scalp eczema

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I have had eczema for 16 years now on different parts of my body. I have had it on my scalp now for almost 10 years. I can not find anything that helps. I have done all of the steroids which worked for a while but have not had any effect in over 5 years. head and shoulders, selsun, natural shampoos...nothing is working. i tried gluten free but i did not do it whole heartedly, i take fish oil, drink lots of water, tried EVOO wraps, dumped vinegar on it......i have done everything i know to do. Does anyone else have any suggestions? It has grown from the base of my hair line up passed my occipital bone and CONSTANTLY itches. It looks like i have dandruff because of how scaly it is. I live in MN so the weather changes like crazy. Please let me know what you think. Thanks

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  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
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    my son had something to that effect, i believe, and my mother in law suggested putting baby oil on his head..it took it away after 2 tries..you can try that maybe..she put it on his head and left it on for about 20 mins, then washed it out..they say baby oil works to remove dry dead skin and dirt behind ears too, so it could be worth a shot..best of luck
  • Lamber8301
    Lamber8301 Posts: 10
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    I have psoriasis on my scalp, and I use Tea Tree mint shampoo to help. It really cuts down on the flaking and itching!! After years of thinking I had dandruff and nothing working, this was a lifesaver!! GL!
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
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    I'd say stop trying random solutions and see a doctor. If the Dr won't take you seriously, get a referral to a dermatologist, and make sure you emphasize that this has been going on for over a decade and you want it fixed once and for all. Any serious dermatologist will not only do skin biopsy but also ask you to catalog everything in your house/apartment that could be causing this problem (including pets, clothes and clothing types, plants, etc).
  • amyakj
    amyakj Posts: 21
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    I'd say stop trying random solutions and see a doctor. If the Dr won't take you seriously, get a referral to a dermatologist, and make sure you emphasize that this has been going on for over a decade and you want it fixed once and for all. Any serious dermatologist will not only do skin biopsy but also ask you to catalog everything in your house/apartment that could be causing this problem (including pets, clothes and clothing types, plants, etc).

    i stopped asking the dr about it because all they wanted to do was put me on steroids. :( I did see a derm years ago and got the same thing from him. i don't have insurance and i don't have the money to pay them to tell things that I know don't work. I was hoping for something more natural
  • Tree72
    Tree72 Posts: 942 Member
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    Well, I've never been diagnosed with eczema, but I have had dandruff most of my life and many bouts with several types of dermatitis. I've tried bunches of things that may help some for a while, but little that works to a significant degree or long term. Even the prescription dandruff shampoo only helps some. The shampoo that has worked the absolute best for me is the dandruff and psoriasis shampoo by Jason Natural Cosmetics. I've found the tea tree oil in it makes a significant difference for my skin.

    I've also noticed a significant improvement as I've been losing weight. It's hard to say for sure, but I partially attribute it to getting enough exercise so that I get much more blood flow to all parts of my body. And I partially attribute it to eating "cleaner"; I have a lot less processed foods with their preservatives, additives, or highly processed ingredients now.

    Best wishes on finding some relief. It's truly miserable (and a bit embarrassing) to be itchy all the time.
  • amyakj
    amyakj Posts: 21
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    i have tried Jason shampoo and i couldn't stand the smell and i would smell it all day long. And yes it is very embarrassing. i actually used to shave the back of my head so i could rub the creams in better. it worked for a few years but i havn't shaved my head in a long time.
  • msbrownbeauty87
    msbrownbeauty87 Posts: 34 Member
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    I have had eczema for 16 years now on different parts of my body. I have had it on my scalp now for almost 10 years. I can not find anything that helps. I have done all of the steroids which worked for a while but have not had any effect in over 5 years. head and shoulders, selsun, natural shampoos...nothing is working. i tried gluten free but i did not do it whole heartedly, i take fish oil, drink lots of water, tried EVOO wraps, dumped vinegar on it......i have done everything i know to do. Does anyone else have any suggestions? It has grown from the base of my hair line up passed my occipital bone and CONSTANTLY itches. It looks like i have dandruff because of how scaly it is. I live in MN so the weather changes like crazy. Please let me know what you think. Thanks


    I am not to familar with eczema but i use 100% shea butter and one of the things it says it treats is eczema. Also there is a soap called dudu osun that may help. hope this helps.
  • hmkeith
    hmkeith Posts: 9
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    I have it and my kids have it. The best thing you can do is add a probiotic to your diet (think the good bacteria in yogurt). There are several promising studies on the use of probiotics to treat eczema and it has helped us all quite a bit. The bottom line is that eczema is diet related. You need to get a food allergy test done. They usually cost around 100 dollars and test foods and combinations of foods to tell you what could be triggering it. It will also help your weightloss and health to know so it's win win.
  • amyakj
    amyakj Posts: 21
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    thanks everyone. i think i am going to eliminate a few potential food allergens that might be causing it and see if i get any results. If not i will go back to the Dr.
  • amyakj
    amyakj Posts: 21
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    I am not to familar with eczema but i use 100% shea butter and one of the things it says it treats is eczema. Also there is a soap called dudu osun that may help. hope this helps.

    Thank you! I ordered the dudu osun today!
  • momoftheyear
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    thanks everyone. i think i am going to eliminate a few potential food allergens that might be causing it and see if i get any results. If not i will go back to the Dr.

    You may want to try an elimination diet and add the foods you suspect are causing eczema back one by one. It really sucks but it will be hard to determine which allergens are causing it if you dont do it all the way. I had to do it while breastfeeding my son and it's hard but definitely doable. My son had a horrible eczema rash that has cleared completely with eliminating his allergens.
  • carrie_lebel
    carrie_lebel Posts: 135
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    I use oil of oregano on everything. You can get it at a health food store in a dropper bottle. It is quite potent so you have to mix it with evoo so it doesn't irritate your skin too much. Look it up on the web. I use it on rashes, foot funguses, yeast issues it works great. It is really smelly so be ware. Do your research on it. And you really might want to get some allergy testing done. I would find a local bio medical doctor and do a food blood panel and see what foods you are sensitive too. Major allergen foods are gluten, casein, soy, corn, eggs, try no milk and wheat products for a bit and see.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
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    You have my sympathy. I had horrible eczema an my thighs for years. The itching is maddening. My college roommates and husband tell me that I used to scratch in my sleep. For some reason, it mostly went away when I got pregnant and hasn't come back in a big way. My daughter has had a few issues with eczema too. For her limiting dairy, especially cow's milk has really helped.

    I found that lotions with stearic acid in the first couple ingredients tend irritate the eczema.

    Oatmeal baths helped calm the itching for a while. I keep a box of new knee high hose and Quaker oats around for oatmeal baths. I take a good handful of oats and tie them loosely in the knee high then toss them in a warm bath. Then soak away. To make it work faster whizz the dry oats up in a blender or food processor first.

    I know what you mean about Drs frequently being useless for this. I had awful issues from the time I was an infant and all that ever did was prescribe steroid creams and say that I'd grow out of it.
  • poesch77
    poesch77 Posts: 1,005 Member
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    I feel your pain! I developed Psoriasis in my 20's in small patches ....one elbow, eyelid, corner of one eye, palm of one hand, inbetween finger, now recently in my frickin ears! It is REALLY bad on the back of my scalp and I dread wearing black!! I to have seen 2 different Dermatologist....them giving me like 5 different creams for each area....annoying keeping them all straight! One did tell me to do the Baby Oil and wrap head in a turbin overnite...never tried this as I have very oily scalp and this would be awful!! Stress will aggravate it as does hormones.....I have found no relief and am constantly scratching!!