Treating Seborrheic Dermatitis With Apple Cider Vinegar

Hi Shane,
Thanks for the positive comment :). Yeah, it’s quite a crappy condition. Feels like everything should be normal, but your skin just doesn’t stop messing around. Not sure if you saw the main post, which kind of summarises my whole experience, but I’m guessing you did (since you mentioned glutamine). There’s quite a bit of discussion going on there in the comments.

Another treatment that a reader actually brought to my attention is Nyastatin. He wrote a post and that can be seen here. Also lot’s of feedback and discussion in the comments as well.

Out of all the discussion and outlined treatments, those two seem to have had the most positive results for people. Especially considering their relatively small popularity (traffic wise).

Hope something does end up working for you. Best of luck!

Honestly, I don’t really think Braggs is much better than any of the other premium unfiltered apple cider vinegars. One that I purchased from a local Canadian producer was actually better than the Braggs (especially for drinking). The commonly accepted rule is that it needs to have the mother for best results.

Honestly though, the first acv vinegar I tried was just a regular cheap Heinz and it worked just as well for me topically. I believe, it’s just the acidity (specifically malic acid) that kills bacteria. For drinking though, the premium stuff has a much richer taste.

Hey Nick,

Thanks for checking in and glad the ACV is working so well for you.

Similar to you I quit using all the hair wash products I used before. However, I haven’t completely got rid of shampoo.
Instead I’m just using a high quality extremely moisturising shampoo, it seems to have improved my overall scalp help and things balanced out. It took a while to wean off of dandruff shampoos thought. It seems like as you stop using them, the scalp isn’t sure what to do at first.

If you would like, share your complete approach and I can append it to the main post.

All the best.

Yeah it is quite an extensive read! I read through lots of it. The re occurring thing I noticed is the same rule doesn’t apply for everyone but then there are solutions that appear to have a high success rate and if nothing its amazing to find a place with all these suggestions.

So today is my first day to use it, my skin hasn’t flared up too much thank god. I used 2 tea spoons mixed with 2 tea spoons of water. I just dabbed it on the problem areas for about a minute and allowed it to try in. Hate the smell!! But beggars cant be choosey :slight_smile: Its funny because today I could feel it about to break out, that tingling and tightness and so Im glad to begin today.

Funny you mentioned the link to because I began reading about that today!!! Seems like another strong contender. Kinda wish I tried that one first because its much easier to use I imagine and no harsh odour. Anyway I will let you know how I get on and keep you up dated.

Thanks for everything:)

In general do people wash it off or leave it on?

I’m using your way to treat my SD (1 tbs of ACV and 2 of distilled water), my skin isn’t irritated and maybe tomorrow I’ll start applying it in 1:1 proportion. I just have a tiny problem with the smell because it doesn’t fade away and I think everyone around me can feel it :expressionless:

I have just applied it for the 6th time, still no improvement but I hope for the best.

Apple cider vinegar has worked well for me but the sd keeps coming back. Is ACV ok to use everyday in the long term?

Well I have been using ACV for 5 days now and I’m not sure what I should expect. I have a remaining print. Not the extremes it can be but almost like it’s continuing the SD to remain at low ish level. Am I expecting too much too early? Shall I continue on? I apply it 3 times a day. The past two days I’ve been applying it dabbed on tissue straight. It hasn’t been too irritating. Just looking for guidance in this early stage:)

Sorry just to clarify & share my results using ACV I sprayed it onto my face (focusing around the nose, cheeks and eyebrows) an average of 3 times daily for just over a week. Initially starting at a 2 : 5 ratio ACV to water and later topping up my half full 50ml spray bottle of the same previous ratio with water diluting it. This is because I don’t think you need a stronger mix once the inflammation has gone. It seems though you do need maintenance once the SD has cleared, skipping a few days and then reapplying at the start of a flare up won’t have as much effect as using prevention methods because I think once the SD has began a flare up it needs to complete its course.
Recently my SD had cleared up using the method above, I suggest it for roughly a week. I did it for longer as I wasn’t sure if the redness left behind was scarring or inflammation. Turns out it was scarring. I read here on this site that green tea was good for reducing the redness which was when I stopped the treatment mentioned above for 36 hrs to let my skin adjust applying noting onto it which I didn’t FEEL i needed to. I did this to apply green tea for at night over the course of 2 days. This didn’t work and the SD has come back pretty hard. (I saved my morning green tea bags beforehand and stored them in the fridge, made a 6 teabag soup and washed my face with it and let dry, I also rubbed the teabag on the affected areas after and let dry)
I am back on the ACV spray treatment that I was on before which I find or hope to be the least damaging and still effective. I do have concerns about the safety of long term daily use though. I know there’s a strong acid called Malic acid in the ACV so I am really not sure if it’s ok to use everyday. If it is than that’s great and I’m over the moon with joy! Please let me know, thanks :slight_smile:

Hi Shane,

Yeah for sure, what works for one person doesn’t necessarly work for someone else. Out of all the stuff discussed on this site it looks like the most feedback has been from the restoraderm, nystatin, or apple cider vinegar (roughly in that order).

