Tea Tree Oil and Salicylic Acid
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.
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.
Ted's Remedies
Hi BILL, I am having severe scalp psoriasis with seborrheic dermatitis for the last 6 years. I came across this website and I have tried all the below TED remedies for 4 weeks but I am not seeing much sign of improvement.
1. Applied borax on my scalp and then rinse with diluted with ACV.
2. Took extra virgin coconut oil, borax with water
3. Alkalized body using ACV and baking soda.
4. Cut down all yeast diet.
The itching has been subsized to some extent but the flaking hasn't gone at all. 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. I have really lost all patitience and I don't know what else should I do. Nothing is working for me. Neither medicated shampoo nor natural remedies. If I apply tea tree oil my scalp become more scaly and more flaking happens.
PLEASE PLEASE HELP BILL with my issue!!!!
(Chicago, Il)
03/28/2013
Hello, the best treatment for psoriasis is grapefruit seed extract. You should put un diluted extract on your scalp for a few hours, then wash your hair as usually( don't allow GSE to get to your eyes). You should also drink GSE according directions on the bottle( always in a full glass of water or juice). GSE is very bitter and strong. Do it as long as you have symptoms of psoriasis.
(Woodbridge, Va, Us)
03/28/2013
(Yerington, Nevada)
03/28/2013
(Rustenburg, North West, South Africa)
03/29/2013
(San Fernando, Philippines)
03/29/2013
Hi Abc... Whenever I use borax topically, I dissolve a few teaspoons in water with some hydrogen peroxide(a capful) and I put it in a simple garden sprayer. Sometimes I also add a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate as well. Then I just spray my whole body including my head with it. I usually do this after I have my shower at night and smply let this dry on my body before I go to bed. Then I just go to bed. Next morning I wash off the borax etc.
Just rinsing off the borax straight away after application will not allow enough time for the borax/hydrogen peroxide to kill the fungal/bacterial problems which may well be deeper under the skin.
You can also use the following essential oils(diluted in a carrier oil like coconut oil) during the day: Lavender oil, Sweet Orange oil, Pine Oil, Tea Tree Oil. Use 5 to 10 drops in a teaspoon of coconut oil is the way I do it-- just rub it into the scalp and leave it on.
Indonesia is quite a wet country -- it has high rainfall. Fungus and mold love these wet, humid conditions so human fungal problems can also therefore easily arise and abound because of mold or fungal infestations in the house or at your place of work. So your problems might have arisen for these reasons and if this is the case then either you must remove the fungus or mold from the walls/roof of your house(or move house) and/or remove the fungus from your place of work. The reason I say this is because your scalp problems may have arisen due to fungal/mold spores settling and infecting your skin and body from the fungus in your house or place of work.
I live in the Philippines and, in the wet season later in the year, I have noticed that Filipinos do not like going out into the rain. They believe that the wet season brings sickness like leptosporosis, malaria, dengue as well as fungal problems. Mosquitos are also a big problem in the wet season. My small shaded terrace was a haven for these mosquitos and I was always being bitten all the time which worried me. In order to deter these mosquitos from biting me, I bought a small Rose Geranium plant in a pot -- this is what some Filipino friends told me to do. That one small plant changed everything -- no more mosquitos anyhere near my garden or terrace. Unfortunately, the rose geranium plant died because it could not survive the lowland hot season (it's more of a mountain plant in the Philippines). So I bought Rose Geranium essential oil and mix drops of this with drops of essential pine oil and coconut oil(carrier oil) to keep the mosquitos off me. No mosquito ever bites me now when I go outside.
(Jakarta, Indonesia)
03/29/2013
Thanks a ton Bill for replying back!!
When I use Borax, I keep it for around 20 min and then wash it off with ACV. However, like you have suggested I will try to apply it overnight and then will wash it of next day in the morning so that it remains on the scalp for more time. Will keep you posted with my results.
You have mentioned that you also add few drops of hydrogen peroxide with borax and keep it overnight. Is it safe to do that? I came across one article in this forum where somebody has mentioned that keeping hydrogen peroxide overnight has lead to serious hairfall.
Also, I don't have great success with the oil application remedy (mixing tea tree oil or other oil with carrier oil). It's not like I am sensitive towards oil but I have seen from past 6 years (From the time I have the scalp problems) that whenever I have applied oil it created lots of problem for me. Itching, scaling and hair fall has increased to many fold. Not sure why that happens. Is it due to some kind of allergy or deficiency?
