remedies (natural?) for dry sore weeping scalp?
 

hi guys
i think i suffer with eczema or some sort of skin issue on my scalp.

every few weeks or so i get a very dry itchy scalp that itches to the point that it weeps and gets scabby (ew!) around the crown and back of my head mostly.

I have tried EVERYTHING on it. regular dandruff shampoo, Neutrogena T Gel, Oilatum eczema treatment for the scalp, vosene, mint and tea tree shampoos.. the lot.

i dont use styling products, it gets better when my hair gets coloured, and i can t figure out anything else it could be, even my best friend who is a hairdresser is stumped.

I take omega 3.6.9 oil capsules, hair skin and nail capsules and probiotics.

I wondered if anyone has any natural remedies? maybe EVOO? any help would be greatly appreciated!

My ex's mom had trouble with that, and it turned out to be a new allergy to the hair dye she'd used for years. No tips for how to fix it though, she had to get something from her doctor. Hope yours isn't the same situation! Good luck, though!

Go to a dermatologist...you want to see someone who specializes in skin issues/disorders.

Don't take a chance...please see one!

not so simple in england.

i cant just go to see one, i have to be referred by my GP, and getting a GP appointment takes a week or so, then the referral takes around 6 months to come through.

i wish i could see one i really do!

Paula, maybe you should just get the ball rolling on the whole process, then.

I wish I had a suggestion of a remedy for you, but I think the best thing might be to see the doctor, even if it takes a while to get in.

i will make an appointment as soon as possible... its just odd.. i dunno if its stress or something but im pretty sure thats what ill get told anyway by them

Have you thought about buying the same shampoo they use when they color your hair???

Or maybe it's some mineral or something in your water at home that isn't in the water at the hairdressers...some sort of reaction of something?

I have had the same thing since december. my gp perscribed hydrocortisone 2.5% to be applied twice a day. It does help some what. But I do hate the fact that it is hard to apply cream thru your hair to your scalp with out looking like you have oilly hair. Most of mine is around my ears, & temples I have also started to use a ginger shampoo from the body shop. Used 2x so I dont know if it really helps. Lately I have been thinking about the dermatologist too. Apparently it is stress related. But i am not under any more or less stress then other times.

My mum gets that and when ever she gets a really bad patch i always rub in loads and loads of antiseptic cream into it such as germaline and my mum uses this shampoo called Polytar. I think it is stress related and i sometimes get a small patch above the nape of my neck when i get really stressed. If you can, i would get someone to part the hair and rub loads of germaline on the sore weepy parts. It really helps the healing process! Good luck with it, and try not to itch it as that can just make it worse with infections!

If it is seborrheic dermatitis, it might not clear up without a prescription steroid. Seborrheic dermatitis is caused by a yeast bacteria, Malassezia. Many people have the yeast without symptom. Stress and other blows to the immune system and immunity response probably play a role.

It's very possible that the chemicals in the hair dye kill off the yeast, but often killing the yeast isn't enough, because you also have to treat the inflammation. Sometimes once inflammation starts, even if you remove the source of the inflammation, it can be difficult to get rid of. The steroids treat the inflammation, and a zinc shampoo or other medicated shampoo is used to eliminate the yeast.

Once you've had seb derm, you might be susceptible to it, and so you might need a preventative routine to prevent a reoccurance.

For me, zinc pyrithione shampoo (Head & Shoulders or generic equivalent - check the bottle, not all Head & Shoulder products contain it), zinc oxide cream, and a prescription steroid cream (desonide) keep it in check.

Since I get it the worst on my face, I use the zinc oxide cream during a flare. This wouldn't be practical in your hair, but for anyone who gets eyebrow dandruff, the zinc oxide works great. Johnson & Johnson puts out a thin zinc lotion (it's a diaper rash cream) that is much better than the thick pastes with a cod liver base. I also bought "clear zinc" with sunscreen by Solar Sense. I bought it at Walmart and it's with the sunscreens. It's nice because it's clear so I can wipe it on the flaky patches on my face and go out in public.

Before asking your doctor, you might want to ask a pharmacist if there is a liquid steroid medication or steroid shampoo. A doctor might prescribe a steroid cream because he doesn't know there is a better medium for the hair (doctors tend to know the prescriptions they prescribe most).

You could try OTC products, but you might need to see a dermatologist, or at least your gp.

Paula,

I have seborrheic dermatitis and it sounds like your scalp is doing the same thing that mine does. Until you can get into a dermatologist, use a shampoo with ketoconazole as the active ingredient. I don't know if Nizoral is available in England, but that's the name of shampoo available in the US.

