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.
Replied By Mark (Lakeland, Fl) on 06/08/2016
Replied By Lori (New York) on 06/16/2016
Your post has inspired me go to out and purchase some Turmeric products to help treat some folliculitis issues I am facing. Would you be able to shed some light on the company of the pills you were using, as well as the exact mixture of how much Turmeric powder+black pepper should be used, and how many times a day it should be taken? Appreciate it.
Replied By Jz (United States) on 06/24/2016
Just wondering how long it took after the first week to really see all of your problems go away at about 95%? Was it after 2,3,4 weeks etc? Thanks for giving us hope!
Replied By Ron (Portland, Or) on 07/13/2016
Confused by your maintenance---it looks like you are saying that curcumin is black pepper? Curcumin is the major active compound in turmeric...so are you taking two turmeric capsules plus black pepper...or are you just taking turmeric and assuming that curcumin IS black pepper? I am confused...thanks!
Replied By Tom (London, Uk) on 02/26/2017
Hi, I've suffered for 30 years and folliculitis is very depressing as you say. Used turmeric and yes it has helped but it hurts my stomach intensely. I still take it because folliculitis is no joke but I need to get the stomach pain under control. Can you give any advise?
Thanks, Tom
Replied By Rose (Canada) on 02/28/2017
I suspect that the cooking of the turmeric first eliminates whatever causes that awful stomach pain. Still, start off slowly. I tried maybe half a teaspoon of the golden paste just once a day to start, and then when I saw that it wasn't going to cause issues, upped my dose gradually to a good spoonful two or three times a day.
Do let us know if this works for you, too. It was a huge relief for me to find a way to take turmeric again.
EC: Golden Paste Recipe
- ½ cup organic turmeric
- 1 cup distilled or spring water
- 1.5 teaspoons organic black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin coconut or olive oil
Mix turmeric and water in a small pot and cook on low heat for 6-10 minutes until it forms a paste. You may need to add another few tablespoons of water if the mixture gets too thick.
After 6-10 minutes, when the turmeric and water have thickened, add black pepper and coconut oil. After the mixture is blended, remove from heat.
Allow mixture to cool. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
Replied By Tom (London) on 03/01/2017
Replied By Tom (London) on 03/17/2017
I've tried the golden paste for 2.5 weeks now. No stomach ache at all (thank you) but unfortunately it looks like my 30 year lasting folliculitis is too much for turmeric. Going to try another two weeks and then will try apple cider vinegar again if no luck
Many thanks
Tom
Replied By Rose (Canada) on 03/17/2017
It's interesting to see that you, too, could tolerate the turmeric once it was cooked. I wonder if the cooking process somehow affects the power of the turmeric to heal (as it does for some other natural remedies). When I tried the golden paste, I wasn't really needing it for any specific reason as I have in the past (used to take raw turmeric for boils, with spectacular results), so I couldn't tell if it was actually accomplishing anything.
Replied By Tom (London) on 03/28/2017
Maybe the cooking does affect its healing power. I think Turmeric probably isn't my thing. Will try Apple Cider Vinegar starting tomorrow. Thanks for your advice.
Tom