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GoddesJourney
September 26th, 2009, 05:43 PM
Okay, my husband has had dandruff as long as he can remember and it's really gotten old. I feel bad for him because he has such beautiful hair and it's full of flakes (and his head itches sometimes and that must be really annoying). His dandruff comes and goes, sometimes it seems to be relatively minor and sometimes it is terrible. I've seen him try two or three kinds of dandruff shampoo in the time that I've known him to no avail. They help a little but not enough to really fix it. I got him to start using conditioner about a year ago, expecting that to help him and it only helped for awhile. I was thinking it might have just been dry scalp. I've switched him to cone-free, SLS free Trader Joe's tea tree shampoo and conditioner and it helped quite a lot for awhile. The other day I saw him scratching like crazy again and it's back to square one. I just can't figure it out.

Today I put regular hand cream (Cetaphil) on his scalp in hopes that it's just some kind of extreme dry scalp. He left it on for a couple of hours before washing his hair. I was wondering if there's some trick to this that I'm just not getting. Has anyone ever tried something extreme like putting athlete's foot cream on their scalp in case it's some kind of fungus?

Also, I have had dandruff now since that time I tried washing my hair every other day. I haven't been able to get rid of it since then despite going back to every day washing for a few months and then switching to Trader Joe's shampoo and conditioner as well. Maybe if something works for him, I can try it too. I can't figure out why I can't get rid of my dandruff because it didn't start until I started washing less and it didn't go away when going back to my regular routine. I always have a little but it's much worse at after 24 hours or so.

Somebody please help!:justy:

manderly
September 26th, 2009, 05:52 PM
Is it possible to see a dermatologist at this point? If he has suffered from severe dandruff-like problems for years and different OTC treatments have failed him, it's probably time to go get diagnosed. From what I understand, people usually misdiagnose dandruff, therefore they tend to mis-treat it.

andrea1982
September 26th, 2009, 06:05 PM
has he tried selsun blue? The pharmacist recommended it for my uncle and it worked for him.

melikai
September 26th, 2009, 06:07 PM
My BF has a similar issue, and switching to SLS and silicone free products has helped somewhat, however, what helps the most is aloe gel. It isn't very convenient, but we dab that on his scalp and leave it for as long as possible, and it clears it up. I have not found a permanent solution, but it helps. Other things you could try are ACV rinses and Nizoral shampoo, although for the latter I'd go the more gentle route first.

Sister13
September 26th, 2009, 09:40 PM
Monistat on the scalp to get rid of fungus. Overnight then wash it the next day. That or athlete's foot cream -- again to kill fungus.

GoddesJourney
September 26th, 2009, 10:22 PM
Is it possible to see a dermatologist at this point? If he has suffered from severe dandruff-like problems for years and different OTC treatments have failed him, it's probably time to go get diagnosed. From what I understand, people usually misdiagnose dandruff, therefore they tend to mis-treat it.

No. We have no insurance and won't have any for quite some time, unfortunately.

GoddesJourney
September 26th, 2009, 10:23 PM
has he tried selsun blue? The pharmacist recommended it for my uncle and it worked for him.

I was reading about this. I think we will try it if oiling doesn't work.

AJoifulNoise
September 26th, 2009, 10:46 PM
Leaving off the shampoo and going mostly CO wiped out my dandruff completely. I shampoo once a week (twice if you count the non-sulphate dairy whip wash) and that evening (about 12 hours later) is the only time my scalp is even remotely itchy. I hope you two can find a solution because I know how much dandruff and itchy scalp sucks.

Roseate
September 26th, 2009, 10:58 PM
I am right there with you. My scalp has improved so much since I cut out sulfates, I'm very grateful for that, but it still throws the occasional fit and I just don't know what causes it.

A strong ACV rinse right on the scalp often helps me, as does a jojoba oil massage, but sometimes neither of those does a thing. I tried Monistat but it did nothing good for me.

