Paging sisters who have had dermatitis

[melodee]

I'm sooo frustrated with the condition of my scalp right now.

This is week two of my regimine and I thought I was doing well except for the fact that I am losing too many strands when washing my hair.(50+) My scalp is very dry and itches/burns. I know this means a flare up, b/c my hair itself is looks good and is well cared for. A dermatologist once told me "trying to grow hair from an unhealthy scalp is like trying to grow a beautiful plant from weak soil". I'd love to go back to him, but he's alwayed booked four months into the future. I can't wait that long! I read an old thread about this problem and noticed that Derma-Smooth is recommended. I love that stuff! I'll bet it will really work now that I'm washing more than once a week. I wish it was OTC. By the way, should I stop washing as much until it's under control? I'm shedding, although not as much as I did when my dermatitis was at it's worst (9 years ago). Back then it was shedding while dry. I plan not to get any more relaxers for a while, it always does me in. I'm getting braids. staying away from relaxers helped my hair to really grow 9 years ago. Pray for me, guys! Thanks for listening to my ramblings.

 

[melodee]

No one?

 

[Ipanema]

Sulfur 8 applied to the scalp after washing will make it healthy.

 

[AFashionSlave]

I used to have dermatitis so bad that I would comb

quarter size flakes out of my hair

. I went to dermatoloists. I even had dermatitis in my eyebrows. They gave me tar shampoos. Sometimes my scalp would be so enflamed that it would bleed. I used everything that the doctors gave me and nothing worked. This is what I did to soothe my problem.

1. I stopped using all dandruff and medicated shampoos. I switched to creme of nature extra moist. When my dermatitis was really bad sometimes I would shampoo twice a week.

2. Before you shampoo gently comb your hair all the way to the scalp. This will help loosen up the scaly flakes.

3. Try oiling your scalp after you shampoo and condition. I use a little Organic Root Stimulator (No more Flakes) or try tea-tree oil. I stopped using sulfer 8 because it didn't help my condition.

4. Pay attention to things that are aggravate your scalp. For instance: Does your scalp itch or burn when you use go from an air condiitoned environment into a hot humid one?

5. Leave your scalp alone. Stop scratching and manipulating. Treat your scalp like it has a third degree burn or treat it like you would a baby's skin. Be very gentle.

6. Stop using very hot or cold water to wash your hair. Try to wash in room temp water.

7. Are you relaxing your hair regularly? If you are - you stop or slow down until your dermatitis is under control.

The trick about controling dermatitis is to be very gentle and loving to your scalp. Be consistant.

Every once in a while I get a flare up of dandruff. But it isn't as bad as it used to be. I stopped listening to dermatologists about my dermatitis because they didn't give me any answers. Dermatologists still do not know what causes dermatitis or dandruff. They think it is caused by bacteria, but they are not sure.

 

[Daughter]

AFashionSlave gave some very good advice. May I add that I read this morning that our diets can be changed to alleviate hair and scalp problems (I suffer from a somewhat flaky scalp at times).

The main foods reocommended are:
eggs and liver for vitamin A
dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, for beta carotene
Vegetable oils, nuts and oily fish for essential fatty acids
Shellfish, red meat and pumpkin seeds for zinc.

HTH!

 

[karezone]

one of my mom's friends told my grandmother to start rinsing her hair with listerine mouth rinse every time she washed her hair. The amazing thing is that it actually worked at least on her it did.

 

[Daughter]

Listerine? Wouldn't that cause the hair and scalp to be dry, especially with the alcohol that nust be present

? Then again it may have astringent properties so might have helped in that way...

 

[AFashionSlave]

Please be careful with alcohol products on dermatitis. It may work for some but for me it made my scalp crispy like crackers. YUCK!!!

 

[LadyDee]

I highly recommend the t-tree oil. My derm gave me a bottle of oil. Her special (not mention expensive) oil. You can smell the t-tree when you open the bottle. Mix some up with a carrier oil or buy it already made up. After some major breakage, my scalp was itchy and very sensitive. I used the oil and cut back on the biotin and the condition cleared up in a couple of days.

