I have had moderate scalp acne on and off. I need to use products without sls or parabens or I get scalp breakouts. I highly recommend the live clean brand apple cider shampoo. Not medicated but I have not had any scalp acne since I started using it. Not sure it is readily available in the us, but it is super cheap in Canada. GL.
@Tarkus...thanks for your informative post.
Although my scalp acne is annoying, it's not severe, and now that i'm continuing with the T/Gel, it's almost eliminated.
If it was more severe, then perhaps I would consider your recommendation, but at the moment things are looking good.
Nice user name btw.
I'm in my late forties and have never had scalp acne until the last couple of months. I've always rotated between H&S and the Tea Tree shampoo at Trader Joes. Since this acne just started the last couple of months I tried something different called T/Sal. This seems help dry it up right after the wash but by the next day the acne is back to normal, of course it probably doesn't help that I'm poking it when assessing if it's there.
I was thinking about trying some Pine Tar shampoo that my granddad used to talk about or use. I probably won't find it at the store but I might see that T/Gel therefore I'll give that a try.
thanks for all the imputs
Update:
I thought I would finish the bottle of T/Sal, since it's not that much anyway, before trying something different and it dried it up. I'm almost done with the small bottle of T/Sal and the scalp acne is just about gone. When I finish the bottle I'm debating on buying another and continue using T/Sal or going back to the Trader Joe's Tea Tree and H&S rotation.
I did buy a botttle of GrandPa's Pine Tar Shampoo for back up and I must say the smell is verry strong. I haven't had to use it and if I do I will have to use a strong smelling conditioner to help reduce the smell.
T/Sal for the win.
I've already started the pine tar shampoo and the smell has a strong musky turpentine odor with a hint of something pleasant, but not enough of that hint and my conditioner's smell has been buried. I'm going to mix it with Trader Joes Tea Tree shampoo and use the same conditioner to see if I can get that smell under the wraps. The pine tar doesn't seem to dry it up right after the wash like T/Sal however I didn't use a conditioner with T/Sal. For certain nothing has flared up so far.
I already have some of the therapeutic T/Sal on order, since it just about knocked it out. I threw the original bottle away so I'm not sure if I ordered the exact type of T/Sal, there are three that I noticed.
There's no such thing as scalp acne. You have a skin allergy involving malassezia. Pine tar and T-Sal is high button boots. Buy some Hegor 150 shampoo and see if you have results.
That's not true at all. Scalp acne is a common fungus of the scalp. This happens when your pores clog with oil and dirt in your scalp. When this happens you get scalp acne. Basically just pimples on your head. While the others are possibilities, scalp acne is in fact a thing. It is commonly mistaken as folliculitis. But ya it is just pimples but on your head from oil and dirt clogging.
There's no such thing as scalp acne. You have a skin allergy involving malassezia. Pine tar and T-Sal is high button boots. Buy some Hegor 150 shampoo and see if you have results.
Pine Tar Shampoo and T/Sal work great if used with their conditioners. I tried Heger 150 by itself and it doesn't work as well as the afore mentioned. Do you use a conditioner with Heger 150?
Neutrogena Clarifying shampoo works great for men who breakout when using other shampoos. It removes residue from natural oils and hair care products. Another thing to try is Braggs Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar as a rinse after shampooing. I found this... " You can add apple cider vinegar to your hair regimen by mixing 1 part ACV into 1 part warm, filtered tap water. Apply the vinegar rinse after shampooing, then rinse it all out, or for extra conditioning, you can leave the rinse on your hair for a minute or two. This natural hair care product can be used once a week or as needed." Apple Cider Vinegar treats hair loss by stimulating growth, balances PH, treats dry, itchy, scalp and conditions hair. It's great for a multitude of uses... google it. It's also a great skin toner/astringent to cleanse skin, lighten uneven skin tone, spots or scars, for brighter and tighter skin without plastic surgery.
Another great natural remedy is Castor oil Cold Pressed and Hexane Free... Also perfect for hair and skin treatments... stimulating hair growth, fades scars and stretch marks, clears up acne, etc. You may want to google this as well.
"Castor oil is rich in Ricinoleic acid, which fights off the acne-causing bacteria. It effectively penetrates the skin layers, making it an excellent remedy for acne.
To use castor oil for skin:
- Wash your face with warm water, as this will help open your pores.
- Simply massage your face in a circular motion with the oil.
- Keep it overnight.
- Wash off your face the next morning with cold water."
I hope this helps... xoxo
Unfortunately, a lot of the products mentioned aren't readily available in the UK. I would like to try T/Sal but I would have to import it from USA.
I was using T/Gel for a long time, but it's only supposed to be used short-term (according to the label). So I stopped using it for a while & started using a "normal" shampoo. My scalp acne has now got worse again.
I might try Bragg ACV & see how that goes. The reports that it also treats hair loss is a bonus (but I'll believe that when I see it) LOL. If that doesn't help, then it's back to T/Gel.
@ ManticoreHave you tried taking probiotics, and omega3s. If you get them from the health food store they should be fairly good quality. Also Usana vitamins are good. I know omega3s are an anti-inflammitory, and probiotics are anti-fungal. I would give these a try, and keep up with shampoo on your body if that helps. Sometimes our bodies are missing things, I have been sick lately and got a huge breakout on my head. My sister who is in natural medicine suggested these, and i was like OMG yes, how could i forget. Also taking a good multi-vitamin should help. Good luck, and don't forget you are still a beautiful human being, nothing changes that, not even acne. 
