Remedy Combinations for Folliculitis

I have been unfortunate to have chronic scalp bacterial folliculitis for many years(approx 5) and it has been very difficult but I have finally found a natural tx combo that keeps me off the Antibiotics!!! .

I was on minocycline twice a day for 5 years, and Bactrim really helped clear my scalp when it flared occasionally even on minocycline(but bactrim more toxic so I would go back to Minocycline). Unfortunately, the second I would come off either antibiotic I would have up to 10+ very very painful large pus filled furuncles, that would bleed on my pillow sheet, and not allow me to sleep. I came to my wits end and was very depressed as I could not figure out how to heal this .

I have tried everything recommended by MD's and websites, even from having my girlfriend(a nurse) pop these pimples and apply acid to them. I've tired every shampoo(Anti fungal, T gel, Head and shoulders, etc) on the market and almost every natural tx. I have spent $1000's in the process finally trying to figure my scalp out.

It's been over 2 months now that I have my scalp under 95% control without any antibiotics!!

This is miraculous. Normally I wouldn't last 3 days off antibiotics before breaking out and being miserable, tired, in pain, and depressed.

What I did to finally break the chain was take Bactrim DS twice a day for 14 days to really wipe out the folliculitis as this worked in my opinion better than minocycline. I also used Mupirocin nasal ointment twice a day to decrease bacterial load in my nares.

Then for those 14 days I took bactrim daily, I started the Natural Master Plan:

1. Every Night I would make a mixture(3 parts Apple cider vinegar, 1 part shampoo, and lather this on to my scalp for 30 mins before showering. When you do this you should feel a mild burn which means it is working which lasts about 20 mins then stops.

2. I would also take daily turmeric pills 2 in am and 2 in pm and an additional 1 daily shot of actual turmeric(1 heaping teaspoon) in 1/2 glass of water and 3 shakes of pepper and shoot this back. I would also take a daily solid probiotic to get the good bacteria in my body back in balance since the antibiotics throw these off so hard.

3. Then in addition to this prior to going to bed, I would use Folliculit leave in scalp solution and cover my whole scalp with plenty of this, let it dry and then hit the bed and let it sit on my scalp the whole night(this was a major breakthrough for me). I would def place a cheap towel over your pillow bc this will smell like sulfur after a while and towel will reak. so you will save your pillow/pillow cover. Also, wash this towel by itself with Oxi Odor cleaner to get sulfur smell out. The sulfur in the scalp solution is what kills the bacteria and fungi and I swear by this step.

4. Now to top all of this off, when I do have a bump or 2 max(I can deal with 1 or 2 small bumps), I use Fu li Kang Lotion (acidic stuff that burns the irritated or folliculitis flare). it comes with a q-tip for application but I actually put this in a small spray bottle a few inches tall and spray it directly onto the areas(gets you a lot more on the area quicker).

This combo is actually more effective for me and far healthier than Abx. I feel so much better off the Antibiotics(Abx) bc now I actually have energy that the Antibiotics were robbing me off. I cannot express how happy I am that I found a master combo that is helping me and really wanted to share this with the natural world community.

Cheers! To Natural Health!

