Earth Clinic Mobile: Home Remedies for People and Pets

Apple Cider Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide for Seborrheic Dermatitis

5 star (5)		56%
1 star (3)		33%
(1)		11%

Elodie (Melbourne, Australia) on 09/10/2011:
1 out of 5 stars

I have moderate scales on my scalp, going on 4 years, and I have just tried this method, unfortunately has not worked for me:( if seborrheic dermatitis is over production of sebum then it makes sense that the scalp may require moisturising... I know this sounds counter intuitive because the oil glands are over producing oil, but this is because the body thinks there isn't enough.

Frank (Centerton, Ar) on 12/19/2009:
0 out of 5 stars

Warning

A few months ago I tried this remedy for facial seborrheic dermatitis. I noticed when I did it that the fumes were pretty bad. I probably applied it 5 or 6 times. Since using it, not only has by seborrheic dermatitis not gone away, but the fumes scarred my lungs. I have developed asthma. I am on a bronchiodialator virtually every day. DON'T TRY THIS ONE ON YOUR FACE. BE CAREFUL WITH IT. USE AT YOUR LUNG'S RISK!!!

Rene (Palm City, Florida) on 03/13/2009:
1 out of 5 stars

After trying many prescribed medications from my dermatologist and other suggestions on the Internet, I tried the Apple Cider Vineger remedy by mixing one part vineger, one part peroxide, and 10 parts warm water, as instructed. I used this solution for two nights, and it made my Seborrhea worse. Maybe this is good for dandruff caused by this condition, but for the red bumps and itching and rash, it made it worse. My doctor told me my Seborrhea is "chronic," meaning I will always have it in some degree of outbreak. Also, he said it is hereditary. I remember my mother always touching her head, but I don't remember her being diagnosed with this condition. I am 68 years old, and I have had this condition for a year now. I was told that stress can cause it, and I have been under a lot of stress this past year. People on this and other websites have suggested that diet may have something to do with Seborrhea, and that cutting out everything white, such as bread, rice, etc. would help the condition. Has anyone been successful with this procedure? My dermatologist told me that when the prescribed medications he gave me no longer keep the condition somewhat abated, then I have to call him, and he will change the prescription to another type. I just worry about losing my hair with all of these strong medications.

View Entire Thread

James (Charlotte, North Carolina) on 02/11/2009:
5 out of 5 stars

ok...i just like most people was skeptical about this when i googled seboretic dermatitis and found this website with all these comments. I will tell you exactly my story and if you are stubborn enough not to try it, then your head doesn't hurt like mine did. i would have tried anything. after 2 years of flakes, itching, some oozing when i scratched too hard, not wearing black clothes, and 4 trips to very good doctors, I simply got lucky and found this site. I went to Home Economist here in charlotte and bought a bottle of raw Apple Cider Vinegar($5) and I already had a bottle of normal 3% Hydrogen peroxide. I mixed them together with some water (i used a majority of ACV since mine was fairly severe) in a large glass. i leaned over the sink, and used my hands to apply generously to the hot spots on my scalp. it took 5-10 minutes and basically my entire scalp was totally wet after i finished. get this straight - IT IS GOING TO BURN - and that is how i immediately knew it was working. i went and watched tv for an hour to let it work, then took a shower and did not use any shampoo or anything. just water. it washed it out, but you are still going to smell the vinegar. so apply the ACV/peroxide at night so you can shower before bed, then just shower in the morning before work. RESULTS: i repeated the same process 2 nights in a row and my head is absolutely back to normal, which i had forgotten how great that feels. very few flakes at all, and only very random itching, not enough to even bother you. bottom line, your an idiot if you dont at least try this, i feel stupid and pissed i lived with such pain and embrassment for 2 years and the solution was 5 bucks and a website. good luck.

Dorey (San Jose, USA) on 04/14/2008:
5 out of 5 stars

seborrheic dermatitis: I wrote to this website some months ago when I was desperately searching for a cure to my disgusting seborrheic dermatitis. ACV has been wonderful for me. I like to make a combination of 50% organic ACV, 45% hydrogen peroxide from the drugstore, 4% filtered water, and 1% tea tree oil. I use it as a rinse in the shower, leaving it on for about 5-10 minutes before I wash it out with all natural Jojoba Farms Natural Shampoo/conditioner. I wash my hair daily, if not every day, every other day. I find that washing my hair on a daily basis keeps the flakes away. I actually purchased a shower head water filter from a brand called Sprite, and I believe this has contributed a lot to my skins clearing up. There is a lot of chlorine in tap water and this is very bad for your skin, it's drying and unhealthy. i recommend these things for everyone. GOOD LUCK.

