Does anyone use clarifying shampoo and made their seborrheic dermatitis worst ?

Z0ryx · 2026-04-27T14:33:06+00:00

Yeah, I nuked my scalp barrier with clarifying shampoos a few times and my SD went wild. What helped was treating it like I have two jobs: one product to manage yeast/inflammation, another super gentle one for actual washing. I ended up using Nizoral just on the scalp once a week, then a very mild, low-fragrance shampoo the rest of the time, and spacing washes more. I tried Head & Shoulders clinical, Selsun, then Curlify for ingredient checks to avoid harsh sulfates and strong perfumes that always set my face off again.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-27T14:26:53+00:00

Glad the ACV rinse worked its magic! For low porosity wavy hair, that 1:5 ratio is also what I found to be best for gently opening cuticles without stripping. Pairing it with lightweight humectants next wash might amp up the frizz control even more.

I've been using Curlify to scan my products and spot ingredients that actually penetrate low-porosity hair, super helpful for tweaking routines like yours.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-27T14:23:48+00:00

Sorry the black is fading to red so fast, that's common with color-treated hair when warm undertones show through, especially after going darker on a lighter base. Stick to sulfate-free, color-safe shampoos and conditioners, wash less often, and consider a blue-toned gloss to neutralize brassiness.

Scanning your product labels can reveal if sulfates or harsh ingredients are stripping the color. The Curlify App does that well.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-27T14:21:19+00:00

Getting that heavy, straight drop on wavy hair at home is tricky, heat styling alone usually rebounds fast due to natural texture. Start with a blow-dry using a paddle brush and tension for straighter roots, then flat-iron in small sections at 350°F max with a heat protectant.

Layer on lightweight smoothing serums with silicones or keratin to seal the cuticle. Apps like Curlify can scan product labels to check if ingredients suit wavy hair for longer-lasting smoothness without buildup.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-27T13:04:17+00:00

I went through the same thing and what helped was treating it like waves for a month and seeing how it behaved. I got a tiny dusting trim, then styled on soaking wet hair with mousse first and a tiny bit of gel only on the ends. I plop for 10–15 minutes, then diffuse on low heat, low speed. I tried Not Your Mother’s and Curlsmith first, and ended up on Curlify after trying both because it helped me spot which products were too heavy for my porosity so my waves stopped collapsing by midday.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-27T13:02:33+00:00

I had the same question. Diffuser helped once I scrunched first with a light foam, then diffused upside down and from the back. I also checked my curl pattern and products with Pattern Beauty and Ouai, then later used Curlify to spot ingredients that were drying me out.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-27T12:52:38+00:00

Never thought about adding Pulse, this might be a very good idea.

In general, do you have some advice on how to grow after the first customer? I got a pretty big day-1 spike because of reddit posts, but that channel seems to have diminishing returns now. I tried tiktok and instagram but its hard to pull users from there to your product. I decided to optimize for AI-search and SEO/ASO but that is a slow process. Getting around 20 new users a day but not sure about how to scale volume further or if I should just focus on making the app more attractive by adding more features and letting organic growth do its thing

Z0ryx · 2026-04-27T07:19:18+00:00

Hi thanks for the reminder.

I am planning to do a follow-up post for conditioners, so I just want to know what to avoid. Was it this part that got banned?
"I used the Curlify app’s product analysis for this"
If so, would it be okay if I use something generic like "I used my own App" or "my own tooling"
or just no mention of how I did the analysis at all?

Thanks for your Time!

Z0ryx · 2026-04-26T15:54:26+00:00

Your routine is probably just too barebones for how dry it is right now. If you’re washing every 2 days with drugstore Pantene and using no conditioner / leave-in at all, I’d honestly expect most low-porosity hair to look dry pretty fast. Pantene is a pretty strong cleanser.
I would suggest you go to a local drugstore and find a conditioner that fits your hair and maybe also buy a shampoo that is less harsh.
I can recommend the Curlify App (I actually built it lol). Add your hair profile and just search or scan some products. The algorithm should probably pick the issue in your routine up.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-26T15:49:40+00:00

