Table of Contents
Dandruff Remedies
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DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
LOOK FOR WHAT IS CAUSING THE IMBALANCE
[YEA] 06/30/2007: Tom from Sarasota , USA FL writes: "I keep reading how everyone is looking for a cure to their ailment, Seborec Dermatitis, Dandruff etc .. Your never going to find the cure using creams , lotions or even vinigar ! All your doing is covering a symptom of some other problem within the body. The reason these symptoms mainfest is due to some sort of imbalance. Your body is designed to heal and protect itself. Stress is one problem that manifests in our skin, food are another. Try diet restriction and meditation. Bring peace into your life and watch out for certain foods. Dairy , Milk and Cream specifically, Beer Caffeine.. these all can cause severe skin reactions.. Meditate for 20 minutes asking the question.. " what will fix this ?" listen cloase and you will get an answer.. Good luck .. and Trust Me."
05/08/2008: DR. ROB JONES from DULUTH, MN replies: "THIS IS THE ONLY CURE FOR DANDRUFF..."PREVENTION""
[YEA] 08/13/2008: Monique from Laguna Beach, CA replies: "After trying everything listed on this site, I decided to get tested for food allergies. I was skeptical, but after two weeks of avoiding foods I was allergic to, my scalp was 90% better. I am hoping the seborrheic dermatitis completely goes away in a few more weeks. I highly recommend getting the blood test for food allergies / delayed food allergies. Is is worth every penny. Everything else works temporarily."
08/18/2008: Angela from Tonasket, WA. replies: "While a blood test for a skin allergy is at least going to work, why not try a muscle test, then just get it cured instead of having to avoid it. Better yet, treat the allergy, using NAET practitioners, and then avoid the lousy soaps anyways, and use a vinegar rinse to boot. Your scalp and hair, not to mention body, will love you for it."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 01/22/2009: Shaun from York, England writes: "I have suffered for too many years with SB / Dandruff that I care to mention, and the history of which is too laboured to bore you with here. However, I read recently of one of Ted's ideas of trying Milk of Magnesia (this has a ph of about 10-10.5). I put this on my scalp whilst in the bath (for about 10 mins), and then rinsed it off with freshwater. I then rinsed my scalp with a 50/50 mix of ACV and a very strong 25% vinegar made by Speyer & Grund GmbH, 08393 Meerane/Sachsen, Germany (this is powerful stuff, and so great care must be taken in testing how sensitive you are to it). Anyway, once out of the bath I ran a brush through my hair and HUGE flakes of dead skin just fell away leaving my scalp sparklingly clean.
As to whether I have a fungus or a candida issue I really do not know, but I feel I may just be allergic to cheese and white bread - or both in combo with candida. Anyway, for those suffering give this a go you will be stunned at the results. It may also just work with ACV (5%) and not the 25% vinegar / ACV mix."
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1 YEA
1 NAY
[NAY] 01/19/2009: Sara from Miami, Florida writes: "Seborrheic dermatitis in Eyebrows:
Please help me, I am at my wit's end. I got seb der in my eyebrows about eight months ago (and I think my trigger was make-up). This winter it flared up really badly. I tried drinking only soy milk but that did not help. My entire eyebrows are covered with flakes, and have been covered for several weeks now. Steroid creams worked initially and my skin calmed down, so I switched to Elidel like my doc said to, and my eyebrows got really bad. I tried Jason's tea tree oil shampoo and that irritated my skin. I am currently on Desonide (a steroid cream) and a salicylic acid cream, and there have been some slight improvements. Please help me, this is so embarrassing and frustrating. The seb derm is spreading so more and more of my eyebrows are getting scales. Before it was only a small area, but it expanded.I am also afraid of hair loss. The flakes are so huge that usually, most of the scale gets off of the roots of the hairs, but when I go to pull out the flake, since not all of the flake became detached from my skin, I pull a couple of hairs with it. Please help, I am very desperate. I am thinking of doing something drastic like cutting off of my eyebrows and just not showing up to school for a month."
EC: Make sure to read the all posts on the psoriasis and eczema pages!
01/19/2009: Kelly from Monroe, MI replies: "Hello and thank you for this wonderful site, I love Earthclinic!