I have had bacterial folliculitis for over a year now and have lost half the thickness of my hair. I got on 100 milligrams of Doxycycline for 2 weeks, it made me feel bad so I got off of it then started taking it again a month later for another 2 weeks. I have no sores on my head now and my hair loss has slowed down about half way now, I am a female so this is devastating to me. I started spraying listerine on my scalp as it gets very sore and this takes the soreness way down and if any sores do appear on my scalp or face or nect etc I spray those areas also and the sores go away. I only use the yellow colored listerine and I spray it on full force, I do not dilute it. someone on another site said to use listerine which is pretty cheap and goes a long ways. it does tend to dry out the hair but I only use it when my scalp gets sore and itchy feeling and I use Alba Botanica Hawaiian conditioner and shampoo. This shampoo has coconut oil and sunflower seed oil and jojoba oil and aloe leaf juice and ginger extract among others and is paraben free no sodium lauryl/laureth in it which can irritate the skin, it is ph balanced and 100% vegetarian ingredients for us women or men who are sensitive skinned. I also switch out to Giovannie tea tree triple treat shampoo and conditioner and has lavender and chamomilla and eucalyptus and aloe , among other extracts and oils in it. I leave the conditioners on my hair for an hour and sometimes longer to help in conditioning my hair and letting my scalp soak up the oils and extracts. I wrap my head with a shower cap and then a towel over that to help heat up my scalp which helps the pores to open up and soak in the extracts and oils. sometimes I will rinse with apple cider vinegar and just towel dry and this also helps with the soreness and itching. I also got on supplements to boost my immune system like turmeric capsules. I take 3,000 milligrams divided 2xdaily with some kind of good fat like coconut oil, or organic peanut butter, or greek yogurt and avocado in a smoothie with almond or rice milk and I also put some Kifer In my smoothie to help with the probiotics and take lots of Ester-C and plant based enzymes so my body will absorb all these things better and boost my immune system. always take turmeric with 1/4 teaspoon of plain ground black pepper as the body cannot absorb turmeric without the pepper and also the good fats. put it in a smoothie or buttermilk or just plain milk or juice and drink it down with the turmeric capsules. turmeric also takes pain away real good. I have gotten off all my pain meds for arthritis in my spine in just a few days of being on turmeric. my husband is on it now for his knee and hip surgeries which still gives him pain years after his surgeries as inflammation sometimes sets up with some surgeries like his and he also has arthritis and turmeric gets rid of the pain. they say it also helps build up the immune system so we can fight off folliculitis better and it also takes the inflammation down from this infection. so far I have been free of sores on my head for 3 months now from doing all these things. I hope this helps women and men who suffer from this terrible infection.

Folliculitis Treatment:

I usually use a Turmeric/Coconut Oil paste on the small boils, which drains them quickly. Then I rub Castor Oil or Manuka Honey into the small open wounds that are left. This system worked fantastic for me. I say worked in the past tense, because I now head them off at the pass before they can fully form and have not needed to bring them to a head and drain them. Lately, I have found it easier to just start rubbing in a few drops of Tea Tree Oil, let dry for a few seconds, then I rub in some Castor Oil - at the stage where you first know the boil is forming , and they start shrinking immediately and go away! This just takes a few days to work; with no pain, no drain and no scarring.

I browsed this site for help for an infected hair follicle on my knee and I found all this hype about apple cider vinegar so I made a concoction of ACV (1/4 cup), honey (2 tbsp), grapefruit seed extract (3 drops) and warm water (1/2 cup). Mix together then get a wash cloth and create a compress with the concoction and apply to affected area as much as you want. Make sure to leave the compress on until it cools. Everytime I felt extreme pain in the area, I would reheat the solution and repeat the process. The heat hurt at first but it brought such a relieving sensation about 5 seconds after. In addition, I drank a small cup of milk mixed with two tsp of turmeric. I started this process at 11 am and noticed by 11 at night, almost ALL the pain subsided and it's no longer swollen. I did the process about 4-5 times.

I have been suffering from folliculitis for the last several months and finally figured out a few tips that have almost completely cleared up the bumps and are preventing the bumps from appearing nearly as often.

Use a natural Shea butter soap or oatmeal soap to both cleanse and sooth the skin.

Diet-nutrition has a lot to do with this disorder. I believe cutting out mainly gluten, dairy (except raw goats milk), and sugar has helped me. I also upped my water intake as well. Going on a raw food diet until the skin infection completely clears is a very good idea.

Oils- mixing jojoba oil with any of the following essential oils and using the concoction as a skin rub right after taking a bath: Lavender, tee tree, eucalyptus, and or geranium oil. Geranium and tea tree seem to be the most effective. Geranium isn't as pleasant smelling as the other are but works wonders.

Supplements- Garlic along with Echinacea tea work as natural antibiotics for the body, multi vitamins with zinc and magnesium, fish oil, vitamin D, and pro biotic(especially after taking a dose of antibiotics prescribed by the doctor to put the good bacteria back into your gut) either mild or plant derived preferably plant derived.

