Eczema/Psoriasis sufferers - or anyone else with a chronic skin condition

[Neith]

Is your hair affected?


I was born with very bad eczema. I have a strict skin regimen that I follow to keep it looking right.

Without the proper care and types of lotions and medications, my skin wouldn't look normal. I'd be covered head to toe in a very bad rash.

All of my skin is extremely sensitive and easy to irritate. Having proper care makes it look normal - most people who don't know me intimately have no idea that I even have a skin condition.

but I know that my skin is just not "normal"

I rarely break a sweat (only when I'm sick or REALLY doing something physically demanding), my skin is very dry, will get red and inflamed if anyone even looks at me wrong, it's very sensitive to the sun... I could go on and on.

I'm wondering if this condition affects my hair. I have weird hair. It doesn't take relaxers. It's very strong, but it's also very dry and hard and EXTREMELY coarse naturally. Chemical damage is nothing to my hair, but it will get damaged by heat and too much manipulation. My natural hair is just a lil bit softer than brillo

Do you find that your hair has funny qualities like mine? Or is it just that God saw fit to give me problem skin AND hair? lol

 

[daaiyah]

My daughter does. Her eczema is on her scalp sometimes, I believe it does affect her hair. Her hair is severely dry. Like fall off in your hands brittle, dry. I have been working on it, and I have made a breakthrough.
I made a tea of amla powder and use that as the base in a spray bottle with coconut oil and humectress. So far the results are noteworthy. Very little hair breakage and I have been shampooing the scalp with shikakai bar 2x week. Scalp looks good too.
She is very sensitive to soaps and detergents so we have a skin action plan for her that works most of the time, but it took awhile to figure the scalp/hair thing.

 

[Monkeybiz]

I have excema as well. My scalp is horribly dry. I am actually having a breakout as we speak and I am trying to get this crap under control. My goal is to not rub a bald spot in my scalp. I do this every year and I dont realize what I have done until its too late. Right now I oil my scalp with tea tree oil at night to see if thay will give me some relief. Its not working that well and I smell like a medicine cabinet. My hair is doing better than it has in a long time but if I could retain some moisture things could be so much better

My skin is dry too but it seems to fair much better than my scalp.


I thought it was interesting that you said you dont sweat, do you really think this is due to excema? I dont sweat either but I never thought it could be related..... interesting.

 

[shmmr]

Hola ladies!

I have eczema on my legs if I don't care for my skin properly - I've been breaking out every 3-4 mos when I slack off..I'm working on that. Otherwise my skin (all over ) is very dry. My face, now thats a different story, oily as the day is long (with occasional pimples that leave dark marks). I have noticed dry patches from time to time on my scalp, I just started using Soft n beautiful botanicals lite moisturizer and its working wonders. Its water based and has glycerin - my hair feels smoother now that I'm using it, probably from the glycerin?

I'm convinced that all my skin/scalp problems are related (but to what - I don't know)...I have no advice, just chiming in...

 

[mariofmagdal]

My daughter has it. Her hair was dry because of it. I was told by a pharmacist to add 1000mg of MSM to her diet. (as an adult you may require more) She takes the capsules, I add it to a glass of juice. Her hair is 100% better! The consistency, and brilliance are awesome! She has only had one break out while on the MSM and it went away very quickly. I also purchased 100% emu oil, and MSM gel online for when she has a break out. The results are a God send! I hope this helps.

 

[aliceo]

I have psoriasis in my nails and I think I may have it in my scalp too. My skin (by the Grace of Gd) has been spared. I have very fine hair, but so does my mum.I'm not sure they are linked. I just have huge flakes in there sometimes. My nails got the worst of it- I don't know how to hide it

 

[Neith]

My daughter does. Her eczema is on her scalp sometimes, I believe it does affect her hair. Her hair is severely dry. Like fall off in your hands brittle, dry. I have been working on it, and I have made a breakthrough.
I made a tea of amla powder and use that as the base in a spray bottle with coconut oil and humectress. So far the results are noteworthy. Very little hair breakage and I have been shampooing the scalp with shikakai bar 2x week. Scalp looks good too.
She is very sensitive to soaps and detergents so we have a skin action plan for her that works most of the time, but it took awhile to figure the scalp/hair thing.