Shana (Duluth, GA) on 04/18/2006:
1 out of 5 stars

Upon finding this website, I have tried several cures for my seborrheic dermatitis. I have had no success. I followed the instructions as best as I could, but to no avail. I see no changes to my scalp. I also tried dunking my head in the bowl of ACV for 10 minutes. No major change.

Rudi (Propect Park, NJ) on 02/13/2006:
5 out of 5 stars

I have suffered from dandruff, then later to become, Seborrheic Dermatitis since I was 15 years old! I've used ALL, every single kind of dandruff shampoo known to the human consumer, and all of them only were able to treat or control my problem but only temporarily. Eventually, my scalp grew accustom to the "shampoo of the month" I was using, then I would begin to develop those ever so common flaky scales on my scalp, which forced me to look for yet another new dandruff shampoo. I'm now 35, and I'm now using Selsun Blue's new seborrheic dermatitis formula which seemed to control my SD, but just like the great many of them, after a couple of years using it, I already began noticing that my scalp was once again flaking. Many dermatologists told me to change my diet, to alternate shampoos, to use cortizone creams, that it's stress related and to "relax", and NONE of those suggestions worked!

A month ago, I browsed online and found a website claiming of a cure to SB..., Apple Cider Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide! It states to mix 1 part ACV, 1 part Hydrogen Peroxide, and 10 parts water. Simply soak your head with the solution for 2 to 3 minutes (I did it for 5 minutes), then wash/shampoo your hair as usual. I AM NOT LYING TO YOU, this ACTUALLY WORKED! It's been over 2 month now, and I have NOT seen any signs of flaking whatsoever! NONE! Furthermore, with my condition, if I didn't wash my hair every day, by the second day, I would already have flakes, and, if by some unusual circumstance I could not wash my hair a third day, I would have so much visible flaking and itching, that it would actually be to the point of embarrasment. (No weekend camping trips for me.) However, to test to see if this really worked, I purposely did not wash my hair for 3 days! And still NO FLAKES, GONE! What I did was wrap an old towel all around my head, making sure to cover all my hair lines, and I slowly poured the mixture slowly over my covered head, letting the towel soak it in, but not to the point of it dripping everywhere. I just used the wet towel to rub all around my scalp mainly in my problem areas, for a good 5 minutes. I then showered and washed my hair as usual, and VIOLA, this God forsaken problem is gone! After all these years, completely GONE! Don't get me wrong I'm still being a little skeptical, but still have no flakes! Of course, I'm still using my same shampoo, but once it's finished, the real test will be to use something like Johnson's Baby Shampoo. I'll keep you posted if something happens. Good Luck!

Keith (Charlotte, NC) on 03/01/2004:
5 out of 5 stars

I have been suffering from s/d for atleast 10 years. i started to see a doctor for it about 7 years ago. i have tried every cream and pill and shampoo they perscribed me and it will work for about a month and then come back. i had s/d real bad to the point where when i went to the barber shop , i will be very embarrassed by the time i was ready to leave from the mountain of flakes that would fall from my scalp. on monday 11/28/05 i logged on to this website and read some stories then i went to the store and purchased some a/c vinegar for $1.00 and some peroxide for $.88 and used it right away. today is friday and i took my shower and used my mixture like i have now for a week and i am happy to say that not one flake fell from my scalp when i brushed my hair!!!! i have spent hundreds of dollars on perscriptions and they were all garbage, i go to my local supermarket and spend 2 bucks and i get results in a week. i plan on using the mixture for one more week then once a month after that. i hope i have finally beat this thing. i also plan on telling my rich dermatologist how 2 bucks cured me. thank you for the info.

Reader (Columbus, Ohio) on 03/01/2004:
5 out of 5 stars

I used apple cider vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. I figured out an easier way than drenching my whole head in the liquid. I put the mix it in a squirt bottle filling about 1/5 hydrogen peroxide and the rest with the apple cider vinegar. You just hold the tip close to your head and squirt your scalp. Massage in and leave on for about 10 minutes. Then shampoo as usual. I have done this three times. The first time I had more flakes than ever before! I thought maybe that means it is working, so I did it again. The second time nearly all of the flakes were gone. After the third time I couldnt find a flake. My scalp looks so great! It is so nice to know that I am not putting some expensive toxic medication on my skin. Thank you everyone for your posts and for those who haven't tried it or didn't think it worked; do it at least 3 times before giving up. It works!

Return to Seborrheic Dermatitis