All,
I am going nuts with my dandruff. I've tried all of the over-the-counter shampoos: Zinc, Selenium Sulfide, Salicylic Acid, and Nizoral. Nothing really helps. If I shampoo in the morning, I'll have dandruff all over my scalp in the evening -- especially when the weather is cold. My scalp is red and irritated. If I don't shampoo for one day, my hair gets extremely oily.
This started for me last spring and it was not a problem during the summer when the weather was warm. I went to my dr. and she thought that I just had dry scalp from shampooing every day.
Does anyone have advice? I have tried vinegar. It hasn't helped. I haven't tried the coal tar shampoos yet.
One of the most popular shampoos for a dry, irritated scalp is Nioxin... have you tried that yet? It's formulated to clean your scalp and put the skin back in it's proper balance... Have you checked with a dermatologist to see if it's possibly a fungal infection you are experiencing rather than day-to-day dandruff?
Actually, I have some Nioxin, but I haven't tried it yet. The package says Nioxin should be used for thinning hair, which really isn't my problem, so I haven't used it.
I haven't seen a dermatologist, but my regular dr. does not think that I have a fungal problem. I don't have a lot of confidence in her opinion, but my health insurance is not very good so it would be prohibitively expensive for me to see a dermatologist at the moment.
thanks
Last edited by 2muchdrugs28; 11-07-2006 at 01:28 PM.
The Nioxin is touted as a "hair loss" cure but it really isn't... What it does is clean your scalp (and hair follicles) of any excess sebum that may be present which is what you want... I'm glad you got checked for an infection... it is incredibly common and very treatable... I'd give the Nioxin a try... if it works, you will notice a difference within about a week or two...
Try mixing baking soda with your shampoo, it gets all of the build up out and made my mild dandruff go away. just dont do it every day, if it works id do it once every 2 weeks
All,
I tried the Nioxin. It seemed like it was working really well for the first few days. Then the weather got cold and I've had terrible dandruff since it got cold. Seriously, when I have something brush up against my hair (such as taking off a sweatshirt), it looks like someone sprinkled parmesian cheese all over my head.
All of these suggestions are good ideas. I would also try B-Complex vitamins and Garlic Oil Caplets. If this seems to happen more in the winter add Omega-3 Fatty Acid Caplets too.
Have you tried using Selsun blue? I use the bottle that has the medicated option. I have long, thick hair but this product seems to be really working and I haven't quite used it two times a week or more like they advise.
I also have a prescription of Hydrocortisone Butyrate. You could ask your doctore about obtaining it or atleast for some information.
All,
Thanks for the tips. I have tried all of the non-prescription shampoos: stuff with salicylic acid, selenium sulfide, nizoral, and the zinc stuff, just about everything except for the coal tar formulas. The stuff that I have tried does not help. My dandruff is wierd because I only get flakes (small flakes) when something rubs up against my hair, such as when I remove a hat or when I take off my shirt. However, when I get flakes, I get a ton of them.
Has anyone put baby oil in their hair? I have a really dry scalp and have heard that baby oil can help.
thanks,
Last edited by 2muchdrugs28; 11-15-2006 at 08:05 PM.
It seems like the coal tar side effects are difficult to manage. From what I have read, the shampoo stinks and it stains linens. Are there any other problems with it? How often does your husband use the coal tar shampoo?
He uses it about 2-3x/wk. When his dandruff stops, he stops using it, and uses regular shampoo. Then, after a while, when the dandruff comes back, he repeats the cycle. He doesn't think it stinks, says it smells 'minty'. He's also never heard of it staining linen. Maybe that happens if it's not rinsed out properly?
Hi - I just couldn't resist telling you my tip on removing dandruff quickly.
I got so fed up of large flakes over clothes, through my hair etc, that one day I put a small brush nozzle on the end of my vacume cleaner and went over my hair with it!!
I know this sounds mad - but it does work, and is great if you have a date out or something. Obviously this is temporary, but great for a quick fix.
For some ODD reason after I went to the salon for a hair cut I got dandruff. I heard it is contagious. I used head and shoulders for a few days and it goes away. Sometimes I notice when my hair gets really oily or I didnt wash my hair for 1 day and my scalp itch and I scratch and dandruff comes out. STRESS also plays a big roll in dandruff as well...... Stress somehow cause people to scratch there head even though it was not itchy. So if you can resist dont scratch and get sleep and relax head and shoulders is the best that I tried and works well....When you wash your hair try not to scratch too hard. There isnt much cure for this kindda thing.
Thats right, I find that if I don't scratch, and I don't comb the scalp, then the problem goes away. If you scratch and comb hard, then the skin will always be red and flakes will appear soon after you wash the hair.
I remember whenever I had my hands in my hair all the time, I got a lot of flakes, and my scalp was red (small areas). But if I forgot about the hair and I didnt really comb it, I noticed the scalp was all white and no flakes. That is a few weeks between the two, not overnight.
I also have this condition at the moment, it's very hard to treat and cure completely for some reason.
It doesn't matter how often I comb or don't comb...it doesn't seem to matter if I scratch it or not - it's still there - sometimes the flakes are small, sometimes medium size and sometime huge, none of this is dertmined by combing vs non-combing, scratching vs non scratching
I think I might try the selsun theory and if that doesn't work the coal tar theory as they have more crediablity
A doctor can give you an RX for Nizoral shampoo which is stronger than what you can purchase over the counter. That might help for dry scalp or if there is any fungus. You shampoo with it and let it sit on your hair for five minutes and then rinse. I did find it very drying so needed a conditioner following. It comes in a generic so shouldn't be expensive. Even the regular is not costly.
Personally I think the regular is better than the generic.
_-*~!åMy!~*-_ 
