Asklemmy

I started on the carnivore diet.

A doctors prescription.

This is sort of second-hand advice, because luckily I've never really had any kind of skin/hair issues (except that I'm now losing the later, but I made peace with that and shaved my head)

But my wife has had some dandruff issues in the past, so I've learned a little from her.

Part of the issue is that there's kind of several different issues at play that cause dandruff or dandruff-like symptoms, and common usage of the term often doesn't really differentiate between them very well, even though the appropriate treatments for them may be very different.

For a long time, a lot of focus with dandruff was on fungal causes, and so a lot of the commonly-available anti-dandruff shampoos and treatments work, at least in part, by being antifungal.

Of course, if your dandruff isn't actually caused by fungus, antifungal ingredients won't do anything to help with your dandruff problem, and may even make it worse by drying out or irritating your scalp. That turned out to be my wife's case, and her issue improved significantly by basically switching to any other shampoo besides anti-dandruff. It took a little fine-tuning and trial and error to figure out which shampoo and conditioner worked best for her, but the big first step was staying away from anti dandruff products.

There's a lot of different combinations of hair types, skin type, and underlying conditions that could be at play, so there's no-one-size-fits-all solution. If you haven't already, a good first step is probably to talk to a dermatologist, or if you already are working with one, it may be time to look for a new one.

Failing that, do some research, figure out what send like is most likely to be causing your issue and the l how to treat it, try some things, if they don't work, try some different things, repeat as necessary.

Scalp psoriasis and "bad skin" are two very different conditions that require different therapy. For psoriasis, Betamethasone helped me the most in 20 years, and finally biologicals. However I can't get absolutely rid of it. I can recommend light clothes, so if possible no black shirts etc.

For anyone interested, I created [email protected] a while ago, feel free to make the first post!

When you shower you're supposed to vigorous rub your scalp with your finger tips. Some people don't get taught how to do it.

[EDIT: P.S I once got rid of a psoriasis like skin irritation by giving it an even cover of yakult three times a day (once in the morning, once at lunch time, and once before bed). My theory on why this worked is that it reset the biome whilst forming a protective shell that deprived oxygen to the effected area.]

I'm not sure it's good to approach this with a "how do I get rid of" mindset. Unless you have some other specific circumstances, these are conditions that we live with. However, working with a doctor can help. Also, your own personal experience will, too. Diet, topical products, and possibly medication could all play a role. I have had excema and dandruff for my whole life, but thru watching what I eat and keeping track of what I use, I have a pretty good system that works for me. I didn't get the excema figured out until my mod twenties (from a management standpoint), and the dandruff until mod thirties, but I feel OK about those things now. I would have been better off, I think, if I consulted with a doctor as a teen. I really recommend this. Don't be afraid of a second opinion.

A lot of this shit is affected by what you eat. If I eat a lot of sugar and gluten it definitely affects my skin and dandruff 2-3 days later.

Besides what a lot of people said, try to stick to foods that don't cause inflammation or reactions.

Purelan, lanolin cream. It's sheep fat. Can't use it for your hair, but you can use it everywhere else.

I stopped using shampoo and condition once a week. My scalp looks great and my hair is neither greasy nor dry.

Tar shampoo was the only one that worked for me OTC.

Personally...I embraced my curly hair and started learning how to take care of it.

It started with the No-shampoo movement. The thing about most shampoos, especially dandruff shampoos, is that that are very harsh. "The tingling tells you it's working" is bullshit. That's your skin drying out from the chemicals. And the more you use it, the more dandruff you have when you stop and the more you need to use it. It's a vicious cycle. Then you have to use a conditioner just to try to put moisture back into your scalp, but silicones can't hydrate like natural oils that your scalp produces can. The biggest confusion is not washing my hair for a few days, and ending up with dandruff and greasy hair.

After not shampooing for about 3 months and then only using shampoo once every 2 weeks, I found that my dandruff almost disappeared. Almost...because I was still using harsh shampoos that would strip all the moisture from my head and dry out my scalp. My hair would be oily for a few days and then return to normal after a few showers. That's when I decided to grow out my hair and learn to take care of the curls. I discovered that most shampoo are harsh because of the sulfates, parabens, phthalates, alcohols, and other chemicals designed specifically to strip your hair of oils. Switching to sulfate free shampoos stopped that cycle immediately. Learning about conditioners and other hair products brought out curls that practically every woman I meet would kill to have for themselves. And I haven't had dandruff or itchy dry scalp ever since, even on the coldest and driest days in the winter.

