Frequently referred to as a natural and cost-effective treatment for seborrheic dermatitis, tea tree oil continues to grow in popularity. However, not everyone reports success and it may even lead to worsening for some.
Let’s start with some basics:
- Malassezia yeast are believed to be integral to seborrheic dermatitis issues
- Tea tree oil has antifungal properties and may reduce malassezia activity
- Preliminary studies support tea tree oils effectiveness
- You can obtain pure tea tree oil and add it to other products (or a carrier oil)
- A large variety of dedicated products exist as well
And after dealing with seborrheic dermatitis myself, it became apparent the info on this topic is quite scattered. This article is my attempt to bring all the relevant information together and provide you with everything should know before you attempt treatment.
Hopefully you find the reading useful ?. And if you have any questions, suggestions, or experience with using tea tree oil, join the discussion at the end of this article.
Quick intro to seborrheic dermatitis
Below is a quick summary of the main factors of seborrheic dermatitis you should be aware of. If you are already very familiar with the condition, feel free to skip this section.
Seborrheic dermatitis is:
- an inflammatory skin condition that is not yet fully understood
- considered to be a chronic (can persists throughout life) skin condition
- believed to be caused by the Malassezia yeast
Due to its chronic and not fully uncovered nature, seborrheic dermatitis usually requires ongoing treatment. And the primary focus treatment is almost always symptom relief.
Malassezia yeast:
- are commensal yeast, naturally present on the skin surface of most humans
- are also blamed for several other skin conditions
- do not trigger symptoms in the majority of healthy adults
- have many different individual sub-species
- produce a by-product (oleic free fatty acids) which cause skin irritation
And some of the more prominent medical literature suggest it’s not the yeasts themselves that are to be blamed, but the oleic free fatty acids they leave behind. These by-products then lead to irritation and damage the skin’s natural barrier.
Yet, there are still many unanswerd questions that remain.
For example, more recent research suggests that bacteria may have a more pivotal role in once thought. And if you want to explore this subject further with me, take a moment to read through the section.
Tea tree oil overview
Tea tree oil is a popular essential oil known for its ability to control fungus and bacteria (antifungal and antimicrobial properties) [1]. It’s considered a natural remedy and has been used throughout history for all sorts of skin ailments, ranging from acne to dandruff.
Pure tea tree oil is available at most supermarkets and health stores. It’s a fairly affordable essential oil averaging about $10 for 150ml.
Tea tree oil is also added to many natural skincare products (shampoos, soaps, creams, etc.). Here, it’s most commonly used at a 5% to 10% concentration [2].
Many people believe that it’s most effective if it’s integrated as a pure essential oil. And the claims is that commercial products often undergo additional processing and may lose some vital healing properties. There isn’t any data to back this up and weather you chose to believe it is up to you.
Review of the evidence
Several studies examining the potential use of tea tree oil for seborrheic dermatitis appear to confirm it’s efficiency and generally support its use:
- A study including 120 twenty participants over the age of 14, showed a 5% tea tree oil shampoo showed a 41% improvement in overall symptoms (itchiness, redness, greasiness), however, scaliness was not significantly affected [3]
- A lab study analyzing the anti-fungal potential of tea tree oil on various Malassezia yeasts showed an average MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of 0.25% for 90% of the yeast species [1] – significantly less effective than ketoconazole, but still satisfactory [2]
Six ways tea tree oil is used for seborrheic dermatitis
There are several ways you can use tea tree oil to combat seborrheic dermatitis. The list below six of these methods and is ordered by popularity (from most popular to least popular).
My comments on each method and how it worked for me can be found at the bottom in the “my personal experience with tea tree oil” section. Plus, you can find many user submitted tips in the comments section at the end.
Do not get tea tree oil in your eyes!
Tea tree oil can strongly irritate the eyes and should never be left on the skin near the eyes. If you experience eye irritation please get the advice of a licensed health care practitioner.
1. Carrier oil mixed with tea tree oil
The most popular and most widely used method is a simple mixture of carrier oil and tea tree oil.
Instructions:
- Mix about 90 parts carrier oil with 10 parts tea tree oil (producing a 10% concentration) and apply to seborrheic dermatitis affected skin. If you find the concentration too strong, you can bring the percentage of tea tree oil lower (~5%).
