Horrible Dry Scalp...what Do I Do?

[Sweetfudge]

So I don't have dh, but I have awful dandruff. It's been especially bad this winter. I have little sores too, from itching it so badly. It's hard b/c I have dark hair. I try and wash w/ something exfoliating, when I'm not raw, like a scalp treatment. I have tried head & shoulders, and selsum blue (the stuff w/ tar)...but that stuff stinks to high heaven and i don't think it really does much. what do I do? how can I make this go away? i try to only wash my hair 2x a week, and i'm constantly combing it to try and get the flakes out. not working much....argh, so frustrated!!!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I was reading a fashion magazine I bought last summer and it was saying if you had bad dandruff to use medicated shapoo for a few weeks and then to switch back to what you like but to wash your hair at least once a day and when conditioning to not go to your roots. I don't know if that works but I thought it was interesting because I don't like washing my hair at all.

[Canadian Karen]

Sweetfudge:

I used to get that periodically also, particularly in the winter.

I have found a solution that works wonderfully for me though. Get the Infusium Leave-In Treatment and also get a bottle of Tea Tree Oil from the drug store. Put 30 drops of tea tree oil in the bottle of Infusium and shake well. After you shampoo and rinse well spray the Infusium all over your scalp and then massage it in..... Make sure the sprayer is pretty close up to the scalp and kind of move the hair out of the way in sections to make sure the spray goes directly onto the scalp, not just on the hair......

I actually stumbled upon this remedy. A few years ago when Rhiannon brought lice home from school, I got on a tea tree oil kick as a measure of prevention of never going through that hell again and I sprayed my concoction on the kids hair after every shampoo. Tried the stuff on myself and was amazed at how wonderful it felt (like a spa treatment or something!) and was even further amazed how it cleared up my scalp!

Hugs.

Karen

[lonewolf]

I have the same kind of thing. I actually have psoriasis, but it sounds exactly like you are describing in my scalp. I've found that putting olive oil on my scalp right before bed (sleeping with a towel on my pillow) and washing it out in the morning helps more than anything. My husband tells me I smell like salad dressing, but it really does help.

[tiredofdoctors]

Karen -- that sounds like a GREAT solution!! Thanks for passing it on . . . . . .

After this stupid biopsy then burn all the spots off my face thing, the dermatologist said that he was going to address all the issues with my face and scalp. Must say, it was well worth the money. He said -- "Same price. Why not?" I agreed. My point, as it takes me a LONG time to get there is:

For my scalp, he gave me Loprox Shampoo (prescription) to use twice per week, with at least three days in between. I haven't had an itch since I started using it. And, no flakes.

For my hairline, he gave me Verdeso -- evidently, it's a VERY weak corticosteroid foam. Works GREAT. (prescription)

For my face, he gave me Rosac cream for the rosacea. It also has sunscreem in it, no cortisone so my skin won't thin out, and it's working really well. (prescription)

Personally, I'd try Karen's idea first. I think it sounds like a winner. If you don't have luck with that, and you have the hairline and face stuff, too, ask your doctor either to recommend a good dermatologist or ask him if he would prescribe those for you. I'm pretty amazed that they have worked so well.

Good luck . . . . . Lynne