Seborrheic dermatitis treatment

Nikki Chase

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Time to read 11 min

You can successfully use natural seborrheic dermatitis treatments for your scalp and skin, and here is how to do it.

Millions of people struggle with how to treat seborrheic dermatitis causes and finding something that works for them. Dandruff, itching scalp and dry skin may not be completely curable, but there are tried and true methods of managing them. Here is how you can take control of it.

  • Have you spent too much time and money trying to treat your seborrheic dermatitis? Are you not seeing the results you want?
  • How about reducing symptoms naturally and avoiding the harmful effects of chemical filled ointments and steroid creams?
  • Well, look no further, there is something you can do about it.
  • Let’s start with what is causing your dermatitis and then what you can be doing to help clear it up.

What is Seborrheic Dermatitis?

What is Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin condition that causes scaly patches and red skin. This shows up mainly on the face and scalp which can lead to stubborn dandruff. The skin might burn, itch and scale resulting in white or yellow, oily flakes. Seborrheic dermatitis is caused by a flare up of yeast which feeds on the sebum (oil) that your skin produces. 


Yeast flare ups occur when there is an overproduction of oil. This, plus an overproduction of skin cells results in dermatitis. Symptoms for seborrheic dermatitis vary from person to person. These symptoms could be worsened by a few factors like stress, change of season and heavy alcohol use

 Some other causes are:

Seborrheic Dermatitis shows up on oily areas of the body, such as:

  • Upper chest
  • Back
  • Around the navel
  • Buttocks
  • Creases of the arms and legs
  • Groin
  • Below the breasts

Newborns and adults aged 30-60 are more likely to get seborrheic dermatitis. It is more common in men than in women and in people with exceedingly oily skin. The condition might develop in infants due to hormonal changes that happen to the mother during her pregnancy. The fluctuation of hormone levels are thought to stimulate the infant’s oil glands, which lead to an overproduction of oil that irritate the skin.

Natural Seborrheic Dermatitis Treatment Plans


Having a routine and adopting healthy habits are very important to treating dermatitis. A flare up on your skin is a reaction to something going on in your body. It is important to find out what is causing this in order to treat it. Reactions and results vary from person to person. If one thing has worked for another, it might not work for you and vice versa.

I suggest going to your doctor and getting tested for anything that is causing an allergic reaction. Once you do that, you could be closer to finding out what is triggering the cause of your seborrheic dermatitis. No matter what is causing your dermatitis or where it is, here are 6 things you can do immediately to begin improving things:

  1. Avoid chemicals and toxins. I’d cut out anything that touches your body that contains harmful chemicals such as detergents, cleaners, harsh skin care products, perfumes, etc.
  2. Prevent yeast growth. You should also cut back on alcohol and sugar consumption as much as possible. These cause yeast to grow and leads to flare ups.
  3. Start exercising outside. Sunlight and exercise has been known to help with a multitude of skin conditions. Just don’t forget to wear sunscreen or stay out too long.
  4. Keep skin clean and dry. It’s important to keep the flaky sections of the skin clean and dry as much as you can. Wash it with a gentle cleanser and only moisturize with a non-greasy cream. Just be sure not to over wash your skin as this cause cause added irritation.
  5. Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water throughout the day helps keep the skin hydrated. Avoid drinking alcohol, caffeine or sugary drinks because these dry out the skin. Instead, start drinking things like coconut water, green tea and homemade juices.
  6. Manage stress. Life will always have it’s stressful moments, but doing what you can to keep stress to a minimum will help with almost every skin condition. With stress comes hormones changes which that can cause flare ups.

Now lets dive deeper and cover some specific locations and how to deal with them.

Seborrheic Dermatitis Face and Body


After you have implemented the above 6 steps as much as possible I’d recommend some additional steps if your seborrheic dermatitis is on your body.

  • Shaving off your mustache or beard
  • Wearing loose cotton clothing to avoid skin irritation
  • Wash your face throughout the day with water to minimize any oil overproduction
  • Don’t wear heavy make up
  • Don’t use any oil based products such as lotions or ointments.

As you can see these are all to help the skin breathe, minimize irritation and lower oil production. If you have other ideas that may help give them a shot too!

