Fungus on my scalp... going insane!

[wendy645]

Hi fellow long-hair lovers! I've been lurking an awful lot but am emerging from the shadows to put my embarassing problem out there.

I've had a fungal infection on my scalp for a couple of years now. It creates patches that, having OCD, I simply cannot reists peeling off. This leads to bloody scalp and big white flakes all over my hair and clothes and seats and everything. Plus the patches grow around my hair follicles so when I pull them off I have to slide them down my hair. And having tangle-prone hair I often have messy hair! I hate this. Since developing this I have also developed dandruff, which stinks given my affinity for jewel-toned clothing...

The doctors around here shrug their shoulders and try different oral meds, but nothing's really worked so far. I've discovered I'm allergic to Diflucan, though. They prescribed a liquid called Grifulvin (well, the generic is griseofulvin I believe) but while it's made the patches feel a bit different, I can never seem to make myself stick with it long enough to see any real results (I did it for several weeks in a row and no difference other than the patches turned more white than yellow with brown/dried blood spots) before I lose my Rx or forget.

I hate that I can't seem to leave them alone and always end up with bloody scalp, and behind my ears you can really see it. It's bad. I can't wear my hair up because a) you can really see it by my ears and nape that way and I'm mortified by it and b) since I can't seem to make myself stop picking, and I have to go along the strand, this does not work very well when I don't have the end of a hair to pull it off of!

I came across the Monistat thread and am very interested, though! I am embarrassed to admit I still don't fully understand the procedure, though. Would someone be so kind as to explain what you do in detail? I'm kinda girly about getting things on my fingers, so if anyone has found any application instruments that have helped them, I'd love to hear about it.

Mostly, I'm hoping to find refuge here because I've seen some other posters with fungal infections. Just wondering if anyone else with scalp fungal infections can share anything at all with me... just need to know I'm not alone and what other have done.

Thanks for reading, everyone! :-)

[Deborah]

That sounds absolutely miserable! I'm so sorry that you are going through this.

I would suggest you begin using the Monistat on your scalp as soon as you can. Walmart sells a plastic squeezy bottle near the other hair stuff that is designed for dying the roots of one's hair. I has four or five prongs, and looks like you would just place the prongs against your scalp and squeeze a little out every few inches at a time until you have enough on all of your scalp. I think it costs about $3. You would probably need to squirt some Monistat from the tube into the bottle, then add some warm water and shake the heck out of it to mix.

I bet you don't actually have to put a large volume on your scalp, because once it is on you would massage it to cover all of your scalp. Monistat is a nice creamy substance, and is not at all icky to the touch - no smell, not sticky, etc.

You have nothing to lose. Get some NOW.

[Kirin]

For your problem, lotrimin (for atheletes foot) will also work containing the same ingredients as monistat.

I'd also ask what products you are using in your hair. Has this actually been diagnosed and tested as a fungal infection or are doctors taking a guess?

[Gladtobemom]

Have you tried pine tar soap? Or Tea tree oil mixed with a carrier oil? Or Sea Buckthorn?

I had what a dermatologist called a fungal infection that sounds just like yours. I suffered with it for nearly a year. Then, I was reminded by a relative of Pine Tar soap. So I bought some.

I used Packer's Pine Tar soap, rubbed directly on my wet scalp, lathered, then rinsed after 10 minutes. It did wonders, my condition didn't completely go away, but the patches seemed to shrink dramatically and weren't sore. Some of them sort of came loose from my scalp and turned sort of hard, but the skin underneath was healthy. I will say that it did leave my hair a bit dry, but I was loathe to mess with success.

I used it every day. I did switch to the Grandpa's Pine Tar soap after a week (I'd used a whole bar of the Packer's and I'd bought one of each). The Grandpa's seemed to do just as well and was kinder to my hair.

When I went to my dermatologist's appt. she actually said to me, "Pine tar shampoos are something we use for fungus, but systemic approaches usually cure the situation." I almost hit her. Why couldn't she have given me BOTH th medication and the shampoo! I found out that there are strong pine tar shampoos that Dermatologists prescribe, but no stronger than Packer's or Grandpa's soap.

She added one thing to my regime (since I was determined to treat it topically).
http://seabuckthornusa.com/Hair-and-...Care-html.html
Their capsules. She said to apply to my scalp. They sent me their shampoo as a sample, I did use it . . . didn't seem to help.

I asked her about tea tree oil, she said it couldn't hurt to add a few drops to a couple of the capsules in a dish. dip my fingers and apply to scalp. You don't wash it out, you just leave it on.

That was the final thing that got rid of it.

The dermatologist said the medications were "finally" working. I don't think so. Also, a veterinarian said that if an animal had what I had, he'd call it mange and take scrapings but he'd treat the animal with a mange cure that inludes pine tar and sea buckthorn oil. He said tea tree oil isn't used much on animals, but he has resorted to it for nail fungus.

OK,
Data dump over.

P.S. After the patches started shrinking, I did have some small continuation at the nape of my neck. The skin there seemed more delicate, especially low behind my ears.

the final kick seemed to be to use some salicylic acid shampoo for that final flaking.

I still use scalp oil, but now I use Moonchaser's Sweet success with tea tree oil added.

Note: the capsules were sea buckthorn oil and fruit acid of some sort.

[neenerbabe]

If they haven't confirmed it's a fungus by testing, I'd get a second opinion, as it could be psoriasis or eczema. The treatments for those disorders can be completely opposite! I had eczema once, not on my scalp, but on my foot, and they thought I had athletes foot, but the treatment made it worse, not better, until they figured out what was really going on. Pine tar soap and lanolin every day eventually cleared it up. Hope that you can pinpoint what it is and get it healed, itchies are no fun no matter what causes it! *hug*

[girlcat36]

These are all great suggestions. You can make your own scalp massage oil by adding antifungal essential oils to a carrier oil.
I use grapeseed oil as a carrier oil, and add EO's of rosemary, thyme, tea tree, lavender, peppermint(all have antifungal properties). I also use monistat. I tend to get fungal things--yeast infection, oral thrush, etc.

[lora410]

tea tree oil and neem oil mixed with monistat.

[Patrycja]

I have nothing to add besides another "go for tea tree oil" I do want to give you plenty of virtual (((((hugs))))).I'm so sorry that you're going through this,it sounds horrible I hope you find something that works soon so you can be happy.

[girlcat36]

Neem is a powerful antifungal but it smells really bad. My bottle of neem oil will probably last me 20 years.

[HairColoredHair]

I had a neem shampoo bar that I loved... I thought it smelled wonderful... and it was a great insect repellent. Tea Tree smells good too, but when the dog broke it open all over the floor I didn't think so for a LONG while.