Dan Buryuro's Homeopathy Eczema Blog

Scalp Infections

There are many definitions and symptoms commonly described as "scalp infections". There are actually a lot of very different reasons that your scalp may be sore, itchy, inflamed burning red or infected. If you are like many people with chronic scalp issues – it can be to drive you up the wall and not knowing what it is or how to treat the problem effectively after many unsuccessful attempts to remove it can make it seem far worse – that you will never get to the bottom of the problem. Well, no longer need to be so! It can be easy to diagnose and treat now and forever.

Firstly, if you suffer from a scalp infection and want to get to the root of your problems, so to speak, you may be able to identify, what your problem really is. Of course, many scalp conditions identical, so here is a brief description of some of the most common scalp infection conditions:

• Red Burning Itchy Scalp
• Dandruff
• Ringworm
• dry scalp
• Scalp Dermatitis
• eczema in scalp
• Scalp Psoriasis
• Folliculitis
• Stress Related Itching

Red burning itchy scalp can be characterized as a tingling, burning, tingling, and sensitivity to touch or a fiery hot sensation. Often associated with an allergy, sunburn, chemical burn (sensitization of the scalp) or fungal infection.

Dandruff as most of us know is the process of continual shedding of skin cells on our scalps. Often the cause of dandruff is simply a result of toxins, and products that have built up on the scalp especially products like silicone – a cheap commonly used artificial shine enhancer in conditioners sold in supermarkets.

When the natural balance of our scalps is disturbed, this creates the perfect environment for yeast Melassezia Globbosa to move in and thrive. It is when the natural process of shedding our cells gets a little out of hand resulting in an unsightly condition known as "Seborrhoeic Dermatitis" (fancy name for dandruff) and we see very visible telltale signs of shells and crusts.

The accompanying itch and urge to scratch are often exacerbated by a proliferation of fungal yeast Pityrosporum-ovate (having a big party on your scalp). Another consequence of this is that the relentless scratching by the sufferer can cause small lesions weep and leak or become infected.

Lumps bumps and sores are also common when the scalp is highly irritated or sensitivity has been aggravated. Candida may be an underlying cause of yeast infections of the scalp also.

Ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis) is a superficial fungal infection the scalp. Scalp ringworm is caused by mold-like fungi called dermatophytes. Ringworm infection occurs when a particular type of fungus grows and multiplies anywhere on your skin, scalp, or nails. It is far more common in children and symptoms include red, itchy patches on the scalp, leaving bald areas. The skin may itch and be red and peel or scaly, have swollen blisters or a rash (which can spread) and looks like black dots. The rash is highly contagious. It is usually dealt with over the counter products containing miconazole, clotrimazole, or similar. Sometimes prescription antifungals skin medications such as ketoconazole are needed To clear it up. There are also products direct from nature's factories that can aid the healing process and act as natural antibiotics, although it must be said that ringworm is a aggressive fungus to be monitored closely and treated accordingly.

Dry scalp can feel "tight", a sensation that is sometimes accompanied by flakiness. It is often the result of natural minerals stripped from our scalps by the frequent use of shampoos, hair dyes and other hair products.

Dermatitis of the scalp (seborrheic dermatitis) is an inflammatory disease that affects parts of the head and body where sebaceous glands are most prominent. It can vary from mild dandruff to dense flakey and greasy scale. Again, it is often an accumulation of toxins and products built on our scalps that our body tries to discard.

Eczema in the scalp resembling seborrheic dermatitis but instead is the name Atopic dermatitis.

Scalp Psoriasis commonly occurs on the back of the head however multiple areas of the scalp or the whole scalp may be affected. Scalp psoriasis is characterized by thick silvery white scales on patches of very red skin and may extend slightly beyond hairline. The scalp psoriasis, although they are partially hidden by the coat often a source of social embarrassment due to flaking of the scale and severe 'dandruff'. Psoriasis of the scalp may be extremely itchy or occasionally have no itch symptoms. It can also cause temporary baldness on the affected areas. It is a common, chronic, inflammatory skin disease and is associated with increased risk of melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.

Folliculitis the scalp is a superficial bacterial infection of the scalp hair follicles. It is characterized by pustules around hair follicles and symptoms include painful brushing of hair and tenderness when rubbing your scalp around the hair follicle sites. Treatment with antibiotics for the particular bacteria is the usual approach, but may ultimately restistance lead to the used antibiotic. Options include the use of Evoclin Foam which is topical. Folliculitis is commonly caused by staph bacteria which also reside inside the nose and sinus cavities. Natural oils such as tea tree and lavender have good antibacterial properties and can also be used to treat this condition.

If you have a bump or lump under the skin (often a lump behind the ears without broken skin or rash developing, then this could be a cyst. Cysts are fluid-filled pustules which can be painful when they become infected. If you have these symptoms I recommend seeing a doctor to be sure. Doctors can also treat cysts with antibiotics if they have become infected or incise them as a further but uncommon procedure if the antibiotics are not sufficient.