@ Manticore Have you tried taking probiotics, and omega3s. If you get them from the health food store they should be fairly good quality. Also Usana vitamins are good. I know omega3s are an anti-inflammitory, and probiotics are anti-fungal. I would give these a try, and keep up with shampoo on your body if that helps. Sometimes our bodies are missing things, I have been sick lately and got a huge breakout on my head. My sister who is in natural medicine suggested these, and i was like OMG yes, how could i forget. Also taking a good multi-vitamin should help. Good luck, and don't forget you are still a beautiful human being, nothing changes that, not even acne.
Thanks for the suggestions.
As part of my regimen when clearing my face acne (shown in my gallery photos), I took 6 supplements including Omega3 fish oil. I still take them every day, even though my face is now clear. I haven't tried probiotics though, so will add that to my daily supplement list.
I used Dan's AHA+ for my back (worked great), & Dan's BP on my chest (also worked great). I still use both once a week for "maintenance".
i have had scalp acne since 2002 and antibiotics do not work,only for a couple of weeks but the acne comes back with a fury.i did research and i found zincplex scalp acne shampoo and it worked great.90pct improvement.they also sale the extra strength which i use.i use it as an everyday shampoo.it doesnt cure it but it calms it to the point that its not driving u crazy.
good luck hope this was helpful.
I've had scalp acne for years, and various other stubborn breakouts all over pretty much- the only thing I've found that seems to have helped my scalp acne (and I've tried pretty much everything mentioned here) was bleaching my hair- it's very short, so I don't really notice any damage/ split ends etc.. caused by bleaching, but it really seems to have worked wonders for the patches of stubborn acne I had on both temples- And this from some really horrible harsh chemical cocktail!! I've tried as many natural treatments as I could find too, but this is the only thing that has (unexpectedly) helped me so far... I go hardcore white blonde, so it's probably not doing the rest of me much good tbh...*sigh*
On December 3, 2012 at 625 PM, DukeBlueDevils said:simple question: what is the best shampoo to treat and get rid of scalp acne permanently?
please help. thanks.
*edit: i'm going to go pick up some Head & Shoulders shampoo here soon. I just read that is the best shampoo for scalp acne because it contains zinc and gets rid of all dandruff. feel free to leave a response still if you've ever used or use H&S or some other shampoo...
Go to your doctor ask them to prescribe you benzaclin and clindamycin topical . I had foliculitis for 12 years. And finally found the right doctor
Get a filtered shower head!!!! You will be amazed how your water is damaging your skin and hair. A filter will filter chemicals making your hard water softer. Trust me, I have tried everything before I started washing my body with only filtered water. Wash your face with combinations of honey, lemon, and coconut oil. Thayers Witch Hazel (No Alcohol) as toner. Use aloe Vera gel as moisturizer. Tea tree oil is great too. Best of wishes.
I hope this thread is still active. Ihave had scalp acne for close to 35 years... And while it's not a "serious" issue it sure bothered me a lot. I had terrible itching, scalp bumps that were very painful and then pustules. I would have swollen lymph nodes behind my ears and down the back of neck. I would also have frequent headaches. Without treatment they would come in waves but I was rarely if ever clear. I had been on Tetracycline for 7 years taking only 1 pill per day and this kept it in check until suddenly it flared tremendously and the tetracycline never worked again. I then went on Bactrim which helped as well but lasted only for 2 years. I was very frustrated and eventually went on Accutane which worked wonders at a very low dose but then I had side effects that caused me stop it. I was despondent that the one thing that's really helped I couldn't take.
In my desperation I then went thru all sorts of shampoos and topicals. As I write this now I consider myself 98% cured!!
I apply full strength ACV (the cloudy kind) and let it soak x 5 minutes. I then shampoo with T/Sal and leave the shampoo/vinegar combo on for 2-3 minutes. I then rinse it all off. When I have a flare up I will apply full strength ACV to scalp and hair and then wear a beanie cap until it's dry. I will leave this in all night. After 1-2 nights the flare is better. I also will apply Epiduo to any pimple that comes up... Lately I haven't had to use this for like a month and attribute that to my newly started low carb diet. This is the best I've ever been and hope it continues... I hope others get the relief they desire. I'll provide updates as I go along.
PS the ACV/ Epiduo thing I have done for 3 years and it immediately helped me. The low carb diet is what has pushed me into the 98% cure I think.
Cheers!
i've been meaning to post this review in a few places for the last few (4 or 5) years or so. i am a now 41 year old male with relatively thick hair who suffered with face acne as a teenager and a serious case scalp acne nearly my entire adult life. i tried everything for the scalp acne. and i mean everything.... every shampoo on the market, dawn dish soap, dove bar, ivory bar, antibacterial soap, etc... i even tried not washing my hair for 3-4 days at a time. i bought a bottle of "Clear scalp and hair" (i think its unilever). and noticed a difference within a week. within 2 weeks it was nearly gone. by the time i was through the first bottle, it was pretty much cleared up. whenever i travel and don't have it with or whenever i don't wash my hair for a few days for some reason or other, it returns almost instantly. but, after just 3-4 days of using that product, it clears up again. i have no idea why this stuff works for me. but, it straight up works. the one i currently use has mint and ginseng maybe. but, they have all worked for me. spend $5 on a bottle and give it a few weeks. if i help someone else by posting this, it was worth my time. i should've posted it years ago. head acne sucks.