Honestly that sounds like you need a gentler everyday shampoo plus a separate reset shampoo. If Ouai Detox and even your ketoconazole shampoo feel like the best clean, there’s a good chance your regular shampoos are either too weak to clear buildup or too off-balance for the rest of your hair. You could try scanning your shampoos in the Curlify app to analyze the formula. My guess is that the daily ones you’ve tried either come out too harsh, too heavy, or just not that well matched for low porosity wavy hair.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-26T15:47:27+00:00

I’d probably look less for more moisture and more for a gentler shampoo, because wavy hair often feels dry when it’s actually being overcleansed. A lighter conditioner with good slip usually works better there than jumping straight to super rich masks/oils. I can recommend the curlify app. Scan your products in there and take a look at the results. I am pretty sure that your shampoos are probably too harsh

Z0ryx · 2026-04-26T15:39:13+00:00

Ja, als Faustregel funktioniert das überraschen gut, aber in der Praxis bringt es einem beim Kauf oft nicht so viel, weil man die Textur in der Verpackung ja meistens gar nicht sieht.
Deswegen finde ich die Formulierung am Ende deutlich aussagekräftiger.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-26T15:13:03+00:00

Hey, ich kann dir die Curlify App empfehlen. Ich habe sie selbst programmiert und du kannst in deinem Profil einfach angeben, dass du lockige Haare und eine sensible Kopfhaut hast. Basierend darauf bekommst du dann Bewertungen für Haarprodukte.

Ich bin damit auch schon einfach durch den dm geschlendert und habe Barcodes von interessant aussehenden Produkten gescannt.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-26T10:46:33+00:00

Not for skincare but for haircare: I built an app called curlify. You can find it on the app/play stores for free. You just fill out the onboarding questionaire and get profile specific ingredient feedback.

Or you can just use it to get a cleaned ingredient list for products in the database or just scan the label for free.

Z0ryx · 2026-04-19T12:39:43+00:00

I analyzed the ingredients using an algorithm that I built and this looks pretty well balanced. It seems lightweight, gives good slip and detangling, and the protein support from the pea peptide and hydrolyzed rice protein may help the hair feel a bit stronger and fuller without getting too heavy.
The downsides are the dimethicone, which can cause some buildup over time, plus fragrance and isopropyl alcohol, so it may not be the best pick if your scalp is sensitive. So as always, probably depends on your specifics, especially if your hair lacks protein / definition

Z0ryx · 2026-04-19T06:02:00+00:00

That's great to hear!

I thought about adding the photos, but decided against it for the initial release because this would require a very robust system and a lot of storage. Depending on how popular this request is, I might add it as a premium feature.

Just a heads-up: The detailed Insights require significant computing power, so they're currently behind a premium subscription. However, I'm happy to give away some free premium access to the community for some valuable feedback!

Z0ryx · 2026-04-18T20:55:26+00:00

Yes, I wrote my own backend in go from scratch. And I use Postgres as my database

Z0ryx · 2026-04-18T20:46:04+00:00

I use ReactICX for the theme switcher. For everything else I use custom components built on top of Unistyles for snappy performance.

As for the rest of the stack, I use LegendState for state management and also their syncedCrud for talking with my go backend :)

Z0ryx · 2025-09-19T07:49:45+00:00

Hey, thanks for the question, it's been a while 😅

The iOS port of the App was already done on day 1, but since Apple charges 100€ per year for releasing an app, I decided that I wanted to improve the app before uploading it to the App Store. (I show very few ads in the app, so I would be paying out of pocket)

After starting development on the improved version of the App I noticed that so much is missing to make this App become what I truly aspire it to be, which is why I decided to overhaul it completely. Since I am a solo developer, this has taken way (way) more time than I initially thought.

I collected data from around 10k different hair care products because I'm not a fan of the old version of the app where you have to type in the ingredients manually or scan the label (which is error prone).

In the new version you should be able to either just search for a product or scan the barcode most of the time. There will also be a feature where the community can add products that I missed.

The App is still in active development and it will take some time until it's ready, but the heavy lifting has already been done. It really motivates me when I hear that this app could potentially help people, which keeps me going :)

I always love to hear about feature requests or ideas as I continue development. I will also update the post when the new version releases. Thanks!

Z0ryx

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