Home Remedies for Seborrheic Dermatitis

Home Remedies for Seborrheic Dermatitis

There are TONS of natural, at home treatments for seborrheic dermatitis. Give them a shot, see which ones work, then add them to your daily or weekly routine.

As there are an overwhelming amount of info out there, I’ll list out my favorites and what I’ve seen work best.

Manuka honey

Manuka honey is one of Era Organic’s favorite ingredients as it is antibacterial, anti-fungal and has healing properties. Try applying the honey to the aggravated areas of your skin and letting it sit overnight or for a few hours during the day.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has antiviral, antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties. It has been shown to help reduce excessive yeast and dryness. Apply a small amount of oil to the scalp or skin and let sit for 15-20 minutes before thoroughly washing it off with warm (not hot) water.

Tea Tree and Aloe Vera mask

Mix 20 drops of tea tree oil with a quarter sized amount of aloe vera gel or juice and apply to irritated skin or scalp, letting it sit for 15-20 minutes.

The aloe will soothe itchy skin and scalp, balances pH levels, plus reduces flaking. The tea tree oil penetrates the hair follicles to help kill bacteria and fungus. It is also a natural antiseptic and germicide.

Garlic

Garlic is great because it specifically kills yeast. Applying garlic to a seborrheic dermatitis flare up will kill the overproduction of yeast on your skin. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Juice 5-10 cloves of garlic and dilute with half a cup of warm (not hot) water.
  2. Apply mixture to the irritated area and leave overnight.
  3. Wash off with warm water in the morning.

It might be stinky but many people have great results with this.

Apple Cider Vinegar

It seems to me that apple cider vinegar is a cure for everything, so I was not surprised to hear that it also helps with the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis. It prevents the scalp from becoming flaky and helps soothe inflamed skin.

Here is how you can use it:

How to Apply to Your Scalp:

After washing your hair, rinse with a solution of one part vinegar to one part water. You can also apply the vinegar overnight and rinse it off in the morning.

 

How to Apply to Your Skin: 

Apply the 1 to 1 mixture of vinegar and water to the skin for 10-15 minutes. Once rinsed, the skin should be bright pink. Many people report the symptoms go away in 4-5 rinses depending on how bad the skin was at the start.

 

Sea Salt Water Soak

A popular method to seborrheic dermatitis treatments is to soak the skin in salt water. Add ½ a teaspoon to 4 cups spring water and let skin soak for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with cool water. This could dry out the skin so apply a small amount of light, non-greasy cream to the area afterwords.

Seborrheic Dermatitis Diet Tips

Seborrheic Dermatitis Diet Tips

There are TONS of natural, at home treatments for Seborrheic dermatitis treatment. Give them a shot, see which ones work, then add them to your daily or weekly routine. As there are an overwhelming amount of info out there, I’ll list out my favorites and what I’ve seen work best.

Manuka honey

Manuka honey is one of Era Organic’s favorite ingredients as it is antibacterial, anti-fungal and has healing properties. Try applying the honey to the aggravated areas of your skin and letting it sit overnight or for a few hours during the day.


Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has antiviral, antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties. It has been shown to help reduce excessive yeast and dryness. Apply a small amount of oil to the scalp or skin and let sit for 15-20 minutes before thoroughly washing it off with warm (not hot) water.

Tea Tree and Aloe Vera mask

Mix 20 drops of tea tree oil with a quarter sized amount of aloe vera gel or juice and apply to irritated skin or scalp, letting it sit for 15-20 minutes. The aloe will soothe itchy skin and scalp, balances pH levels, plus reduces flaking. The tea tree oil penetrates the hair follicles to help kill bacteria and fungus. It is also a natural antiseptic and germicide.

Garlic

Garlic is great because it specifically kills yeast. Applying garlic to a seborrheic dermatitis flare up will kill the overproduction of yeast on your skin. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Juice 5-10 cloves of garlic and dilute with half a cup of warm (not hot) water.
  2. Apply mixture to the irritated area and leave overnight.
  3. Wash off with warm water in the morning.

It might be stinky but many people have great results with this.

Apple Cider Vinegar

It seems to me that apple cider vinegar is a cure for everything, so I was not surprised to hear that it also helps with the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis. It prevents the scalp from becoming flaky and helps soothe inflamed skin.

