Scalp Infection Cures

Hi Amy, You have been having this problem for last six years and you have started using the Borax now, I don't know since how long ? Have patience do it twice a day if need be and also you will have to take it internally, for that 1/8 tea spoon of Borax and 1/4 tea spoon of sea salt in one liter of water, drink it through the day. You will get the result at least the fall of further hair will stop. Also you have to strengthen your immune system.

Good Luck, Baldev

Hi Baldev, Thanks. I'll try to take borax internally as suggested. I am using borax solution on my hair from past 1 month. The problem that I am seeing is that white crust on my scalp is not getting cleared off during washing and is causing itching, scaling and hairfall. Do you think regularly using borax alone can clear this off?

Hi Amy, You are right Borax alone will not sort out your problem. Yours is a long time fungus problem as you yourself have diagnosed. So it will take some time for you to see the result. You have to take care as to what you eat. Also, you must be quite acidic which you can check with the help of pH strips available with the chemist or shops who keep chemicals (where you got your borax from). If you are following this site there is enough written about how to alkalize the body with the use of sodium bi carbonate. You will have to take Apple cider vinegar and also extra virgin coconut oil internally and application on the skull. If you have any doubt and need help you can call me on 09322887066.

Good Luck, Baldev

Thanks again Baldev.

I'll try to check my pH level first to check my acidity level. A few questions though.

1. How much quantity should I take sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and when. Also, is there any specific brand which I should use? Please suggest.

2. ACV and extra virgin Olive oil - how much quantity and which brand to apply on skull and drink ? Also, I have tried to applied oil on my scalp several time including tea tree oil, coconut etc but it has made my scalp more scaly, itchy and increased hair fall. I am more scared to now as I don't want to exaggerate those stuff on scalp again.

Hi Baldev, I tried ACV on my scalp by diluting it with water and used with my herbal shampoo and then finally rinse with ACV again. I tried this application for a week and it helped me a lot in my scaling and bit in itching too. After, a week I skipped one day with this application and next day my scalp got worse then ever. So, I tried to applied a bit more concentration of ACV which made my scalp even more worse. I had to finally use my coal tar shampoo and that gave me a temp relief from flaking and itching.

I have read in this forum that pH of ACV is around 3. 5 and when diluted with water make it to 5 which is ideal for fungus growth. Is that true? If so then I think that might hase increased my scalp problem.

Afterward, I tried to use TED ACV plus hydrogen peroxide cure (1:1:10) and even borax plus 1% hydrogen peroxide for a 2 -3 days which subsidized a bit of flaking and itching. I am not sure but using 1% of hydrogen peroxide is causing some hair loss also. Is mixing ACV/Borax with hydrogen peroxide and applying it on scalp is safe for hair. Does, it cause more hair loss if used continuously for a prolonged period?

I have also tried to drink 1 tblspoon of ACV with water and honey twice a day but it caused slight pain in my tooth. I have read in this forum that drinking ACV causes tooth enamel. So, is it safe to drink ACV on long run? I tried to mix ACV with meetha soda (sodium bicarbonate) to alkalize the body (this method has been suggested by TED) but I found a bit dryness with my skin.

I am not sure what should I do next. Kindly suggest which remedy should I follow externally to cure scalp infection. I am more puzzled now :(

By scalp infection do you mean seborrhea dermatitis? That is what I have for almost a year and it has been a bear to get rid of. I've tried just about everything including a borax, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide solution you mention. I was so desperate to stop the itching that I left it on too long. The H202 did put an end to the itching and seemed to be healing the dermatitis, however it seriously damaged my hair, so I had to stop that treatment altogether. I then found a very good treatment using honey and coconut oil and have had some measure of success with it. Honey has an enzyme in it which produces hydrogen peroxide and has been successfully used by many along with coconut oil to cure seborrheic dermatitis. For the protocol for this treatment, google "Seb derm - Treating seborrheic dermatitis with raw honey and virgin coconut oil."

I must tell you that I saw no results with any treatment until I radically changed my eating habits and followed the no sugar, anti-inflammatory diet outlined on the Trust Nature / DermEssentials website. I also stopped using any hair products that had any chemicals whatsoever in them. For a while I used Organic Excellence Shampoo and Conditioner, which the only completely chemical-free shampoo I am aware of, but now I shampoo my hair with honey and condition it with coconut oil or an egg-coconut oil mask. My hair is still recovering from the H2O2 treatment and all the split ends it caused.

