Natural Remedies for Scalp Infections

I've had very itchy, big welts on my scalp for a few months. The itching is always worst at night and worse after I eat any gluten, sugar or even dates. Has anyone else had similar symptoms? After reading your website, I put a capful of undiluted ACV on each welt, and the itching stopped immediately. I"m going to apply it twice a day for a week or two and see what happens. Thank you everyone who posts on this site!

God bless,
Rowie

Hey Ted, I started having scalp problems when I was 15 years old. I had nasty pustules on my head, thinning hair along with a itchy and flaky beard when I hit 18 years old. The doctors didnt help much. Seems like pills are their answers to everything. Anyways, I am 26 now and I read your post several months back. I tried the ACV & H202 with the tea tree oil and lavendar and my hair hasn't looked this good since it started falling out. My scalp is fine and I see hair growning on my scalp in places that use to be really thin. Now it seems like it has been at a stand still and sometimes it looks just a tad bit worst. I am thinking it must be something that I am eating, something extra that I need to take or both. Do you have any suggestions for me? My scalp looks 60 percent better and I need something to help it get over the hump. By the way, sometimes the skin on the side of my nose gets dry and cracky. That's when I notice my hair getting thin again. Maybe the two are linked. Please help! Thanks!

Epsom salts will pull out infection from wounds in scalp infections. I mixed it about 1/2 cup of epsom salt to 1 quart of hot water.

Submerge infected area in solution 4 times a day. If unable to submerge area, just use washcloth to dip in solution and apply over infected are (hot compress method) 4 times a day. I have seen this cure infection after red streak was running up arm (indicative of blood poisoning). No antibiotics were needed. I have many times bathed in 1-2 cups epsom salts in hot bath when muscles or nerves said "help".You really feel relaxed.

I have also used a saturated solution of Apple Cider Vinegar and epsom salts to clear up deep infected ulcers in scalp; No antibiotics were needed. Swab ulcers.

Hi, mixed cool water with TCP, not too much

I, too, get eruptions on my scalp. I think it's fungus. I've been using turpentine on it. I usually dip a q tip into the turp and apply it to the spots but, sometimes, I can feel a spot coming on and then I smear it around. I had a fungus on my neck as a child (looked like I had a dirty neck) and it eventually went away on its own (my mom wouldn't apply the cream and I was only like 8 yrs old). Anyway, I see great results from the turp after several days of doing this. I put it on when I first get up and then, an hour or so later, take my shower and shampoo.

I have the same thing. I used tea tree oil but it does not help. The hair mats into a ball of dry dandruff like mess. Sometimes sticky ooze forms. What brand of tea tree oil do you use? Like you I tried everything. It sometimes gets painful.

I am not sure if I have the same problem as you, but here is what happened. I have extremely curly hair. I stupidly left it in a bun for about 3 weeks without washing it. Once I took the bun out my hair was two giant matted knots on each side of my head. Same as you, they were very hard. It took SEVERAL sessions over a 2 week period of attempting to brush out. I tried everything I could think of and what I read on the Internet. Jojoba oil, coconut oil, Vaseline, several deep conditioners, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, etc. never found the tangler teaser (name?) and didn't go as far as fabric softener or we-40, but on a daily basis I patiently used a pick, a stick, and my fingers- digging my way through the knots. My hair was pretty long- it took YEARS to grow it- I am biracial, and though my hair is thin I had lots of it. When I finally got the last knot out I was left with very little hair :-(. A couple of pieces of my long hair remain, but otherwise I have areas of very short hair and I have very little left of it. I can fake a hairstyle by moving the longer pieces near the short ones. But what worries me most is my scalp.

During the time I was brushing it out and now, my scalp is EXTREMELY itchy. There are no big splotches or bumps, but I am constantly itching. Feels as if small bugs are crawling on my scalp. Could this be from dry hair? Or does it sound like an infection or fungus of some sort. I fear that my remaining hair is going to fall out. Oh, AND when I was detangling it there were pieces of hair that looked like they were covered in a dark slimy oil substance. It's been about 3 weeks and I'm still constantly itching. Not sure if I should try natural products or if I need to go to the doctor-maybe it's the same condition you have? The difference is my hair knotted because I didn't take care of it and left it tied up.