Scalps, they are picky beasts.

julliams
September 26th, 2009, 11:50 PM
Have you tried massaging coconut oil or olive oil onto the scalp. Both are supposed to assist with killing fungus so I'm sure it would at least give some relief. I had a very itchy scalp the other day and tried olive oil for the first time. I just dipped my fingertips in the oil and massaged it all over my scalp. It seemed to work right away for me. I was very flakey about two weeks ago. I think sometimes it can be stress. I find if I am stressed most of my flakes are at the front of my head. Anyway, see how the oil goes and let us know if he has some success with it.

Juliette

may1em
September 27th, 2009, 12:21 AM
I've been enjoying Aubrey Organics Calauguala Fern treatment shampoo (sp?).

It's pretty gentle, but still effective. I've also heard that Neutrogena T Gel is effective.

GoddesJourney
September 27th, 2009, 01:08 AM
So for the moment his hair actually looks pretty good. I'm hoping the Cetaphil helped. Will try the oil thing. In retrospect, I did the coconut oil thing in the past but I only did it once and neither one of us can remember if it did any good. Anyway, only once probably wouldn't help much.

motormuffin
September 27th, 2009, 01:32 AM
I like the Neutrogena TSAL. Use it every other day at first (you can use it everyday) and then drop it down for maintenance. I use it about once a week. Put it on and let it sit while you wash up and rinse. It has salicylic acid which helps with skin turn over.

manderly
September 27th, 2009, 02:12 AM
I like the Neutrogena TSAL. Use it every other day at first (you can use it everyday) and then drop it down for maintenance. I use it about once a week. Put it on and let it sit while you wash up and rinse. It has salicylic acid which helps with skin turn over.

I always keep a bottle of this on hand. I dilute it in an applicator bottle and apply it right to my scalp. Massage in and let it sit while I do my other shower things. I like the tingles too :)

amnicare
September 27th, 2009, 02:29 AM
aloe vera? can i ask what brand?

Katze
September 27th, 2009, 06:30 AM
I have fought bad dandruff and sebhorreic dermatitis since I was 14 or so.

Stopping bleaching my hair has helped a lot (I assume your partner does not bleach or dye...) as has more natural hair care. Dandruff shampoos, even very strong ones, never did anything for me.

But the problem is still always with me.

Part of the issue in my case, and perhaps in his too, is systemic. If I am stressed, and eating badly (if I eat more than a little sugar, and eat it more than 3x a week or so) my scalp starts acting up.

ACV rinses help. Honey treatments help. Occasional sulfate washings help, as they seem to "re-set" my scalp and clear up the problem. But the dietary changes - eating better, drinking more water, and taking omega oils (I take fish oil capsules) have helped the most, as has reducing stress.

Periwinkle
September 27th, 2009, 08:43 AM
Could it be a diet thing? I used to have terrible dandruff which anti-dandruff shampoos improved but did not eliminate. I eventually traced it back to too much white bread in my diet (googled 'dandruff diet causes' or some such) - I cut that down and the dandruff disappeared.

Amusing note - just googled 'dandruff white bread' to see if I could find the page I looked at and the top result is one of my posts, lol.

GoddesJourney
September 27th, 2009, 09:45 AM
I have fought bad dandruff and sebhorreic dermatitis since I was 14 or so.

Stopping bleaching my hair has helped a lot (I assume your partner does not bleach or dye...) as has more natural hair care. Dandruff shampoos, even very strong ones, never did anything for me.

But the problem is still always with me.

Part of the issue in my case, and perhaps in his too, is systemic. If I am stressed, and eating badly (if I eat more than a little sugar, and eat it more than 3x a week or so) my scalp starts acting up.

ACV rinses help. Honey treatments help. Occasional sulfate washings help, as they seem to "re-set" my scalp and clear up the problem. But the dietary changes - eating better, drinking more water, and taking omega oils (I take fish oil capsules) have helped the most, as has reducing stress.