I have been doing some other things that are helping as well, like the detox baths and drinking kefir to restore good bacteria in my colon and blood. Also, I'm taking olive leaf extract which is a very potent anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral herb that I highly recommend along with reading Dr. Morton Walker's book, Olive Leaf Extract. I'm not fully recovered yet, but I do feel better and seem to be on the right track.

Hi Barbara, Thanks for your input. As per dermatogolist, the scalp infection is a kind of seborrheic dermatitis with psoriasis and I am having this from last 6 years. From my past experience whenever I have applied oil on my scalp irrespective of their type (tea tree, coconut etc) my itching and scaling has got worse. I feel almost like tearing my scalp. So, I am bit scared to use this option now.

Hi Amy, I can understand your concern. First of all just accept the problem and don't fight with it, you are creating extra stress by worrying too much about it. You have gone through the stressfull period and it may be a fall out of that. I know a case in last one week of chicken pox with ichy skalp been helped with diluted solution of Borax with out damaging the hair and after rinsing the hair application of diluted solution of ACV. I hope you are getting the right kind of Borax from the chemist. Borax will help you internally as well as externally, as Bill also has said in his postings that Borax is the best for candida and fungal infections. You have to take this treatment for some time to see the results. Also what have you done about your diet, start taking internally extra virgin coconut oil atleast three table spoon a day. Also apply coconut oil on your body if you feel your skin dry. Take ACV with sodium bi carbonate as Ted has suggested for alkalising the body internally. Eat green leafy veg. Or juice them. Avoid sugar completely, no fast food. You can also use aloe gel from the fresh plant. Don't lose heart, I assure you, you will get over it.

Good Luck. Baldev

Hi Amy, Why do you not use the cheapest medicine available viz urine, it is excellent for your type of problem. Search the net for auto urine therapy & get all the info.

Hi Baldev, Thanks again for your reply. I have done changes in my diet and I am taking coconut oil other remedies as suggested. However, I am not getting sodium bicarbonate in medical shops (Tried all big shops). I heard that meetha soda which we used for cooking is sodium bicarbonate. Can I use that?

Regarding borax, which one should I use? I am using borax crystal which I dissolve it in warm water and use it on my scalp. I have also been to some chemical shops and they too have borax in powder form but they have two varities. Chemical grade and lab grade. Which is safer to use among them? pls suggest.

Hello, I bought today borax "di-sodium tetraborate decahydrate LR" from a chemical shop with the following specification. Note this is a lab grade borax:

Minimum Assay (Acidmetric) 99- 103 %
pH of 4% solution 9. 0 -9.6
Maximum limit of Impurities
Sulphate (SO4) 0.005%
Chloride(Cl) 0.005%
Arsenic (AS) 0.0005%
Calcium (Ca) 0.05%
Heavy metals (as Pb) 0.0025%
Copper (Cu) 0.005%
Iron (Fe) 0.005%

Is it safe to drink this borax 1/4th teaspoon with 1 litre of water? Also, is it safe to apply on my scalp? PLEASE SUGGEST

Hi Amy, Yes, you can use this. Drinking water which you make, you can add 1/4 ts of sea salt in that. For washing the scalp make a diluted solution, i.e., take about 1/2 ts in a glass of water and soak the hair with it, keep it for 15 to 20 mts. And then rinse it with filtered water and then can apply diluted ACV. How you feel, you can use it twice a day and see whether it is helping. Someone has suggested urine therapy. I feel you can give it also a try, but hold on, first see the effect of Borax.

Good Luck

Baldev

Thanks you very much Baldev. I'll try with the new borax I bought today. Will Keep you posted about the results.

Hi Baldev, I tried the following method for a week.

1. Applied borax on my scalp and then rinse with diluted with ACV.
2. Took extra virgin coconut oil, borax with water
3. Alakalized body using ACV and baking soda.
4. Cut down all yeast diet.