I have had many skin problems, especially on my face, the constant itching has at times, nearly driven me crazy. I have tried many remedies many of which seem to work only temporarily (although I must confess that I am not as good as perhaps I should be about sticking to one remedy at the time, or giving a given remedy a chance to work). Lately I have been taking the remedy that is listed here as a "blood cleansing" one, which is the Blackstrap Molasses (1 teaspoon) plus Sulfur (in form of MSM - 2 teaspoons), twice daily. I usually mix these two ingredients and eat them with a spoon and then drink about 2 cups of slightly warm water to get rid of the awful taste. So far, the results have been very good (I have only been taking it for about 2 weeks), the itching is almost completely gone and my skin is fairly soft. I don't wear make up or any kind of facial creams. I try to avoid anything that can cause irritation, but because of the cold, I have to use some moisturizer, for that I choose one drop or two of Jojoba oil. I hope this helps."
01/19/2009: Carla from Vero, FL replies: "Here is a link that may help you.
http://dermatology.about.com/cs/seborrhea/a/sebderm.htm
Try applying Selsun Blue shampoo for about 10 minutes each day for a week to the area and then a couple of times a week until the flaking is gone. This has worked well for several patients of mine.
Best wishes!! Let us know what worked!"
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[YEA] 12/06/2008: Ketan from Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India writes: "Dandruff Remedies:
Have had to struggle with dandruff for many years ? Maybe this should help ...
1. Think Aftershave - few drops on your palms and massage this with your fingertips on ur scalp.
Do this for a few days and see dandruff disappear !!
'Note: Women should be careful though, not to spill it all over the face and thus avoid facial hair growth...
2. Alternately, you could mix the aftershave with ur gel and apply to scalp
3. Few drops of alcohol would also do (if u don't mind the 'smell')
4. Petroleum Jelly is also an option - massage a little on scalp with fingertips
5. Vinegar too works in addition to a hundred other uses - use few drops directly before a bath or add to bath water / mix it with the shampoo....
6. Same application with lemon drops, as with vinegar
7. Vaseline hair tonic helps too, if you haven't tried it already"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 12/06/2008: Ruth from Costa Mesa, California writes: "econazole Nitrate 1% available on internet. I found it at shopzilla for $7.99. It works!!!!!!!! I have had Seborrheic dermatitis for a year and gone to my primary physician and 3 dermatologists. My doctor prescribed this for me Dec 5, 2008 (this is 3 days later and the itching is gone the bumps and lumps on my face are better and I can tell it is the answer. I tried everything Ted suggested, some helped but did not cure. Put a thin coating on face 2 times a day after washing face. I use it morning and night."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 03/01/2008: Marjorie S. from Clarkrange, Tennessee writes: "Dandruff. Rain water is the very best to shampoo with and then the most wonderful rinse you will ever use. Leaves your hair shiny and soft as baby hair. You will be thrilled. If your rain water is not perfectly clear when you collect it, let it settle and then carefully strain through a coffee filter. Do not collect the rain water in aluminum. Enjoy!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 09/14/2009: Maler23 from Chicago, Il, USA writes: "Stats:
30 yr old male
Short hair(might make a difference for some of you)
Symptoms:
Started getting noticeable dandruff this last winter. My skin dries out really easily and winters in Chicago can definitely dry me out. Was noticing it most on the pillow when I woke up but, the more I tried to "treat" it with different conditioners and shampoos, the worse it seemed to get.
Finally, I found the best and least stinky way: Red Wine Vinegar.
Solution:
Tried a couple of variations using Trader Joes products(Tea Tree Shampoo and Tea Tree Conditioner). Tried Shampoo first and then followed up with the solution. Nope. For a while, I also tried the solution and then followed up with the Conditioner. It was ok(the tea tree/peppermint was nice and cooling), but I still noticed flakes.
The best solution I've come up with is no shampoo and no conditioner. I simply use the following solution once every couple of days:
I just use:
-1/2 Red Wine Vinegar
-1/2 Water
-Mix and put into a spray bottle.
-Wet hair, spray, let soak for 30 seconds-ish and then rinse twice.
It's actually pretty amazing. I was worried my hair would get too greasy or that my scalp would freak out, but I simply use that solution every other day(or so. on off days I just rinse with water), but the solution de-greases my hair while still leaving it conditioned and my scalp is very happy. It also passes the girlfriend test for smell. If I'm feeling paranoid or I run out of Red Wine Vinegar and have to switch to Apple Cider, I simply spritz some essential oil or cologne on my hand and run it through my hair.