- Leave the solution on the skin for 5-10 minutes
- Remove excess oil with a warm washcloth
If you find that your skin is overly greasy, you can use a gentle cleanser to remove the excess oil. However, cleansing after this method can take away from its effectiveness (surfactants found in cleansers can strip the skin and negatively impact skin barrier stability).
If you choose not to cleanse your skin and it’s your first time using oil on the skin, it will likely take time to adjust to the excess oil. As the skin adapt, you will find that things get easier (usually 1-2 weeks time).
Most popular carrier oils are coconut oil, sesame seed oil, or extra virgin coconut oil.
The most popular carrier oil for seborrheic dermatitis is coconut oil, however, perhaps a pure mineral oil may make more sense from a technical point of view (natural oils contain lipids that the Malassezia yeast feeds on, mineral oil does not).
Start slow and see how your skin responds
If you plan on using this method, it is advised to start slow. Try a lower concentration of tea tree oil on a very small area of skin.
For example, you can start with a ratio of 95 parts carrier oil to 5 parts tea tree oil and apply this solution behind your ear (or any other non-visible area of skin). This can help you gauge how your skin reacts and help decide if this method is right for you.
2. Shampoo containing tea tree oil
This method is probably very popular due to its high availability and marketing associated with specific individual products.
Shampoos containing tea tree oil are most commonly marketed as anti-dandruff shampoos. Since dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis are essentially the same conditions, these can also be considered anti-seborrheic-dermatitis shampoos.
And while this article doesn’t include a list of recommended options, you can easily find a comprehensive top 10 list prepared by Chris over on Dandruff Deconstructed or by searching Amazon directly. In either case, the amount of options available for you to try continues to grow.
Off-label use is common
Use of tea tree oil-containing shampoos is so widespread, you can even find reports of people using tea tree containing shampoos to combat seborrheic dermatitis on other skin surfaces (for example, facial seborrheic dermatitis).
Seek minimal formulas with simply ingredients
When using a tea tree containing shampoo please check the ingredients and try to choose one with the least number of ingredients possible (as a general rule of thumb). This will help ensure the purity of the shampoo and lessen the chance of allergies/irritation to other ingredients.
Don’t forget to start slow
Just like the previous method, it is advised to start with a small non-visible area of the skin and see how you react. One such area is typically behind the ear or the scalp.
Time required for best results
Many of the shampoos are most effective if left on the skin for about 5 minutes. This gives time for the tea tree oil to do its job. Once the time is up, simply rinse and wash off.
The downside to this, is that shampoos contain surfactants (the ingredients that provide the cleansing action). Surfactants are known irritants and may aggravate existing seborrheic dermatitis symptoms.
If you plan on using this method, you could also consider using a tea tree oil containing conditioner instead. It’s more moisturizing than a shampoo and could minimize the chance for irritation.
3. Soap containing tea tree oil
This method is similar to the shampoo method above. Simply lather the tea tree oil infused soap on the skin affected with seborrheic dermatitis, leave it on for a few minutes, and rinse off.
Once again, it is advised to go for soaps which contain a simple and short list of ingredients. This helps to minimize adverse reactions and improve effectiveness.
The reason why this method ranks below the shampoo one is that most soaps are very drying, especially if left to soak into the skin. Dry skin will greatly accelerate the flaking caused by seborrheic dermatitis and this can be counter-productive to the primary goal of treatment.
Then why not rinse off immediately? Well, it’s because the tea tree oil needs time to successfully kill the yeast/fungi which are causing seborrheic dermatitis. Accordingly, I believe a tea tree oil infused soap is not the best for treatment of seborrheic dermatitis.
4. Broad range anti-fungal soap containing tea tree oil
There are also specialty anti-fungal soaps on the market. Many of which contain tea tree as one of the key antifungals. These soaps typically also include things such as neem oil, peppermint oil, and other popular anti-fungal essential oils.
The biggest problem with this particular method is that a wide combination of anti-fungal essential oils is often far too strong for seborrheic dermatitis affected skin. In addition, this wide assortment of anti-fungal ingredients increases the chance of an adverse reaction.