 

[daviine]

Melodee--what type of dermatitis are you referring to? I have seborrheic dermatitis but I'm not sure if there are other types.

daviine

 

[MissM]

I feel your frustration, but the key to dealing with this is patience and prevention. Once you get to a point where you get your dermatitis under control you have maintain what you are doing.

The only thing that has worked for me was prescription Nizoral shampoo. Forget that natural crap, my dermatitis is BAD-I had to bring in the big guns! That nips the flaking and inflammation in the bud. I would have the bleeding scalp also. After using the Nizoral I would follow that with hydrocortisone cream and a couple of days later I will use my tea tree oil or this stuff I found at the beauty supply store called At One with Nature's Itchy Scalp Treatment. It has a watery-gel-like consistency and you only need a little bit. All of these I apply at night. It also helps that whatever shampoo you are using for this condition to apply it directly to your scalp a few minutes prior to shampooing. And like one of the girls suggested, comb close to your scalp prior to doing this to help lift any flakes. I am also trying to go longer in between relaxing. And mine also acts up with whatever is going on with the weather!

Good luck with whatever you try and don't give up. My dermatitis is so bad I have it on my eyebrows, sides of my nose and now that I am pregnant, the insides of my ears flake and peel, daily. Out of all my three sisters I'm the lucky one that inherited this from my mom! Lucky me

!

 

[LondonDiva]

Melodee

If you're not opposed to using it I would definitely recommend emu oil. It can be used for a whole range of ailments from skin burns, eczema, stretch marks. I'm going to get some for my scalp to use about 1 weeks after my touch ups in case of scalp sores/burns.

Here are a few sites to check out

http://www.longviewfarms.com

http://www.emu-oil.com

I would NOT advise sulfer8 for your condition it would do nothing but clog the pores from the petroleum. Also you don't know how the sulfer content will affect the dermatitis.

 

[melodee]

Thanks ladies for the advice.
LondonDiva, I do like Emu oil. I bought some about two weeks ago. Only problem--it's not cheap. I ran out already. Nest time, I'll mix with another natural oil to stretch it.

 

[adrienne0914]

dang, i was away for a few days and almost missed this thread. i also have a problem scalp. i've had it ever since i was in high school, so about 25 years.

i can't tell you how many dermatologists i've seen for it. it's been diagnosed as sebhorrea, psoriasis, nervous scalp and whatever else they could make up.

most of the doctors that i saw were white. you might not think that makes a difference, but it actually did. as soon as i saw a black one, i was able to get it to a manageable level. he prescribed prescription-strength Nizoral. when i first started using it, my scalp cleared up completely and stayed that way for over a year. i think stuff becomes less effective with continued use. i now have several products that i use to combat it, but i use the Nizoral with every wash.

the other products that i use are Olux and Derma-Smooth. i had used Derma-Smooth before. my scalp got used to that too. so i hardly use it. i love the Olux because it's like a mousse. it's very easy to apply evenly and control the application.

i don't think that relaxing my hair has had an impact on my scalp because i only relax three times a year. i can see how more frequent relaxing could aggravate the condition though. when i do relax, i always have my scalp based (except the last time, the girl didn't do it like i asked... insert eye roll here).

when my scalp is at its worst, i find that washing more than once a week is better than less. do you ever use oils on your scalp? that can really help. it's good if you can do a pre-shampoo treatment. i do one with honey, olive, peppermint and rosemary oils. it works well.

be sure to get your condition somewhat under control before you get braids. they only make it that much harder to care for your scalp properly.

 

[Ipanema]

Sulfur 8 worked wonders for me, especially after applying to a freshly cleansed scalp, and my hair grows fine. My scalp used to flake and become terribly inflammed. But I guess people need to find what works best for them. "Different strokes for different folks" as the old saying goes...