Good luck!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 01/05/2008: JC from GULFPORT, MS writes: "DANDRUFF CURE.... my husband has had very bad dandruff after talking with my inlaws they suggested we try skin so soft as hair conditioner. it works very good. its not a perfect fix but he has much less dandruff when he uses it regularly. also be careful when using it because it can make you slip in the tub/shower also im not trying to endorse the item just wanted to share our helpful hint"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 12/16/2007: Lynne from Dayton, Ohio writes: "I wrote earlier this year about Apple Cider Vinegar on my scalp, it is very helpful. One thing that I wanted to share with readers also that I hope will help is a product that is sold in the African American hair care section of many grocery stores. The product is called Sulpher 8 Medicated. It is a balm that really helps the dry skin around my hairline. It has a cooling effect like menthol. It does have a slight odor but it is not over powering.It has brought me a great amount of relief."
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2 YEA
1 WARNING!
[WARNING!] 12/01/2008: Kelly from Bennington, Vermont writes: "Be careful about putting 100% tea tree on your scalp. I know that in one of Ted's remedies he speaks about putting pure 100% tea tree oil in scalp. I caution you about this. I tried this, (put a small puddle of tea tree and rubbed through entire scalp, to get rid of dandruff, and an itchiness, and my scalp, months later is still very red and inflamed, sore and burnt. (and am losing alot of hair). I do not want this to happen to any one else. So, please, please, make sure you only use tea tree if it is mixed with a carrier oil like olive oil so you do not burn your scalp. (maybe some people can put the 100% tea tree onto their scalp, but, I am still suffering the aftermath). So spot test first!!!"
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[YEA] 05/04/2007: Ana from Vancouver, Canada writes: "I was diagnosed with SD some 3 years ago and was prescribed Nizoral shampoo by my dermatologist who said that my condition will go away "just don't know when"! I also suffered with constipation, bloating and flatulance after every meal but never mad a conection with the two problems. Then I started reading about Yeast Overgrowth and did the saliva test which was positive for candida. I took one therapy (2 weeks) of a product called CandiGone by Renew Life, started taking probiotics in pill form, cut sugar and carbs in my diet, started drinking kefir and eating lots of yougurt enriched with probiotics. The results - I just did the saliva test and there are no more nasty little legs in it. I will slowly start to introduce carbs and sugar back into my diet, although in very small amounts since I don't crave it anymore. For my scalp I did the following: I would mix 15 drops of tea tree oil, 10 drops of lavander oil, 4-5 drops of grape seed extract in my organic jojoba shampoo and apply that to my scalp. I would leave it on for 15 min and then rins out. I repeated that every night for the first week and then switched to every second day. I don't have anymore lesions in my hairline, the itching is almost all gone now. I've been doing this for three weeks now and I'm really happy with the results. I hope my story will help other pople suffering from candida and seborrheic dermatitis. PS. Great site! keep up the good work."
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[YEA] 11/30/2006: Raquel from West Palm Beach, FL writes: "I've had a mild case of dandruff for the past couple of years, but a few months ago it intensified. I have not figured out exactly what triggered it, I just knew that I had to something about it. I began developing open sores on my scalp from all the itching, and there was a lot of flaking. I had been taking apple cider vinegar orally for all of its benefits, but I began applying it to my scalp. While this stopped the itching for a while, as soon as I washed my hair, any improvements disappeared. I then began using a tea tree oil shampoo and applying coconut oil instead of a conditioner, and while this improved the quality of my hair, the itching and flaking remained. I work at a vitamin store, and one day I'd discovered that we carry straight tea tree oil, and I bought it and began massaging it only my scalp every other night, leaving it in my hair for the night and washing the next morning with my tea tree oil shampoo.
I also began taking two 1200 mg of organic flaxseed oil every day, as well as evening primrose oil. It's been about a week and the results are amazing! I have no itching, no flakes, and the sores are almost healed. I've even began using the tea tree oil on small scrapes I get on my hands from sculpture, and I find they are healing much faster than without it. This is an amazing find, and I would recommend the system to anyone."