If you plan on using this method please follow the instructions included on the packaging of your particular soap. Once again, it’s recommended to test the soap on a small patch of skin not easily visible. Also, it’s advised, that you try diluting your first lather with extra water.
5. Tea tree oil water facial rinse
This method is the least likely of the above to have adverse effects. Simply mix a few drops of pure tea tree oil in about a half cup of purified water (purified either through boiling or through reverse osmosis). Then take this solution and gently apply it to the skin using your finger.
Since tea tree oil and water don’t mix well, you’ll find that the mixture will separate quickly. Be ready to keep mixing if the application is going to take a considerable amount of time.
Do not overly massage it into the skin, just simply dab it on. Try to thoroughly cover the skin affected by seborrheic dermatitis. Once you have used up all of the solutions, you can either rinse the skin with cold water (less effective) or leave it on to air dry (more effective). Rinsing off, however, will help minimize any adverse effects you may have.
6. Clay mask infused with tea tree oil
Another method for fighting seborrheic dermatitis with tea tree oil is in the form of a clay mask. For this method, you will need to purchase a clay mask product (bentonite clay masks are very popular) and a small bottle of tea tree oil.
Prepare the clay mask according to the instructions listed on the packaging and simply add a few drops of tea tree oil. Once the tea tree oil is mixed in, simply continue with the directions provided on the clay mask packaging.
Careful with application time
Applying tea tree oil to the clay mask will likely increase it’s drying effect, thus it’s recommended that you apply the mask for a shorter amount of time than specified.
This method has the benefit of allowing the tea tree oil to deeply penetrate seborrheic dermatitis affected skin. In turn, this allows its anti-fungal properties to really do their job.
My personal experience with tea tree oil
After trying all the solutions outlined above, tea tree oil did not prove to be a lasting solution for my seborrheic dermatitis.
The most effective method of application was the carrier oil one. It worked wonderfully for a short period of time (roughly about two weeks). After the first application, I was truly amazed and thought my seborrheic dermatitis problems will be a thing of the past. However, as time went by, this method lost its effectiveness and actually started to irritate my skin.
After the initial success of the carrier oil method, I went on to try all the other methods outlined above. None of them were any more successful than the carrier oil method. Many actually did solve the flaking and dryness issues, but in return, they left my skin red and inflamed.
Perhaps, I overused tea tree oil and my skin started to treat tea tree oil as an allergen. Perhaps, it did something to my natural skin biology and the anti-fungal effect was just too strong for regular application. To this day I am unsure why it abruptly stopped working and instead started to agitate my skin.
Summary and conclusion
Based on the possibility that tea tree oil may solve your seborrheic dermatitis issues and my own personal experience (tea tree oil did work tremendously well during the first weeks of use), I recommend that anyone suffering from seborrheic dermatitis give it a try.
- Seborrheic dermatitis is thought to be the result of an immune response to the by-products of a common yeast that resides on the skin’s surface
- Tea tree oil is believed to help relieve seborrheic dermatitis thanks to its antifungal properties that reduce Malassezia numbers
- Several small-scale studies have confirmed tea trees potential in seborrheic dermatitis treatment, but effectiveness is reported to be lower than commercial agents
- Application of diluted tea tree oil with a carrier oil low in oleic acid is the common way to utilize tea tree oil
- The typical concentration of tea tree oil is 5-10%; starting at a lower concentration is recommend to see how the skin responds
- Commercial products that contain tea tree oil can easily be found in most stores and online marketplaces
- Other approaches to integrating tea tree oil include a clay mask, facial rinse and anti-fungal soaps that contain a variety of additional essential oils
Maybe tea tree oil is exactly what your skin needs in its fight against seborrheic dermatitis. Feel free to give a try. If it works for your skin, make sure to leave some details in the comments below for other readers who plan on treating seborrheic dermatitis with tea tree oil.
Hi
Reply Permalinkl tried the tea tree oil treatment for my eyebrows. I used pure oil method over my affected area only and so far it works. The thing is I use it every two days and not evwry day. I gave my skin a rest from the oil.
Hi Kei,
Thanks for letting everyone know. Glad to hear you found something that works for you.
Is the pure tea tree oil not too strong? Did you have to let the skin adjust to this strength?
