Hair Conditioner for use after medicated shampoo

[beckster51]

I am posting this to see if anyone has a good experience with conditioner, either DIY or bought, for use after using shampoo to treat seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp. I must use these types of shampoos almost exclusively, and they leave my very thin hair dry and lank, especially in the winter. Every conditioner I have ever tried has aggravated my dermatitis and made my scalp feel greasy or itchy. Anyone have any ideas or good experiences?

 

[Obsidian]

I have seborrheic dermatitis too and conditioner is absolutely terrible. I have bleached hair though and have to use something.

Pantene foam conditioner is really light and rinses clean, one of the only I can use. If your hair is long, try to apply conditioner only to the length.

Cantu detangling spray for kids also works really well and can be carefully applied to keep it off the scalp.

What kind of shampoo are you using and do you use it? You shouldn't have to use it exclusively.
I apply mine and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to really work. A couple treatments gets things mostly under control.

 

[beckster51]

Thanks, Obsidian! I thought you had mentioned you also have this problem. I use selenium shampoos (various, Head and Shoulders, Selsun Blue), and I also occasionally use some shampoos with salicylic acid to remove flakes. I don't wash my hair every day since my scalp and hair are also very dry before shampooing. I have really short hair, so it is difficult to use conditioner only on the hair and not the scalp. I have found a shampoo that really makes my hair look thicker, shiny, and conditioned, but I don't use it often because it aggravates my dermatitis a bit, not a lot, but I imagine it would if I used it more than once every week of so. It is Triple Moisture by Neutrogena. It's hard to find, and I bought it online after reading about it on some forum.

I really appreciate your suggestions! I will look for both of these products. I really hate that my hair looks like straw most of the time.

 

[Obsidian]

My hair is short too but I'm trying to grow it. I have to wash every day or 2, any longer I'll flare up.

Most days I just use suave daily clarifying, it doesn't have cones or oils which can really irritate SD.
I used to use a prescription selenium shampoo but my insurance won't cover it anymore.

I've been using head and shoulders refresh for men. It has pyrithione zinc 1% and it seems to work better then selenium. Its also minty and really feels nice on a irritated scalp.

 

[beckster51]

I used H&S for a while, but it did not seem to work as well as the selenium preparations for me. But I have found that my body is an ever evolving situation, so I may try the H&S for men. The minty nature of the shampoo sounds wonderful. I have to wash my hair every couple of days to avoid flares. Again, thanks for your help.

 

[earlene]

I just don't use any conditioner at all. I haven't for years because they all gave me red blotchy skin every single time I ever used any one of them, so I just haven't ever tried again for the past few decades.

I do use a medicated shampoo on my scalp and sometimes if I leave it on for an extended period (a method recommended by my doctor) it is really hard to rinse it well enough to make my hair feel soft. So what I have done is simply use a mild regular shampoo to do a second wash. That leaves my hair feeling softer and I don't have to mess with trying to find a conditioner that won't turn my face into a blotchy red mess.

 

[beckster51]

Well, that's a thought. I had not thought about using a second shampoo. I will consider this, Earlene, thanks!

 

[Obsidian]

I sometimes use a second shampoo too. I try to just wash the hair and not scrub my scalp.

 

[beckster51]

See? I knew you guys would have suggestions. Thank you. I was stuck and couldn't figure out what else to try. I know this isn't a big deal in the greater scheme of things, but it's a daily aggravation.

 

[Kcryss]

I might be a couple days late to this discussion, but wanted to share that I finally just stopped using conditioners and started using coconut oil instead. Just rub a tiny bit into the palms of your hands after towel drying hair then lightly touch/scrunch onto hair ends. Soaks in quickly and leaves my hair soft and manageable without weighing it down. I have baby fine hair so I use very little.

 

[DeeAnna]

I second @Chris Veer's suggestion about using a teeny tiny amount of a light oil that doesn't aggravate the skin.

I've found you can do the same thing with a light hand or body lotion, if you have a lotion that your skin is okay with.

I don't have dermatitis (I feel bad for all of you who do!), but some hair care products make my scalp itchy. I more often than not use Chris's suggestion with a compatible oil or lotion.

 

[beckster51]

My hair is fine and thin like a baby's, no exaggeration. I have tried a teeny tiny bit of oil or lotion, but even a whisper of oil makes my hair look more thin, or as my mother used to say, like a cat has been sucking on it. HA HA Thank you for the suggestion, but it doesn't work for me.

I went to the drugstore and looked for all 3 products that Obsidian suggested, and they didn't have _any_ of them. But, I did find a new product from H&S that I used last night, and I really like it. They are now making a conditioner to match a new shampoo. I did not buy the shampoo because I have plenty. The conditioner is called RE-fresh Scalp Care and Conditioner, and it looks like this:

It is very light, contains 2% salicylic acid, and it left my hair shiny, and with increased volume. No more straw hair! So far, so good, no flare. We shall see over time, I guess. Thanks, Obsidian, for suggesting those products or I would never have found this. I will still look out for the ones you suggested. Thanks everyone, I appreciate your assist!

 

[Obsidian]

I second @Chris Veer's suggestion about using a teeny tiny amount of a light oil that doesn't aggravate the skin.

I've found you can do the same thing with a light hand or body lotion, if you have a lotion that your skin is okay with.

I don't have dermatitis (I feel bad for all of you who do!), but some hair care products make my scalp itchy. I more often than not use Chris's suggestion with a compatible oil or lotion.

The fungus that causes seborrheic dermatitis feeds on oil. Oiling hair in this case is absolutely the wrong thing to.

Unfortunately when you have SD, its a delicate balancing act between keeping the scalp happy and keeping hair moisturized.

@beckster51 so glad you found something that is working, lets hope it continues. I'm going to try the trader joes tea tree shampoo and conditioner. They don't have any cones, quats or polymers, the things that really irritate my scalp.

I would love to find a conditioner I can use ever wash. Ever the light foam conditioner can cause issues if I use it every time.

 

[beckster51]

Let me know how you like the TJ's products, and I will let you know how this conditioner works out. Maybe both of us will find something that works. Wouldn't that be terrific!?

 

[DeeAnna]

I'm not educated on seborrheic dermatitis, so my apologies for not understanding what a person with SD needs to be careful about. I'll just keep my mouth shut and learn from here on.

 

[beckster51]

No, no, don't do that. All suggestions are welcome!

 

[DeeAnna]

On a re-read, my last post sounded grumpy. It's been a frustrating day at work, and I'm not choosing my words very well here.

A more diplomatic try -- I realize I don't know much about SD and I want to learn, so I'll just quietly follow along with your conversation.

Thanks for the encouragement, @beckster51. 'Preciate that.

 

[Obsidian]

@DeeAnna no worries, its not something the average person knows about. I didn't know about oil for years after I was diagnosed. Wasn't until I joined a hair forum that I really learned about the condition.

Your input is always appreciated and for a average person, hair oiling is a great idea.

 

[DeeAnna]

Okay, so lemme ask a newbie question... I know many conditioners have at least a little bit of oil in them, so do you try to find conditioners that are specifically labeled oil free? Or do other ingredients in conditioner also cause trouble?

I know you can use just BTMS and water to make a very simple oil-free hair conditioner. Would this type of conditioner be an option to try?

 

[beckster51]

I am not familiar with BTMS, I don't think. Educate me, DeeAnna, as you usually do.