The itching has been subsized to some extent but the flaking is still there. I can see white scales are again forming on my scalp. Looks to me my scalp fungus has developed resistant and again white layer on my scalp started increasing. Also, big clumps of skin is still coming out along with my hair. Should I continue the above treatment further or switch to different treatment? Please advice.

Hi Ted/Bill, I have tried the below remedies for 2 weeks but I am not seeing much sign of improvement. Can you please help me with my problem?

1. Applied borax on my scalp and then rinse with diluted with ACV.
2. Took extra virgin coconut oil, borax with water
3. Alakalized body using ACV and baking soda.
4. Cut down all yeast diet.

The itching has been subsized to some extent but the flaking is still there. I can see white scales are again forming on my scalp. Looks to me my scalp fungus has developed resistant and again white layer on my scalp started increasing. Also, big clumps of skin is still coming out along with my hair. Should I continue the above treatment further or switch to different treatment? Please advice.

This site is really pretty cool, thanks for all the suggestions! For many years I suffered from a VERY itchy scalp and I could no longer take it and was very close to just ripping it all out!! Then I read all this stuff about Borax and I gave it a try for the first time last night and I used 1/2 a cup of Borax with a half gallon of water and scubbed my scalp and rinsed it off with warm water, and I did the same tonight, and my scalp feels great! But after doing all this do I then Shappoo it or just use Borax??I want to do this for at least a week and then once aweek, but it does make my hair look dull, unless I'm doing it wrong or too much, but NO MORE ITCHING!! and that's what counts, Praise God for your site, Thanks, but please let me know if I'm supose to shampoo after this treatment with the borax, Thanks :)

EC: Hi Patti,

More borax feedback for hair and scalp here:
https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/borax3.html#HS
https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/hair_conditioners.html#BORAX
https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/hair_shampoo.html#BORAX

Hi Patti, getting relief with Borax is a good indication you are dealing with fungus. I also used borax on my head as you did and got relief, but found after the first few times my hair did not look good. I than started using baking soda to wash and apple cider vinegar to rinse. I put about 2 ounces of baking soda in 10 - 12 oz. of water and work gently into my scalp and hair. Rinse the baking soda out and follow with 2 ounces of vinegar in same amount of water. I let the vinegar stay on for about a minute as it helps to restore scalp ph. Both baking soda and vinegar are anti-fungal. I do still use a conditioner on my hair but I add drops of GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) in the conditioner. My hair looks and feels great doing this.

I did some reach on the internet and found SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) causes allergic reactions and feeds fungus. SLS is in almost all shampoos and personal care products. You may fine avoiding products with this ingredient may help. Every time I use shampoo with sls in it the top of my scalp becomes painful and I get a very itch scalp along with hair loss.

I am sooo happy to have found this website. I do have a few questions regarding the treatment. Does it matter if you use Apple Cider Vinegar or White Distilled Vinegar? Do you rinse the vinegar out or leave it in? Thank you so much for your help.

Apple cider vinegar is a must, not white distilled. You may want to try organic apple cider vinegar.

I once listened a Doctor on a radio program talking about the benefits of coral calcium to correct bone problems. He said that accumulation of calcium on some part of the body happened to the expense of another part of the body that would be depleted. He stated that correct amounts of this supplement would correct calcium imbalances within the body. But that is all I remember. He said he recommended an alternative medicine doctor to prescribe correct treatment.

I am a 57 y/o male and have had scalp problems my whole life which seemed to be increasingly worse the last 20 years. I have been to doctor(s) dermatologists, tried all of the dandruff shampoos, creams, etc .. I had really given up and figured I had to just live with this scourge. I would develop welts or zits on my scalp which would itch , ooze / bleed and crust over, eventually heal and then the process would start all over again. I would spend everyday picking the irritating crusts and scabs off my scalp. It WAS miserable.

After finding this site I decided to give the BORAX a try. OMG, I can't believe it. My scalp is completely healed and for the first time I know what it is like to have a normal scalp. The kicker is (as others have stated) my hair comes out so soft and manageable it is amazing, better than any shampoo / conditioner ever. I will never use shampoo again.

Simply dissolve the borax in water. I would use 1/2 to 2/3 cup per gallon ( if its too much you will get some borax crystals in the bottom of the jug no big deal) Soak your hair in it and shampoo into the scalp. I leave it in while I shower, and then rinse it out. I have been following that with the ACV / H202 solution that TED recommends and rinse again. I may discontinue the ACV rinse but so far I haven't wanted to mess with a good thing.

