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Hi All,
I recently found this site looking for a clue. I have a problem:
I have psoriasis of the scalp and need to use medicated shamboo anywhere from daily to several times weekly. The shampoo contains 12% coal tar and 2% menthol (Denorex extra stregth plus conditioner, green bottle with a pink top). I need to leave the shampoo on my head for at least 5 minutes and cannot use conditioner after wards (for at least an hour) or it deactivates the menthol. I do brush the shamboo through my hair before I let it set while wash the rest of me. To top off the problem, I also have to apply a petrolium based medicated cream to a few trouble spots every so often.
After a few week's treatment like this, my hair is rather oily and sticky. the only way to remove the excess oil is to use a cleaning shampoo like Aussie Citrishine, or simmilar harsh mix. I can then properly condition my hair.
So clearly my hair is REALY dry (But has a nice shine). My hair Is now 2 1/2 hands long (About 2.5 feet give or take) and hangs to the small of my back. My hair looks quite nice until it gets gunky but my hair has begun to break off even with light brushing. My Dr. does not know what to say about the problem. I started to take Vitamin B and C which helped some but the hair's still breaking off and frizzing up.
Does anyone have any suggestions for keeping my hair from getting that dry or managing it better? I'm especially looking for hypo-allergenic shamboos/conditionrs to use when not using the medicated shampoo or perhaps to use BEFORE I use the medicated stuff.
NB: Conditing oil is out as is de-tangler. Adding oil gives me that "Wind-Shield accident victem" look inside a week. So far suave all-in-one for normal hair works okay but is too heavy and reduces the shininess I enjoy about my hair.
Suggestions? Work Arounds?
TIA,
Sam, smyling
Hey Sam -
I'm not sure about this, but I don't believe the menthol has any real medicinal effect other than to make your scalp feel cool and tingly so you'll experience some tactile sensation that the real medicine (the coal tar solution) in the Denorex is "working," so I wouldn't bother to wait an hour before conditioning... particularly the mid-shaft and ends of your hair that aren't in direct contact with your scalp.
I'm sure people must think I'm getting some kind of financial kickbacks for always recommending this, but Infusium 23 Leave-In Conditioner is really great stuff! You can skip a rinse-out type of conditioner altogether if you want and just use it... it would never have to come in contact with your scalp where you have the dermatological problem.
As for vitamin supplements - have you tried Vitamin E? Best of luck!!
As well as trying Infusium 23 Leave-In Conditioner for detangling and conditioning, try Neutrogena's shampoo... I think it's called "Daily Clarifying" shampoo. Good, basic shampoo without a lot of additives.
Oddly enough, the menthol has medicinal effects:
1) Actually creates a small chemical burn to the irritaed tissue while drying up the excess oil on my scalp that adds to the problem. The drying/mild burn cause the Coal tar to absorbed more easaly. It's the coal tar that needs to remain on my scalp. Conditioners deactivate (actualy they dilute) the coal tar and have a noticable diffecance in treat ment.
I've gone from near 15% scalp coverage to less than 2% scalp using the mentolated shampoos. I rarely need to use the cream on my scalp while I use the medicate shampoo.
I'll give a try to the infusioum - I've seen it around at CVS.
Thanks for your help!
Sam, Silvermanes advice is important and you should try some vitamin therapy right away, C,B,E and any other antioxidants you might also want to use. Obviously your immune system needs a good boost. You also might consider that the chlorine in your water is exacerbating your problem exponentially especially if you have actual areas of broken skin. Get an inexpensive shower filter and see what happens. Chlorine is very drying to the hair and scalp and everything else (the airborne chlorine from the hot shower can even be damaging to your lungs) especially those with sensitive skin and your ends breaking is a sign of outside influences rather than internal trouble since that hair has been dead for a long time. Have you tried Nature's Gate Tea Tree Oil shampoo? An old friend said her husbands lifelong dandruff and scalp troubles were cleared up in a matter of weeks while using that stuff. Also, you can oil or condition or care for your ends without affecting your scalp, just as Silvermane said, and you should, they are obviously very fragile right now and could use some help. I never condition the top part of my hair, only from about the shoulders down, so you shouldn't be conditioning your scalp hair anyway. I can't use Infusium and neither can one of my boys, but the other two use it regularly and I would never be able to get the hubbys hair to be anything but a mass of dreads without it no matter how much jojoba conditioner I try to get him to apply, so if your hair is the right type that will make a difference too.