The trick is to massage the shampoo all the way down to your scalp and then leave it in for 10 minutes. Rinse it gently and then only use conditioner on the ends of your hair. And above all, avoid scratching and picking (I know that's hard!)

Good luck! I hope you get into a dermatologist soon. I needed a prescription from my doctor to get a shampoo with a higher level of ketoconazole before I got the dermatitis completely under control.

Oh--and if you have it on your face, you can wash your face with the Nizoral shampoo-- just don't leave it on very long or get it in your eyes.

Dee

I've had horrible "dandruff" ever since I had my hair dyed a month ago. I wonder if I had an allergic reaction or the thing everyone else posted about? I'm glad I read this thread...I have bought 3 different types of specialized shampoos and still get itchy by the end of the day. It's embarrassing.

I also have this problem. I get hunks of dry, scaly skin that goes with it that has a shiny, almost metallic look to it. Mine is only at the base of my scalp and I also have reddish/purplish skin underneath. Almost port winish. My dermatologist said it was psoriasis. Mine is always worse when I'm stressed. I don't color my hair, but back in the roaring 80's, I used to always have my hair permed (HAD to have that BIG HAIR!!) and it always burned on contact, but went away for about a month after a perm...similar to you with the haircolor.

I don't think yours is caused by the haircolor, to be honest. Good thing because your haircolor is WICKED cool!

I have a customer (I'm a hairdresser) that had very dry skin on his scalp pretty bad and I gave him some Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo about last October and lo and behold, his condition is completely gone. I don't think his was psoriasis, though, because his didn't have that nearly metallic tinge to it or the pink/purple skin underneath.

Bottom line, though, is I'm a hairdresser and not a doctor. I'd get the ball rolling to see a dermatologist if it's really bothering you. As for me, I ignore mine because I've had it since I was a teenager and I'm used to it and its in a spot nobody sees and I have bigger fish to fry and don't really care about it...as long as it's on the back of my head...out of sight, out of mind!

You could try the Tea Tree shampoo from Paul Mitchell. You might like the cooling effect, even if it doesn't get rid of it (although it might...never know!). I, for one, think it smells like tar shampoo, which I used to use when I was young to try and get rid of it, and I HATE that stuff. But my customers love the smell of it. I'm sure your hairdresser friend can get ahold of the shampoo for you!

Good luck with it!!

Tea tree does help -- also, grapefruit seed extract. That worked wonders for me , as it is anti-fungal and anti-yeast, anti-bacterial. It is extremely acidic, but in a glycerin base so that is gentle. I put it on the areas before bed (so my hair isn't greasy looking when going out etc). It is natural.

Oh, and remember, grapeFRUIT seed extract, not grapeseed. Two totally different things!

Weeping scalp remedy
 

I'm sensitive to various hair dyes but a hair dye I ise often with no side effects is Garnier Olia. Works great because it's mostly oil based. A remedy I use for weeping scalp is sprite. Yes the soda. Wash your hair in it and it becomes a neutralizer of some sort. Works great after a botched dye job.
Good luck hope it works for you.

Looking Good, Feeling Great Plus to Petite Shopping, the Home Spa, and Beauty Tips f
 

Hey! You can use castor oil with little amount of coconut oil. It will make your scalp good and will strengthen your hair too..

Everyone has given you great advice... make sure you get that appointment with the doctor! In the meantime, have you tried a sulfate-free shampoo? I used regular sulfate shampoos for my whole life, but a few years ago, they started making my scalp dry and itchy. I would get little scabby bumps which were actually just sebum buildup (sebum is the natural oil produced by your skin), but if I scratched them, them would get weepy because I'd sort of unblock the pore and a bunch of sebum would come out. If I scratched too much, they would bleed. I tried many things, from washing more to washing less, using cleansing conditioners, and using sulfate-free shampoos. Ultimately, I found that the cleansing conditioners made my scalp the happiest, but they didn't get my hair clean enough, although they are amazing for maintaining hair color. So now I'm using a tea tree oil sulfate-free shampoo and I wash every few days. I make sure I wash my scalp really well and no longer have the itchies or flakes.

The suggestion of using coconut oil is a good one, too. Every now and then I do a deep "soak" with coconut oil on my scalp and hair. It makes it feel amazing. I would recommend exfoliating your scalp first with some brown sugar mixed with conditioner and then applying the oil. That will help get rid of excess flaky skin before you moisturize. However, if you find it doesn't help, then your problem is likely not moisture but instead fungal or a skin disorder. Henna is also good for soothing an irritated scalp, but it dyes your hair red (although you can pair it with indigo to get black). Cassia is a henna alternative that doesn't dye your hair unless it's white, but I'm not sure if it has the same properties.