Don't cause any further abrasions on the skins surface- Stop using any type of sponges or washcloths in the shower as these will slightly tear the skins surface causing the infection to spread further and deeper. I found that using my hands to lightly massage soap into my skin works the best and doesn't spread the bacteria around to other parts of my body. Don't use cheap razors either, or if you can, stop shaving entirely for a while. Use expensive razors and replace them frequently and spray them off with alcohol before and after a shave. The expensive razors do not chaff the skin or break it as much as the cheaper razors. Also, many people will tell you to use a scrub on your skin, but, again a scrub will lightly tear the skin more and could cause the infection to continue to spread. Also, no matter how itchy your skin is do NOT scratch. Not scratching the skin will work wonders. Scratching only spreads it further and causes the bacteria to get under your nails. Put something calming on your skin the relieve itch, such as silver gel or Shea lotion or natural skin relieving oils. And whatever you do, don't pop the pus sacs, let them dry out on their own.

Bath soaks- Use Epsom salt and six to ten drops of your favorite essential oil and soak in a hot tub. Preferable cleanse the skin first.

Use a natural astringent on the skin before applying natural oils- Peroxide is the best. I say this because vinegar and alcohol are more irritating to the skin. Peroxide can be put into a spray bottle and sprayed on infected areas regularly, especially right when you get out of the shower. Let it sit for a few moments and then dry it off your skin or rinse it off in the shower. This will dry the pus sacs out quicker and help stop them from forming to begin with.

Clean bedding more often, cloths, and bathroom where you cleanse. Alcohol is a great cleaner mixed with water and tea tree oil, and kills staph which is a primary culprit for causing folliculitis.

Keep in mind that you must work on the outside of the skin and internally. These procedures must be used over a long period of time as in some cases folliculitis can be very tough to beat. Be persistent and consistent; keep using these techniques on a daily basis. The supplements work wonders along with the essential oils that help fight skin infections off.

Hi all, I have been suffering from Foliculitis Decalvans for about 7 years. Before this month I had tried shampoos, diet change recommended by a naturopath, doxycycline, rifampin, clindamycin and nothing worked. As you are all aware, it is very humiliating to sit in a hairdressers chair and have to explain the condition each time.

My wife has been on at me for a while about going back to the dermatologist (who I had spent 2000 with to no avail), but it wasn't until I noticed permanent hair loss at my crown that I went back to my GP to get a referral.

Given the time to wait to get a dermo appointment, my new GP suggested a new swab and blood test, and noticed staph was present (previous swab didn't show). She suggested multiple lines of defense listed below;

• Clarythramycin 250mg 3 times daily
• Cephalexcen 300mg twice daily
• Selsun shampoo
• Tea tree conditioner
• Fucidin ointment with grapeseed oil (to water down) topically.

After two weeks but scalp has all but completely healed. Most of my scalp hair is clamped together, but the weeping sores have all gone. It has now been 8 weeks and touch wood it stays away. I'll let you all know if it does.

I had staph for about six years. I had a culture done by a doctor, and dioxycycline was the antibiotic the strain of staph I had was succeptible to. I was also told to take a bleach bath every other day (3/4 cup of bleach in my bath water). I did it, and the staph on my neck and lower face cleared up; however the staph on my forehead would never totally clear up. It was deep down in my pores.

What finally worked was using bleach water compresses twice per day. People can't tolerate full bleach baths more than every other day because it begins to sting and burn one's skin too much. However, I could tolerate the bleach water compresses twice per day. The every other day bleach bath just wasn't enough to kill the bacteria faster than it was multiplying - but the twice per day bleach water compresses were.

Also many say to use antibacterial soap. However, this dried my skin too much and killed the good bacteria that fights staph. I switched to Camay and Dove brand soaps, and combined with the bleach compresses my staph cleared all the way up.

I did have success with vinegar at one point, but it keeps the staph sores open while it kills them. They would spread and spread while open - I would get my forehead clear, but it would get on my neck because the vinegar kept the sores open and let the fluid cause the infection to spread around my head when I slept. The bleach water did not keep the sores open and spreading while they healed like the vinegar did.