Dealing with Eczema/Dermatitis/Etc

**Soullurre** · June 11th, 2015, 04:11 AM

So I've been dealing with this for a while. I never thought too much of it til reality hit me hard and I realized I wasn't helping myself any by repeatedly shaving off my hair a total of 20 times in a span of 4 years. I got depressed and my OCD wasn't helping. So, I typed this out to try to analyze for myself how to fix and keep this problem far far away.

The 1st Week of June I used these 4 things and had no rashes on my forehead for a week. I use these 4 things only 1 time. In this order.

1.Hobe Labs Avocado Oil for dry scalp (rubbed it all over my head)
2.Lily of the desert Aloe Vera Gelly (applied it on top of the avocado oil. My scalp began itching after 20 minutes of application.)
3.I washed my scalp with dove unscented bar soap
4.Applied Apple Cider Vinegar to my scalp and rubbed it in and rinsed. Filled the acv to the 3 in a bottle and filled the rest with bottled water)

After those 4 things I had no rash appear across my forehead for a week but I began itching more and more by the end of the week, I had sores and scabs so I applied Walgreens Scalpicin then my mother got me Walmart Scalpicin with the dimethicone polymer.
I used it all up in 2 days cus it wouldn't stop itching. I washed with Dermarest Psoriasis shampoo with conditioner. Left it on for 3 to 5 minutes. It stopped my itching. My scalp doesn't itch as insane as before but my forehead rash is moving around my face and my forehead is oily after 2 days. I'm not sure what's going on. I didn't have all of this til I got pregnant with my 2 daughter's and had c-sections with both of them.

Last year I did go see a Dermatologist and of course he made my mother buy $200 worth of medicated shampoo and fluocinide or however you spell it and I didn't like it cus it made my hair so dry. And being black, that didn't settle well for me. I kept complaining about not wanting to use it cus of having dry hair from it and was told to only use what the dr told me. He insisted that I kept on using it and said child birth can cause a lot of changes and that it's something I'd have to just deal with. So I stopped using what he prescribed. And my mother was very angry with me. So I went back to experimenting trying to get rid of dry hair although my scalp was doing fine I just didn't like my hair. I was being told over and over that I couldn't change my hair and have to deal with it and that my hair was just gonna be difficult regardless. So, I shaved it all over still was experimenting and vowed on New Years Day to be the final time to shave. But that didn't go to well cus I have a permanent rash that never stays away and it's behind my ears, around my nose, my chin, my back, my chest.

I talked to several dermatologists online and they all told me I had symptoms of Seborrhea and that my scalp isn't dry it's actually oily which is why oils make me itch and anything left on my scalp makes me itch yet I still feel it's dry. Sorry for the long post. I'm just fed up with this and have an appointment to see an allergist and then yet ANOTHER dermatologist who I know for a fact is gonna prescribe me stuff of money we do not have. For now I'm using the Dermarest seems to help stop the madness of itching and preventing me from causing more sores/scabs on my scalp. But I feel like I need moisture, but yet again anything left too long on my scalp makes me go insane.

BTW, my hair isn't long enough yet to do anything with cus I had shaved it all off in April or May. I can't remember. Anything I apply for moisture to my hair will have to be on my scalp.

**Yarrow** · June 11th, 2015, 07:45 AM

I'd stay away from oiling the scalp and just use aloe Vera. Also supplementing your diet with fish oil might help, because fish oil is really good for skin conditions. Personally, I have also put molasses on my scalp and found that to help.
Hope you find find the right routine and solution .

**lapushka** · June 11th, 2015, 08:17 AM

If it's seborrheic dermatitis, the *only* thing that helped me is Nizoral 2% (I think it's prescription in the US). In Belgium the 2% is all we have and it's OTC. I have had SD since I was a wee one, so I have tried *everything* there is to try, even the homemade DIY stuff. It all doesn't hold a candle to Nizoral.

Shaving your hair isn't going to make the problem go away.

**Anje** · June 11th, 2015, 08:59 AM

What would happen if you did the same things you did the week of June 1, but did it again every 3 days or so, before the itching started?

Most people need to wash fairly frequently (several times a week) for seborrhea, but I don't quite know how that plays in with the dryness you experience. The Nizoral might be worth trying, though. (I haven't used it. I thought that in the US, the 2% was over-the-counter and there was a 4% version that was prescription-only.)

I do know of one person (GRU) who said that her SD got better with CO washing. You might want to at least give that a try -- some people shed hair from it, but at least it puts something lotion-like on your scalp. Rinse it really well afterward. I'm not sure if it's still available, but if you're fragrance-sensitive but OK with a bit of protein in your conditioner, Sally Beauty used to carry one called Cure Care. It was unscented, good for most people for CO-washing, and inexpensive.

**lapushka** · June 11th, 2015, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Anje

(I haven't used it. I thought that in the US, the 2% was over-the-counter and there was a 4% version that was prescription-only.)

I don't think there is a 4% version. There's 2% and there's 1%. I think...

**mssummerrose** · June 11th, 2015, 11:11 AM

Hi Soullurre,
I think going to the allergist and the dermatologist is a good idea. Then if they prescribe anything you can't afford, maybe talk to them about cheaper options - or come back here with a diagnosis and people will definately have ideas!
Good luck!!

**Anje** · June 11th, 2015, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by lapushka

I don't think there is a 4% version. There's 2% and there's 1%. I think...

Darn. I could have sworn I'd seen 4% mentioned around here somewhere....

This is what comes of people who don't have SD trying to advise the SD-afflicted crowd.

**lapushka** · June 11th, 2015, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Anje

Darn. I could have sworn I'd seen 4% mentioned around here somewhere....

This is what comes of people who don't have SD trying to advise the SD-afflicted crowd.

Now I'm not sure either! And any advice can be good advice!

**turtlelover** · June 11th, 2015, 03:57 PM

I just want to put it out there that I think blood sugar issues can aggravate this condition, so you might want to have a complete physical including bloodwork.

**Yarrow** · June 16th, 2015, 05:07 AM

I hope you are doing alright. If you don't mind, I'll just dump some links here.

I think this a good overview here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3100109/
This is a nice summary overview http://blackgirllonghair.com/2014/10...ic-dermatitis/
You can check the oleic acid content of avocado oil here http://www.essentialoils.co.za/avoca...#avocado%20oil
With 50% it's relative high, the jojoba is only 12%.
The abstract of the raw honey study is here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11485891/
It's unheated raw. honey, because heat supposedly destroys the beneficial stuff (enzymes?) in the honey.
In Asia, there is a shampoo that sounds really interesting http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti.../#!po=0.438596
It contains antifungal agents and rose extract as well as green tea extract.
A study for atopical dermatitis found green tea extract baths to help
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408302/
So perhaps green tea extract might be worth experimenting with.