Since a while I have been struggling with waxy, sticky buildup on my hair, which appeared hours after shampooing. Usually a small patch at the back of my head, and sometimes the entire back of my head. I blamed my Henna, I blamed my styling products, till I found out that this waxy buildup on my hair was in fact a form of seborrheic dermatitis.
This blog post explained that a waxy, greasy scalp can be a symptom of seborrheic dermatitis. I very much agree with her that certain foods can trigger outbreaks of waxy buildup. (Especially animal protein, for like her I am milk-protein intolerant but am not very good at avoiding it). Stress, depression and sickness are other triggers.
Between washes you can spray your scalp with hydrolates of the above mentioned herbs. If you don't have access to hydrolates, you can prepare a tea out of rosemary, salvia or oregano and put it in a spray bottle. You can of course also use dry shampoo to tide you between washes.
Getting to know your triggers and managing seborrheic dermatitis can take a while, so don't get discouraged. Of course if your symptoms don't get better do consult a dermatologist.
Have you ever struggled with a greasy scalp? Or are you one of the lucky ones with a perfectly healthy scalp?
Photo credit: VenusianGlow
This blog post explained that a waxy, greasy scalp can be a symptom of seborrheic dermatitis. I very much agree with her that certain foods can trigger outbreaks of waxy buildup. (Especially animal protein, for like her I am milk-protein intolerant but am not very good at avoiding it). Stress, depression and sickness are other triggers.
How To Treat A Greasy, Waxy Scalp
If your sebaceous dermatitis is severe, do consult a dermatologist!1:1 solution of cider apple vinegar and water can be used to pre-treat my hair before washing, I like to leave it on for half an hour. I apply it on my scalp with a small sponge.
Fermented rice water also works really well.
If my hair is really greasy I mix baking soda with shampoo, but I do this as rarely as possible since it it quite harsh.
Diatomaceous earth and green clays are great against seborrheic dermatitis, but a bit tricky to use on the scalp. I like to mix them with a bit of gentle shampoo, massage into my scalp for two minutes, and leave on for a couple of minutes.
Shampoos with salicylic acid, zink, coal tar or urea can help with seborrheic dermatitis. It is easy to mix urea into your shampoo by yourself.
Dilute an antibacterial essential oil with a carrier oil (for eg sunflower) and massage it into the scalp. Tea tree oil is a good and gentle oil, other more potent ones are oregano, rosemary, tamanu, manuka, frankincense and eucalyptus.
Do take care of your digestive system, as it is often the trigger behind seborrheic dermatitis. Try eliminating animal protein or citrus fruit from your diet for a week or two and see if anything changes. What also helps are probiotics and simple, easy to digest foods.
It's also worth ruling out hormonal imbalances.
Between washes you can spray your scalp with hydrolates of the above mentioned herbs. If you don't have access to hydrolates, you can prepare a tea out of rosemary, salvia or oregano and put it in a spray bottle. You can of course also use dry shampoo to tide you between washes.
Getting to know your triggers and managing seborrheic dermatitis can take a while, so don't get discouraged. Of course if your symptoms don't get better do consult a dermatologist.
Have you ever struggled with a greasy scalp? Or are you one of the lucky ones with a perfectly healthy scalp?
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Zeta