How often has this approach been working for you?
Thanks for the Info
Reply PermalinkHappy Holiday!
I cannot believe this horrible condition! My dermo prescribed 100 bottles of Stieprox 1.5% shampoo. I have been washing my hair every 3 days as recommended with the prescribed shampoo and it’s done nothing. My symptoms are still the same, constant scratching, burning and an extremely unpleasant feeling. I did a lot of research on the internet and came across Tea Tree Oil. Well let me say, it works great! My first time using it and I have not scratched my head! Unbelievable!! Highly recommended to anyone for Seborrhea Dermatitis!!
Reply PermalinkHi Tina,
Great to hear that the Tea Tree helped. It definitely felt much less damaging to the skin as well (or at-least it did for me).
What method are you using to apply it to the scalp?
Best of luck and thanks for the update.
Reply PermalinkI have had some luck with DHS Zinc Shampoo. It really calms down the itching and inflammation associated with seborrheic dermatitis. I have used tea tree oil for numerous other ailments and will definitely give it a try for this too. Thanks!
Reply PermalinkHey Lindsey,
Yeah I’ve had good results with H&S and Tgel shampoos in the past. The only reason I set out looking for other approaches was because the seborrheic dermatitis spread to my face and those solutions were too intense for the facial skin. Also I found the anti-fungal shampoos left my hair feeling slightly less healthy.
On a side note, as I got my facial seborrheic dermatitis under control, my scalp seemed to improve as well.
How did the tea tree oil work out?
Reply PermalinkThis is terribly written, lots of type-os and misspellings! I can edit and proofread. Please let me, this is very difficult to read!
Reply PermalinkHi Arika,
Reply PermalinkI’ve been meaning to go through each post and fix all the grammatical issues. My main objective was to delivery the information.
If you can help me out, it would be much appreciated.
I had success treating my scalp using t gel or dhs zinc shampoo, but recently I developed eczema around my eyes (not seborrheic dermatitis). After some trial and error, I have concluded that the shampoos are causing the eczema. That cleared up with a few days of no makeup and eczema lotion. However now my scalp is an itchy nightmare!! It’s visible because the worst areas are around the hairline. I was hoping tea tree oil would be my savior, but now I’m worried it will make my eyes raw again since the problem area is so close to my face. Any suggestions?
Reply PermalinkHi Jennifer,
Thanks for checking in and providing details regarding the DHS. Zinc pyrithione products seem to be fairly effective across the board.
As for the tea tree oils, it’s probably to strong around the eyes. The fumes alone can irritate the eyes and cause issues.
For about a year now I’ve been having good success with Cetaphil Restoraderm products. I’ve briefly outlined this towards the end of this post. Other readers have also reported fairly good results, however some had reported irritation and burning feeling. So, it’s probably a good idea to try to locate some samples of the stuff. If your in Canada you can write Cetaphil directly and they will mail you a sample, otherwise check your local paediatric clinic as they typically carry a wide variety of samples.
Hope that helps and best of luck!
Reply PermalinkHi Michael,
Have you ever tried mixing tea tree oil with honey at all?
I’ve used manuka honey as a cleanser or mask for a month and it has done wonders for flaking around my cheeks, but has never really helped my chin. Last night I tried adding tea tree oil to a mask and saw immediate results around my chin. Certain areas were flake free…I haven’t seen that in a long time.
I’m not sure if the tea tree oil would work that fast?..or if the mask is finally penetrating the flakes on my chin. Anyways, thanks for all your work! This site has been a wealth of knowledge for someone who’s just recently dealing with seb derm.
Reply PermalinkHi Nick,
Thanks for the update.
Unfortunately I have not tried this. Seems interesting, but overall I don’t think I had any success with mixing any of the natural treatment options. Keeping it simple always seemed to have the best results.
Sounds like the tea tree may have killed the bacteria in that area. Likely that’s where your sebum concentration is the most suitable for their survival and growth. Or as you mentioned, maybe the the mask has finally penetrated.
Amazing that you have kept up with the honey for a whole month. Personally, was never able to keep on with the lengthy regimen as something always seemed to come up.
Look forward to any future updates and best of luck.
