Ella (London) on 04/13/2023
Neil (Devon, England) on 07/07/2022
Had a rash on my abdomen and chest for many weeks. Diagnosed as folliculitis by GP. Prescribed fucibet cream but that made it worse. GP then prescribed doxycycline which I never took as you can’t even go in the sunshine when on that. Tried loads of soaps, acv, eurax etc. Nothing worked. Naturopath friend advised a single dose of Ivermectin 0.2mg per kg of your weight. Gone in 3 days.
Kaylee (Wash) on 06/27/2022
NEIL (WA) on 02/15/2022
I have been adding 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric powder to my coffee in the morning, adding Turmeric powder to my food during the day and making a drink composed of 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon powder and cocoa powder. I also add a small amount of stevia powder and some coconut milk to that. I start with about 2/3 cup of distilled water heated up in a microwave. Mix up with a spoon and drink during the day at in the evening. Need to keep the spoon in the cup for a while and stir once in a while. Otherwise some of the stuff rises to the top.
So far this has been working for the folliculitis on my scalp. Took a while to start working but clearing up very well now. I have also been using a hot washcloth a few times a day on the infected areas on my head. I have tried a mixture of Turmeric with other stuff directly on my scalp. Not sure if that helped?
Turmeric can produce terrible stains so you need to be careful when you mix it or use it. I had to use straight bleach to get some of the stains off of my Formica countertop.
Vicky (Qld) on 08/24/2021
Desperately searching for a remedy, I found colloidal silver by reading comments on a folliculitis blog. It took a few weeks but cleared it up completely. I now use colloidal silver topically and orally every day to keep the staph at bay and my immune system strong. I don't know if this is the reason, but I haven't been sick since either. Make sure it's from a reputable brand and taken appropriately is all I'd say otherwise. Go for it!!!
A. (ottawa) on 10/12/2019
Manuka Honey(16 factor) works well to eliminate folliculitis. It can be applied to pus filled and broken skin when apple cider would be too painful. Apply twice a day and cover with gauze/cotton and surgical tape.
Apple Cider Vinegar or White Vinegar for Scalp Folliculitis Elle (The Netherlands) on 06/30/2020
I posted about this issue before. As a sufferer of this condition for 8 years, I feel it is good to give an update because I now finally have it 98% under control. I was (mis) diagnosed with folliculitus decalvans a couple of years ago. The dermatologist prescribed low dose roaccutane. It cleared up the condition until I stopped the medication and the problem came back. So here is what I know, how I control it, and hopefully it can help someone out there.
Triggers:
Hats, stress (especially in situations in which I feel I don't have control, or not feeling good enough), not sleeping enough, not washing my hair EVERY SECOND DAY.
What made it worse/did not help:
Turmeric paste, yogurt, honey, castor oil, tea tree oil, all kinds of anti acne products, zink ointment especially, washing hair with anti dandruff shampoo, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, changes in diet
What helps:
A small dab of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar on the problem spot morning and night. DO NOT douse all surrounding tissues on your scalp with vinegar!
I believe if you treat small pimples like problem skin, the surrounding tissues will start to act like problem skin and so spread the condition. If it is in my hair where it is not visible, I usually just leave it alone, and it will dry out by itself.
For visible hairline problem areas:
Drinking green tea and lemon water and eating lots of vegetables speeds up the healing process too.
Good luck to anyone who struggles with this disease. XXX
Maya (U.s) on 06/29/2018
Bernie (Sydney) on 09/05/2017
Randall (Alameda, Ca) on 08/28/2017
I have I have become my own doctor because nobody else can help me. I too have found that neem oil seems to be the best remedy for my folliculitis. I only seem to get it in my scalp. When I shave my head the condition seems to get better, probably because I can get to it without the hair. More to share soon.
Cures2017 (Savannah, Ga) on 05/03/2017
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!
Epsom Salt Poultices for Recurrent Staphylococcal Folliculitis David Simons, M.D. (Boulder, Co 80302) on 04/29/2017
The probability is that any person such as myself who gets occasional occurrences of of these conditions is probably a so-called carrier of staphylococcus aureus which means that these bacteria tend to colonize some part of their body surface. The most commonly studied area for this condition has been the mucosa of the anterior nose and it has been well shown that a full course of oral antibiotics for such organisms can be transiently successful but is followed by recurrent colonization in the anterior nose within 1 to 3 months of treatment. This is the so-called carrier state. Inasmuch it is not permanently curable some interest has been shown in the management of people who are staph carriers. The problem in medical research is that most interest for study is often directed at prescription medications.
Treatments which are nonprescription are rarely studied. Such is the case with magnesium sulfate which is otherwise known as Epsom salt.