I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

TCP for scalp infection/scalp odor/smell hair syndrome:

Use TCP which you can get from most pharmacies/chemists depending on where you live (I found it in the mouthwash aisle). Cover your scalp in TCP and let it soak under a shower cap for a few hours, then wash it off with normal shampoo.

Side effect - your head will smell like TCP for about a week. This is a strong disinfectant smell but not a horrible smell. So it's better to do this on a weekend or when you will be seeing less people. The smell of TCP will fade with time and the infection on your scalp that causes odor will be gone.

Scalp Infections With Hair loss:

Change your diet! No more fats, no more dairy.. Diet is everything! I experienced myself! I did a fast, 5 days only water, and itchiness went completely away, after years! Then continued eating raw vegan, perfect, after a few months I started again with gluten (cookies, bread) and dairy and blooom, instantly dandruff and itchy scalp went back heavily, until I started to loose hair (I'm female 28 years old! ) and then I said stop! Did a 2 days fast to cut straightforward, and went back to eat fruit fruit fruit, and cooked potatoes, pumpkin, veggies, but nothing else. No oils at all, no avocado, no chocolate..

N: Boric Acid, Boron, and Borax are interchangeable substances but Borax is preferred for scalp conditions, however Boric Acid in small amounts added to shampoo would likely help.

Also, look for "medicated shampoo" at your local retail market, which would have a variety of medicinals for scalp.

Hello,

I'm going to try borax on my scalp but I'm not sure how to proceed.

I've seen on the internet the following process :

1/4 cup of Borax

2 cup war water

Mix and pour it over scalp (dry or do I have to put some water before?) and let it sit of 30min to 1h and then wash.

Do I have to scrub my scalp with the solution or just pour it?

For the wash do I have just to do it with water?

Thanks.

Kévin

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.

Hi There....I experienced the same problem a few months ago and was going crazy with the constant itching on my scalp. This had never happened before so I was really puzzled. I did the same thing as you guys....I used the selsun blue shampoo let it soak for a while and then wash it off. It would stop the itching for a while and then off we go again. In frustration, I went to my old friend Google (lol) for help. It was with interest that I read an article that said that sometimes a deficiency in B vitamins can cause this. So you guessed it.....I bought some and started using immediately. Don't know exactly when it happened but it was gone in I would say in a couple of days. Try it you never know it might help you....

Hello, I am having scalp infection with excessive hair fall from past 6 year due to which I have lost 50% of my hair from top. I came across this website last year and after going through several post, I used borax to wash my hair initially but that didn't helped me at all. So, I started using ACV diluted form on my hair. It didn't cured my hair fall and scalp infection entirely but helped at least 50%.

Few days ago, I thought to use TED's alkalizing remedy's of mixing 1/4 tb baking soda and 2 tbp of ACV in 1 cup of water. I waited till the bubbles gone off and then spray it on my hair this solution. My itching is reduced 95% and am seeing less oily hair and feel the mixtures has helped. I didn't feel the same when I used ACV.

But, I searched about this mixture I.e. baking soda and ACV over internet and found it's harmful to use. Even first applying baking soda and then rinse with ACV is not good. Could anybody help me whether its safe to use the mixture of ACV and Baking soda on hair? Does it damage the hair over a period of time if used daily? PLEASE HELP

Hi Hamza, If it is working why not carry on.

Hamza from Jakarta -- I would use completely different natural remedies:

Virgin Coconut Oil with cayenne pepper as #1, with borax separately

Honey gently dissolved with warm water

Borax for exfoliation and as a scrub together with the undissolved Borax

Amla powder which is the Indian amla fruit high in vit C as a wash

sulphur soap for fungi

Indian navaratna hair oil

or ... Maha Narayan oil after cleansing first.