It has been about eight weeks and my problem is cured. It only took about two or three shampoos to cure it but I wanted to wait and make sure before posting here. Thanks to everyone who is supporting this website, it is like a miracle to me. My only regret is that I didn't know this 40 years ago.!

PS and the dandruff is next to zero too!

Hi James from Waterford, I had this same issue for about the same length of time as I have variously reported here on EC. I too am cured! Anyway, what you may find you also have to do is wash/rinse your hair with Milk of Magnesia from time to time. This really helped me 'nail it' in the end. Good luck, Shaun

I had the same scalp issues for about 4 years. I had tried everything multiple times without permanent relief. I started using "a horse" shampoo with Zinc daily. After using about 1.5 bottles (2 months of use) my scalp issues are totally gone and haven't returned with continued use of this shampoo.

Susan In Dallas from Dallas I am curious as to what horse shampoo you used or are using. I have been trying the Borax wash with the vinegar rinse minus the H202. I am not using the H202 bc it is a bleaching agent and I am not interested in bleaching my hair. The borax and the vinegar have not halted the itch on my scalp. Therefor, I am interested in trying the horse shampoo and wasn't sure if it was a certain brand. I hope you are still on the board and awaite your reply. Thanks. Sincerely, Rosemary (rlb)

Hello Penelope, To give us "medical detectives" some more insight, could you please elaborate on what your recent medical histor is... have you had any major infections, for instance? Or dental work? Or injuries to the head causing lacerations or puncutre? If the answer to the above three items is "yes" then that might give a clue to viral, fungal or bacterial infection inside the scalp which has spread from a previous infection.

Next, assuming we eliminate the infection possibility, go to reactions to topical ointments, allergies etc. Does anything you eat, for instance, make the condition worse, such as acidic foods? You might have developed a late developing allergy to some specific item. My mother in law is deathly allergic to sesame seeds and sesame oils. You can get to the bottom of this by process of elimination. Leave off certain items you may be suspicious of and see if the condition changes.

Next, could there be a deficiency of anything? Some latent genetic conditions could be triggered as we age and kick in a deficiency where previously was asymptomatic. Read relentessly to find any clue to vitamin deficiencies, such as the B complex or mineral deficency, eg magnasium.

One odd question: Have you been overseas where parasites could be another avenue of enquiry.

Oh, one more: Please advise whether you eat raw meat.

Yet one last one: Are you ear canals alright? Any new unsual ringing or clicking sounds? That could indicate fungus or virus. And your eyes... Is your vision recently blurred?

I am assuming you have already checked on your acidity... I refered to that above but make sure you are drinking enough alkeline liquid (one half teaspoon of baking soda twice a day) would help neutralize an acid body. If you suspect that, then get off coffee, meats and acidic foods such as tomatoes.

Diatomaceous earth is an interesting "test" to see if key digestion issues are a problem. Really high quality "green" drinks is something that could give you another hint; that is is after consuming for a week if the condition improves.

Please forgive me for suggesting so many things but I thought I'd run some ideas out to give an expanded check off of possible cures. And don't lose hope... Because there is a solution. It may be as easy as soaking in boron (borax) and/or epsom salts.

Just keep trying. But go back to my first request... is there anything else you can give "us" to help you by way of hints concerning your midical history; prescriptions drug interaction for instance.

My head is similar to yours but maybe not quite as severe. I have lost nearly 2/3 of my hair and my scalp burns and aches and it hurts to wear hair clips or pull my hair up. Four days ago I started taking 1 TBS organic Apple Cider Vinegar and also 1 TBS blackstrap molasses. I lost only a FEW hairs in the shower today!!! I am so thankful. Try it! You have nothing to lose! Take the supplements in any way you can get them down. I add vinegar to cold water then chase with molasses in vanilla coconut milk, but take them how you want to, as long as you take 1 TBS of each! Hope you have great luck with it.

After I read your post, I went and did a lot of reading. Found some interesting stuff. Most people lose 100 hairs a day on a normal day. Vitamin D affects hair either from too much or too little the hair falls out. Magnesium and other minerals affect vitamin D.

