Hi,

Well-meaning people would say seb derm is not caused by poor hygiene, but it is. More accurately, seb derm and dandruff can be triggered by wrong hygiene practices in susceptible individuals.

What do I mean by this?

Well.

If you are not susceptible to seborrheic dermatitis, no matter how dirty your face or scalp is, you will not trigger a seb derm flare.

However, if you already have a predisposition to seb derm, having poor hygiene (i.e not washing enough or not washing properly), or using the wrong products for your skin can definitely play a major role in seb derm flares.

A major cause of seb derm is your skin’s reaction to Malassezia. Malassezia growth is exacerbated by the presence of excess of oil on the skin. When you leave your skin unwashed, sebum and other oils accumulate.

Ironically, when you wash your face too much and strip it off its natural oils, your skin overcompensates for this by producing more sebum, also encouraging Malassezia growth.

What are we to do? My advice is short and sweet:

Wash when needed using a gentle cleanser. 

You can check out the deep dive in this week’s article: Is seborrheic dermatitis due to poor hygiene?

We know tea tree oil helps keep Malassezia in check. Witch hazel and willow bark extract regulate sebum production while hyaluronic acid and niacimide helps rebuild our skin barrier.

But who has the time to layer all these ingredients on our skin every day?

That’s where the Plant Therapy Tea Tree Facial Serum comes in. It’s only $16.99 (a bargain price for face serum) or you can get it for free when you spend more than $65.

Check it out:

How do I use squalane oil on my scalp for dandruff?

In general I don’t recommend putting oils on your scalp unless you have a really, really dry scalp. Your skin does a pretty good job making oils without any extra help. Most of us can’t go more than 2-3 days before needing to wash our hair.

However, if you’re looking for a pre-wash oil mask, you could use 10 drops of squalane to 2-3 drops of tea tree oil (or any other essential oil with anti-Malassezia activity) and leave it on for a 10-15 minutes.

Just make sure you wash all the oil off when you shampoo. Otherwise, you’ll end up feeling greasy and having limp hair from day 1.

* Every week I answer one reader question. If you have any questions for me, just hit reply and ask away. Don’t worry, I never use your name or any other identifier.

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Stay healthy, happy, safe and rash-free!

Until next week,

Sharon G.