I used to have SD also but when I stopped using commercial shampoos the problem went away. I am sensitive to detergents (cleaning products made from petroleum based oils)

I try to use only true soaps to wash with (surfactant made from vegetable oil) as they seem to not irritate my skin like detergents do.

It seems like part of the human condition if you tend to produce a lot of skin oil. So it could be hereditary in that way and not really related to wheat.

Some treatment suggestions here: http://paleohacks.com/questions/41081/treating-seborrheic-dermatitis-while-no-poo#axzz1vv0lWNPs

This might be helpful too: http://paleohacks.com/questions/75488/paleo-and-sebborheic-dermatitis#axzz1vv7JvitS

Or this one: http://paleohacks.com/questions/21349/cradle-cap-and-paleo-update#axzz1vv7XxWmE

Hi, I came across this question while doing some research. I have had SD for many years and so does my father. I had been paleo for about six months, eating super clean but no curing my SD. I was also still plagued with a few other things such as insomnia and anxiety. Well, in researching those other things I found that I may be magnesium deficient. I got 'Natural Calm' magnesium and started taking it twice a day along with vitamin d3. Well, I am sleeping better, my anxiety is much better AND to my surprise my SD has almost disappeared! Now researching SD and vitamin/mineral deficiency, I have come across many articles about vitamin B (specifically Biotin) deficiency and SD and it all is making sense to me. Without proper magnesium levels, your body cannot absorb other nutrients properly. So now I am also taking a B complex vitamin with my magnesium and D3. I hope this helps you!

It's a form of eczema which is an autoimmune disease. All autoimmune diseases have a genetic predisposition and have "leaky gut" in common. Going on a Paleo diet may be all you need to turn things around.

I've struggled with awful SD too, and eating incredibly clean paleo and consistently washing my pillowcases (at least once a week) are what do the trick for me. I've also gone shampoo free for the most part, but there doesn't seem to be a correlation between the two in my experience.

I have been cursed with this skin condition too, so i feel your pain. I've had it all my life and can't get rid of it.

Things that help to reduce it are: not using any soaps / parabens / sls products, as they really dry out my skin

I have to use a sls free shampoo and shower gel, and slap on lots of body moisturiser after my shower (best to do this when your body is still wet as locks in more moisture)

Its time consuming and is a pain, but it does make a big difference. Hope this helps.

I have dealt with SD for most of my life. My two children have it, too, especially my oldest (who has a far worse case of it than I do). Very little has helped, but what I've noticed is the following:

I have serious problems with wheat, and removing gluten has helped. Not much, though. (Mostly getting rid of gluten helped other stuff.)

Dairy really aggravates it for me, and a little for my daughter.

I don't use commercial shampoos anymore, and that's helped. I do, however, use baking soda + a little tea tree oil and massage it into my scalp with plenty of water. I do a rinse with a mix of lemon juice and water (because I hate the smell of cider vinegar), and massage that in as well.

Good luck! I'm not sure it's one of those things that will necessarily go away with a paleo-ish diet, but it's helped me some.

I have it too, as did my dad. I've been paleo for 4 months and haven't noticed any improvement, although my skin in general feels softer. I have it on my face more than my scalp. The only thing that seems to help is steroid cream, which can only be used so often.

I have had some bad eczema on my hands for over a year. I eat paleo and cut out many foods but nothing helped. I went to a alternative doctor here in Northern Virginia and she sad the eczema was because I had parasites. She said you do not need to leave the US to get them. She recommended some herbs called "Freedom Cleanse Restore" It is a three month protocal and I have only taken them three days, but already my eczema is much much better. It may help you.

The answer, for me, has been Vitamin D supplements. My lifelong seborrhea in my eyebrows and around my ears, and dandruff, have completely disappeared since I began taking vitamin D six months ago.

Probably parasites & fungal infection. Some say that is the cause. Watch this video from Paul Chek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJnH2n3yvvk. He has several videos on the subject and says that most skin problems are the cause of a parasite or fungal infection.

I have had SD for about 9 years, with increasing severity. I first began primal about 3 years ago, but it seemed to have no effect at all on the SD. Although the diet helped with some symptoms - like arthritis - it did not help with the SD. I tried LC, VLC, IF, Whole30, dairy free, vitamin D, magnesium, no shampoo, vinegar/baking soda, SLS-free shampoo, gluten-free/paraben-free/etc. shampoo/conditioner, scalp treatments (oils, lotions, topical antifungals), etc. All had no noticeable effect. Even installed a filter on the shower head, but no effect. Doctors and dermatologist all said 'use a dandruff shampoo and blow dry your hair.' Not helpful. I don't even know if it's really SD; some aspects to it seem to be like dermatitis herpetiformis (gluten-related). Gluten-free cleared up the itchy bumps, but did not clear up the flakiness at all.

Over the past six months, though, I've had episodes up to a couple weeks during which it's completely gone away. I've since narrowed it down to the MSM tri-sulfate supplement I began taking about six months ago. (It also helps a lot with arthritis symptoms that remained even after the primal dietary changes.) The normal dose is two pills a day. If I slack off taking it, the flakiness comes back within a couple days. If I take a double or triple dose and recommence taking it regularly, the flakiness begins to disappear within 36 hours and stays gone as long as I take the supplement. I don't understand why. I'm still trying to research and think it through why this supplement in particular seems to work. I've even pretty much gone off the primal bandwagon for several weeks, and the scalp issue remains clear as long as I take the MSM tri-sulfate. I experimented with eliminating and reintroducing other supplements - D, C, B complex, etc. - and it's definitely the MSM tri-sulfate. I have not yet eliminated and challenged the individual components of the supplement (the MSM versus the glucosamine versus the chondroitin). Anyway, for whatever it's worth. YMMV.

I haven't ruled out gluten completely yet. It seems like that would make much more sense. I'm still gluten free, for now. I suppose it's possible that undetected gluten exposure plus a several-day delay in the flakiness flaring up could also be a possibility. But the connection to the MSM tri-sulfate supplement has been much more direct.