I'm glad you found out how to control it

I have excema as well. My scalp is horribly dry. I am actually having a breakout as we speak and I am trying to get this crap under control. My goal is to not rub a bald spot in my scalp. I do this every year and I dont realize what I have done until its too late. Right now I oil my scalp with tea tree oil at night to see if thay will give me some relief. Its not working that well and I smell like a medicine cabinet. My hair is doing better than it has in a long time but if I could retain some moisture things could be so much better

My skin is dry too but it seems to fair much better than my scalp.


I thought it was interesting that you said you dont sweat, do you really think this is due to excema? I dont sweat either but I never thought it could be related..... interesting.

I always thought it was related to my eczema

I'm not sure though... I just know it can be 99 degrees outside and as long as I'm not running or anything I'm as dry as a bone, lol. It's a good think because I'm allergic to my sweat, it breaks me out badly.

Tea tree oil really helped my scalp, but when I get flare ups on the scalp (not often, thank God) I get a q tip and apply witch hazel or some other astrigent to the scalp before putting the oil in. Maybe that will help!

My daughter has it. Her hair was dry because of it. I was told by a pharmacist to add 1000mg of MSM to her diet. (as an adult you may require more) She takes the capsules, I add it to a glass of juice. Her hair is 100% better! The consistency, and brilliance are awesome! She has only had one break out while on the MSM and it went away very quickly. I also purchased 100% emu oil, and MSM gel online for when she has a break out. The results are a God send! I hope this helps.

I recently started using MSM topically. I just mix it in my lotions and it really does help I'll experiment with taking it. It's just that I'm really bad about taking vitamins.

I have psoriasis in my nails and I think I may have it in my scalp too. My skin (by the Grace of Gd) has been spared. I have very fine hair, but so does my mum.I'm not sure they are linked. I just have huge flakes in there sometimes. My nails got the worst of it- I don't know how to hide it

Aw Have to you been to the dermatologist recently?

 

[mturner0516]

I have eczema however only on certain patches of my body. My scalp was spared. Can anyone give more suggestions on their skin reggie?

 

[Amerie123]

yeah, i had it, and have a mild break out here and there (never in my scalp though. only arms, and legs). I made a post about this on the make up and skin forum; maybe that can help.
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=272569&highlight=eczema

 

[aribell]

Is your hair affected?


I was born with very bad eczema. I have a strict skin regimen that I follow to keep it looking right.

Without the proper care and types of lotions and medications, my skin wouldn't look normal. I'd be covered head to toe in a very bad rash.

All of my skin is extremely sensitive and easy to irritate. Having proper care makes it look normal - most people who don't know me intimately have no idea that I even have a skin condition.

but I know that my skin is just not "normal"

I rarely break a sweat (only when I'm sick or REALLY doing something physically demanding), my skin is very dry, will get red and inflamed if anyone even looks at me wrong, it's very sensitive to the sun... I could go on and on.

I'm wondering if this condition affects my hair. I have weird hair. It doesn't take relaxers. It's very strong, but it's also very dry and hard and EXTREMELY coarse naturally. Chemical damage is nothing to my hair, but it will get damaged by heat and too much manipulation. My natural hair is just a lil bit softer than brillo

Do you find that your hair has funny qualities like mine? Or is it just that God saw fit to give me problem skin AND hair? lol

Neith,

I too have always had severe eczema that has been more or less severe generally depending on my stress levels. Hair...well, I do believe that I have had it on my scalp at certain points. My hair, though, like my skin, is extremely, extremely dry. Before I got on LHCF and didn't know what I was doing, the brillo pad statement would have fit me well, too. I have to constantly, constantly moisturize it, which is why cowashing daily and moisturizing multiple times a day works really well for me, and is necessary. But if not, that hair will snap in a minute.

May I ask what you do for your skin? I'm tired of the prescriptions and am looking for something different.

 

[aribell]

I thought it was interesting that you said you dont sweat, do you really think this is due to excema? I dont sweat either but I never thought it could be related..... interesting.

Hey, I don't really sweat either--not unless it's super hot or I'm exercising really hard. But never anything in comparison to most people. Interesting...

 

[Neith]

I have eczema however only on certain patches of my body. My scalp was spared. Can anyone give more suggestions on their skin reggie?

