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Originally Posted by MouseWife
What is this with the vinegar???? Please help!!! I have now worried I have harmed him in some way by having him use it so long but he really has problems.
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I'm happy to help. I went through too many years of being embarrassed not to speak up about it.
As I understand it, dermatitis is caused by a concentration of fungus that eats at your scalp. There's no preventing it, it just happens to some people who are more susceptible.
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Originally Posted by Mayo Clinic
Malassezia lives on the scalps of most healthy adults without causing problems. But sometimes it grows out of control, feeding on the oils secreted by your hair follicles and causing irritation that leads to increased cell turnover. The result is a large number of dead skin cells. As the cells fall off, they tend to clump together with oil from your hair and scalp, making them appear white, flaky and all too visible.
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If you don't shampoo daily, the skin flakes build up. Sometimes even if you do shampoo daily, the skin flakes still build up. So what you've got to do is freak the little bugs the hell out. If they get used to a certain pH (say, you're using Neutrogena regularly) they're going to be able to fight it better. So switch to one that uses a different ingredient every month or so. Tar-based, Selenium-based, zinc-based... my preferred shampoo is Nizoral, a Ketoconazole-based product.
But as I said earlier, the best thing I can ever do to my scalp is, after shampooing, to pour on a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, rub it around a little and let it soak. Yes, it will sting a bit, but it's worth it. Rinse thoroughly - and yeah, he'll probably smell a little of vinegar that day. But I find I only have to do this infrequently and it totally settles things out for weeks afterwards.