Treat your beard the same way. The skin underneath still needs the oils it produces to stay healthy. Use the same sulfate free shampoo to wash your beard and allow your skin to heal and rehydrate naturally.

I use a lotion called topicorte prescribed by a dermatologist. Not using it affects my eczema as a whole.

My doctor prescribed taro-mometasone (I think that's how it's spelled?) and it worked like magic. None of the other stuff worked. I tried Head & Shoulders, then Nizoral and Neutrogena T-Gel, and I don't remember what else. It was so bad that it was clumping and scabbing and my hair was falling out. I struggled for a year and then my doctor gave me that thing and the problem just vanished. It came back once a year later and then never again. It's been several years.

Changed my diet, which helped my hormoes to get under control. Lchf

The only thing that works consistently for me is to wash my hair and scalp with baking soda. May sound wierd and I don't know why it works for me but it does so I'm continuing to use it

Psoriasis.

This shampoo helped me (mostly) get rid of dandruff and itching: https://farmakom.ua/en/products/shampun-digtyarnij/
So a birch tar shampoo.

However, after 3 years I finally decided to go to a dermatologist. It was getting bigger and bigger, and now my hair wouldn't cover it up. She prescribed me some corticosteroids (betamethasone 0.5mg/g with salicylic acid 20mg/g) for 10 days (twice a day) and that did it. But I consider corticosteroids a last resort. It causes skin thinning and with long term use it may cause topical steroid withdrawal when you stop using it. Just search for TSW and check images, not nice.

Now it's been roughly 2 months since I stopped using it. Seems mostly OK so far, but there's no permanent solution to psoriasis, unfortunately.

I also had a flare up in the groin area for around 2 years, but I felt too embarrassed to mention that. Unfortunately, what I got prescribed specifically mentioned to not use it there. But there's no way I'd be able to mention that to my dermatologist, so after a while of searching I decided on a lower dosage: once a day for 5 days.
It worked perfectly, but I wouldn't recommend it, obviously.

Try using a non-alcohol-based lotion. If you can't find one, I've had good success with Eucerin. I put lotion on my face and scalp right after my shower, and don't have any itchiness or flakes.

I couldn't find a shampoo that fixed anything for me.

If you have it on your elbows or knees (very common), you can try Aquaphor at night. That is pretty sticky, but keeps your skin calm and moist.

A dermatologist can give you some prescription lotion/cream, as well. That also works, but it's typically a small tube and expensive.

I eliminated shampoo and my hair and scalp feels so much better. Skip the shampoo and use conditioner only. Once your scalp adjusts its oil production, my hair is so much better. Your scalp will overproduce for the first month or so as it’s used to all of its oils being washed away by shampoo.

For the record I have white person thick heavy hair that is curly

Anti dandruff shampoo with selenium sulfide as the active ingredient. You can start with the medicated versions like the other comment mentioned because it has the strongest formula. Once you have it under control, you can switch to a milder version. I started with medicated Selsun Blue. After about 2 weeks, my dandruff was gone. Then I switched to the milder version with conditioner and that’s what I use to maintain it. You can also lather a little bit on your beard and eyebrows while shampooing. It helps too.

My cat likes to clean my hair.

Here’s what you do: go to the store and buy 3-5 dandruff shampoos with different active ingredients and cycle between them every time you wash your hair and face (don’t shy away from smearing the shampoo on your face as well). Also, leave it on there a few minutes before rinsing.

Also vitamin D oil is great for face and beard.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BGMCLC4J

This shampoo is great to add into the rotation. The same company makes a face cream that is super good, too.

I found the routine that works for me which is Selsun Medicated shampoo twice a week and tar shampoo in-between. I still get dry and a little bit itchy scalp but no visible shedding flakes.

The tricky part for me was to realize that overly aggressive shampoos do more harm than good, so the dosage of active ingredient is key. I used to use Neutrogena Tgel Therapeutic tar shampoo, with the lowest dose of tar component, it is however hard to find now and looks like it's being discontinued, so I switched to MG217 Therapeutic 3% which I dilute with whatever generic shampoo my family is using.

Have you been to a dermatologist? If not, maybe you should book an appointment there and let a specialist look over your issue.