Psoriasis and dreadlocks

also i think not using shampoos with sulfates made a big difference. i wash with dr. bronners mainly, vinegar and baking soda when i want to feel really clean. tea tree oil helps a lot, aloe gel, salt water can help some people. but the main thing about psoriasis is it affects people differently so you probably know what helps you the most.

 

Do some forums searches here and elsewhere to see why this is Bad News™ for dreadlocks.

 

how so? when it is encouraged

 

Right, a couple of weeks ago I started looking around on the internet, hoping to find something that would help me with the problems I've been having with my dreads. I had a weird condition on my scalp and that's been going on for years now. I've been tested for Psoriasis but that's not it, but I've got kind of the same symptomes; itching, flakes, dry scalp. Sometimes more, sometimes less. (Sorry for the long explenation but I'm just trying to help people with the same problem...) Right, I found some sites and I read about people saying that salt water or going in the sea is bad for your scalp but trust me that's not true.. I'm a surfer so I'm obviously a lot in contact with salt water and it's true that it can be a bad experience for your skin but that's (in my case) only when you go in less than 3-4 times a month ... your body adjusts to it's surroundings (after a week of ocean, my skin feels great!) But this taken aside...

I put in dreads like 5 months ago so they are very young but the condition of my scalp got worse really fast so I had to find a solution and I started experimenting with different products, almost all of them are natural substances so they shouldn't do any damage.

I started washing my hear with 'Resdan', a green plastic bottle with a minty shampoo. I did this two times in one week and it really helped, I had no more flakes, the itching went away and I got a really relaxed feeling on my scalp. I suggest you try it, worked really great. after washing it with 'Resdan', I use a product from 'Weleda' with a Rosemarysolution and this also worked great, it's easy to use after washing your hear but I also use it without washing my hear (dreads..) And finally I also 'Tea Tree Oil' just Google it, really amazing stuff. I bought the shampoo at the drug store and the last two in the Bio-Shop (or a store that sells a lot of natural, new-age, essential oils,...)

So now my 'hear-care' looks something like this:
1st week: washed my hear twice with 'resdan'
after washing it, use the 'Weleda, Rosemarysolution'
used Tea Tree Oil on the days I didn't wash my hear.

second week: almost everything was gone so I now keep using the 'Weleda' and the 'Tea Tree Oil' a couple of times a week and now after three - four weeks my scalp is clear, the itch is gone and I can really enjoy my dreads now. And I don't have to wash them often.

Hope someone can use my advice. (read the information on the products to know how much or how often you have to use them.)

 

I have moderate to severe psoriasis on my scalp, from about the nape of my neck to my crown. I had dreads for 6 months before the itch became too much, and I did everything right. No wax, no products, residue free shampoo, etc. They were looking awesome, and I was going crazy, the skin chunks were highly visible and getting stuck on my dreads, and it was so hard to deal with.

Psoriasis is auto-immune, and causes your skin to reproduce at 7x the regular rate, flaking off in huge chunks way worse than regular tiny dandruff. Rather than medication, I believe the cause to be more linked to diet, unknown food sensitivities and stress.

If it's not that bad, or it's by your hairline, I'd say go for it. My scalp was just too affected to deal.

 

i am an herbalist and from that perspective there are several things you can do. one stop eating so many drying foods, eat more moisturizing foods, healthy fats, healthy oils. lubricate your system. reduce eating things like chips and breads, oily foods like cheeses (pizza) of course processed foods of any sort create allergic reactions in the body as it sees these things as foreign. the skin is the second source of expelling toxins- second to the liver, if the liver is overworked then it tries to push through the skin. you can also consider cleansing herbs such as burdock and dandelion combination, milk thistle, and nettles- which also help to reduce allergic reactions. i get these herbs and powder them into a jar with a coffee grinder, you can sprinkle them on everything you eat.

for your scalp you can use neem and teatree oil drops in rosemary tea. both are very good for tonifying and clearing out dandruff. soak your hair in a bucket, spray it all over your scalp, or massage it into your scalp adding

i did not read all the posts but the first post said use dr bronners peppermint, which for what its worth i would suggest not using. bronners is known to be drying to the skin and peppermint is drying and astringent. which means it tightens cells, making it even harder for your scalp to breathe. which is what it needs.

hope something in this is helpful. oh and dont wear black! and i also see that some of the things mentioned you are already following, sorry i didnt read 3 pages of posts =)

OM

 

Had a thought today, I was feeling dehydrated at work (dry lips), and figured, if you're dehydrated couldn't your scalp be dryer too? Would drinking plenty of water actually have a positive effect on flakes?

 

Start drinking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily, also nutrogena T gel works good. To get the flakes out of your dreads, take a little spritzer bottle and fill it with warm water and baking soda. spray it on the flakes and let it soak for a good while. then rinse it out, they'll be gone. I hope that helps

 

Drinking ACV?
Can I go with cider vinegar crisps instead?

 

Well I have dandruff due to seborrheic dermatitis and I heard drinking 2 tblspns of acv helps, so I did it and now 90 percent of it is gone, and I wash my hair with water most of the time.
and if i'm not mistaken psoriasis and seb derm are similar

 

Take a shot like a man:afro:

 

drinking ACV in fasting is also great to "clean" the system, if you know what I mean

 

My mate made me drink a shot of what was essentially lemon and garlic boiled down into a liquid.

It was not nice.

 

I personally use Neutrogena TGel + Bronners Eucalyptus (cause I'm heaps Aussie like that) and my dreads finally don't have any flakeys. However, I have been told that I do not need to use Bronners as well, I just do it to cover the TGel smell.

This method may or may not work for you, you just gotta try all you can. Took me 7 months to find the right thing for my scalp. Everyone is different.

 

TGel Works..:2thumbsup:..And We All Know It, So Why Waste Money Trying To Mask The

"Smell Of Success"....

Why Is It That The Further We Go North Of The NSW---QLD Border,

The Stranger The Questions That Appear On Here....??

If You Are Reading This Wameron, I'm Sure There Are Exceptions To This Rule....



Cheers Glen.

 

I have downed half a glass of vinegar before. When I was young, gullible and drunk.

That was rough as balls

 

Odd You Should Say That, Iv'e Always Found "Balls" To Be Well Rounded

And Mellow, With Just The Slightest Hint Of Sweat....................:leaving:



Cheers Glen.

 

That sounds rough!

 

Depends On Which Side Of The Centre Lane Divider You Choose To Drive....



Cheers Glen.

 

How dare you paraphrase me, Glen!

I actually convinced my house mate to drink the vinegar left in the pickled onion jar, followed by a tasty sip of milk. I couldn't believe he was gullible enough! He almost chundered like a champ.