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.

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).

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.

Posted by Theresa

×

Theresa

The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.

About Theresa

Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.

Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.

Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and  fueled  her quest for the knowledge held in lore,  and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.

-----------------------------

How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation

If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.  

http://www.piperslegacy.org/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Bobo-home/1409993732632080?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

http://ted.earthclinic.com

Close

(Mpls., Mn) on 10/25/2013

Hey Anayo!

This is from the scalp infections remedy page:

... Ted from Bangkok: "Apple Cider Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide are used as a shampoo to cure scalp infections. You can also mix chamomile, tea tree and lavender oils together and apply to the scalp as a shampoo. Do not take these remedies internally!

I have treated successful over 100 people with persistent scalp infections by preparing a shampoo made of just tea tree and lavender oil alone and have been successful... Continued here: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/scalp_infections4.html#TEDS

Thanks for this website. I have had scalp Problems for nearly 7 years. I have went to 3 doctors for tgis and nothing helpd but ur treatment of borax and H2O2 really works. Today will be my third use and it is incredible. I can feel the difference on my scalp. Thanks again for this amazing cure.

Scalp sores, bumps and itching: I too have had problems with this condition. I purchased the Borax, peroxide and dish detergent put in small bowl mix to a runny consistancy, wet my hair then, slathered the mixture on my head while in shower(don't get hair wet).

After bathing, I then rubbed mixture like shampoo into hair/scalp rince complety. I woke up this A.M. and no itch, bumps reduced in size and open spots were closed with scabs. I will do this 2-3 times a week and I believe this will end my scalp problem. Thanks for the heads up. (no pun intended).

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.

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.

Mary, I was just reading about something like this on the Iodine page, and the person was healed by applying decolorized iodine daily. I suppose regular Iodine would work too if you don't mind the color. It does seem to take time, so you need to be patient.

Hi, my friend had this happen to her on a holiday in Spain, first she thought she was bitten by some thing, then it got larger and she put it down to the sun. When she got checked out, it was an abscess which had tracked (on her butt, nude sunbathing) six inches in to her left buttock. I am not saying yours is an abscess, but its worth getting it checked out, as the one on my friend's butt, looked a lot smaller than what the actual cause was, and never appeared to have the characteristics of an abscess. Another thing is, (sorry I am not trying to scare you just help) in certain areas in the World, insects lay egg's under the Human skin, and will turn in to a Larve before making its way out, and the area will enlargen with the insect's growth. As I said, these are only suggestions, but the obvious is go get it checked. If your DR is not sure, see someone that deals in tropical diseases and infections as they can be mistaken for other things. Alopecia is another one, as this is common on the scalp area and will produce what you've described, and try not putting any products on your hair until you've had a prognosis. Love Andrea C xxxxxxx

I had a similar patch on my head and was a bit itchy everywhere else. I used straight Bulgarian lavender on it everyday and it started going away after a week. By two weeks the area had cleared up and I could feel regrowth. P.S. It doesn't have to be crazy expensive like YL or DT. Just Google Essential Oils for soap making and pick a company. Much cheaper and still pure quality.

Everyone, I have suffered with Seborreic dermatitis for over 20yrs. Iam now pretty much cured. Trust me on this please. Mix 1 tbsp of honey preferably nonpesticide organic kind with 1 tbsp organic aloe vera GEL with 1 tbsp organic coconut oil. Mix and let melt together 10-15 minutes. Mix well and apply to your whole head, particulary the spots where the dermatitis is the worse. Important, leave on a minumum of 4hrs or better if on overnight. Let it dry and it should not get on your pillowcase. Coconut oil and Honey are two of the worlds most powerful antifungals. Not everyone gets the same results. Try it again if it doesnt knock it out. But most can say goodby to seborreic dermatitis. Praying first will not hurt either. May God bless you all. Sorry about the large print, I do not know how to fix it.