Good luck, hope some of that helps.
Best wishes,
Dawn
exacerbating your problem exponentially especially if you have actual areas of broken skin. Get an inexpensive shower filter and see what happens. Chlorine is very drying to the hair and scalp and everything
I already use one. It helped in reducing my mean body coverage from about 25% to a about 15%. Adding the menthol shampoo with the triamcinalone reduced the mean coverage by about 10% (that tells you how nasty my scalp was).
Nature's Gate Tea Tree Oil shampoo? An old friend said her husbands
No I have not. Where can I find it? Any chain stores that you know of? Web Address?
about the shoulders down, so you shouldn't be conditioning your scalp hair anyway. I can't use Infusium and neither can one of my boys, but
I'll try the infusium!
Thanks for your help!
I get my Natures Gate stuff at my local grocery store and its widely available at health food marts of all kinds, also online at places like Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe and the like. Some folks have even found it at Target.
Good luck!
Best wishes,
Dawn
Itchy scalp? Do try a "for hair" vitamin supplement for about a week, just to be sure your problem isn't simply one of not getting enough vitamins! I cleared my itchy scalp up in a few days that way, and I know another longhaired man who did the same.
The beauty of curing an itchy scalp with adequate vitamins is that they help the hair instead of hurting it like most other treatments do.
You will need a "for hair" vitamin formulation to see results, not ordinary multi-vitamins. In particular, the hair formulations have several times the usual quantity of certain B vitamins, which are important for skin and hair health. And growth!
No good, unfortunatly. I do take extra vitamins to prevent further problems but they are no cure :<
Thanks!
I went through the same thing about 15 years ago. The dermatologist prescribed the shampoo and cream. In addition, he prescribed a clear, watery medication (can't remember the name). I stopped the other two (didn't seem to help). But I used the clear medication with much success! My regular doctor prescribed it a couple of other times when it came back. It did not mess up the hair.
Tim
I looked and found some of the medication. (It's old, but I wanted to make sure I remembered what it was in case it ever came back)
Floucinolone Acetonide
It works and won't damage your hair like the others. Ask your doctor.
Hope it helps,
Tim
Hiya Sam,
I haven't answered a post in awhile but I thought I'd jump in here since it sounds you have beautifully long hair and really need help.
I've had a couple of bouts of the problem you're having. Mine seem to have been set off by yet unknown triggers. (The most likely culprits are chemicals in hair products, weather and stress combined.) Do you know what is causing yours? Remember, NOBODY responds to the same things the same way so definitely try all of the recommended treatments. Dawn's family really illustrates that.
Psoriasis is not the same as dandruff or itchy scalp but I found that sometimes the treatments for those can help alleviate the psoriasis. Yes, apparently, the coal tar (YUK! Let's just go back a century or so, eh? COAL TAR!)is the active ingredient in the Denorex but you shouldn't need to hesitate to put conditioner or other hair products after you've left the stuff on for a bit so I'm really curious as to what's exactly wrong.
I used Neutrogena T-Gel shampoo AND conditioner. They're both for yucky scalp and always left my hair in really good shape. Try that brand. I used to use it and whatever conditioner I wanted. Email me if you want.
(NO-I'm not a shill for any specific hair products. I'm female and have had long hair for most of my life. We get trained in this kind of nonsense, remember?)
XOXOXO to all longhairs...
I used to use the Neutragena product but my psioris stabilized at 15% scalp coverage with the product. When the doctor recommended chaging to the mentholated stuff because I got a bad burn from the Salacilic acid shamboo, My coverage dropped rather quickly to below 2%. I can keep it stable by using the special shampoo a few times a week. when I need to, I can use the menthol shapoo as a body wash as well. It's certainly safer than the Balnetar tub soak (even when you add oat meal) because the tub soak leaves the tub very slippery.
As for triggers, I 've had all the tests. The triggers seem to be Winter/Full summer (extremes of humidity) and of course fabric softner, and many comercial perfumes. I used to cut my hair each year , but the methol shampoo made such a differance that I've not needed to in 3 years (thank god).
Tahnks!
Thanks, though!