I'm sorry, I didn't see this earlier! I'll send you a pm.

Hey, I don't really sweat either--not unless it's super hot or I'm exercising really hard. But never anything in comparison to most people. Interesting...

lol, I always knew there was something off with the not sweating thing. I'll send you a pm about what I do too.

Not that it's top secret, but I'm a little embarrassed to share in front of everyone.

 

[TracyNicole]

Can you all share with me as well. I have eczema as well. I used to just get it in the crease of my elbow and on my legs. I just had a sudden and very stressful change career wise and now my skin is covered. It is unbearably dry and itchy. My scalp was very dry and itchy as well so I started wetting and oiling my hair daily. Since I stared using OCT and Wen daily my scalp is fine but skin is still not. Please share regimens!

Tee

 

[NappturalWomyn]

I have eczema in my elbow creases and knee creases and sometimes on my fingers. I have been there with the cracking, itching, misery. What worked for me was:

-MSM daily in orange juice

-Stopped all dairy, flesh foods (except fish with scales-always with lemon on it), fried foods, juices except fresh OJ (out of the orange) and pressed apple juice (which I dilute- the murky kind, NEVER CLEAR), simple starches (breads, white rice, white sugar (BIG ONE TO STAY AWAY FROM).)

-STAY HYDRATED! WATER! WATER! WATER! DRY SKIN=BREAKOUT!

-I also started SuperGreens when I feel my energy getting low, worked well on my skin.

-Vitamin E oil and UNREFINED shea butter in the creases when I break out (very little, mix and apply)

-Dr. Bronner tea tree and/or eucalyptus soap when I break out

-Shea butter soap when I don't break out

-I use Heritage Store Body oil (no other moisturizer-no commercial lotions, etc) every day. I use almond when there are breakouts, and jasmine when there are no breakouts.

-I take an epsom salt bath once every few months with baking soda, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and vitamin E oil, sit in it for 30 minutes; really helps me detox. Don't forget to add baking soda-it takes out chlorine in the water that you are bathing in, and helps with healing.

The trick I have found was to use no commercial products on my body as the commercial bath products made it worse, eat to avoid inflammation (eczema is inflammation), and to add pro-biotics (forgot that one).

Mind you, when things get stressful, I am prone to breakouts, so I will do the epsom salt baths weekly if necessary to control the breakouts. The regimen is very important to me in the fall/winter, when my breakouts are the worst.

 

[Amerie123]

I don't know if it was the MTG accidentally getting on my skin, or the MSM, but the stubborn eczema rash that I had on my hand and arm that i couldn't get rid of for a good minute, finally went away within the past week or two. and the only two things that i've done differently was put MTG in my hair, and take MSM. All of a sudden I looked down one day, and the rash was gone and it wasn't irritating.

 

[Neith]

I don't know if it was the MTG accidentally getting on my skin, or the MSM, but the stubborn eczema rash that I had on my hand and arm that i couldn't get rid of for a good minute, finally went away within the past week or two. and the only two things that i've done differently was put MTG in my hair, and take MSM. All of a sudden I looked down one day, and the rash was gone and it wasn't irritating.

I use a msm/oil mix on my skin daily.

 

[Amerie123]

I use a msm/oil mix on my skin daily.

Oh, okay, that's cool. You just confirmed it. so maybe i did discover something helpful for me. I thought it was so cool though, cuz i did everything to get rid of the rash, and it wouldn't go. But I do something to serve another purpose, and as a result, i get the best of both worlds!!

 

[belle_reveuse28]

I have eczema however only on certain patches of my body. My scalp was spared. Can anyone give more suggestions on their skin reggie?

Yeah, I'll chime in. I have really bad eczema, but I've done several things because I've always been desperate for pretty skin.

1. I wash my face and skin with very gentle and natural cleansers. No harsh cleansers at all that dry the skin out. Jason and soem other organic brands are really good..

After a shower, I pay my skin dry and immeidately apply emu oil all over, face, everything. I also use emu for my scalp. It has done wonders for my skinand if you want proof, take a look at my fotki. There is a picture of me standing next to my friend in Texas in the year review photo album. It looks buttahlicious. If you look real close you can see some scarring but you have to really look for it. I have no coverup makeup no at all. I don't wear it ever. My belief is that if I take good care of my skin, I wont have to wear or bother with those things. Most of the time I'll brush on some bronzer and blush if I want to dress it up a bit, but no coverup ever! The only thing on my skin was emu oil, nothing else. I add essential oils to it for scent. Sometimes it can have a chicken grease smell to it.