Low magnesium affects homones, and hormones affect hair. Thyroid affects hair and most thyroid tests do not accurately assess a problem.

Stress wipes out magnesium and hair loss episodes usually happen 4 months after stressful events, surgery , drugs, trauma, too much of one supplemental vitamin , mineral, herb... Birth control pills

Low progesterone causes hair loss because other hormones get out of balance. Hormones in animal products we eat, cause estrogen to dominate and progesterone to be low in comparison.

Too tight of hair doo or curlers or pony tail pulled too tight, tight braids, or fungal infection or parasites or allergy to a product.

I hope you know down deep which thing it would most likely be from so you can get new hair.

My heart goes out to you... Love, Joy

Thank you Joy! I'm in the process of getting a new doctor and more tests. Hopefully this will turn up something. Thanks again.

Thank you for all the responses. For Lloyd: To give you more history: I had a UTI infection about 2 months ago which was rare for me. I've only had a few my whole life. I did have a dental infection about 1 year ago. It was a raging infection that went on too long because I had a dead tooth so I couldn't feel the pain and didn't know the infection existed for a long time. I took a horrible antibiotic to clear the infection (called Flagyl) that made me sick for a few months after taking it. The infection went away with antibiotics and a root canal. No head injuries or lacerations. The hair loss started about 4 months ago. I don't take any medications except vitamins. I can't tell that eating anything in particular infames it. I have no food allergies that I'm aware of. I used to have acid reflux when I ate anything that was spicy or fried, but I cut those things out of my diet years ago. I have not been oversees since 2004. I don't eat any raw meat. I very rarely will get ringing in my ears - Ive had this for 10 years though. Thanks for all the suggestions. I very much appreciate it.

Wanted to give an update: I went to a dermatologist who said she can tell I'm having hair loss and my scalp is inflamed. She said there is no sign of infection what-so-ever and it's not alopecia. Which makes me think I have an internal problem of some sort. I've been rinsing my hair w/ACV everytime I wash it and green juicing. I've cut out most sugar. The burning and redness has gone down quite a bit from when I orginally posted, but the hair falling out is the same. For Lori: I'm curious how the blackstrap molasses and ACV is supposed to help? I'm thinking of trying this.

Hi, I had a similar problem, got really panicked. What do you use to wash your hair? I suspected that my issue was related to that so I started researching and found Castile soap. I bought tea tree one to try and washed my hair with full strength couple days in the row rinsing with apple sider vinegar. Those were ponytail days until I discovered dr Broner's rinse. The inflammation is gone, my scalp does not itch or hurt anymore. I am not sure if hair is growing back but at least it is not falling out and my scalp does not bother me. Now I wash my hair with 3:1 ratio of water to Castile soap and rinse using the rinse. You can find it on amazon or vitamin world. My hair looks better than it did in years. I would also recommend detoxing and doing flushes (liver, colon etc). Good luck, hope this is helpful. Victoryia

After reading some of your recent post I think you might benefit from some internal coconut oil since you had the uti. 1 tsp a day in food or drink

The dental issue, you can add alpha lipoic acid to help knock that down and kill some cavities too. Brush with coconut oil. ( don't spit it in the sink but the garbage ).

Start with just the coconut oil for a couple weeks slow /so you don't feel sick from detox or die off. Then try the ALA. I have also discovered my grey hair is going away and I am in menopause.

I started with Magnesium citrate with my vitamins - a few months later added a full spectrum mineral and that has been amazing!

I also drink water half an hour before eating to prevent indigestion and take salt in my food in the correct portion. I am OVERCOMING slowly everything that has been overwhelming me for many years. I have recently added Kelp since my TSH levels were so high and I expect to see some new eyebrows soon. 1/3 of my outer brow is missing on each side and my scalp hair has thinned a bit. DO NOT USE KELP IF YOU ARE HYPERTHYROID... Too much thyroid hormone. I had bloodwork done but my ob/gyn did not tell me I had hypothyroid and so I have been struggling along trying to figure it out. My TSH # should have been a red flag to her? I found a piece of paper in my pile that said a high TSH number meant thyroid function was low.

