Witch Hazel for Folliculitis

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Witch Hazel
Posted by Jr (Dallas, Tx) on 09/17/2009
★★★★★

Over the past few years I have been suffering from a mild to severe case of folliculitis of the scalp. The primary affected area was around the hairline just above the neck with a few additional patches on the sides and top. As most of you probably know folliculitis does have some kind of link with stress levels. When stress levels were high I would experience a flare up with numerous painful bumps. Having been two multiple dermatologists I had pretty much tried every treatment in the book ranging from anti-bacterial creams to corticosteroid based shampoos.

Once on a visit to my barber for a haircut he mantioned that another client of his had experienced success with witch hazel. I purchased a bottle (generic kind available at Walmart) rather half-heartedly and gave it a try. Every morning after a shower I would use a cotton ball and wipe down the area with the witch hazel solution. To my complete and pleasant surprise the bumps disappeared almost completely and have not returned even after I stopped using it.

I have since researched this and found out that a pure witch hazel extract may actually be better. The generic kind I purchased contains 14% isopropyl alcohol. I still have a few affected areas that I am going to try this on given the success I've had so far.

I sure hope this information helps somebody out there in their fight against folliculitis.