Here is how you can use it:

How to Apply to Your Scalp:

After washing your hair, rinse with a solution of one part vinegar to one part water. You can also apply the vinegar overnight and rinse it off in the morning.


How to Apply to Your Skin:

Apply the 1 to 1 mixture of vinegar and water to the skin for 10-15 minutes. Once rinsed, the skin should be bright pink. Many people report the symptoms go away in 4-5 rinses depending on how bad the skin was at the start.


Sea Salt Water Soak

A popular method to seborrheic dermatitis treatments is to soak the skin in salt water. Add ½ a teaspoon to 4 cups spring water and let skin soak for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with cool water. This could dry out the skin so apply a small amount of light, non-greasy cream to the area afterwords.

Seborrheic Dermatitis Shampoo

Finding a good shampoo is important for two reasons:

  1. Prevention. A large portion of hair products are packed full of chemicals, it’s a cheap way to make hair feel soft. Many of these chemicals have been linked to causing skin conditions and allergies. Rinsing your hair then spreads it across your scalp, neck and body.

  2. Treatment. The scalp is a common area for dermatitis flair-ups and a botanical shampoo and conditioner can help clear things up. Finding one with the ingredients listed above will help sooth, moisturize and heal the area.

Switching to a plant-based shampoo and conditioner is a win-win. You will cut out any potential allergies that could actually be causing your dermatitis while working to heal any current flair-ups. That is why we made our shampoo and conditioner pH balanced, toxin and chemical free, and pack with healing ingredients. It is great for anyone with damaged skin.

Seborrheic Dermatitis Moisturizer


Finding a good cream for dermatitis is an even bigger trap than shampoo. If you look on large medical sites like WebMD, Mayo Clinic, and National Eczema Association, they all recommend the same treatments:

  • Steroid Creams
  • Mineral oil
  • Immunosuppressive drugs
  • Medication

These are some pretty drastic (even dangerous) steps!

I know dermatitis can get really bad, pushing you to try anything to cure it. If you’ve made it this far I hope you are starting to believe that there are natural remedies that not only work, but can work better than drugs and chemicals.


This holds true for dermatitis creams. Just like shampoo, sticking to something food-based will prevent any allergic reactions that could be making things worse and help to remedy things. Find something that is chemical-free, non-toxic and uses natural ingredients proven to work.

Our cream Elixir has everything you want and nothing you don’t. It’s 16-in-1 formula is pack with superfoods to heal skin, soothe irritation and reduce inflammation. It also toxin-free, so it’s 100% safe for anyone to use. Give it a try risk free for 60 days!

Summary


Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin condition caused by an overproduction of yeast, which results in dry, flaky patches of skin. It is found main on the face and scalp but can be on any oily parts of the body. Make small changes in your routine to prevent an outbreak from occurring. Keep the area clean and dry, exercise in the sun, don’t use harsh chemicals and make sure you’re staying hydrated. There are many plant-based ingredients that have been found to be helpful in treating seborrheic dermatitis. Try out the methods we’ve covered and find which works best for you. Build a routine around what you find to be successful and start enjoying clearer skin!

Related Questions:

1. What is the most effective treatment for seborrheic dermatitis?

The most effective treatment for seborrheic dermatitis includes antifungal shampoos, topical corticosteroids, and moisturizing creams to reduce inflammation and control flare-ups. Regular use of medicated products can help manage symptoms.

2. What is the main cause of seborrheic dermatitis?

The main cause of seborrheic dermatitis is an overgrowth of the yeast *Malassezia* on the skin, combined with an inflammatory response. Factors like genetics, stress, and cold weather can also contribute.

3. What is the first line treatment for seborrheic dermatitis?

The first-line treatment for seborrheic dermatitis is medicated shampoos containing antifungals like ketoconazole or selenium sulfide. Topical corticosteroids may also be used to reduce inflammation.

4. Which oil is best for seborrheic dermatitis?

Tea tree oil is often considered the best for seborrheic dermatitis due to its antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. However, it should be diluted to avoid skin irritation.

Nikki Chase

As co-owner Era Organics, Nikki's expertise runs deep. She spends her days immersed in the latest medical studies and scouring trusted websites, ensuring her knowledge reflects the cutting edge of science.

About Nikki Chase