<raises hand> I have it.
Dandruff CURE?
- Thread starter koof
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<raises hand> I have it.
I usually use Denorex...which has salicylic acid...my doctor has never told me anything about fungus...
Do you think that Selsun Blue will actually make me see improvement? Currently I use Denorex every single day but i'm usually in a hurry so I am unable to let it set on my scalp for 10 minutes...
Also my sister has the same problem and she used to swear by Jason with Johoba oil or something like that...
Have you seen a dermatologist for yours?
Sorry for so many questions but I don't really know anyone else who has this problem to talk to about it and my doctors are basically worthless...all she really does is fill out a new scrip every time i visit for the triamcinolone cream...I try to use that as often as i can but...its hard to get it into the scalp because my hair soaks a lot of it up...and i get 3 15gram tubes for a scrip so it goes fast...
I have seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp as well, and unfortunately there is no cure. Interestingly, life style modifications of getting adequate sleep and stress management can help significantly. Last year was the most uncomfortable year I have ever had with it. These are some things that have helped me:
I rotate shampoos daily with several different antidandruff shampoos that have differing mechanisms of action- Head & Shoulders- Zinc (mild antifungal and exfoliant), Selsun Blue Natural- salicylic acid (exfoliant), Nizoral- ketoconazole (potent antifungal with mild anti-inflamatory properties). I do not rinse the shampoo off until I bathe the rest of my body. On days that I use these shampoos, I also use either a tea tree oil based conditioner or one with pomegranate extract. I do not rinse off the conditioner! This has made a noticeable difference especially in the colder months of the year. To give my hair/scalp a break after this rotation, I will shampoo one day with Aveeno then begin the rotation again.
Brushing feels good and it may remove flakes that have already come off your scalp, but it does absolutely nothing to control dandruff. If anything brushing only further spreads the fungal component from one area of the scalp to another. That being said, brushing just feels good to my scalp, so I still do it as sort of an alternative to scratching. However, I really try not to do it everyday.
do you use any medicated products or prescriptions on it at all? I might try this rotation...also i've never used conditioner...can you give some brands that use tea tree or pomegranate so i can try them out? I know nothing at all about conditioners
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I guess I'll have to keep a bottle of anti-dandruff shampoo with me my whole life then.
Problem is, I shaved my head (it's since grown back to like a number 2) and I was hoping that that would help stop it but even with a shaved head there's still the same amount of dandruff. It's really quite weird.
Problem is, I shaved my head (it's since grown back to like a number 2) and I was hoping that that would help stop it but even with a shaved head there's still the same amount of dandruff. It's really quite weird.
JASON, Avalon, and Nature's Gate make conditioners with tea tree oil. Nature's Gate makes a Sunflower Pomegranate conditioner. I have found them in organic sections of grocery stores and specialty health food stores.
Yes.
Yes. Prescription strength Ketoconazole (Nizoral) shampoo really does the trick, but it's probably not necessary for most people.
Can't imagine trying to get that cream into my scalp. Plus you have to be careful using that stuff too often; it's a moderate-potency steroid. Over time it will thin the skin and may even cause striae (essentially stretch marks).
You should definitely try Selsun Blue or over-the-counter strength Nizoral.
A less expensive tea-tree oil containing condition is made by Organix. It's about 5 bucks and it's at every RiteAid.
I found my dandruff is under better control once I added a good moisturizing shampoo. Exfoliating and cleaning the hair is part of washing it but you need to reintroduce some moisture to keep from drying it out. I alternate between a moisturizing shampoo (neutrogena triple moisture shampoo) and my dandruff shampoo (selsun).
Shave your head!
Danny and gaz are on the right track. I have curly, dry hair and have suffered from mild to moderate dandruff since forever---until now. After some research, I have cut way down on shampoo (once a week max) and switched to a very creamy deep conditioner made with natural oils and specifically for curly hair. Even if you don't have curly hair, if you have dry hair and/or dandruff you should consider any of the number of natural oil conditioners. You want to avoid sulfates and silicones, which are cheapo lathering agents that strip & dry out your hair and skin.
I have nothing against "natural" or "home" remedies, but some of these are guaranteed not to work. Specifically, the olive oil thing is the absolute worst thing you could do. Seborrhea is caused by infection of the scalp with a fungus known as Malassezia furfur. This fungus doesn't grow very well unless there is plenty of oil around. In fact, to make the fungus grow better in the laboratory, lab workers pour a layer of olive oil over the culture. It grows MUCH faster when supplemented with olive oil. Coconut oil will probably also help the fungus to grow.
