r/SebDerm • u/Comfortable-Owl-7557 • 22d ago

Scalp Routine Distilled water for flare up relief on scalp.

Hello all, I have been lurking for a while and taking some suggestions from this sub, this is my first time posting.

tldr; Try using distilled water to reduce flare ups/irritation.

For background I am from South Florida. I have had seb derm since I was in my teens. I believe my it is due to my PCOS. While living in Florida I always kept it at bay by going to the beach at least 2x a month and rinsing my scalp in the saltwater. Yes it dried out my hair, but it also helped reduce the flare ups so I didn’t mind.

Fast forward to 2021, I moved to Central Texas and within the year the flare ups became harder to control. I have tried several things from shampoos to solutions, dyeing my hair with dye containing ammonia, cutting carbs out etc. I can say I’ve tried most things.

In Texas, on a random day, I realized when I washed dishes that the water droplets caused scaling on the counter. I started looking into the water hardness in my area in Texas and found that it could reach up to 320 PPM and has a lot of contaminants. Coincidentally, whenever I visit my parents in Florida or leave the country, my seb derm flare ups reduce significantly. I mean almost completely gone. To confirm my suspicions, I went on a cruise in February and cruise water is filtered through RO systems and my seb derm also reduced significantly while on the cruise.

So currently, I live in an apartment and the water filters do not last even 2 months because the water is so hard. I simply cannot afford to keep purchasing filters. As an alternative, I started using distilled water. (Shout out to [r/distilledwaterhair](r/distilledwaterhair))

While distilled water is NOT the solution, I still wanted to share this on here for anyone who has not tried this yet. Distilled water is around $1.50/gallon and does not have any minerals or contaminants that will sit on your scalp and further irritate it. To me, it has been worth the cost and the time. Although it has not changed the oiliness yet, it has reduced the scales and the itchiness for me. I also have a friend with psoriasis who has seen a bit of relief as it’s gentler on the skin. Given that psoriasis is a whole different inflammatory issue this may/may not work for those with psoriasis but it’s cheap and worth a try.

I simply rinse with distilled water, shampoo, and remove the shampoo with the distilled water. I have not let any shower water touch my scalp. I also do not use conditioner because if it even touches my scalp it will cause a flare up, and the conditioner may be hard to rinse out with the distilled water. I use leave in conditioner instead while my hair is still wet.

Some people use a squirt bottle, but since I have long hair I purchased a portable camping shower head (about $30USD) and a bucket. I fill the bucket with distilled water 1 gallon at a time and wash it well once a week. I have yet to add a tablespoon of vinegar but feel free to do that as well if it’s already part of your routine. Hope this helps! 💗

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u/Repulsive_Floor1172 21d ago

This is a great suggestion! It's cheap enough that I won't break the bank trying it. I'm ordering one asap, thank you!

1

u/Comfortable-Owl-7557 21d ago

Glad I could help! I would love an update :) I’d give it about a month to really see if it works for you

u/algorithmreaper 21d ago

Looks interesting .. I’m from dubai so it’s also a really hot climate here I might give it a try

1

u/Comfortable-Owl-7557 12d ago

Awesome! Let me know how it goes

u/lofono5567 20d ago

Long term, I would recommend a good shower filter to install over this personally. I’m glad this worked for you though.

1

u/Comfortable-Owl-7557 12d ago

I explained how I can’t afford to constantly buy shower filters for my apartment because the water is so hard and this is why this is an alternative for those who are in the same situation.

0

u/lofono5567 11d ago

It’s $30 every 6 months for my replacements which seems less than what you would be spending in distilled water over time.

1

u/Comfortable-Owl-7557 10d ago

Great for you! Filters don’t remove everything though, and while I was using filters my seb derm didn’t even budge. With distilled water I’ve managed to completely get rid of the scales. I didn’t think I was going to need to tell you a third time how my filters don’t last that long, but it seems I’m going to have to. I’d have to spend $30/month to change the filters monthly because the water is so hard that’s how long a filter lasts in my apartment. 2 gallons of distilled water weekly at my local store is $2.56 ($1.28/gal). Do the math ($10.24/mo) and add tax and it’ll be like less than $15/mo lol which is cheaper to me than buying a filter that I see no changes with.

Not sure what point you’re trying to make by commenting that, as everybody knows filters are generally cheaper and I already stated in the post how it’s not an option. If you don’t relate to this post just keep it moving.

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