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Hi all,
Something that has developed along my journey here in the last few weeks that has me a little worried...
Within the last few weeks, I've developed a pretty bad case of dandruff (along with some scabs here-and there) that dandruff shampoo can't take care of. Now I've read things online where it could be anything from a permanent condition to a fungal infection (yikes!) to something that can cause hair loss due to damage, but just curious:
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before... and if so, what ended happening???
I'm going to go to the dermatologist to see what's going on - today's Memorial Day, so they're closed >< ... but need a little peace of mind :p - seems like I'm having a little more hair fall-out than usual ~_~ ...
So you thank in advance for anyone's help and please have a great day ^_^ !!!
Sincerely,
Eric a.k.a. yoshiki
Hey there Yoshiki, as someone who's been struggling with dandruff issues on and off for many years, I can understand how frustrating it is. From my personal experience all that shampoos ever did was make it worse in the long run. I've tried pretty much everything on the market. The thing is that most anti dandruff shampoos have really harsh chemicals in them which may get rid of the dandruff for a day or two but these chemicals will also irritate your scalp and drain the sebum from it, causing your hair to be more prone to breakage/shedding, and your scalp to itch and be red. I don't know how often you shampoo, but let me tell you my routine for the past month+ which worked really well. First off STOP shampooing. I mean all forms of shampoo. Your scalp needs to re-adjust it's sebum production levels which will balance out the overall health of your scalp and hair. You may go through an awkward/oily phase of 2-4 weeks, that is normal. What I use now is a shampoo bar made by JR Liggett. These bars have natural oils and no sulfates/chemicals at all. They will NOT strip oils from your hair, but will clean it. As for conditioning, stop using whatever you are using and do the following. Mix a bit of apple cider vinegar with lukewarm water. use that on your head, make sure to massage into the scalp. Rinse with colder water. The apple cider vinegar helps fight the fungus that cause dandruff in the first place.
Anyway if you have any more questions feel free to ask. I'm shampoo free (except the bar) for over a month and my hair gained more density, body, and feels great! The vinegar rinse is great too and leaves the hair soft and feeling nice. Just don't use too much :)
Hi unrealxXx,
Hey, thank you for your suggestion... I'll definitely keep it in mind for the future - once I get past what I have ^_^ . I did try one night of not shampooing, like you suggested, but not having the right stuff and with my hair being fine, it just got too oily and clumped together :o . We'll see down the road, though :) . Thank again ^^ !
Sincerely,
Eric
Hi Eric,
Just stopping by to wish you luck with your Dermatologist.
thanks for the update,
rowie
Hi rowie,
Thanks for your kind thoughts :) ! I did make an appointment with my dermatologist... for an appointment one month away >o< !!! But in the mean time he prescribed to me "Fluocinonide (.05%)". It helps :D !
Anyways, since I haven't seen him yet, I don't know what I have... I know there has been some hair fall-out. Whatever it is, though, everything it ~could be~ keeps on saying it's could be an auto-immune disorder where the immune system attacks the good cells - so I'm thinkin', on my scalp??? Since when @_@ ??!...
So for now I'm going to lay off of the Biotin since it's the only thing I can think of to connect the two together with until I get a more definite answer :/ . Ah man, that was my golden vitamin, too >< ! Better than loosing hair, though ^_~ .....
We'll see what happens, though, we'll see ;) ~
Sincerely,
Eric
Hiya Yoshiki,
I'm dealing with dandruff as well. Years ago when it first started, I tried a bunch of different shampoos and nothing really helped and they were generally unpleasant, so I just used regular shampoo as normal and dealt with it.
Last month I picked up a bottle of Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff shampoo on a whim. I'm using the "Intense Cleanse" formula, which is a bit odd in that the shampoo has little beads in it and feels very gritty/sandy in your hands. It's too gritty to work through the hair like regular shampoo and I've found the best way is to coat your fingers and go directly onto your scalp starting at the hairline and working back. I massage it in until all the grit has dissolved onto my scalp, let it sit for a minute or two, and then rinse really well.
I'm pretty darn happy with it so far. It doesn't leave my hair smelling weird, it doesn't irritate my scalp, it hasn't noticeably damaged my hair, and it absolutely nukes dandruff away. In fact, it's kept me 98% dandruff free using it only three times per month.
Might be worth a shot for ya.
Hi Andy,
Yeah, I've used a Garnier Fructis product before, and the stuff isn't too bad :) . Actually, I think you're right along the lines about washing... lately I've been too lax when washing my hair (also doing a different conditioning routine), so I think it's what caused all of this dandruff. Hopefully it hasn't caused too much damage in return ;) .
Heh, it's all one big learning process - life is ^_^ .....
Sincerely,
Eric
At one time I worked as a stylist.
In terms of dandruff, it sometimes comes with a dry and itchy scalp, can happen anytime of year especially winter. Or even if your scalp is just itchy,
Try going to your public beauty supply store and purchase tea tree oil. Just add a few drops to your shampoo for use.
Of course consult with your physician too and any other hair professionals as well. Good luck.
here is an attached link as a starting point on research for tea tree oil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_tree_oil
Hey pc,
Thanks for the suggestion... I'll get some tomorrow :D ! Interestingly, I saw something about tea tree oil a day or two ago when searching the net about this stuff... sounds like a winner :) !
Speaking of the Doctor, just saw my regular one today (regular check-up), said everything as far as my hair is is fine... but I swear that my hair is falling out more than usual :/ . Being a former stylist, can you advise any on that part :) ?