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TEA TREE OIL AND SALICYLIC ACID
[YEA] 03/15/2007: Chris from Chicago, Illinois writes: "The only thing that helped me with my Seborrheic Dermatitis is tea tree oil and the Scalpicin with salicylic acid, but then started using Rite Aid Brand of Scalpicin which I had better results. I don't have that many flakes, but the itching is unbearable. What's funny is when I tried the tea tree oil by itself it did not do much. And when I tried the salicylic acid by itself I only receive temporary relief. But when I alternated the tea tree oil and the salicylic acid every other day I received tremendous results. What I do is one night I put on Scalpicin and leave it in all night and take a shower in the morning, and the next night I apply the tea tree oil. I had a really bad case, so I put on a lot (almost half the bottle per application). The tea tree oil has a strong odor that could smell up the house, just to warn you. Also note that there are two Scalpicin's. One contains hydrocortisone and one contains salicylic acid. So if you try my method make sure you get the right one. For me, the hydrocortisone only temporary relieved my itching. I would by the Rite Aid brand or the CVS brand that says Scalp Relief of Scalp Itch and Dandruff Relief, as I received good results with these. Again I tried almost all of the products on the market, also Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon Juice, and this is the only thing that has helped me. Another thing to note is your itching might occur on the day after the night you used the tea tree oil, but it will go away the next day when you take a shower the day after you put on the salicylic acid. I used to have a rough scalp and this has truly helping my scalp return back to normal."
Ted from Bangkok, Thailand replies: "Salicylic acid is a power chemical that causes skin peeling or possibly scalp damages in some cases depending on the concentration but it does kill certain fungus causing the condition. Dermatologist used the salicylic acid, likely in higher concentrations to remove scarring tissue too. I however prefer a milder solution if given a chance such as using acetyl salicylic acid, which is actually a plain aspirin dissolved in water and apply to the scalp, plus some epsom salt for example and alternate that with tea tree oil. I would probably also try a saturated borax in 1% hydrogen peroxide that was not considered also, since borax seems to be most effective against the fungus, without damaging the scalp."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 04/02/2009: Richard from London, England writes: "Hi, I'm a 38 yr old male with fair skin. For the last 12 years I have suffered with skin problems on my face, specifically on my nose and cheeks, sometimes on my forhead.
I remember travelling to work one day on the tube and feeling incredibly hot on my face, when I got to work I had what I can only describe as rashes in these areas. I did nothing (typical man!) for some weeks until I started to not only have these rashes but also severe scaling on the sides of my nose, almost scab like. I went to see my GP who said it was a type of sweat rash and perscribed daktacort cream. This story has probably been told a thousand times on here - the treatment worked initially, but if I stopped using it the rash would appear, then it started to appear even when I did use it, so I started using it all the time - my skin became completely addicted to the stuff. After 4 or five years of use my skin in these area looked pigmented, I developed capillaries all over my nose and the skin was constantly greasy, even within minutes of using a mild cleanser.I had also developed an itchy/flaky scalp (which I'd had as a teenager but had cleared up and been fine for years just using Head & Shoulders).
I went to see a dematologist a couple of years ago because I was at my wits end. He said that I had Seb Derm, got me off the daktacort but pescribed me protopic, which has kept, to a large extent the inflammation under control, but did nothing for the itching or pigmentation (why would it?) and the condition of my skin gradually deterioted.Washing the face with anti dadruff shampoos was a disaster, the skin would become 'angry' and very dry - I tried everything and anything to no avail
Last year (on another site) I came across the suggestion of AVC for use on the scalp to clear Seb Derm. It worked. After washing with a mild baby shampoo I let the hair dry and then sprayed on undiluted AVC and left. I did this for a week and the problem completely cleared. I now use it for 'maintenance' just once or twice a week. So I thought, well, if it works on my scalp why not try it on my face? Unfortunately I didn't have the same response. my skin actually became red in these areas over a period of time, I developed spots on my forehead and small boils along my cheek bones. After 6 weeks I stopped using the AVC on my face and resigned myself to lifelong use of protopic, skin irritation and embarssment. For the last 3 years, unless there's been no avoiding it I have completely avoided social interaction outside of work and had completely reached rock bottom.I stopped exercising because it just irritated the condition even more. My confidence was shot to pieces.
I came across this website last week. Apart from the skin in the centre of my face, I had also developed marks on my cheeks(which after another visit to my GP I was advised was eczema. I wasn't looking after myself, I just didn't care anymore. I've become the biggest sceptic on earth, but I read Ted's postings with interest regarding the use of baking soda (both internally and extrnally).
