If you’re worried that your shampoo is aggravating your seborrheic dermatitis rather than helping it, you need to find a shampoo that is both effective and non-irritating!
What are the things to avoid in a shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis?
- Fragrance: scent (aka perfume, parfum) can further damage an already depleted epidermis and cause inflammation and itchiness
- Sulphates: listed as SLS/SLES or ALES, sulphates (also spelled sulfates) can damage the top layer of skin
- Alcohol: alcohol is yet another skin irritant which can inflame rather than soothe your scalp
- Synthetics: additional ingredients such as colours and preservatives
Many shampoos contain agents which will tackle the yeasts that coexist with seborrheic dermatitis: ketoconazole, selenium sulfide, pyrithione zinc, salicylic acid, coal tar etc. But almost all inevitably also contain fragrance or fragrance-maskers to make the shampoo palatable to use, harsh preservatives and sulphates, and even dyes, all of which can potentially make the skin more inflamed rather than less.
If that’s true for you, we’d recommend a two-step strategy to clear your scalp, one which allows you to avoid potentially irritating ingredients while still getting to the heart of the problem. This neatly solves the problem of medicated shampoos that themselves contain ingredients that can irritate sensitive skin!
Two-step strategy to clear your scalp
- STEP 1: clean hair and skin with Balmonds Natural Shampoo & Body Wash: this is a super-mild, unscented, natural wash that will clean effectively without damaging the scalp. Contains herbal extracts of calendula, chamomile, chickweed and nettle.
- STEP 2: apply Balmonds Scalp Oil: try regular applications of Balmonds Scalp Oil to keep skin healthy and hydrated. The oil's hero ingredient is borage seed oil (also known as star flower), which is exceptionally rich in gamma linoleic acid (GLA), and has been shown to reduce inflammation when applied topically to the skin. You can use it as a topical rescue oil, dabbing on patches of skin that need some attention, or as an overnight conditioning treatment. It contains naturally anti-inflammatory plant extracts as well as purifying tea tree and rosemary. (Top tip: if you leave the oil on overnight, put down an old towel on your pillow, and wash out in the morning with more of our natural shampoo!)
Recommended products:
Balmonds Natural Shampoo & Body Wash
with calendula & chamomile
Balmonds Scalp Oil
with tea tree, nettle, borage & rosemary