Reply PermalinkJust to update, it’s been 7 days that I’ve added 1 drop of 100% tea tree oil to my honey regimen. My chin has never been this flake free and is continuing to improve! No longer do I have this seb derm film (biofilm??) that has plagued me for months on my chin.
Adding the tea tree oil also coincides with me starting to pre-mix my honey with filtered water. Before I was just applying tap water to my face and then applying honey. I’m not quite sure if it’s strictly the tea tree oil or using filtered water that has helped, but it is encouraging!
A bit of background: This will be week 5 that I’ve used manuka honey cleansing day and night, using the honey mask for 1-3 hours every other day (so time consuming). No other topicals.
Reply PermalinkHi Nick,
Thanks for the update and good to hear about the results! Hope things stick around.
Yeah, it would be hard to say, but sounds like the anti-fungal properties complimented the honey well for you.
Just an update from my end as well. Have actually stopped using Cetaphil and haven’t washed my face with anything but water for the past 1.5 weeks. My skin currently looks even better than while using the Cetaphil. The only think I’ve been using is a simple lotion I made for myself. Waiting for packaging and hoping to send out samples to community members.
All the best and let me when you have further updates. Would be interesting to see if you can replicate the long term results as the study.
Reply PermalinkI used tea tree long term generally with olive oil as a carrier, and i found very similar results to you. Works great in the short term but in the long term seems to irritate my skin.
Reply PermalinkI have been using fractionated coconut oil in combination with SLS free shampoo. It has not been effective
Reply PermalinkI am now dabbing apple cider vinegar onto my scalp, so far without success.
I am shocked by how much hair I am losing and can see myself being as being a bald FEMALE pensioner. Can anyone help?
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
Sorry to hear that. Ketoconozole seems to be the standard treatment approach from doctors, so you may consider giving this a try if nothing else is working.
For me, I’ve been using this shampoo for a while now and it seems to control the scalp most of the time. If I do see a random spot appear (usually around hairline), I use a bit of the Biom8 that I’ve recently created (details here).
Tea tree, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, and most other things didn’t work too well for my scalp.
Strange that the shampoo mentioned above fixed things so well for me.
Hope that helps and best of luck.
Reply PermalinkPS. You can also join the community, perhaps other members might have some input.
With all the short term solutions you’ve found (tea tree oil, shampoo, etc), have you ever alternated between them? For example, use the tea tree oil until its ineffective then switch to shampoo, then revert back to the oil.
Reply PermalinkHi Carrie,
Not specifically, but with all the solutions I had attempted I guess I was inherently alternating between them.
In my journey I had always just wanted to understand what was going on and why the skin condition was there in the first place.
Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best.
Reply PermalinkI have seborrheic lesions on my scrotum and severely dry skin on my testicles. is it safe to use the tea tree oils in that area of my body?
Reply PermalinkHi Robert,
Personally wouldn’t recommend using any essential oils (such as tea tree) in those areas. These oils are quite volatile and may not be the best choice for sensitive skin.
Using more mild anti-fungal such as the oils contained in the Biom8 I created may be more suitable.
Have you ever approached a dermatologist with this issue?
Hope that helps and best of luck mate.
Reply Permalinkits vs “it’s”. Get an editor because your spelling is terrible.
Reply PermalinkI finally have my scalp under control! I gave up and saw my doc, who actually listened. I am allergic to SLS in shampoo so he found me one without parabens etc. He gave me Sebco coconut oil compound to use overnight as prescribed, then Capasal shampoo. For the first time in years my scalp isn’t driving me mad !
Reply PermalinkHi Dawn,
Happy to hear you managed to find some relief. Thank you for sharing.
Reply Permalinki’ve been dealing with this for a while on my scalp, and am also experiencing hair loss and thinning. i also tried tea tree oil shampoo and it worked at first, but then seemed to start acting as an irritant. i’ve tried t/sal, but it doesn’t seem to do much. for a really long time, i thought it was dandruff due to dry skin, so i tried t/gel, and i think i might try it out again.
