Shampoo for eczema and TSW

I’m using two shampoos at the moment. I switch it up, try different things and also get samples sent to me from brands on Instagram and also through judging for the Free From Skincare Awards so I’m not always that loyal… Sorry! I’ve tested loads of shampoos to find something that is kind to my dry, flaky, sore scalp and also makes my hair shiny and soft. More recently I’m also looking at brands that are good for the environment as I want to reduce my carbon footprint and reduce plastic waste.

I’ve actually written quite a few blogs about shampoos, in my quest to find the best ones which you can read here:

1. Natural, Non irritant shampoos for dry eczema scalps – I’ve tried quite a few different shampoos and these are a few of my favourites.
2. 93 chemicals which cause dermatitis – check your shampoo – Ingredients to look out for if you have sensitive skin!
3. Top 10 irritant and SLS free shampoo for eczema skin – Update! – Even more shampoos to look out for!
4. Rhassoul clay shampoo for eczema scalps – Do it yourself shampoo and conditioner. If you have time this is good fun and does work and is just one ingredient!
5. 10 shampoos for dry scalps and eczema – my first attempt at finding something and it was really hard work! I wouldn’t actually recommend many of these brands now as they are not that great, don’t have a good ingredients list and aren’t very natural but I’ve included it here so you can see the products that are SUPPOSED to be good! If you’re using any of these, try something more natural.

And so we come to the two I’ve decided to use at the moment and an introduction to my current scalp situation!

TSW scalp

For those who don’t know, TSW stands for Topical Steroid Withdrawal. I did use topical steroids on my scalp, mainly Betacap, but not frequently. I did get quite bad skin during TSW on my scalp but this was probably the easiest part of my body to heal. It wasn’t that itchy but it did scab up with huge ugly crusty scabs around the back of my scalp and in the hairline at the front. I’d say my scalp is pretty good now, almost completely healed but i’ve always had a dry scalp and found that certain things can make it worse e.g. certain shampoos, hair drying, winter winds, hair products and treatments, chlorine after swimming etc.

Use gentle, natural, kind products

So when I looked at the skincare products I was using, naturally I examined my shampoo too to ensure I was giving my body the most support and putting it under the least pressure from chemicals and irritants.

Washing hair less…

I have also started to wash my hair less frequently. This also saves my scalp from too much water exposure and unnecessary drying. I’ve probably been washing it twice a week but that might increase now it’s so short and can’t all be swept up in a bun!

So here are my two favourite sensitive scalp shampoos:

Olsson Scandinavian 0% fragrance and colourant shampoo

Approved by Allergy UK, this shampoo is so gentle and lovely to use. It doesn’t irritate my hands and I can even use it in the shower rather than leaning over the bath as I usually do, as some shampoos irritate my body if they come into contact during a shower. It doesn’t dry my scalp out either and leaves my hair shiny and silky soft. I’m really enjoying using it.

Ingredients:  Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Zinc Coceth Sulfate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid.

If you’d like to try samples of the shampoo and conditioner email me on ruth@whatallergy.com with your address and email address and I’ll get them sent out to you ASAP.

Use my Promocode WHATALLERGY10 for 10%. Visit Olsson Haircare here to shop and you also get FREE STANDARD DELIVERY ON ORDERS OVER £15.

Kind2 bar shampoo

In my new quest for products that produce less packaging these little bar shampoos from Kind2 are great. They are soap free, fragrance free and plastic free. They don’t produce a lot of lather but with a little massaging over the scalp you get the feeling you’ve created good coverage of the hair and it works really well.

It’s also tiny, light and will be great for my summer camping trips.

Ingredients: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Kaolin, Camellia Seed Oil, Fullers Earth, Macadamia Oil, Chia Seed Oil

They also do shampoo bars for curly and coloured hair and are working on a conditioning bar so watch out for that.

Kind to you, Kind to me and kind to the planet. Visit Kind2 here. Use my code WHATALLERGY for 15% off!

Other shampoos I use:

Other shampoos that I also like include:

• Balmonds (Use promo code WHATALLERGY for 20%), this is a shampoo and body wash product so has dual purpose. It doesn’t froth like some mainstream shampoos but cleans hair well and doesn’t make my scalp dry at all.
• A’Kin – a lovely unscented natural shampoo
• John Masters unscented shampoos.

What do you use? Are you tempted to try these two?