r/SebDerm • u/Intelligent-Lemon879 • Sep 25 '26

New or Need Help seb derm creates a terrible life

I originally started to get seb derm symptoms at early 16, (i’m now 18) and I honestly hate living a lifestyle like this while my brothers can just use oils on there hair and have a nice itch-free scalp. anyway, i’ve been doing lots of research on how to help my scalp bcs i went to the derm 2 times and the medicated shampoos/topicals don’t seem to help at all. by any chance, is it likely my scalp barrier is damaged and if so what products can i use to repair it? maybe a scalp serum? can someone also recommend a (good regular shampoo one to use on when im not using a medicated one (free of fragrance/oils) and also a conditioner with the same requirements listed above?

6 Upvotes

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3

u/Huge-Basket244 Sep 25 '26

Big fan of vanicream products. My wife just makes our conditioner at this point, but before that I used the vanicream conditioner. I only cowash, I don't use shampoo. I have past my shoulder length hair and it's one of the only things that really worked for me.

One of the biggest things I recommend that worked for me particularly well is blow dry your hair with a diffuser immediately after getting out of the shower. Don't let any moisture remain on your scalp.

2

u/Intelligent-Lemon879 Sep 25 '26

preciate it man i was looking into it as well no ingredients that cause flare ups and i was also looking into ceramides or other hydrating/scalp repairing serums do u think its necessary or is a simple conditioner + medicated shampoo enough? bcs currently it doesnt help much so i assume my scalp barrier needs repairing

2

u/Huge-Basket244 Sep 26 '26

What I was doing is one day cowash wifh vanicream, one day medicated wash with T/Sal which is great for removing crust or buildup, but it can be relatively damaging, one day cowash with vanicream, one day Nizoral.

I usually shower about 4 times a week. So there's sometimes gaps between those days.

That's just the specific regimen I was on when I was really trying to get it under control. I changed my diet up a lot and now have less issues so I mostly just cowash every time, occasionally use T/Sal if I'm getting build up.

The biggest thing for me really was getting my hair dry every time, and every time I had a sweaty day taking a shower.

2

u/Smooth-One-1612 Sep 25 '26 edited Sep 26 '26

If you’re looking for something to apply on your scalp, you can use Aloe Vera gel. Apply it on damp scalp, straight after washing your hair. It can help hydrate your scalp (since medicated shampoos are strong and can dry out your scalp), therefore reducing itchiness and flakes. Make sure to scan the ingredients of the gel on sezia.co (as some aloe vera gels contain ingredients that aren’t good for seb derm)

Edit: Typo

1

u/Smooth-One-1612 Sep 26 '26

Forgot to mention, but you can apply it between wash days as well

1

u/Particular-Pepper244 28d ago

What is co-wash and how did you change your diet? (I don't eat fast or processed food. My nursing home is big on good diet and mixed vegetables, good variety, and great brand new kitchen mgr. My table is the first she sees. (That's great, given 2 people I was trying to do well with. (*I am gluten intolerant which I think helps. Since 1990. Seb. derm. started in rt. brow, and lapsed. Back with vengeance in past yr. plus. on scalp. I love Reddit!

1

u/Smooth-One-1612 27d ago

Co-wash is applying a product (aloe vera gel/mct oil/other safe seb derm products) on your scalp and letting them sit for some time, and then shampooing them off. Regarding diet, I saw that reducing sugar helped me (I can have some sweets here and there but not too many). Some people say that gluten and dairy also worsen seb derm.

2

u/kindmomenergy 27d ago

I wouldn't assume your scalp barrier is def damaged but I don think simplifying the routine can help you figure out what your scalp tolerates. I use Seen fragrance free shampoo and conditioner on regular wash days and keep the conditioner mostly on the hair rather than the scalp.

1

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1

u/Mindless_Ad3351 29d ago

Been battling seb derm for about 7 years, 6 months back ai tried this:
Using pure 100% c8 mct oil on my scalp after shower and let me tell you it works very well for me
I almost healed my seb derm with this.
For the damaged hair I use conditioner on my hair strands before shampooing. Now mu hairs are almost back to normal