Before seeking to address the root cause of seborrheic dermatitis, it is important for symptoms to be under control to be in a more constructive state of mind.
It’s unlikely you’re going to pursue holistic self-improvement if you’re constantly in a state of damage control, and don’t want to go out in public for fear of others seeing visible flakes and redness.
When it comes to topical SD symptom management, I would avoid products containing Ketoconazole as they can have long-lasting side-effects, such as liver damage or QT prolongation, which can potentially disrupt the electrical system in the heart.
Even if you’re not ingesting these products and are just applying them to the skin, the skin absorbs anything and everything it comes into contact with. For topically managing seborrheic dermatitis, you ideally would not want to put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t theoretically be able to eat.
Having said that, there are several viable options at your disposal that have a good track record based on consumer reviews as well as my own personal experience.
1. BioM8 Skin Conditioning Oil
Designed to help replenish the skin’s moisture barrier and create an environment for healthy skin, BioM8 skin conditioning oil is a natural product that only contains a handful of ingredients:
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tricaprylin (Caprylic Triglyceride): Fatty acid triglycerides (caprylic and capric/decanoic) extracted from coconut and palm kernel oils.
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Hippophae Rhamnoids (Sea Buckthorn) Seed Oil: Natural source of palmitoleic acid and vitamin E, and is considered useful in treating inflamed skin.
Tocopherol (Vitamin E): Provides antioxidant support and protects fatty acids from oxidation.
For many (including myself), this stuff is a godsend, and the reviews speak for themselves.
It’s also low maintenance and economical. BioM8 is intended to be used sparingly, and one 100ml bottle can last for several months or more.
While they do ship internationally from Canada, there are some problematic destinations due to extended customs processing or poor national delivery services:
- India
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Pakistan
- Cambodia
- South Africa
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Turkey – cosmetics banned from import
These “problematic destinations” are likely going to apply for any other product mentioned in this article.
2.Dermgentle Seborrheic Dermatitis Relief Cream
Dermgentle is a US-based skincare company that specializes in steroid-free formulations for sensitive skin.
Their Seborrheic Dermatitis Relief Cream was designed to keep SD symptoms at bay without the use of steroids or harsh ingredients, and instead contains:
Xylitol: Disrupts the yeast’s protective film without irritating skin.
MCT: Medium-chain triglycerides have antimicrobial and antifungal effects, and work synergistically with Xylitol.
Squalane: Used to repair the skin barrier and reduce inflammation.
Glycerin: Known for its effectiveness with skin hydration while helping repair the skin’s natural barrier. Glycerin also has antimicrobial properties.
The company offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied, so you really have nothing to lose… Either it works, or you get your money back.
3. pHat 5.5 Seborrheic Dermatitis Moisturizing Cream
As its name suggests, pHat 5.5 is a skincare company that emphasizes skin pH balance. The pH of healthy skin is slightly acidic.
Their products are formulated at pH 5.5, helping to optimize pH balance, and their seborrheic dermatitis moisturizing cream contains a myriad of other ingredients to reduce inflammation and hydrate the skin, maybe too many…
This product has A LOT of hard-to-pronounce ingredients compared to the other products featured in this article, and they’re not all healthy.
Titanium Dioxide is probably the biggest offender here. It’s a known carcinogen and can disrupt brain biochemistry.
Having said that, if you must use something to topically manage seborrheic dermatitis (and nothing else works), compared to steroid creams, this is clearly a lesser evil. The only reason I included this is because it has mostly positive verified reviews across platforms and has obviously helped thousands of people keep their SD under control.
4. Dermazen Calming Seborrheic Serum
Dermazen offers an all-in-one serum designed to disrupt the Malassezia biofilm and soothe the skin with natural ingredients.
While this is one of the more expensive options, I think the price is justified by the abundance of high-quality natural ingredients that have a track record of helping with skin hydration, pH balance, inflammation as well as killing yeast:
- Concentrated Aloe
- Xylitol
- Grapefruit Seed Extract
- Tea Tree Essential Oil
- Dead Sea Salt
- Rosemary Essential Oil
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Colloidal Silver
- Niacinamide
- MSM
- Urea
- Purified Water
Another advantage is that this product does not contain oils like coconut or almond oil, which end up feeding the yeast and making matters worse.
5. DermaHarmony 2% Pyrithione Zinc Soap
This product is specifically intended for managing facial seborrheic dermatitis. Pyrithione Zinc is commonly used in anti-dandruff shampoos thanks to its antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties.
DermaHarmony offers a convenient soap bar, and unsurprisingly, it seems to be pretty effective against facial SD.
Unfortunately, it does have Titanium Dioxide, but again, this is a lesser evil compared to steroid creams and worth trying if nothing else seems to work. It’s also the cheapest option on this list.
In Conclusion
I think these are all viable options that are highly likely to improve your quality of life if you’re dealing with the debilitating symptoms of facial seborrheic dermatitis.
In my opinion, the best out of all of these are BioM8, Dermgentle and Dermazen as they do not have any remotely toxic ingredients and seem to get the job done in the vast majority of cases.
The latter two (Dermgentle and Dermazen) do give you a money-back guarantee, so these would obviously be your best options if you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford to waste money on trial and error.
However, once you have your symptoms in check, the next step is to address the root cause of SD, which is outlined in my ebook, A Seborrheic Dermatitis Survival Guide.
Ultimately, facial seborrheic dermatitis indicates an underlying imbalance. Your body is trying to get your attention. Simply masking the symptoms can hinder your development as a human being by throwing a fundamental problem under the rug.