Stress Related Itching Stress may contribute to or worsen scalp itching as it plays havoc with our immune system and hormones that have an impact on the production of sebum from your sebaceous glands. Although it may contribute to the problem, it is still something of a myth. It may seem that you have a "stress rash", but it is more likely that the problem was already at a smaller visible manner, compounded by increased levels of stress makes it harder for the body to solve the problem on your own and eliminate the problem. Many of the treatments below include stress relieving properties – like Lavender oil for example which calms the mind and soothes the body.

Solutions – what YOU can do about it

Go to your doctor may be best way to get a precise answer to diagnose your problem, but I can understand that many of you may have already done so prescribed some form of medication of cream (even "heavy" cortisone based them where cortisone strength may be necessary to increase the time).

Often the problem either goes away from the start – or seems to subside but comes back with full a vengeance later leaving you wondering for several unanswered questions and a very unhappy scalp! Well the good news is if you do not like using these expensive and often impotent products – or even want to help them along, you can use natural remedies and essential oils known to be super effective anti-bacterial Busters such as tea tree oil for example to inhibit or stop the growth of infection and assist healing / balancing of the scalp.

Something that is also important to understand that the cure scalp conditions – factors that are missed by so many doctors, and something not disclosed by companies selling hair products and treatments, the number of people who are allergic or sensitive to commonly used ingredients in shampoos, dandruff treatments and other hair products. For most hair products (as many as 90%) contain at least one ingredient used in engine degreasers, another is a common ingredient in antifreeze.

These ingredients are cheap to produce foaming agents, which makes shampoo foam up and doing a great job of stripping dirt and oily build up from hair. The problem is that they sometimes do so well that they remove all the natural oils and sebum from the scalp thus removing the scalps natural defense against bacteria etc. Another little known fact is that the most common ingredient (Sodium laureth sulfate) is used to induce skin irritation in test patients with pharmaceutical companies to test the effectiveness their itch relief skin creams. Once produced and the year afterwards producers did not know that skin was not an obstacle, but an absorber of ingredients &, that they caused skin irritation in many people.

So sometimes the beginning of a scalp condition can come from something as simple as an imbalance of skins (scalps) sebum or an allergy to an ingredient that can easily be corrected.

Like your immune system if your skin has a chance to rebalance itself and not exposed for "incoming foreign objects" and the daily removal of its natural oils that further aggravates the problem, you can allow your body to rebalance and heal themselves. Obviously buying products that do not strip your hair and scalp is an obvious step in the right direction.

Fortunately, there are a lot of manufacturers like Aveda and Akin (purist Company) who know what consumers are suffering from these issues, so have addressed this problem. They have used this knowledge to produce some fantastic products with all the benefits of natural ingredients and no side effects at a price we can afford (Akin especially). It need not be difficult, nor expensive to make these elections and a shift to a healthy hair and scalp long term.

So yes you can eliminate harsh shampoos containing sodium sulfate and go for natural Sulphate and paraben free shampoos that contain ingredients such as macadamia, wheatgerm or jojoba oils. These oils mimic our natural sebum to some extent to help restore moisturize and nourish our scalp.

Then there are lavender, rosemary and tea tree oil, which contains
antibacterial, healing properties. Neem oil great for its antifungals
properties and stops itching. You can use it topically to your skin for fast relief, to help healing and looking for shampoos with these natural ingredients in them.
Lavender calms the skin (like chamomile tea cooled and used as hair rinse).
All purchase quality shampoos containing these ingredients, you can
create your own combinations of remedy or remedies to soothe your scalp.
You can also help it along by using natural remedies to treat of your scalp as this scalp treatment containing natural oils to assist healing, detoxify and stimulate hair growth: (Add to
water (4 parts water 1 part oil) and spray on the scalp, and you can add to your shampoo and conditioners also).
Oils to relieve itching: Lavender, German Chamomile and Eucalyptus Oils
(Mixed together and dabbed locally on affected areas has a soothing effect).

Neem oil is also a very good dandruff preventative which can be added to any of the formulas described below and is excellent for psoriasis and eczema.

Scalp massage with lavender oil (not scented – the real oil) is a second
wonderful way to relieve the tension from a sore scalp and treat
questions. It also helps to re grow hair and repairing damage to your
follicles of chemicals in shampoos causing thinning hair. (Lavender is known to stimulate hair growth too).

There are many more powerful solutions you can use to treat your scalp as well as many shampoos are excellent value, contain no nasties to aggravate your scalp and hair follicles. It can be very simple to treat scalp problems by treating yourself to your own pampering session using natural oils to help heal your scalp infection. And be kind to your hair and scalp by using only products that nourish your hair and scalp such as Aveda or Akin brand shampoo. You can help the healing process and help restore balance back to your scalp and your hair will appreciate and reward you for it by becoming less brittle, stronger and shinier.

As with all natural remedies please patch test first. This information is not intended to replace a medical doctor, so please see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Responsibility too few doctors diagnosis and using remedies is yours.

About the Author

Mia Wadsworth who founded www.DryItchyScalpRemedies.com to help hundreds of sufferers of Scalp Infections, Dry Scalp, dandruff & other scalp conditions relieve & eliminate their condition fast & permanently. After curing her own painful condition using her own remedy for dry itchy scalp, Mia now helps sufferers of Scalp Infections, Itchy Scalp, Dandruff or other scalp conditions understand the cause and get fast permanent relief naturally.

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