Me too. we have the same sometimes I try the anti-fungal shampoo the red one which does make it only work but they gave me this one in a white bottle and it was orange kind of did it really did work you could feel the difference see the difference and explore the difference but unfortunately they took it off of the shelf for Medicare people. I use espom salt in my shampoo which kind of works. And feels really really good on your skin. But I can't control the burning. I am going to the doctors .

Melina from Las Vegas:

Sorry to hear your overwhelming problem. It is most likely mite infestation. Your description exactly fits what happened to me years ago to take years to rectify. I did not really know what to do, which I do now through EC posters, thank God. I now have had my head shaved and only then were visible three mite nests, round white spots.

I am using Ted's mange remedy daily as well as MMS and colloidal silver. Then I use moisturizer to balance the drying effect. MMS really attacked them in my face especially which brought on a burning itch like scabies which it isn't but it was mainly in and around the eyes, nose and jaw. This had not been visible. The delicate skin around the eyes became like paper but through moisturizing it is now as good as new. MMS can be sprayed into nose, eyes and ears which is invaluable. Borax is wonderful for skin and hair in combination with Dr. Bronner's lavender kastile shampoo, left on to dry. In between, especially at night, colloidal silver on a cotton ball works very well. It is always worse at night. It feels like a slight tickling and nothing is visible.

I have studied EC's site for hours and came up with these remedies and they work. The follow up will take as long as needed. I have stopped using pillows. I had very healthy hair but I used someone else's pillow and they jumped from there and disappeared in my face. Slowly but surely all that beauty disappeared and finally even produced rosacea. I have no more redness due to colloidal silver and the other remedies. I am indebted to Ted, God bless him, for his selfless assistance which also my pets are benefitting from very well indeed. Ted's instructions are very precise and repeated many times. One must take the time and read over and make notes till it becomes clear enough to follow rules. Many posts on EC are with questions which Ted has already answered.

I wish you good luck and "this, too, shall pass". Love Om

Melina, I just want to add to your comment on colonics. Long time ago I tried this and had the same awful, painful experience. The Ayurvedic system of eastern medicine states that colonics are not good for the body and use enemas (basti) instead. Om

I forgot I wrote this until I was searching again and saw my name came up.

So I ended up doing a round of Bactrim and this made all my scalp pain/shedding disappear. While the shedding stayed down, about 2 weeks post antibiotics, the pain/itch comes right back. Again, there are no visible signs less a slight pink hue.

I also tried CS both internally and externally and it doesn't seem to do anything. Upon application with either aloe or lotion as a carrier, my shedding goes from 40-50 hairs to 200+ hairs (this just happened today).

Any ideas on why Bactrim would work and/or CS would cause this reaction? Do you still think this is a mite infestation? After my first round of bactrim my entire top layer of scalp skin shed off and I was able to wash my hair with no pain - I cried. Of course, it came back. I did a test for staph colonization and came up negative.

Dear Melina,

I read a post on Earth Clinic last week where she cured her perioral dermatitis after switching to shampoos and hair styling products that do not contain wheat (most of them do). Have you tried that? If not, maybe that would help. Another thing that comes to mind is that maybe you have a severe iodine deficiency.

You may want to investigate that you have a bacterial infection (because your condition responded to the antibiotic) that is overlying a fungal infection, probably malassezia. The fungus makes the skin itchy and scratching it introduces bacteria into the open skin.

So if this is the problem, solving the fungal infection would be your best bet. Coconut oil, baking soda and/or apple cider vinegar may help.

Per my biopsy they showed no evidence of fungus and I have never responded to any anti-fungal treatments (I went so far as to take oral Ketoconazole in addition to using it topically).

Thus far I have tried: Ketoconazole (internal and external), topical steroids, aloe, collodial silver (internal and external), ACV, listerine, borax, all OTC dandruff shampoos, Zeal dandruff shampoo, Jason's Dandruff shampoo, tea tree oil, conditioner washes, washing with only baking soda and ACV, liver cleanse, and bactrim. I have had all hormones, blood work and even a stool sample done with the only abnormality being a low-normal white blood cell count and high B vitamin levels. I do not supplement with b-vits. Aside from my scalp I feel great and live a very active lifestyle with no other skin problems. I also went gluten free many months ago as one more thing to try.

