Seborrheic Dematitis - Causing stubborn greasy stringy hair?! Help!

Physician, heal thyself! Just like my daughter is doing for her eczema, google your condition and research, research, research! Cortisone cream seems to "work" at first but thins the skin, making it prone to breaking and bleeding! And medicated shampoos strip the scalp of natural oils, which are essential for natural hair/scalp heath. So, GO NATURAL eg organic virgin coconut oil to replace the cortisone cream and extra mild soap or shampoo to replace the medicated stuff. Try not to get upset. In fact, could your emotions/stress have caused this in the first place? Look to the root of the problem (excuse pun!) and I wish you WELL. X

hi there - well, I am AMAZED that you have found nothing on google that matches your condition - have you tried looking at images of this condition on google? The shampoo may be building up somehow - have you tried gently combing/brushing your hair to help separate the strands before shampooing it? In fact, it might be a good idea just to gently comb/brush your hair (depending on thickness) from scalp to hair tip every day for the natural oils to work on it and not shampoo it for, say, a week or even two. Greasy hair does not mean dirty hair, ok? What about a hair cut (to get rid of those "disgusting strands") - I've cut mine short after having it waist length most of my life (I'm 53) and I feel much better (no more knots!) Don't give up the research. Have you googled: "natural cures for greasy/strangly hair"? I reckon this is your body saying: "love me" so love yourself! Rest easy! X

 

Hi! I literally have the exact problem and have been battling it for years I'm only 19 and my hair is thinning really badly! Greasy hair is not fun and really frustrating but the key to fight your seb derm is research. Only yesterday after months and months of research i have finally found a breakthrough. 

If you think about it, the main reason we have sem derm in the first place is due to the oil which breeds bacteria and yeast and causes flakiness and all sorts of other gross problems. So instead of trying to treat yourself with oil reducing products, shampoos, etc. that will only reduce it temporarily and not eliminate the root cause of the issue, we should be trying to determine what is the reason our body is producing so much oil so the condition will be eliminated.

The reason we have seborrheic dermatitis is due to overactive sebacious/ oil glands in the body (hence greasy scalp etc.). If you want to stop it for good you have to stop what is causing these overactive glands. 

A really realy common reason ive found for overly oily glands is when us women have too much testosterone/ androgens/ male hormones in our bodies. This  causes things like balding of the scalp, oily dandruff & greasy hair, excess/unwanted body hair in other areas which is something I suffer with, & oily skin and acne, etc. So if you have one or more of these things it is honestly worth a check from your doctor to see if you have too much androgen in your body.

In my case a lot of the symptoms described are what I have including a greasy flaky scalp & unwanted excess body hair, so it instantly clicked that this might just be it. So im probably going to the doctor this week and getting it checked out. Ive heard that people usually have their issues such as seb derm cleared after they are put on anti-androgen treatment. I'm finally happy Ive found the cause and now I can be able to treat it properly! Ive battled with this for a while and its so hard and you feel crappy a lot of the time. Before it gets worse research/ or go to your doctor to see if you have too much androgens,etc. Goodluck

Please try to use extra virgin oilive oil on your hair after washing them. This should reduce the hair loss and retain moisture in your hair. Shampoo only once a fornight but feel free to wash them under water as and when you like.

Hope it helps.

Treating the symptoms is good, but what about the underlying cause. Are you having a greasy diet? By greasy I mean having excess oil. Oil comes in:

pre-cooked meals, nuts and seeds (less digestible and more difficult to process if not lightly toasted), dairy (milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter), meat, and of course cooking oil, vegetable spreads, etc.

 

I get this when I am very stressed. My hair starts to get almost waxy and won't wash out. I use baking soda and vinegar to get rid of it. Vinegar is the most important part. I recommend trying it out to see if it works for your hair.

Searchinggirl, Did you ever find something that worked to get rid of the greasy, stringy locks? I have been dealing with the same thing on and off for five years, likely androgen sensitivity. I can't take anti-androgen medication (sensitivity) so have been taking saw palmetto, but when seasons change i really suffer for weeks at a time (hair loss, greasy sticky stringy locks). Nothing has worked consistently

My best bet is to pre-treat with diluted zinc shampoo mixed with distilled water and wash with diluted baby shampoo (for suds) mixed with free.and clear shampoo. No conditoner, nothing else and then blow dry cold air. I literally react to everything else. Also have been eating GF, DF, supplementing with vitamins and kombucha daily. Still a hot mess at times. Lord help me through this perimenopause!

Hi there,

I have had this same problem for years. I've always had seb derm, but for over a year now my hair has been thinning/falling out a stressful amount and I've had the ongoing waxy/greasy hair problem.. mostly the underside of my hair too. I used to have it occasionally, but at the moment I seem to pretty much always have it and nothing really gets rid of it, or if it does, it just comes back again.

Please let me know if you found anything that works for this issue and the seb derm in general! xx

I can relate! I've had the problem at varying levels of severity for 7+ years now. I saw a dermatoligst today and asked about it and she "had never heard of what I'm describing" before.

I've tried apple cider vinegar and baking soda to remove it sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I have found that the shampoo T Gel works really well to get rid of it. It's harsh though, so I worry about using it every day as I've needed to to get rid of the oil lately. I'm scouring the internet for advice on how to prevent it instead of just washing it away every time it appears.

If you're reading this though, try the T Gel!