Sincerely,
Eric
For one thing as a stylist, people over wash their hair (daily or every other day), strips it of natural scalp oils. Wash it 1-2 times a week. I wash mine once a week. once if course, 2x a week if hair is finer. I use conditioner to get the wide tooth comb through everyday, it some what massages the scalp.
When I tie mine back, I tie the sections from the sides and the top with a thin average non metallic (goody) or what ever name brand band from the drug store. Then I loop all the hair including the part I already tied through a thicker non metallic or non banded band. That way there is less tension than using 1 band to run all the hair through. I then use as many of the smaller bands as necessary below the larger band. slide off easily, without pulling when removing bands. Avoid rubber bands and hair elastics with metal bands
(those snag).
Every decade as we age, our hair density/thickness/width measures less in terms of micrometers.
In terms of hair loss, from what is out there is it could be hereditary, stress etc.
In terms of shedding, for example: all cats lose the same amount of hair a day, it just appears like it is more for long haired cats because it is more visible, just as it is for us. Even though it seems like we are losing a lot more.
Someways to aid in minimizing any effects which is controllable by us is by what we do with our everyday lifestyle in terms of diet relating to the overall care to our bodies.
Years ago I read that people who smoke or use tobacco products, have hair lines that recede more rapidly than if they did not use tobacco. Smoking constricts blood vessels which makes it difficult for all nutrients to travel properly. Thus the follicles do not get nourished properly.
Diet is critical. A lot of stylists and I have talked about this over the years.
Try eating more fish (omega 3 oils) such as salmon, tilapia, trout (minimize shell fish- high in sodium).
Stay away as much as possible from saturated fats and look more towards polyunsaturated/unsaturated fats that have less cholesterol in them like nuts, peanut butter. Protein is good, go for poultry and in terms of red meat, don't eat it more than maybe 2 times a week. go for leaner cuts of beef (may be tougher to chew, but less marbling fat) I eat bison (buffalo) much much leaner while it easily has all the iron and vitamins found in beef. also bison is allowed to roam in larger areas as opposed to beef being more penned up, thus bison is leaner and probably fed better than cattle. Stay away as much as possible from cold cuts very processed lots of salt and nitrates.
Beans are good also. So are fruits and vegetables.
Be wary of condiments, sauces (white sauces, alfredo, sour cream) very little nutritional value especially mayonnaise, very fatty. Marina sauce (spaghetti/pizza) is a better alternative, tomato based. Instead to flavor foods use spices such as basil, oregano, paprika, pepper, lemons (lemon juice, or oranges, limes) (do not add salt from the shaker)To flavor and season food instead. Most salad dressings (1000 island, bleu cheese, ranch) are not very beneficial either.Use vinegars or oils (olive oils etc) instead or I just use water myself. Drink more water and less sodas. Get plenty of rest too.
It may be a little lengthy, but I hope that some of it helps.
Hi pc,
Wow, I'm totally amazed... actually embarrassed at what little I know :o ! You could actually write a whole book about hair :D ! Not at all lengthy - certainly helps in big ways ^_^ ! I'm also a bit surprised about what you had to say about bison :o . Heh, well, can't say that I didn't learn something... or in this case, a whole lot of things in one day :p . Thanks so much for taking the time to type all of this ^^ (I'm going to save it for future reference ;) ...)!
Also today, I did go out to Sally's and buy the tree leaf oil... my hair feels totally different - smooth and relaxed, very nice :) . Thank you once again for all of your suggestions :D !!! I'll try to live healthier from here-on out >_> ...
Maybe stress-free ~_~ ~ :p
Sincerely,
Eric
I have been a long time reader of this board. I am recently a new contributor from Cleveland.
here are a couple of links off of the same site.
http://www.teatreeoiltreatments.com/
http://www.teatreeoiltreatments.com/tea-tree-oil-treatment-dandruff/
best of luck
Hi pc,
Ah, I see, Cleveland. When you mentioned bison, I was just curious and your knowledge is pretty darn impressive :) .
With those links you provided, I didn't know that tea tree oil was such potent stuff :o ! I'll make sure to keep it away from my daughter and from the others in the household who can't speak/read English :) . Thank you again ^^ !
One more-last quick question if you don't mind (I hope I'm not overdoing it >< )... I've been taking biotin for a while - a bit over the recommended dose. Do you know of any adverse effects of larger amounts of biotin on the scalp and/or body over long-term :o ? I recently quit taking it since I got the dandruff problem (I've looked up stuff about biotin before but am not expert ;) ...).
Glad to finally see you here - welcome :D and many thanks again one last time ^_^ .....
Sincerely,
Eric
I don't know much about biotin itself. But from reading online, adults generally require at least 30mcg a day in their diets. Foods that contain biotin are nuts, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter, brown rice, tuna, salmon, banana, carrots, sweet potato, low fat yogurt among many others. It is strongest or most abundantly present in nuts (peanuts). I also found this article that mentions individuals with type A blood don't have the ability to fully absorb B vitamins. Biotin is classified as a Vitamin B. There maybe other theories out there to read about biotin also. Tweaking the diet and incorporating these listed foods probably will aid in meeting and surpassing the minimum requirements for this vitamin.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/126771
http://ezinearticles.com/?Hair-Loss:-Biotin-is-Food-for-Your-Hair&id=126771
Hi pc,
Thanks for all of your help you gave, so much appreciated :D ! My dandruff is now gone and everything is back to normal, with many thanks to you ^^ ! Three cheers, my friend :D !!!
Sincerely,
Eric