Could it be a diet thing? I used to have terrible dandruff which anti-dandruff shampoos improved but did not eliminate. I eventually traced it back to too much white bread in my diet (googled 'dandruff diet causes' or some such) - I cut that down and the dandruff disappeared.

Amusing note - just googled 'dandruff white bread' to see if I could find the page I looked at and the top result is one of my posts, lol.

Well, he eats pretty well and works out a lot. He recently started taking fish oil supplements coincidently. We eat whole grain bread most of the time. We do get a good amount of sugar but, at least in my case, it has never had an effect on the scalp before. Perhaps it could be stress. I don't know why though. He doesn't have a whole lot to worry about right now, but he is more of a high stress person than I am so maybe I just don't understand.

We'll oil his scalp again today and see what happens. If we don't see any results at all within a week or two, we can try something else.

cjjester
September 27th, 2009, 09:57 AM
My BF's brother has sever dandruff- I bought him some amla powder from Henna For Hair and it helped a lot.

cocolover
September 27th, 2009, 09:58 AM
If you are willing to try Indian herbs, I believe Neem and Tulsi are good for dandruff. You can make a paste and put it on your head for 5-15 minutes, then rinse out. Also oils that have those herbs in them for oiling the scalp. You can check out more on here from people that have a lot more knowledge than me, there is a thread about herbs and their uses. Just a thought if the chemical options aren't working. I used to get dandruff in the winter every year, but last year when I was oiling my scalp and using Indian herbs I didn't get it. HTH

Bellalalala
September 27th, 2009, 10:16 AM
I have an extremely reactive scalp, when it gets bad it gets really scaly and will even bleed.

Now that I'm WO, it's pretty much under control.

However, before I was WO I tried everything under the sun. The only thing that helped significantly was Coal Tar shampoo (I used the Neutrogena T-Gel).

Monistat (same thing as athlete's foot cream), and Coal Tar shampoo both kill off fungus.

Bacteria also eat fungus. Pro-biotic supplements, like lacto-bacillus can definitely help your body fight off fungus.
You can get pro-biotic pills at your local drug store, and they will help balance out his body's bacteria/fungus balance.
This is an approach that may help fight the problem from the inside out instead of killing the fungus off after they've already over grown.

susiemw
September 27th, 2009, 12:53 PM
If you could post which dandruff shampoos he's tried it might help me figure out some suggestions.

susan

Rivanariko
September 27th, 2009, 02:24 PM
I had really awful dandruff when I was younger. My mom tells me I had horrid cradle cap as a baby, and it came back when I was in about 4th or 5th grade. I have memories of sitting at my desk in my 5th grade class room showing my friends how I could make it "snow" by scratching my head. Gross, I know, but I was a strange kid. I would scratch to the point of bleeding on a regular basis. I tried head and shoulders, selsun blue, T-Gel, tea tree, and none of them had any effect. We were about to go to a dermatologist and were actually at my GP to get a referral when he recommended that we try Nizoral first, just to see if it could make a difference before we spent the money on a specialist. I believe it's recommended to use it 3-4 times a week, and I used it every day, usually washing twice per shower. Probably did some other damage, but it got the dandruff under control, and I've been able to keep it relatively under control since then. If I go several days between washes, it starts to come back, but I just make sure to scritch vigorously the next time. It's still not great, but it's tolerable now. I've heard good things about ACV rinses, so that's the next thing I'm going to try.

Jeepchick99tj
September 27th, 2009, 05:00 PM
I agree with the jojoba oil scalp massage helping. I have to use it in the winter to get rid of dandruff myself.
I use head and shoulders every time I shampoo, and that keeps it at bay, but I have to wash my hair every day.
There tends to be a connection between acne and dandruff, and I also break out bad if I don't follow my current skin care routine.

Brat
September 27th, 2009, 05:40 PM
My dermatologist suggested getting two different dandruff shampoos and rotating them. He suggested Head & Shoulders, Selsun Blue, and Neutrogena T-something..? Anyway, he said rotating them should help. I haven't noticed any dandruff at ALL since coloring...