2 Self-made shampoos that beat dandruff / eczema, diet for better skin and some observations

Dandruff has been a on and off problem for me all my life, so it was a time for me to try something completely different. To start developing my own hair recipes out of products I feel may work with my hair and skin. 

In certain situation I have no dandruff at all. It could be months without the problem, then something happens, and it shows up again.

According to the dermatology textbook I have, 

Dandruff has fungal properties and is basically caused by fungi eating the excess oil/sebum your head produces, then they multiply and become dandruff. 

Doctors found out that the more you wash your head and keep it clean the better, and I agree with this strategy completely. 

However, when your shampoo is causing dandruff, you have a problem. For my experiment I chose ingredients with antifungal or disinfecting properties. 

1. "Shampoo" made of Salicylic Acid toner. 

Salicylic acid solution is recommended for dandruff, it disinfects your hair and skin. While this toner is for external use only, it is perfectly fine to use on skin. 

Ingredients: Salicylic acid for face from the below brand and type, diluted with water in ratio 1/1; then sprayed with a choice of perfume.  

How to apply: The mixture stays on your scalp for a couple of minutes to disinfect your scalp, then you rinse it with water well.

Routine: I used this "shampoo" ~4-5 times consecutively. I was washing my hair every other day. The smell of the hair was nice/ok.

I did not put any conditioner purposely because I wanted to see how the acid will cooperate with my scalp.      

Observations: My hair felt clean, straight but not very live. The hair gets a bit flat, not terribly but in comparison to a shampooed hair.  Around the 3rd wash I started to feel some itch here and there more often than normal. I think this may be due to the drying of the scalp.

The dandruff disappeared from my hairline above the front head gradually over the course of the treatment, but it did not disappear above my ear and behind my ear. Towards the middle of the treatment, I noticed some thick flaking above my ear formed.

It has to be said that I tested the shampoo right before my period. Sometimes I get flaky during different times of my cycle. The diminishment of the dandruff may be due to changes in the hormones. 

After I finished the round of Salicylic acid, I washed with shampoo once, and I noticed that the dandruff showed up slightly.

2. "Shampoo" made of honey. 

This is basically just pure honey placed on your hair and scalp. 

In my opinion, to take the full benefit of the honey you should not mix it with anything because you may modify its chemical structure to lose benefits. What I did was to place thick layer of honey over the dandruff locations - around the ears and on the hairline. 

It was hard to apply honey on the hair because it is sticky, and your hair becomes a mess. So, what I did was to dilute some honey with a couple of spoons of water and to wet my hair with the thick liquid.

The ratio of the mixture honey to water could be 4 to 1. While the affected areas was treated only with honey.

Then I wrapped my head in a towel, said with it for 20-30 minutes then washed with water only.

The dandruff that started forming after the last standard wash almost disappeared everywhere. The area around my ears got soft, almost no flakes could be seen above the ear and inside. Very fine flaking could be seen in the weak spots but this negligible compared to the previous trial.

The hair felt much softer than during the Salicylic trial. The hair feels clean, looks clean, it is not puffy like when you wash with regular shampoo, but is soft and conditioned. It does not smell at all.

The test took place at the last day of my cycle.

Planning to conduct a longer trial and share the results.  

3. Observation on what flares the dandruff and eczema. 

My problem is only localized around the hairline and ears. In a thin strip around my forehead and above the ears I develop dandruff, while behind the ears and in the hairline above my neck I develop pink patches of eczema which become dry and flaky at some point.

What is special about this location?

This is a location where either your facial products interact with the shampoo, or perhaps the shampoo does not wash away well and sits on your skin for longer. Or I tend to believe that I sweat the most around the hairline, and any sweat ends up at the hairline and sits there. So therefore it is a location for concentration of bacteria, fungi or whatever grows on your skin.

- I stopped using certain facial creams. I started using only expensive creams approved with high rating on the Yuka app. I think this helps, because I have not seen any flare ups for a whole months.

- I heard from a doctor, that during full moon, the growth of bacteria could be more, and this is normal. I started monitoring this correlation. I saw that during the last full moon - 2 weeks ago, I had a light flare up behind my ears, that went away quickly, I was also in ovulation. So the full moon and the change of hormones can be causing the flare up. 

- I am currently using the basic over the counter shampoo of Sofia Vergara, so I am not experimenting with natural shampoos. Sometimes I put conditioner and normal shampoo, no issues with this yet.

- I am trying to eat less milk products. I avoid bananas, shrimps, avocados, too spicy foods, pineapples, tomatoes and any food that promotes dampness (stay in your belly for longer and grow bacteria) . According to the Chinese medicine these foods flare up eczema. I think I am feeling generally better.

- I eat green salads, zucchini, yogurt, cucumbers, potatoes, fruits (apples, mandarins, kiwi), meat - fish, chicken, beef, pork.