Eczema feels like my dirty little secret. Because I try to hide the fact that I have it.

This isn’t something that I talk about – ever. It’s something that greatly embarrasses me, and I’ve decided that enough is enough. Maybe if I talk about it, it’ll make me less embarrassed.

I suffer from eczema on my scalp. It makes me look like I have the worst case of dandruff all the time, and it makes me so self-concious of the clothing that I wear and how long I can wear my hair down for. Any one else have this issue? My scalp has never been this bad before, and although I do remember having an issue with this once when I was younger, I know that this is probably the worst it’s been.

I’ve tried tons of topical treatments, trying to avoid having to go to a tar shampoo or something more medicated. I was using coconut oil on my hair, and while it’s made my hair feel amazing, my scalp hasn’t been getting any better. I’ve switched up shampoos, I’ve tried using scrubs to help get off the excess, and to no avail. So, last week I gave in and bought Neutrogena’s T-Gel Shampoo. Used it that night, and while the smell of the tar shampoo is kind of gross, it made a difference. My scalp felt relieved and while it’s not completely gone, it’s definitely better.

For me, the next steps are to book a doctors appointment to discuss this. I might even check out getting an appointment with a nutritionist or a dermatologist. I have tried to fix this with diet, but it’s tough. Tough to stick to, and tough to figure out what it is that I need to cut out (if anything). It got worse when I was on a specific birth control, but now that I’m off it and it’s still not better it’s time to get to the root of it.

This post was kind of inspired by this one, because it gave me more information and a place to figure out what’s wrong. I like knowing that I have more options than just hoping it goes away.

Now comes the journey of figuring out what is wrong and how to fix it.