(Richardson, Tx, Usa)
03/30/2013
I'm not Bill but I have some recommendations for you. Massage coconut oil into your scalp. Also, rinse your scalp with a cup of white vinegar under the shower. Also consider tea tree oil and neem oil as topical treatment (add to a carrier oil), you'd be surprised what's in those bumps sometimes. I'd alternate these, doing one of these daily.
(Jakarta, Indonesia)
04/22/2013
Thanks Bill and everybody for their valuble comments.
Dear Bill - As suggested, I tried applying borax overnight then washing the hair in the morning using ACV H202 (1%) combination for almost 20 days. I have seen that my itching has been reduced but my scaling has increased and it's not getting cleared from my scalp. Also hair fall hasn't been stopped. I also tried to applied the tea tree oil lavendar oil along with coconut oil on my scalp. My flakes have become more sticky and greasy and it doesn't loosen up and come out easily during washing. I have to pick them manually which causes more hair loss.
I don't know why application of oil makes me more uncomfortable though these oils are antifungal in nature. Also, borax is giving me a relief in my itching but is not clearing up my greasy flakes.
One thing that helped me a bit is my new medical shampoo that I apply twice in a week (having Ciclopirox (1%), Zinc Pyrithione (ZPTO) (1%)). This lifts up my greasy scales and reduce flaking to some extent on the day of the application but the symptoms comes back next day.
Please let me know what should I do know. Should I continue using this medical shampoo for my scaling and flakes since application of borax and oil application isn't helping me out ? Please advice
If you have any other remedy for my problem please do suggest. Thanks again for your help in advance.
(San Fernando, Phillipines)
04/23/2013
Hi Abc... A greasy scalp and greasy skin may indicate a lack of Zinc in your diet. To remedy this you should supplement zinc gluconate on a daily basis to get rid of the scalp greasiness. Zinc also improves the immune system to help fight pathogens in your body.
When I had systemic candida, which is a fungal infection inside the body, I also had psoriasis as well as eczma and other skin problems. To me, psoriasis could well be a symptom which indicates a fungal infection from mold or candida deeper inside your body - an infection in your intestines and in the blood. And when I eventually got rid of my internal fungal candida problems -- all my skin problems just disappeared.
So if you are unable to cure your scalp problems with just topical skin or scalp remedies then this strongly suggests to me that your infection -- a candida or mold fungal infection -- must be a systemic one inside your body and in your blood. That may be why the topical remedies aren't working.
The specific protocols needed to get rid of candida or mold from the intestines and from the blood are shown at this link: Fungal Infection Treatment
(Philadelphia, Pa)
04/23/2013
Hello, I just came across your post so I don't know if you have tried dietary changes yet? I have a feeling you would benefit from a liver detox, since I've read skin conditions indicate liver problems. There are many to choose from on this site. You may also like to try an alkalizing diet. Have you seen the documentaries "fat, sick and nearly dead" (very funny) or "the gerstein miracle". Both outline the benefits of raw vegetable juicing for skin or other more serious ailments.
(Rustenburg, North West, South Africa)
04/24/2013
Ted's Remedies
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.
(Holland)
07/26/2014
Vitamin D3
I have had seb dermatitis (aka dandruff) near my nose for over 40 years. Looks like I have a cold all the time because of the redness around my nose! Have tried many supplements and topical treatments over the years from docs and herbalists, but none have helped.
Without meaning to, I finally cleared it up using Vitamin D3 serum drops. I bought D3 because I wasn't getting enough sun and started taking about 3-5 drops a day. Each drop is 1,000 iu. Within a day, my skin cleared up. This is not a cure. If I stop taking the drops, I start to get those small bumps and redness again after about 48 hours. But it doesn't take much D3 to keep it under control.
So much better than the steroid prescription cream.
(Cambridge)
05/30/2019
I previously wrote EC about D3 for seb derm around my nose and in the creases of my mouth.
I wanted to update that YES, it is in fact a cure and not just a temporary fix! As a test I stopped taking the D3 after two steady weeks on it and nothing has reappeared on my face. I was taking between 2,000-6,000 drops of d3 serum a day. Very exciting.
I have had the condition for most of my life! So I guess it took me two weeks to get my vitamin d levels restored and now that I have done that, my body just needs a bit here and there. Hope this helps someone else suffering from this condition.