As mentioned, the only thing that ever gave me relief was topical steroids (sub par but it was something) and the Bactrim was amazing. I am thinking I want to do another round of bactrim and see if I can do maintenance dosing while healing my scalp (using aloe or err looking into other options). Not sure if this is best? I feel the bacteria causes low grade inflammation, while the bacteria is getting killed the skin is not healing thus it's just coming back. Does this sound reasonable? Also someone suggested I may be reacting positively to the sulfur in the bactrim and to take MSM.

Thank you thank you for all your help. This has been such a battle for me with time, effort, doctors and money (as many of you understand).

Melina, the Bactrim sounds like a good lead into figuring out what's wrong--obviously something bacterial.

The sulphur in the MSM sounds like a good idea and you could also try some kind of iodine rinse.

You may also want to investigate the low white blood cell count. If your immune system is not working right, microbes that would normally get killed will be able to get a foot hold. The vitamin B in your blood may be a sign that they are mobilizing for defense more than there being an oversupply. Zinc and the B s are good for skin and immune function.

Best of luck with finding your answer!

Melina, If you haven't already, I encourage you to go back to your doctor for more Bactrim. The fact that an antibiotic cleared up your scalp indicates an unidentified bacterial skin infection, especially since so many antifungal agents have failed. You may need to continue the Bactrim for a couple weeks beyond the point that your scalp seems "normal" to ensure that it has been eradicated. Undertreating it just ensures that the tougher bugs remain and become harder to kill later.

A caveat: If the scalp infection is just a secondary issue of a different condition, then the scalp infection could keep recurring regardless of how many times you take Bactrim.

I also encourage you to explore the low normal white blood cell count further. It suggests a somewhat suppressed immune system. Doctors generally ignore a low normal because it's still "normal." I had a low normal IgG, IgM, and white blood cell counts when I was remarkably sick, and was later diagnosed with three different chronic tick borne infections, all of which are known to be immunosuppressive.

High B vitamin levels might indicate that your body isn't absorbing them for some reason. I've recently learned that my own hair loss and skin issues are directly related to inadequate B-vitamins, especially Biotin. I have been on long term antibiotics, some of which kill the gut bacteria that produce the B-vitamins.

I switched to a different antibiotic, increased my probiotic intake, started taking 5-10g of Biotin a day, and put an antifungal cream on the flaky red spots on my face near my hair line (2-3x/day for a month and it's still not quite gone).

So far, my scalp and skin issues have greatly improved, but I still have some redness, itching, and hair loss at my crown. I am going to try some of the remedies here to see if they help (specifically Borax and Apple Cider Vinegar - I have them both in the house already).

I think that your white blood cell count, scalp infection, and off balance B vitamin levels are subtle clues to some underlying issue in your body that could lead to more serious problems later. Since vitamin levels, body chemistry, and the immune system are so intertwined with gut health, I encourage you to find a good naturopath or even nutritionist who can explore other possibilities for you, such as Ph levels, celiac disease testing (you could think you're gluten free, but could still be consuming small amounts that you don't realize), food intolerances or allergies, low intrinsic factor, et.al.

Also, check out this quick description of why Sulfa drugs are not the same as sulfur.

http://www.zimmernutrition.com/learning-center/health-articles/article/allergic-to-sulfa-drugs-can-you-take-sulfur/

I hope you find an answer soon!

Melina - I forgot to mention, you may also want to ask your doctor to run some tests on your liver, as well as on your red blood cell levels. High Vitamin B levels can indicate liver disease or a bone marrow issue.

I don't mean to be describing scary scenarious, but I always believe it's better to catch something early rather than waiting until it gets bad. While unlikely, it is possible that you could be in the earlier stages of a liver or blood disease that hasn't fully shown itself yet. Liver disease in particular can trigger some strange symptoms elsewhere in the body.

I once knew of a kid who had a persistent and unpleasant body odor, regardless of how often he bathed or what he ate. Otherwise, he seemed normal. Eventually, a new doctor discovered that he had a liver condition. The kid had had it for years with only the strange body odor as a symptom. Go figure!

Why don't you try MMS? It helps me soooo much with so many things!!! It is 100 times stronger and more effective than any antibiotic and bugs cannot become immune to it.

What is MMS and what has it done for you?