(i had a limited supply when i first tried it, as i was living in korea at the time and could only find it when i would visit the US once a year. i thought that korea’s horrible air pollution and terrible water - which causes really dramatic thinning hair in the older population, while younger people have thick luscious hair - might have had something to do with it. i recently moved to oregon where the air is much cleaner, but i’m still experiencing the same issues. that was a bummer to figure out.)
i also read about “sebulex” on webmd and found its generic, sebex, on amazon for $5.04 plus free shipping. i’ll try them separately. i’ll be perfectly fine if the first one i try works and i have to give away the other! i have to say that it’s so nice to see others’ comments and know that others feel what i feel. it’s embarrassing, and i’m happy to see other things to try out! thank you!
Reply PermalinkHi! I have been reading into a lot of this as I have had severe dermatitis on my face for six months now. Steroids from doctors have not worked and in fact I believe have worsened my situation. After reading all of the comments and your article, perhaps have you considered Dermodex mites as a possible cause? I have just discovered articles on these and a treatment for them is tea tree oil. However most comments on posts about TTO and dermodex have suggested that the skin responds well to the carrier oil/TTO treatment at first, then as the bacteria mites die off it becomes red again however, eventually levels out and the skin calms down. However the cycle of these little critters can go on for months and results take a long time to set it apparently. Perhaps this is similar to the cases here as these mites affect the skin and scalp. I believe you can get culture tests at doctors to see if the mites are present in large numbers. In fact according to these other articles, everyone carries these mites in their skin glands but if an extreme increase in numbers occurs this is when a skin reaction is caused. I am going to give castor oil/TTO a go and see if it helps.
Reply PermalinkI am a 49 yr old woman, currently going through menopause. I feel it important to mention the above as I NEVER had problems with sebborheic dermatitis until now. My first experience with s. d. was on my scalp along with hair loss. That said my hair loss is obviously not due to just s.d. alone. I have currently been using tea tree oil and olive oil as a carrier and it has most deffinently and successfully gotten rid of my seborrheic dermatitis. It is now on my face so I will be trying a tea tree water rinse on my face. I don’t claim to know all about essential oils, however tea tree has been a blessing and from here on out will be a staple in my medicine cabinet!! I hope this helps someone that has sebborheic dermatitis as it can be very difficult to get a handle on if not treated promptly.
Reply PermalinkGOOD LUCK I HOPE IT DOES THE TRICK!!
I’ve used the Tea Tree Oil for the last month and I thought that was the end after 1 years of dermatitis.
Reply PermalinkUnfortunately, one day I worked in the hot sun and when I came back home my skin became red and inflamed.
Now I want to take a brake of a week or two (I will use all my motivation and strength of will to don’t scratch myself) and then re-try with the tee tree oil.
Anyway … I want resist!!!
Hi Mikaela,
Any update on your castor oil/TTT experiment? About to try the same, starting from scalp and eyebrows tho…
Reply PermalinkHi Lynzo,
Thanks for providing the details on your experience. Each single piece of information helps.
Interesting to hear about the shampoo, seems like the active ingredients are sulfur and salicylic acid. Personally, didn’t see much benefit from salicylic acid and sulfur has a really strong odor (kind of a pain for every day use).
However, at this price point it seems like it can’t hurt to give it a try.
For me, this shampoo has really been good:
Andalou Naturals Moisture Rich Shampoo
Haven’t had much issues with dandruff since I started using it.
Additionally, this article may be helpful:
Reversing Seborrheic Dermatitis and Hair Loss
It goes over quite a bit regarding hair loss and seborrheic dermatitis. And some of the research is going into a new scalp formulation I’ve been experimenting with.
How did the sebex shampoo turn out for you?
Reply PermalinkWish you all the best!
Very informative article! Tea tree oil is really beneficial to treat any kind of fungal and skin infection. In my opinion tea tree oil is one of the best remedy to treat Seborrheic Dermatitis.
Reply PermalinkI used it every night for months. No change. Still have seborrheic dermatitis.
Reply PermalinkI’ve got an absolutely horrid patch of dermatitis across the left ear and the surrounding skin on my face. I have found that Tgel shampoo helps with the flaking and tea tree oil, when used very carefully, helps with the insane need to scratch and pick.
Reply PermalinkHello all. I have had a very similar experience. The oil worked wonderfully for few days and today it suddenly stopped to make the difference. Don’t know why as it’s not irritating the skin, just stopped working as if the SD learned how to bypass it. My struggle is on again.
