Armpits

[TheLawOfOne]

don't know if you guys have this there down under but try Neutrogena T-Gel shampoo. It could be Seborrheic dermatitis. If you don't have that, try washing the armpits with diluted Lysterine antiseptic (about 30% Lysterine/70% water) and then apply some vaseline. Keep this up for a while, like a month or two.

[ButterflyWoman]

I ordered one of those natural crystal deodorants so I shall give it a go.

A word of advice on those. They work by making your armpit a place where bacteria can't grow as well, thus eliminating most of the odor. (Incidentally, having armpit hair also helps with producing a more pleasant smell, because the aerobic bacteria grow better in the hair and they generally smell better, go figure).

The thing that can happen with the crystal deodorants is that if you don't use them VERY regularly or you run out, the bacteria that have been kept at bay will reappear with a vengeance and for some people, they smell far, far worse. Thankfully, it's only temporary until your natural flora (i.e., good bacteria) get the situation under control.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea to use these crystal deodorants, by the way. I think they're pretty cool, personally. Just look out for the "kickback" that can happen.

Oh, as for healthy oils, see if you can get some unrefined shea butter. That stuff is AMAZING. I've been using it on my hands for about a week and the difference is really boggling. You can also use it up your nose (it helps reduce swelling in the tissues, plus it moisturises), on your lips, in your ears, you name it. Oh, and it's edible.

I really don't recommend using vaseline, by the way. It's made from petroleum. Not good for your skin at all. If you want something that will sit on the skin and create a barrier, try cocoa butter or jojoba butter.

[CFTraveler]

One more word of advice about the itchy scalp: There are many reasons for an itchy scalp, and not just one like a certain cosmetics manufacturer would have us believe- someone mentioned seborrheic dermatitis (which is rapid cell turnover with excess oil production), eczema which can be either oily or dry, and psoriasis, which usually isn't oily, but it can also manifest as seborrheic psoriasis, which is oily.
Massage is not recommended with any type of dermatitis because some of these processes are inflammatory and massage will make it worse-the preparations that have been shown to help are usually either coal tar based (because it is anti-inflammatory and seems to reduce sensitivity, at least for some time) or Salicylic acid based (because it removes the dead skin flakes) and zinc kills the fungus that grows in the greasy scalp, but will not actually do anything for the problem itself.
So, massage and use oils if you have dry scalp, but not if you have any of the 'dermatitis' type dandruff conditions, because those become aggravated by doing this.

[Neil Templar]

i use T-Gel tar shampoo. i have Psoriasis. it helps to some degree, but i find sunlight is the best cure. ideally speaking,a mixture of the two works best...
i was recently recommended nettle soap. there's a little farmer's market in town once a week, and a stall there sells home-made organic soaps.
i'm gonna give that a try... i also tried Zarqa Dead Sea minerals-based shampoo and lotion for a while there. they also helped, to some degree... however, what i did conclude, is that the psoriasis comes and goes dependant on the toxins in my system.
while i was living in Amsterdam, i was drinking regularly, even if it was only one drink, i'd always have one after work.
when i moved home, and stopped drinking like that, it cleared up a great deal. now i'm trying to work out which foods are "working" for or against me..

[CFTraveler]

Everything I've read about psoriasis (and I read about stuff like this because I have a variety of dermatological ailments, my skin seems to be my weakest spot- if it exists I've probably had it) is that whatever works your body gets used to and then you go on to the next thing. So for me, things like Witch hazel worked for a while, the coal tar shampoo did work for a while also, and tea tree oil shampoo also- I'm looking into chamomile and I'll let you know how that works.

[Neil Templar]

cool. i'll tell you how i get on with the nettle soap.
i'm sure there must be an "optimum nourishment" level, in terms of nutrition and contact to other substances, for each individual, where these kinds of imbalances stop producing these outward expressions... i'm like you, anything going on "inside" manifests in my skin in some way...
perhaps the air we breathe is simply too polluted for them to ever go away...

[ButterflyWoman]

Oh, also look into goats milk soap. We started using it years ago and have never bought anything else since. It's amazing for skin complaints.

[CFTraveler]

goats milk soap.

Any ideas where I can get this?

[ButterflyWoman]

You can try looking on eBay, for a start. Or Google "goats milk soap" and see what turns up. You can put in the city or state for something local, or just look for online sellers.

http://goatmilkstuff.com/

That looks good. They even raise their own goats!

[CFTraveler]

Thanks for the link. I'll look into it.