PHOTO BY CREATEHER

Whenever at that place was a hair conversation in grade schoolhouse, I never failed to hear a girl say "my scalp is similar a sponge, so I have to grease it everyday." Post-obit that statement she would eyeball my hair and (non so) subtley hint that I should invest in some Dax to practise something most the flakes on my shirt. Little did they know I take a status chosen seborrheic dermatitis. Did information technology e'er make me self-witting? Only when people would beg to pull flakes out of my hair. Bad-mannered much?

What is Seborrheic Dermatitis?

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition where your sebaceous glands overcompensate in oil production. It has been attributed to environment, general health factors, genetics, and irritation from a yeast chosen malassezia. In instance you are wondering, yep malassezia is a categorized under the genus of fungi. Is it due to lack of hygiene? Non at all. The condition has been passed on genetically in my family.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic skin status where your sebaceous glands overcompensate in oil production.

The biggest setback in attempting to stabilize my status was going on an oil frenzy. Although a flaky scalp is commonly associated with dandruff, if you are faithfully oiling your scalp and even so experience intense flaking and itching, y'all may have seborrheic dermatitis. Applying scalp oils with the intentions of leaving them on will only agitate the inflammation.

An increase in how frequently y'all cleanse is essential to reducing the aggregating of flakes and dissolving the backlog sebum on your scalp. Below are steps to maintaining a clean scalp and moisturized tresses.

MORE: Does an Itchy Scalp Equal Hair Growth?

5 Scalp Care Tips

  1. Hot oil treatments:Apply oil to your scalp, cover your pilus with a processing cap, and let it to sit for 10-15 mins while either nether a hooded dryer or with a warm towel. This volition loosen the flakes from your scalp. Gently utilise the pads of your fingers to agitate scales that may be adhered to the scalp. This can also function as a dandy pre-poo.
  2. Cleanse:Co-washing will not exist sufficient to remove the flakes, sebum, and the hot oil treatment. It is best to use a shampoo to lift and remove the dirt and oil. If you need a potent shampoo I propose trying some formulated with containing coal tar, pyrithione zinc, or salicylic acrid help to effectively clean the scalp. Make sure you focus on the scalp and exercise not overly shine the cleanser down the length of the hair. Rubbing it along the length can cause excessive dryness and crude upwardly the hair shaft.
  3. Deep status:The shampoo will refresh your scalp but leave your hair feeling similar it was put through a shredder....forward and reverse. It is inevitable that the cleanser will rinse forth the length of the hair, and so information technology's best to follow upwards with a deep conditioner in order to reinforce and seal in wet.
  4. Do not oil (or grease) your scalp:If seborrheic dermatitis is a result of your scalp overproducing sebum then last thing information technology needs are additional oils irritating the inflammation. The hot oil treatment helps to loosen the flakes earlier cleansing only oil should not exist applied with the intentions of not cleansing off.
  5. Create a cleansing regimen: Direct-hair ladies are usually encouraged to shampoo more oft than curlies, but that is non ideal for curlies. It volition only exist through trial and error that you customize your regimen co-ordinate to how quickly oil and flakes announced on your scalp.

What'south next?

Haven't seen a specialist yet? Hither are 15 situations where y'all need to see a trichologist.

This is what my wash day with seborrheic dermatitis looks like.

Hither are three things you should never put on your scalp, according to a trichologist.

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This article was originally published in 2012 and has been updated for grammar and clarity.