So here's what Ive done......For the last seven days I have been wasing my face with a mild solution of baking soda (two teaspoons in a litre of water). I have then applied a mixture of tea tree oil and lavender to my nose and cheeks, then an hour of so later covered with aloe vera. I have taken twice a day a half teaspoon of baking soda with two teaspoons of AVC in a glass of water.In addition I have taken (once a day) magnesium, cod liver oil, evening primrose oil and selenium. I have also had no alcohol, fried or sweet foods. I did use to eat alot of fruit (and I mean alot), but have also had no fruit, but plenty of vegetables.
The result? My skin has completely cleared and I mean completely. What I didn't mention was that I have spent nearly 2000 on laser treatment to clear the capillaries to little effect, those that were treated soon came back. Within two days of this treatment the capillaries had gone, had all the itching. My energy levels are also up (no doubt partly psychological). I don't know if changes to diet can have an effect in such a short space of time but I do know that my condition is linked to food and drink and how I feel, but had simply lost the will to try and put all the pieces together.
I am sorry that this is such a long post, but I wanted to let people know my story in case there are others in the same position or about to go down the same route with cortisone use. Please, please dont! I could write about the medical treatment that I have had, but I am trying to look forward and not back - anyway, the failings of western medicine have been written about more eloquently on here by other people). Everyone is different and what has worked for me may not be right for others, but I hope this helps someone.
I am holding my breath at the moment to see if this is going to work long term but right know I feel like I have got my life back and am having to pinch myself. Most importantly I wanted from the bottom of my heart to thank everyone else on here who have posted about Seb Derm with their advice, but especially to Ted - words canot express how grateful I am."
EC: Thank you for the extensive feedback! We will forward your post to Ted.
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1 YEA
[YEA] David from Fort Worth, Texas writes: "Also,on another note white vinegar when applied directly to the scalp will cure itching scalp and dandruff. Just get a cup of vinegar and pour on the head let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse it off and do it again everyday until your cured. It works great. Try It!!!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/04/2009: Mike from Sofia, Bulgaria writes: "Nizoral, Skin cream, Shampooing much less often, and Zinc Pyrithione
I used to have the worst dandruff back in the Head and Shoulders days.I would create a snowstorm every time I swept my hair back. I have brought it completely under control now. Here's how I did it.
First of all on the advice of a dermatologist I used Nizoral, maybe 2 times a week and shampooed with some neutral shampoo other days. It's a standard dandruff product and it works great in the beginning. Trouble is that like most dandruff cures eventually you get tolerant to it and the problem comes back. When it started coming back I cut back on the Nizoral. In fact I eventually phased it out. Instead I was putting skin cream on my scalp after shampooing. Makes the hair a little greasy but it beats dandruff for sure. That worked great too, for almost a year. I was pretty much dandruff free. Eventually the problem returned but I had a good year :)
It occurred to me I was probably shampooing too often and that there is an ingredient in most shampoos that causes dandruff called sodium lauryl sulphate (it's in toothpaste too. I eliminated mouth ulcers by getting special toothpaste). So I decided I was going to try to do without shampoo altogether, like the hippies :). Well it was pretty horrible going 3 weeks without shampoo. I used an earthclinic tip - the apple cider vinegar directly on the scalp to keep my dandruff under control whilst not shampooing. I got though the period to the point when your glands stop over producing oils and my scalp calmed down. The itching stopped, but I'm afraid to tell you ACV doesn't work for ever. After some time I got resistant and the problem came back.
I went to a dermatologist and she gave me some Zinc Pyrithione shampoo called ____. I don't think the brand matters much. In any case, wonderful stuff. Since that day I shampoo my hair only once a fortnight with the ___, and do not use anything else on my hair in the between periods. After about 14 days I start to get a little itchy so I have another blast of it. I resist the temptation to use it more often because once you go down that road it will stop working. If I feel more irritable than usual I apply vinegar before using the ____ shampoo, and might apply some skin cream afterwards, but only once - not every day.
Well that's it folks. I've been under control for at least a year. Unlike most of the testimonials here I posted mine after a long period of testing :)
I think the secret for me is 2 fold. First the zinc pyrithione works for me, but secondly I needed to be shampoo free for several weeks before using it so I could minimize the usage. I am pretty sure if I was using it a couple times a week I would become tolerant and would already be looking for a new cure by now."
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