Also, I take msm (must drinnk lots of water), drink lots of water daily, and I take flax oil. Flax oil moisturizes my skin and hair from the inside out. At the end of hte day, I can wipe my face or neck and see the oil that has come from my skin where usually i'm bone dry without it. I can rub my scalp too and get the same reaction.

Both the flax and emu are non-comedogenic. So even though I have dry skin, I can never put products that have mineral oil and stuff like that on my face, back, buttocks etc or I get ugly pimples. With emu, I can slather it on adn I"ve never NEVER had a breakout from it! It's just that good. This stuff is the truth and I would never leave home without it! Sometimes my mom when sitting next to me just rubs my arm because it makes your skin feel like a soft silk but not greasy and I love that feeling. I love it when I freshly shave as well and put it on my legs. I keep feeling them all day, it just amazes me because I suffered from low self esteem because of my skin adn now people always tell me how beautiful my skin is and how beautiful I am. It's been my saving grace, humbles me.

And the last things I've done is a colon clenase and adrenal and blood detox. Holistically it is believed that eczema is caused by parasites etc within the blood and adrenals, and the intestines as well. I did a colon cleanse and detox system called Colonix and I stopped having breakouts for two years. As soon as I didn't do the cleanse and detox for like three years, I started having breakouts again. I swear by this stuff!

 

[Qualitee]

I do and I cant use sulfates because of it. Ladies SULFATES IS UR ENEMY TRUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. If I use shampoo with sulfates my scalp is flaky and nasty! I started using sulfate free shampoo and my scalp has done a trun around! but the thing that really helped me alot was bt and bee mine serums because they have sulfur in it! Sulfur is great for people who have eczema. It cured my scalp. No white stuff here. I want to try sulfur soap next!

 

[mistee11]

I do and I cant use sulfates because of it. Ladies SULFATES IS UR ENEMY TRUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. If I use shampoo with sulfates my scalp is flaky and nasty! I started using sulfate free shampoo and my scalp has done a trun around! but the thing that really helped me alot was bt and bee mine serums because they have sulfur in it! Sulfur is great for people who have eczema. It cured my scalp. No white stuff here. I want to try sulfur soap next!

You're right about BT! I know because I have eczema and before coming to LHCF I didn't know what to do about my scalp. BT is da bomb! I just spritz my scalp with some moisturizing spray and then apply the BT. Also MN is really great too for scalp problems. You're also correct about the sulfate shampoos. Even though Keracare Dry & Itchy Scalp is supposed to help the scalp it didn't really help me. I happened to read the ingredients and it has ammonium sulfate in it. (still a sulfate right?) I kept wondering why I still had dryness and flaking even after treating with it.

 

[Qualitee]

You're right about BT! I know because I have eczema and before coming to LHCF I didn't know what to do about my scalp. BT is da bomb! I just spritz my scalp with some moisturizing spray and then apply the BT. Also MN is really great too for scalp problems. You're also correct about the sulfate shampoos. Even though Keracare Dry & Itchy Scalp is supposed to help the scalp it didn't really help me. I happened to read the ingredients and it has ammonium sulfate in it. (still a sulfate right?) I kept wondering why I still had dryness and flaking even after treating with it.

Yea its still a sulfate Try oragnix, Giovanni, elucence, or pureology they are all sulfate free and IMO better then the sulfates shampoo.

 

[Evolving78]

i don't get it on my scalp, but i'm sure it could stunt growth or something. right now, i have it really bad on my fingers, hands, legs, arms, and feet. it looks so bad. i went to the health food store and i'm starting to take probotics and omega 3 oil. i read that this would help internally.

 

[Qualitee]

i don't get it on my scalp, but i'm sure it could stunt growth or something. right now, i have it really bad on my fingers, hands, legs, arms, and feet. it looks so bad. i went to the health food store and i'm starting to take probotics and omega 3 oil. i read that this would help internally.

hope you find a solution