Personal experience with spraying the skin surface with Listerine mouthwash solution and then applying a dusting of powdered Epsom salts followed by massaging this into the area of where Listerine has been applied on a once daily basis usually results in resolution of folliculitis within 3 to 7 days.
For what it is worth, I have personally had numerous small skin injuries which have resulted in redness and swelling around such injuries within 1 to 3 days. Traditional prescription treatment of this situation is with oral antibiotics. As a nonprescription alternative I have found that a poultice comprised of a gauze pad covered with aquaphor ointment and then dusted with powdered Epsom salts applied to the wound area on a daily basis as a dressing usually results in decreased redness and swelling around the area of the wound within 3-5 days and if continued usually results in total resolution and wound healing. It is well-known that ointment such as Vaseline or Aquaphor are agents which can successfully transfer into the skin, almost any substance which is mixed with these agents. This makes the use of these agents on gauze or non-adherents wound dressings a reasonable medium with which to apply the Epsom salts to an infected wound area.
I have been unable to find any scientific studies of the use of Epsom salts in the early management of wound infection but based on personal experience feel that it is a subject worthy of study.
Inasmuch as it is nonprescription, it will probably never receive financial backing for formal study.
Turmeric Tea for Folliculitis Tali (Stamford Ct ) on 03/15/2017
When I read this forum about turmeric and black pepper I decided that I'd try it cause nothing else was working. I had heard about lemon ginger honey tea from my sister as a preventative measure for the common cold so I thought why not add fresh turmeric and black pepper to that. I drank a cup of this tea religiously and after 2 weeks I had maybe one left and no new ones appeared. I was overjoyed. I do have to say that if I forget to drink my tea every day I do get one every now and then, but never when I drink my tea every single day. (My husband says I'm addicted to the tea now :)
It's been great for my acne as well and general well being.
I basically make a concentrate for about a week and just add it to hot water each day.
It took me a couple tries to get the taste right but now I love drinking this tea and even my two year old drinks it!
Good luck
And many thanks to this wonderful site
And beautiful people
Jam (England) on 09/23/2016
Having had a buzz-cut at the barbers, I noticed my scalp to the point that I could no longer ignore it. Indeed, I have had very dull itching and flaking for some years now but I've never been bothered enough to do anything and figured I'd irritated my hair when I was younger. My parents both commented that I suffered with scalp issues as a child.
However I could no longer ignore what I self-diagnosed as folliculitis. I had several blotches of red spots, some with the characteristic white head. I honestly felt disgusting. My barber didn't say anything and I suppose they see this quite a lot as it's extremely common.
Never one to turn immediately to my local GP, I researched and came across several sites with individual reviews of the advantages of turmeric in treating folliculitis.
For the last two and a half days I have used turmeric topically and orally. My routine consists of a tea-spoon in water, three times a day. And topically I make a paste with cold water, that I apply once I've used a warm compress on my head to open the pores. Perhaps this isn't necesssry but it made sense. I keep the concoction on for 20 minutes. I've found it a nightmare to get off skin and it's stained some towels so beware you aren't using your good stuff!
Alas, today I finally see a difference. I say finally but in two and a half days I feel much better about myself. Indeed, the remedy is somewhat unusual. However, who really cares as long as we can keep this under control and away from damaging bodies with antibiotics that, seemingly, people have found useless.
I wanted to write this review in the hope that if someone similar to myself stumbles over this website and are as desperate as I to help myself, they are able to see an honest review. It's turmeric at the end of the day. Just give it a go!
Joe (Sydney) on 09/17/2016
Day 3 - my scalp has almost no redness left and only 2 small pimples today. Before this my scalp was red and full of blisters and lumps, and now they are 95% gone.
My wife who has been really looking at it day in and day out is shocked with the results.
Not sure if this will last working so well or if I made the mistake and not getting on the antibiotic asap but so far so good.
The turmeric gives me a slight tummy pain but nothing really. My head is at 95% if I can keep it at this level I can live with it. Should I have jumped on the antibiotics?
Kate (Australia) on 07/23/2016
The back of my head started getting really itchy. I initially I thought it was just psoriasis I have a patch at the front of scalp that's also a bit itchy, the back of my head was much itchier though. I had a good look at the back of my scalp and I had all these red itchy pimples. Anyway I went to the doctor and she told me it was folliculitis and gave me medication. I when through three different medications. It would get better for a little awhile then come back. Bactrim worked the best it went away for almost a month.She also gave me some cream to put up my nose that didn't help either. My folliculitis actually started getting worse and spreading all over my head. I had it for like 11 month when I finally found something that worked. I use these products Redwin tea tree shampoo, Qv hair gentle conditioner(careful not to get it too close to your scalp) then I use benzac ac wash 5% and leave it on for like minute or so(i used them in this order). Id been using the shampoo and conditioner for awhile doctor suggest them, they didn't seem to do anything and then on a whim I decide to see if the benzac wash would help.