Just picked up a bar of Tea Tree oil soap from Etsy.com works great, also picked up a Pine Tar soap bar. Lots of great natrual products on the site, one of the sellers sweetcreekherbs is making a custom bar after I requested it. Seller is also working up a new shave soap also after discussing this forum.
I have been using the Rosemary and Mint shampoo from Mamabear Sue... It has stopped alot of my flaking and itchy scalp issue's. Smell's insanely good to!! 
"Avalon Organics" do a Tea Tree scalp treatment conditioner and shampoo.
"Avalon Organics" do a Tea Tree scalp treatment conditioner and shampoo.
I use T-Gel 2-3 times a month (Winter Months) but I wear my hair in a Flat top and I use a boar brush every day. Also since I added 1000mg of Fish Oil to my diet my flakes are mostly now from the Hair Gel I use on my flat top I am going to try some Promade when this bottle of LA Looks Mega Hold runs out.
Put a few drops of grapefruit seed extract on your hand and mix with your regular shampoo.
Also, hot oil treatments work pretty well. Take some coconut oil or olive oil and heat till warm but not burning. Rub it into the scalp. Let it stay there with a wet towel for about 30 mins. Wash it out. Do it a few times a week. You should see improvement.
Also, hot oil treatments work pretty well. Take some coconut oil or olive oil and heat till warm but not burning. Rub it into the scalp. Let it stay there with a wet towel for about 30 mins. Wash it out. Do it a few times a week. You should see improvement.
I use Neutrogena TGel 2x a week
Notes on dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis)
There is no cure for dandruff, so many people have unrealistic expectations as to what dandruff therapy can do. Dandruff shampoos will keep dandruff under control while you use them, but they will not cure it, and by and large, dandruff will come back at some point after you stop.
There are five basic categories of dandruff shampoos.
1) Zinc, example is head and shoulders white bottle.
2) Selenium, example is selsun blue (1%) or prescription selsun shampoo (2%).
3) Ketoconazole, example is Nizoral shampoo
4) Tar, example is neutrogena T-gel
5) salicylic acid shampoos, denorex shampoo is an example
How to use dandruff shampoos
Usually when people come to me and tell me they dont work its either because they are looking for the shampoos to cure them permanently (like you), which they wont. Or second, they are not using the shampoos often enough.
If you want to get your dandruff under control fast, its best to start using them every day, leave on for five minutes then rinse off. After one week of use, if you see improvement, then you can back off and use them as infrequently as you can get away with, usually from one to three times per week is sufficient for most people.
Most people dont realize that dandruff can very often affect the face, usually around the eyebrows, sides of the nose and lips, back of the ears, and in the sternum area. Sometimes just the face and not the scalp is affected. If you notice this, you can try using the dandruff shampoo as a facial wash, leaving it on for a few minutes before washing off. Gradually this will keep the face dandruff under control.
Some people notice resistance to certain shampoos after a while. In my experience, selsun and nizoral shampoos work best. But after a while, if the selsun or nizoral stops working so well, its worthwhile to rotate to tar and/or zinc, that often helps.
Mild topical steroids like over the counter 1% hydrocortisone cream can also be helpful for dandruff, especially the facial kind. Being as they are safer to use, I prefer for patients to use the shampoos as a mono-therapy, but if one wanted to get a little extra ooomph out of the therapy for a short time, then using the shampoos once a day combined with hydrocortisone cream twice a day is a good over the counter way to more aggressively treat dandruff.
Its important to realize that there are many conditions which people think is dandruff but actually is something else. The most common something else is psoriasis, but there are other less common things that can cause scaling of the scalp too, which I dont have time to go into. Just FYI, psoriasis seems to respond best to tar as opposed to the other shampoos. But its important to note that if your dandruff is not responding to therapy, its worthwhile going into the dermatologist and getting further evaluated to see if you might have something else besides dandruff.
I hope this is helpful.
Pete
I've got a case of sebhorreic dermatitis in my beard and mustache area. My dermatologist described it as "facial dandruff". It pisses me off since I like to wear a goatee, but the seb derm always seems to pop up after about a week's worth of growth. If I keep it shaved clean, no problem. My dermatologist said to try a shampoo with 2% salicylic acid. She also gave me a topical gel that contains 2% ketoconazole, which I believe is the same active ingredient as Nizoral.
Oh, yeah, I have it in my eyebrows, too. Sigh. HTH, HAND
Been switching off between a Pine Tar soap bar and a Tea Tree soap bar I picked each up at Etsy.com, they have been doing the trick this winter along with a good scalp scrub with the fingers when showering. One of the Etsy members is making me a custom bar of soap out of, Tea Tree, Nettles, Emu oil and Rosemary. Hoping that works out.