IRRITATED SCALP- For all who have little bumps and sores on your scalp, please stop using shampoo with SLS or perfumes, your scalp might be sensitive to these. Wash your hair with dove sensitive bar soap, you'll be surprised when you hair stops falling as well!

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.

I cannot believe this works! I stopped after work to pick up the ingredients - put it on my head last night, did not rinse out and the itching stopped, I didn't scratch at all. I had at least 12 red spots on my head from scratching the scabs and at least two raised welts, welts are gone, scalp is dry, a little red but nothing like before - repeated in shower this morning, and rinsed out - no itching at all! I did order the teatree oil with lavender on amazon - they do have a combo, for around $7.00. I am going to use this overnight when I receive. Thank you so much TED!!!! You literally saved my life. I have short dark hair, and this was becoming a problem as I could not stop scratching. Thank you so much! Question, how long should I use the mixture, as I have some scabs left?

I've had scalp psoraisis for almost 2 years now. I know it's genetic, stress-related, and food allergy related.

I had no insurance, I went to a dermatologist. Spent a good $90 for the visit and he spent 5 min with me and said yes, you have psoraisis. I already knew. He told me to get on Humira (never did because of the side effects) and I used the scalp oil he recommended and of course, steriod cream. Nothing helped.

I used OTC shampoos, nothing helped.

I know what the root causes are - food allergy, smoking, alcohol, caffeine, sugars, and stress are major triggers. I know what I can take as supplements to cure this.

However, after reading this remedy by TED.. I realized how common this is to everyone. And it's not just scalp psoraisis - its a fungal infection. My physician and dermatologist didn't even take the time to test my scalp for infection or refer me out to a nutritionist to help my diet. At least, I'm good at research on my own.

So, I've been using your remedy. First few days, just undiluted ACV for 30-1hr and shampoo out. Just tonight, I tried the ACV, Hydrogen Peroxide, Water mix. It works alot better - less inflammation.

I'm going to get some Tea Tree and Lavendar oil. I sell Nature's Sunshine so, I know the products are 100% pure. With the ACV, I use _____'s (with Mother) from Whole Foods Market.

Ted, I have alot of inflammation and redness on the top of my forehead from scratching too much.. Long ago. It's healing. I have lost some hair (where women normally lose hair. ) Will the tea tree and lavendar help reduce the infammation and grow hair back? So far it feels so much better. Thank you.

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!

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 am wondering the same thing. I have very dark hair and would like to try this... but have no wish to wind up with light colored hair.

I had the exact same issue with my scalp. I got those little bumps, some with pus some without and my scalp itched badly and felt sore and the bumps turned into cuts. Did you rinse the ACV and peroxide concoction out or did you leave it in. If you left it in, how long?

Mama to many,

Do you rinse the apple cider vinegar solution or let it dry?

It isn't dangerous to do this rinse everyday until I'm cured?

Thanks.

I'm interested in trying out this method for bacteria infection in my head but won't my hair change colors with adding the hydrogen peroxide?

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.

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

to Dick -

That's awesome! Make sure that the canned beets you are consuming daily are not packaged in a can which contains BPAs or other synthetic chemical liners & that the ingredients do not list preservatives.

You could probably find an organic farm local to you that grows beets which would be cheap and you would know exactly what your consuming. :)

It actually does state 3% hydrogen peroxide. Read carefully and then read again.

Thank You so much. My 4 year old daughter (AA) developed folliculitus and all of the doctors treatments were worthless. She started loosing hair on the top of her head and pustules were all over. She also complained of her scalp hurting. I did a google search and found this site. Even after the first ACV & H202 tx I noticed improvement. I followed up with Tea Tree and Lav. oils nightly and once a week for two weeks I repeated the ACV & H202. She has no more pustules, they have all dried out. Plus she has no more pain. Her scalp looks 95% better. I am just waiting for a small patch of crust to fall off and a small patch of hair to grow back. I will continue the TT and Lav for a couple more weeks to make sure the infection completely gone. Thank god I found this site and that she has thick hair to hide the small patch.