This did dry out scalp a bit but I saw results in 1 weeks after 2 weeks I had one pimple, 2 1/2 it was gone. I continued use this stuff for a month then I stopped with the benzac and only used it if I thought I was getting an itchy spot. After about 2 months of a clear scalp I decided to go back to normal shampoo and conditioner, redkin was the brand. After about a week using that it came back. So I went back to my routine Redwin tea tree shampoo-Qv conditioner-Benzac wash and it went away again. I'm gonna stick to this shampoo and conditioner now, my scalp doesn't seem to like other ones. I hope this helps someone.
Hannah (New York City) on 07/09/2016
One day I was on YouTube looking at makeup tutorials for covering up bumps, I stumbled along a video where a lady was speaking about Folliculitis, all of the symptoms that she had described I had seem to have - the bumps on back, shoulders and forehead. She explained that it was caused by yeast or oily skin. I was relieved to have finally find out some information other than I had 'acne', although I didn't know any of the cures at the time. That same day I searched natural treatments for folliculitis and came across this Earth Clinic page. The most popular treatment for it was the turmeric so that's what I tried.
After one week of using turmeric powder, with a bit of black pepper and a bit of water I have seen results, most of the bumps had gone. I do recommend this treatment, it works miracles and you will be left ecstatic from the results.
Turmeric Worked for Folliculitis when Nothing Else Did! Crenshawkid (Los Angeles, Ca) on 05/30/2016
In late 2015, after completing the academy, I began getting a new haircut style with my regular barber. This haircut required a closer shave to the scalp... One day, I saw the small bumps begin to grow on the back of my neck and near my temple area. Since I got haircuts every two weeks, I didn't get to see the progress of the bumps unless my haircut was still fresh. My barber asked me if I was allergic to something and I said no.
To make a very long story short, I began to get new bumps everyday. Some were very very painful cysts, the size of a pea, and some looked like what I would describe as pink, flat bubble gum spread across portions of my scalp. I visited two doctors and was prescribed medication that burned my skin and was given orders not to remain in the sun. Given my job, I have to be in the sun for large portions of the day. All the doctors said was that the symptoms would eventually disappear and that there was nothing they could do. They suggested I shower more often, stress out less, and not get haircuts.
I began to feel depressed and the thought of the bumps gave me indescribable anxiety. My sex drive plummeted, my self esteem plummeted, and I became anti social.
I tried everything from white vinegar hair baths, anti-fungal soaps, Neutrogena T Gel, peppermint oil, hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda (burned a lot and dyed my hair a bit LOL), I even bought the famous Chinese oil called Fulikang and the yellow Chinese cream off eBay... all it did was give me the worst case of dandruff I have ever seen.... NOTHING WORKED. Week after week after week after week and nothing was helping... They were taking over at least 40% of my scalp.
I felt I was losing the war and honestly considered just scraping them off with a tough brush.... Or growing my hair out of shame...
That's when I visited this website and noticed someone's post about mixing one tea spoon of organic turmeric with one tea spoon of coconut oil... This began to work slowly but I noticed that it caused my face to flare up with rashes... I stopped using coconut oil and instead stuck to just black pepper mixed in with turmeric... within one week, ONE WEEK, the folliculitis lost most of the swelling but the cysts were still there...
I kept at it, taking this three times a day for a total of three teaspoons of turmeric mixed in with half a tea spoon of black pepper... It worked miracles...
After almost 10 full months of suffering with this condition, I am happy to say I am 95% cured... Every now and then I will get small bumps and a few white heads, but this is nothing compared to what I had before.... What worked for me was keeping some turmeric in a small jar mixed in with black pepper. I kept one jar at work on my desk and one jar at home. I swished the powder with water in my mouth and swallowed. It worked because I was consistent day in and day out.
If you are feeling depressed, anxious, angry, hopeless, don't give up the fight. I suggest you go to your local market (I went to my local Indian spices store) and purchase turmeric and black pepper.... Make a mixture and drink it with water... Be careful not to inhale the powder as you'll cough up a lung (I learned the hard way).
I currently take 2 turmeric/curcumin pills daily.... I found them on Amazon... you can buy any that have turmeric mixed in with curcumin (black pepper, this is what makes your body absorb the turmeric properly)... and my symptoms continue to be controlled 95% of the time.
I am here to thank the Earth Clinic community for providing me with this cure. I am now back to feeling comfortable about getting nice hair cuts with close to razor shaved fades... Very few bumps and even my barber is surprised to see the significant progress.
Don't give up people, you can do it. Just stay consistent and never give up.
Miss_jo (Boston, Ma) on 04/10/2016
Maria (Spain) on 03/28/2016
