographia.

[Natashap]

I recently noticed H and S with logo like Hypoallergenic,free of dyes and fragrances.
The bottle is sitting in shelf as its new.

I have never seen it before.maybe it was there but I never noticed it.
Their fragrance meter is mild except classic clean has the strongest scent .

[Dendra]

I know exactly what caused it. The doctor who prescribed the Zyrtec diagnosed it. I have dermatographia.

Oh no I meant what caused the improvement in itchiness, the upped dose of Zyrtec or the H+S :)

I'm interested in seeing a dermatologist too, I'm going to do a little research.

[Dendra]

Sorry for the double post but wanted to say I've bought some Nizoral 1% and am excited to try it in the hope that it stops my itching. Just in case my problem is dandruff/seborrheic dermatitis rather than eczema...