Help me scrub my head, sans perfume.

January 27, 2022 3:56 PM

Can y'all help me find an exfoliating paste that can keep me flake-free without aggravating my spouse's allergies?

Me: sensitive-skinned, flaky-headed, in need of an exfoliating scalp scrub.

My spouse: Extremely sensitive to even a whiff of any fragrance. (Also enjoys lovingly sniffing the top of my head from time to time, and I'd like to keep it that way.)

I have a prescription shampoo (2% Ketoconazole) that keeps my seborrheic dermatitis at bay, but I can't/shouldn't use it every day. I really liked how Nexxus Clean & Pure Scalp Scrub kept me flake-free in between shampoos, but my spouse finds the fragrance intolerable.

I need a gritty paste (salt, sugar, whatever, as long as it rinses clean and doesn't clog my shower) to gently scruff away my flakes.

*Cost isn't really an issue, but I'd prefer something closer to the Nexxus price point (around 15 bucks for an 11.25 oz tub).
*Absolutely must be fragrance-free.
*Coconut oil based products could be an issue, too, if they have an especially coconutty scent.
*I prefer products without sulfates/sodium lauryl sulfate, but since my prescription shampoo has SLS anyway, that's not a dealbreaker.
*No recipes to make my own, thanks. I need this to be a problem I can throw money at and be done with it.

posted by The demon that lives in the air to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

dpHUE Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Scrub is a salt scrub with a strong aroma of real apple cider vinegar but no other fragrance added, so basically it smells like it would if you were cooking with apple cider vinegar. The ingredients are pretty simple, and I didn't see any SLS in the list.
posted by matildaben at 4:28 PM on January 27, 2022

I'm not sure if this counts as "making your own" to you, but baking soda does a good job of this. I follow it up with a vinegar rinse (which doesn't smell once it's rinsed out).
posted by metasarah at 5:14 PM on January 27, 2022 [2 favorites]

Have you tried a salicylic acid shampoo - e.g. Neutrogena's t/sal? I don't believe it's scented. It's a chemical exfoliant rather than a physical exfoliant, which is arguably more effectively anyway, from what I've read. I personally find it as effective as prescription 2% ketoconazole, and I use them in rotation.
posted by ClaireBear at 6:18 PM on January 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

Also wanted to mention that if you're currently using conditioner on your scalp, it might be exacerbating your problem. See my comment from last year here. If you're putting any kind of conditioner, shampoo/conditioner, leave-in conditioner, oil, or anything similar (especially with fatty acids) on your scalp, I'd avoid that for a couple of months and see if things improve (you can still use conditioner on your hair if need be, from the bottom of the ears down, as long as you avoid your scalp). While you'll still probably have to use specific shampoos for seborrheic dermatitis, in my experience avoiding conditioner can help alleviate some of the flares/flakes. Additionally, I wanted to suggest avoiding a sugar scrub: while the yeast Malassezia (probably implicated in seborrheic dermatitis) eats lipids, other yeasts eat sugar and I think in general it's probably not a great idea to put sugar on your scalp, especially if you already have scalp inflammation and probably impaired skin barrier function. As I said above, I think a chemical exfoliant is likely to be a better bet. I've used Neutrogena's t/sal shampoo for over a decade and can recommend it highly. There are probably other good chemical exfoliants for the scalp - e.g. maybe something with glycolic acid or other alpha hydroxy acids.
posted by ClaireBear at 6:47 PM on January 27, 2022 [3 favorites]

I really like the Drunk Elephant Happi Scalp stuff. No added fragrance at all and no SLS, and my hair stylist noticed a difference in my hair after I used it. It does have coconut alkanes, whatever that is, in the ingredient list, but there’s no coconut smell at all. It’s a more expensive than what you’re looking for, but I find it does work well.
posted by holborne at 9:41 PM on January 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

Though the Creamy Hair Cleanser made by Miribel Naturals ($23 for 8 oz./237ml) is marketed to people like me with textured hair, I see no reason why it wouldn't work for someone with straight hair (if that is what you have).

The Creamy Hair Cleanser is meant to moisturize and exfoliate the scalp and hair, so it's slightly gritty (very small jojoba beads are the source of the "grit") and it doesn't lather. All it smells of is apple cider vinegar and peppermint and tea tree oils; the ingredient list includes no sulfates or coconut products. I really like it.
posted by virago at 6:06 AM on January 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

I don’t have a recommendation for a product, but the one thing that cleared up my persistent dandruff was using my same shampoo that I always use (Aussie Miracle Moist) but with a liberal scrub of plain old sea salt, big flakes, really scrub it in and wash it out. I did it every wash for a few goes to address the few problem areas, and now have it in my routine once every few weeks to keep it clear.

It doesn’t smell of anything except what I always smell of - obviously you’d need to find something else to use for lather/cleanliness if your current products are unsuitable for those reasons. Good luck!
posted by conkystconk at 7:50 AM on January 28, 2022

Would a scalp brush in combination with a regular fragrance-free shampoo work?
posted by telophase at 1:26 PM on January 28, 2022

This Vanicream Dandruff Shampoo is fragrance and SLS free and very gentle (very low/no detergent). I use it for daily/regular use to complement prescription ketoconazole shampoo.

(Vanicream is a fragrance free/low irritant company, FWIW, so might be a useful spot for other low fragrance products.)
posted by mercredi at 2:53 PM on January 28, 2022

To the point that ClaireBear made, the website Dandruff Deconstructed, whose reviewers test all the products they recommend, has a list of their top 10 salicylic acid shampoos. Of these 10, the ones that lack both fragrance and sodium lauryl sulfate are the Neutrogena T/Sal shampoo that ClaireBear uses (users are having a hard time finding it in stock; Walgreens T+ Plus Salicylic Acid Shampoo , at $4.79 for 4.5 oz/133 ml, is the generic alternative, as is the similarly priced CVS Maximum Strength Health Therapeutic Dandruff Shampoo) and Babe Laboratorios Paediatric Cradle Cap Shampoo, available online only from Spain ($22 for 200ml/6.7 oz.).
posted by virago at 3:00 PM on January 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

Switching to Duross and Langel clarifying shampoo almost completely eliminated my stubborn dandruff. It's barely scented but they also offer custom shampoo and I'm sure no scent is an option. They may also have scrubs, I haven't looked. It is sulfate free.
posted by sepviva at 6:08 AM on January 30, 2022