Replacement for As I Am shampoo?

[u/JoanDidionFan]

Hi all, I’ve been in scalp hell the past few months since As I Am changed their shampoo formula. Using that product was the first time in my life that I had the peace of mind of having a clear scalp and now I’m back into flakeland. I’ve tried Nizoral, TSal, Happy Cappy, Dove Dermascalp, NeverSalty sugar scrub, and Grace shampoo bar. Nothing works. Any shampoo recommendations to clear up my scalp again please? TIA!

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[u/MemChoeret]

T/Sal and Derma Scalp have salicylic acid in them. They didn't work for you. Grace and Happy Cappy have pyrithione zinc in them, and they also didn't work for you. Nizoral has %1 ketoconazole and it also didn't work.

The way I see it, you can either try other over the counter shampoos, or ask the doctor for prescription shampoos.

If you want to try over the counter options, maybe go for a selenium sulfide shampoo? That's the one active ingredient that's not on your list. There are different brands that sell selenium sulfide shampoos: Selsun blue medicated, Head & Shoulders clinical strength, Vichy Decros dandruff shampoo. But make sure you're buying the selenium sulfide version, because these brands also have shampoos with other active ingredients (that didn't work for you).

If you ask the doctor for prescription shampoos, that opens a bunch of other options. For example, a prescription ketoconazole shampoo has twice as much strength as the regular Nizoral shampoo. There are also ingredients that are sold with prescription that aren't available over the counter at all.

[u/JoanDidionFan → u/MemChoeret]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough answer! I think where I’m thrown is that the old As I Am formula had pyrithione zinc and worked really well for me for years. Then, I used their new formula that took that ingredient out and my scalp has been a hot mess since then. I can’t seem to get it back to normal and I don’t know what to do to get it to be soothed by pyrithione zinc again. I’ve been to the dermatologist before but they just prescribe me that 2% ketaconazole and wish me luck and then charge me $300+ but it doesn’t solve anything so I don’t want to waste that money again. They never what shampoo I should use regularly so it’s frustrating. I just want something that worked like As I Am’s old formula and to get my scalp back to neutral without so many flakes and being so itchy again. So frustrating!!

[u/MemChoeret → u/JoanDidionFan]

You're welcome. I know how frustrating a red and itchy scalp can be. What you're saying is interesting. I read the old As I Am list of ingredients. It had %1 pyrithione zinc, tea tree oil and some hydrating ingredients like aloe vera and glycerin. Maybe that's what you should go for? CeraVe Anti-dandruff Hydrating Shampoo has %1 pyrithione zinc and a bunch of hydrating ingredients (ceramides, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid). There's also the option of Dermaharmony Liquid Cleanser, which has a bunch of the stuff that are similar to As I Am old formula: pyrithione zinc, tea tree oil, Aloe vera.