My scalp condition sounds familiar. I even thought I had psoriasis on my scalp at one point. The thing that has helped with the redness is vitamin c. I crush up a few pills, mix it with water and pour it on my head. Leave it on overnight, and it helps my hair too. It's a constant battle though, I have to use quite a few remedies. Other than that, I have found bi-weekly tea tree oil mixed with olive oil has helped (I think a 1/10 ratio, it irritates people's skin) and wash after 10 minutes or so. They say daily use is needed, so I also mix a little in my shampoo.

http://ted.earthclinic.com/cures/treatment-for-hair-loss.html

I was just reading through this and made a copy to highlight... there is alot of info here from Ted.

It seems the coconut oil probably put you into a healing crisis and affected your follicles and scalp broke out. Then you used antibiotics and your system got weaker and hair loss resulted. I've used the coconut oil overnight but nothing like that happened to me. Usually I do a test patch before using a lot of product due to the fact my system has a lot of problems that could be brought out as a skin or brain chemistry crisis. Your skin is your largest organ . Hope you can read through Ted's info and find out what would help you with the least amount of sufferring.

This is pretty old but I thought I would respond just in case someone has a similar issue. I found the item below. It says that there could be a yeast that is a part of the demodex. Supposedly, the yeast thrives on oil of any kind.

SOURCE: http://www.herbaltransitions.com/Malassezia.html

QUOTE: I would warn you that the use of oils on the skin may feed this lipophilic (lipid loving) yeast. The craze of using coconut oil liberally on the skin for a variety of skin afflictions may make the feeling of something crawling and itching skin worse for these people. In research labs when they study Malassezia hyphae, they have to give them a lipid source to get the yeast to grow hyphae in the lab. Other things that will generate a proliferation of Malssezia are the use of corticosteroids and or antibiotics.

Borax (dissolved in Apple Cider Vinegar) is good for getting rid of/controlling fungus generally, but I have found that a 1/4 cup of washing soda (Sodium Carbonate) dissolved in a pint of water, and rinsed thoroughly through the hair a couple of times a week, completely cleared up any scalp/hair odor. Basically, the washing soda seemed to work better for eradicating bacteria than fungus. I now routinely put washing soda (and occasionally borax and/or sodium bicarbonate) in the bath. A quick rinse with ACV afterwards will bring back a lustrous shine to the hair. A whole lemon juice rinse also can help the hair/scalp.

I'm going through the same thing due to some meds I'm taking, all but the smelly hair. Try searching salt and water. As a light paste on your scalp, not hard! Leave on ten min.and then wash it out be careful. Not to dig into the scalp to hard. Then shampoo and condition as usual. At first try, it twice a week. That's what I'm doing.

Atang, I have scalp odor, too, and have tried everything. I am going to get the citronella oil today, but can you tell me what your odor smelled like? Mine is yeasty/cheesy (sorry if that's TMI! ). Just thinking that the type of odor might be an indication of the cause. Thank you!

Just wash your hair with sodium carbonate (washing soda). It will clear up any odour ASAP!

To Elsie from Chicago, Illinois, Usa. I had different smells- the smell was yeasty and muggy if I hadnt washed my hair in at least 2 days and it was sharp/pungent if I had washed my hair that morning. I was also confused as to whether it was a fungal or bacterial infection. I still don't know. Another thing that helped tremendously was washing the hair LESS, weird I know. I think that because of the odor I was washing my hair too much, this was drying my scalp causing my scalp to overproduce oil. The fungus/bacteria then fed off this excess oil causing more odor so it was all one vicious cycle. I made myself wash my hair every 7 days (as opposed to everyday like before) and I found that on the 2nd and 3rd day I might have some odor but after that nothing. A side note: I have coarse African hair that doesn't need to be washed so often, I'm not sure how this would work on other types of hair.

Are you sure your using Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and not Organic Coconut Oil? The latter is refined and I had problems with this kind on my scalp.

I posted this a few years back and would like to add that the citronella oil did help a lot in terms of decreasing the smell but the odor would come back on hot days when I sweated. (Before that, the odor was there all the time, sunny or cold). But the real thing that removed the smell completely is TCP.

EC: Thank you so much for updating us after 6 years!

What is tcp?