Reply PermalinkHow about using TTO with carrier oil and also using a TTO containing shampoo? Would that be too much?
Reply PermalinkI’m 44 and just began dealing with this in certain areas of my scalp, as well as just a bit of the skin around my hairline. Since I have healthy waist length hair I have every intention of keeping, my problem was not only how to prevent worsening and possible hair loss, but not destroy my hair in the process.
I did a lot of research, including discussions with my doctor and hairdresser (you really do benefit from biting the bullet and being honest with your stylist - believe me, they’ve seen it all before, if not dealt with it themselves). For my hair care, I use the generic /CVS version of Neutrogena Max Strength T/Sal every 3-4 weeks, with a rubber tipped stiff brush to help work it in and remove any built up spots from the scalp, and only the roots of my hair. Then I follow up with my regular Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo and a conditioning mask. The rest of the time, I just use the TTS for my whole head and a light conditioner from the ears down.
Where my doctor came in has by far helped the most, however. I have to insert the usual disclaimer that I myself am not a Healthcare professional and you should talk to one before using any type of supplement, but what he told me (and this made so much sense) is that a huge number of people have immune-compromised skin due to lack of Vitamin D. We work and go to school under fluorescent lights, cover up to prevent skin cancer, and even exercise indoors. He told me to start supplementing with D3, so I did.
In the months since then, I have not only found that the SD is under control, but that my skin overall looks, feels, and is healthier. About a month ago, I had this wild idea to poke holes in the D3 gel caps, and simply rub the oily substance inside onto the area I was still struggling with; my hairline especially around my ears and forehead. It took about 6 of the little sucker to get enough oil to really saturate those areas, and then I slept with it on. I haven’t had a single flake, itch or flare up in those spots since then.
I don’t know how this would work for others, I suppose it could cause an unpleasant reaction to sensitive or damaged skin, but I was in tears of happiness the next morning when I showered and found in the mirror glowing, flake free skin surrounding my face.
Just a few tips on what I discovered in my research and have had good luck with. My hair has not fallen out, thinned…if anything I’d say it’s better, likely from the vitamins as much as anything. I take C and Zinc as well.
Reply PermalinkThese people are talking about a problem with a skin condition!!! And u come on here to correct grammar!?!) Get bent!!! I have read every posting on here and have had no trouble whatsoever until I came across your posting trying to correct grammar like some kind of anal bitch!!! You remind me of my ex girlfriend and guess what there is a reason she is my ex…She is a b***h …!! Much like yourself!!!
Reply PermalinkThanks for posting about the vitamin D. I have recently expanded my itching issues to my arms and legs and the vitamin D3 supplement seems to be helping.
Reply PermalinkI am 54 going through menopause. This is my first time I have had SD first on my scalp in which I scratched to death got a secnodary infection now been trying to heal the area then got SD all over scalp then on my face. OMG it’s been a 4 month night mare. This menopause sucks. I have tried all sorts of stuff naturally got it mostly under control then a flare up here and there. Trying Tea tree this am so hope this will help.
Reply PermalinkIf you do not recommend coconut oil for the skin, what other carrier oil do you think will work.
Reply PermalinkAva - my situation with SD is very similar to yours. You may want to try the DHS Zinc shampoo on Amazon. It is pricey, but it really helps. I also use it on my face when needed. Trying to attach the link.
Reply PermalinkI have just started using tea tree oil mixed with water to try and treat seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp and in my ear. It seems to be helping with the itching and flaking but as I said I’ve just started. I try to use it once a day right after my shower. I must say it works better than the expensive prescription I received from the dermatologist!! So I’m hopeful that this might just do the trick. I use pure tea tree oil , a few drops on a cotton pad and then dilute with a few drops of water. Pat it on the areas affected. (this dilution was suggested by my hairstylist)
Reply PermalinkI just ordered this on Amazon thanks for the link.
Reply PermalinkHi, I am middleaged and have suffered from seborrich since age 6. The very best and most easy solution I have ever found, was to apply 100% Aloe Vera solution to affected areas. Its amazing effective, and hereby shared with any who could benefit of this.
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