Yeah, apple cider vinegar was a pain the ass for me as well. Also the results were mixed. Sometimes even with consistent application, my SD could just start raging and would just take time to settle.

My current approach has been going strong for almost a year. I think I started roughly in June-August last year.

I’m in the process of putting together a comprehensive piece on why sd occurs in the first place. I’ve got a good hypothesis and I’ve been digging through medical papers to try and make a case. But basically it’s a combination of internal immune system issues and topical infection.

Usually you would want it wash it off. I’ve read people leaving it on, but that’s overkill. Plus you smell like vinegar… :slight_smile:

All the best and let me know if you have any updates.

Hi Michael,

The consensus seems to be that it’s okay long term. People have been using it for ages, plus it’s natural.

Our of curiosity, what method of application are you currently using?

All the best.

Hi Shane,

My results were really similar to yours. No matter how long I kept up with treatment, the results wouldn’t improve beyond a certain point. It was best for removing and control flakes, but my skin never really fully healed up.

If you want to stick to an all natural method, maybe check out honey. Between the two honey seemed to work better for me.

Hope that helps. PS, sorry for the late response.

Hi Michael,

As I mentioned in my previous most, it’s like fine for long term use. I’m not a medical professional or anything, so I can’t really give advice. However, from everything I’ve read it appears to be fine.

Your body is really good at telling you things. If the skin decides that it had enough of the ACV, it will let you know. :slight_smile:

Crazy to hear that you had such a reaction to the green tea. Perhaps it was just that the lack of ACV allowed the malassezia to re-establish?

If you like, join the community and we can discuss things further. The comments section make the discussion harder to keep track of. In the meantime I’ll keep an eye out for any medical papers on the safety of long-term application of topical malic acid (i’m currently trying to write a comprehensive piece on the origins of SD).

All the best!

Ok thanks again, I’ve started taking the L-glutamine every morning before my green tea now. I’ve been looking online for Cetaphil restoraderm products online and I want to find the correct one, are you using the restoraderm “body” cleanser and moisturiser on your face?

After 2 weeks of using this method flakes appeared on my forehead and under nose, tiny wounds that itch every time when I move my mouth. Skin became drier on red stains, and just it, it’s like worse than before using ACV, I’ve never had flakes ;_;

Hi Mathieu,

Sorry to hear that. It’s crazy how apple cider vinegar can have such different results for people.
My theory is that the acidity of ACV is too far different than the skin’s natural level. Here is an article that explains this quite clearly. For people that have great results from it, they either have a different strain of bacteria (different bacteria thrive at different ph levels) present on the skin, or are maybe using something else to effectively return the skin to it’s natural ph level.

Hope that helps. All the best.

Have you tried using probiotics? My wife takes one a day with dinner and that seems to have drastically improved her eczema. She still is having issues with eyebrows so we are trying the ACV now.

Hi There,
Tried a large number of different types and even made my own (kefir, saurkraut, water kefir), but none of these seemed to be of much assistance. I tried to go over all the treatments I’ve tried previously.

Which specific probiotics were of use to your wife? Best of luck with the ACV.

michael as well I mean. Calm down

Hey everyone, I thought I’d chime in on things that have worked for me with my SD. I’ve had SD for about 3 years now and at first my doctor misdiagnosed me as having Tinea Versicolor. So for about 2 1/2 years I was using the wrong products and treatment methods on my skin without having any idea why things were not getting better (it was very frustrating). I finally went to see an experienced dermatologist and he diagnosed me as having SD and prescribed me creams. I used the creams for a few months but with very little improvement. I started doing some searching and found out about a probiotic called vsl 3 which is a great way to cleanse your insides and balance out the good and bad bacteria of the stomach. It seemed to help a little but once I stumbled across ACV things really got better for me. I am black and read about SD conditions from all different skin types, personally for me I had the best results of using organic unrefined ACV on my face which I put in a spray bottle and spray liberally 3 times a day. I DO NOT use a 1:1 ratio, but believe if you have sensitive skin you should dilute it because it may cause damage if undiluted. I’ve used to method for about 3 weeks and my SD is 90% cleared up. I had some on my scalp around my nose and forehead and on my cheeks so it was very noticeable. If you still find you are having problems I suggest people try a product called Doxigel. It is basically vitamin B in a cream form which is supposed to be applied 3 times daily also. I have not personally tried it but have heard some success stories. Sorry for the long response but hopes this helps some people as I wouldn’t have found a treatment if others hadn’t done the same for me.

Hi James,

Thanks for the details. Will look into the Doxigel.

For me the results I managed to obtain with ACV never really met my expectations. Personally I wanted to achieve complete remission and healthy looking skin. While the ACV would always leave my skin quite raw. Currently I’ve found a method which has worked exceptionally well for me, but I’m still waiting for community members to provide feedback.

All the best.