exphairimentation
Dec. 24th, 2006 05:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ewtOkay, so the shampoo-free thing is working fairly well for me - my hair is still not as soft as it was when I was using masses of conditioner, but it isn't getting dirty and manky after two days, and the condition seems to improve over time.
My scalp, on the other hand... well, it's been very up and down. Specifically, it's really good for a day or so after being saturated with apple cider vinegar, but the rest of the time the seborrheic dermatitis is pretty bad, and that's making the roots of my hair oily (which isn't too bad) and also making me itchy and uncomfortable (which is what I'm trying to avoid).
The obvious solution seems to be to use the apple cider vinegar more often. However, I can't just start washing my hair every day - because my back won't really put up with me leaning over the sink or bathtub to only wash my hair, and my skin absolutely won't have me getting that much wet every day. The other problem is that the built-up dead skin and sebum and stuff stops the apple cider vinegar from getting all the way to my scalp much of the time.
So, new PLN:
-oil dissolves oil, so once in a while (once a week? once a month?) I will condition my scalp with a combination of oils chosen for their skin-friendly properties.
-ACV is good, aloe vera gel also helps me, and lavender oil is meant to be particularly good for balancing sebum production, so I will make a scalp toner liquid that contains these things and use it every day or every other day. It shouldn't leave enough residue to require rinsing out.
So, given those requirements, a fair amount of reading on the interweb, and the availability of materials on a Sunday that is also Christmas Eve, I have concocted the following:
Thick Oily Hair Goo:
-manuka honey (~2 tbsp)
-palmer's cocoa butter formula (~2 tbsp)
-pure coconut oil (~2 tbsp)
-lavender oil (half a tsp)
-olbas oil (ten drops)
-tea tree oil (five drops)
-dried rosemary (couldn't find any rosemary oil)
-olive oil
I really should have heated this a bit to get the oils to mix a little better, but when I got lumps of coconut oil in it I just melted them with my hands to apply them to my scalp. I'm currently sitting waiting for the hot water, with lots of this on my scalp and brushed through my hair as well. I smell like a cross between salad dressing and medicine. It certainly feels very soothing, though.
Thin Scalp Toner Liquid
-after-sun lotion that is mostly aloe vera gel (couldn't find any pure aloe vera gel and I've run out of what I have with me in Brighton)
-apple cider vinegar
-half a tsp lavender oil
-5 drops tea tree oil
-10 drops peppermint oil
-1 tbsp dried rosemary
I'll see how this works. The PLN is that the lavender and peppermint will mask the vinegar smell enough to make it bearable to put this on, brush my hair, and then go out before it's quite dry. If it isn't working well then I'll make a batch without so much aloe in it, and see how that goes.
I've been very sparing with the tea tree oil in both of these as I've been known to have a mild allergic reaction to it previously - things like dousing my entire head with it (another recommended technique for seborrheic dermatitis) are simply not an option for me.
If this works I will be very pleased. It will work out cheaper and less itchy than coal tar shampoo.
Time to go massage the oily hair goo into my scalp some more and then wash it off.
EDIT: Okay, I had to use castille soap to get the oil out of my hair, but it feels AMAZING now. I'll see what it's like when it dries...but so far I am very happy.
My scalp, on the other hand... well, it's been very up and down. Specifically, it's really good for a day or so after being saturated with apple cider vinegar, but the rest of the time the seborrheic dermatitis is pretty bad, and that's making the roots of my hair oily (which isn't too bad) and also making me itchy and uncomfortable (which is what I'm trying to avoid).
The obvious solution seems to be to use the apple cider vinegar more often. However, I can't just start washing my hair every day - because my back won't really put up with me leaning over the sink or bathtub to only wash my hair, and my skin absolutely won't have me getting that much wet every day. The other problem is that the built-up dead skin and sebum and stuff stops the apple cider vinegar from getting all the way to my scalp much of the time.
So, new PLN:
-oil dissolves oil, so once in a while (once a week? once a month?) I will condition my scalp with a combination of oils chosen for their skin-friendly properties.
-ACV is good, aloe vera gel also helps me, and lavender oil is meant to be particularly good for balancing sebum production, so I will make a scalp toner liquid that contains these things and use it every day or every other day. It shouldn't leave enough residue to require rinsing out.
So, given those requirements, a fair amount of reading on the interweb, and the availability of materials on a Sunday that is also Christmas Eve, I have concocted the following:
Thick Oily Hair Goo:
-manuka honey (~2 tbsp)
-palmer's cocoa butter formula (~2 tbsp)
-pure coconut oil (~2 tbsp)
-lavender oil (half a tsp)
-olbas oil (ten drops)
-tea tree oil (five drops)
-dried rosemary (couldn't find any rosemary oil)
-olive oil
I really should have heated this a bit to get the oils to mix a little better, but when I got lumps of coconut oil in it I just melted them with my hands to apply them to my scalp. I'm currently sitting waiting for the hot water, with lots of this on my scalp and brushed through my hair as well. I smell like a cross between salad dressing and medicine. It certainly feels very soothing, though.
Thin Scalp Toner Liquid
-after-sun lotion that is mostly aloe vera gel (couldn't find any pure aloe vera gel and I've run out of what I have with me in Brighton)
-apple cider vinegar
-half a tsp lavender oil
-5 drops tea tree oil
-10 drops peppermint oil
-1 tbsp dried rosemary
I'll see how this works. The PLN is that the lavender and peppermint will mask the vinegar smell enough to make it bearable to put this on, brush my hair, and then go out before it's quite dry. If it isn't working well then I'll make a batch without so much aloe in it, and see how that goes.
I've been very sparing with the tea tree oil in both of these as I've been known to have a mild allergic reaction to it previously - things like dousing my entire head with it (another recommended technique for seborrheic dermatitis) are simply not an option for me.
If this works I will be very pleased. It will work out cheaper and less itchy than coal tar shampoo.
Time to go massage the oily hair goo into my scalp some more and then wash it off.
EDIT: Okay, I had to use castille soap to get the oil out of my hair, but it feels AMAZING now. I'll see what it's like when it dries...but so far I am very happy.
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-24 06:18 pm (UTC)I was down to washing my hair only once a week, and the seborrheic dermatitis was making it unbearable. I probably have this because of hormone imbalance caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome (which even my useless GP says I probably have - but I can't get a diagnosis until I've been off oral contraceptives for Quite Some Time, and even then there are false negatives), so it's likely that I'm always going to be prone to it. The problem is that if I don't treat the fungal overgrowth that causes the dermatitis, the dermatitis will prompt my scalp to make more skin and sebum than is normal. This means a) I need to treat the fungal problems regularly and b) every once in a while I need to remove buildup, especially if I've messed up and not treated the fungal problems adequately for a few weeks.
I'm planning to continue from here by applying the apple cider vinegar stuff every day or every other day, but still only actually washing my hair (with water, maybe some bicarb or an egg, or diluted castille soap if necessary) once a week, and see how that goes.