What type (brands) of shampoo are good for elderly? My grandmother (95) is saying the ones that she’s been using now make her itch.

My hubs had awful psoriasis and we started using Paul MItchell Tea tree, or selson blue, and they worked great! I like aussie moist for myself. Mom likes the tea tree also, but it's pricey. I get it off Amazon.

If she showers Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. If she is bedbound then amazon has this great blow up hairwashing station for use in bed you can buy for about 20-25 dollars. If you have been using that no rinse stuff stop! All it is scented water with alcohol in it and it causes people to have cradle cap. Get some cradle cap shampoo to get the scalp clean and sweat/dirt free. Then you can switch to J&J. Did this with mom and she is sooooo much happier.

Does she have a build up of sebum? my mom's scalp always itches, but i think it is over use of hair products by her hairdresser. I have used nixoin and it cleans the build up on the scalp. I have recently switch for my own and using CEL it has plant stem cells in it. Very refreshing. Also rinse thoroughy. OTC conditioners coats the hair, as well as the scalp. Any residue would cause itching. Good luck.
Oh and between shampoos, I have used cedarwood oil on my mom's scalp. helps a lot, but use a high quality one and not one from a drug store or big box. We use Young Living cedarwood oil, and a few drops massaged into the scalp.

Hi Everyone thanks for your answers.
I've communicated with my uncle - her primary care giver your responses...
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Just to respond to some of the other notes and questions

She uses Amla Hair oil on her hair scalp/after washing - shes used it her whole life and that part is just fine - remoisturizes and theres not flakes or dandruff happening.

We switched her onto moisturizing baby lotion (like the pink j&j kind) so that seems to be fine... the previous cream was a vegan, glycerin/cocobutter based based cream scented with rose oil - so overall surprised after 3 months of use it gave her rashes.

I do suspect that part of the issue is the house has hard water and her skin is thin and sensitive right now just by age.

I have massive skin allergies myself from the other side of the family and have reactions to the hard water when i'm there (and if anyone cares lol
most mainstream dish soap makes my skin peel and shaving blades, wool, some shampoo brands, cardboard, floral foam - to name a few of the many things - all give me hives... so i'm a general skin nightmare)

so as a result the things were giving her are on the most part natural or geared for the sensitive skin side realm...

Thanks Again.

In the last couple of years before my dad died at 95, he developed so many skin problems. His dermatologist had him switch to Cetaphil products, which she uses herself. She had him use the soap for sensitive skin and the moisturizing lotion called Restoraderm . He actually used the No-Rinse shampoo because he no longer got in the shower. I don't know if Cetaphil has a shampoo product. You might look for any product labeled for Eczema. I get itchy from shampoos as well and have used Johnson's Baby Shampoo. My hairdresser suggested I use an oil treatment for my scalp where I wrap my head in a warm towel for a while if things get really uncomfortable.

Remember, if you use a shampoo, also use a conditioner. I learned that lesson many moon ago when my head would itch like crazy as I was just using shampoo.

Now I use the very inexpensive VO5 shampoo [I can buy it at $.99], then I try out different conditioners. I heard that switching conditioners help as the hair tends to get use to one product and won't work as well.

You should try anything for sensitive skin. Remember that as one ages, skin becomes dry-including the scalp.

https://giftedkiddie.com/best-shampoo-kids/#honest

check out this site the Honest Company shampoo for children is listed here

try Honestee shampoo and conditioner for Children. it is mild and natural. I recently purchased it @ Costco

Anything with goat milk. Try Beekman's PURE goat milk-they also have scented- but for itching you want to avoid the perfumes! (they are pricey-have their own website or they also sell through HSN.com) or any goat milk shampoo bar (Goatmilkstuff.com) Or even GRAMPA's soap company (All over Amazon.com)-the buttermilk and oat/honey bars are nice! Esp the buttermilk. Their buttermilk shampoo/conditioner has a strange sour milky scent that rinses away but washes up great. or you can just use ANY of these soap bars. Any of those are pretty much guaranteed not to cause any itching, are very safe, and very mild and have none of the BAD things in them. If just going to the local store Johnson and Johnson have a new more health friendly line of baby lotions and shampoos. The vanilla oatmeal is nice. I have use ALL these products so I can speak from experienced here. THE DOWN SIDE..if you are looking for SUPER moisturizing, you will not find it in these products, but you will find SAFE and for the most part, BAD chemical free.

Look on the label to see if her shampoo contains the preservative “Methylisothiazolinone”. This is a preservative used in many shampoos, conditioners, body washes, etc. and can cause contact dermatitis. My entire family can’t use any product containing it or they start itching and sometimes develop a rash. HTH

AloeVesta makes a fine soap for sensitive skin. If Grandma is being seen by HomeHealth, they can provide it for you.

I am a firm believer of using natural products only, for hair and skin. The sodium laureate sulfate is what makes shampoos ad soaps lather, but it is cancer causing. Winner's usually has a good selection of natural products.

I have a dementia client who has a neurological itch. We had to switch from bathing everyday to every other day. I use baby shampoo. You can also try putting coconut oil on her before bathing to help retain moisture. Also vaseline in small amounts help with the itching. If the itching persists take her to the Dr. That's how we got my client diagnosed with the neurological itch. It is honestly a trial and error situation. Keep trying stuff until you find what works. It is very frustrating.

I also suggest washing her clothes in Dreft, the baby detergent. Their skin is so sensitive.

If she has her hair cut, talk to her hair stylist. My daughter is a stylist and has me use Wella shampoo and conditioner. Thyroid or kidney problems can also cause itching as someone else mentioned. I can't use scented products at all.

I don't look forward to being made to take a shower a couple times a week. I shower every morning and wash my hair. I have curly hair and I look like a wet cat that has been dragged through a knothole backwards if I don't wash it. I also have night sweats and feel so yucky if I don't shower.

I haven't read the responses, so forgive me if I am redundant.

If she has started having sensitive skin issues I would nix the fabric softeners being used first thing, they tend to be harsher than we realize because they smell so good. But they are hug allergens that are often missed. I stopped using them because my husband had pulmonary embolisms and couldn't breathe, they aggravated the problem.

Also, use less laundry detergent and a 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to rinse her clothes, bedding, towels. This will act as a softener and make sure that all the detergent is rinsed out.

The SLS in cleaning products is a very harsh detergent agent and it is in soooooo many personal care items, including shampoo and soaps that it strips us of our natural oils so deeply that our bodies cannot replace them fast enough, creating an unbalanced environment on our skin.

Is it possible to do a olive oil treatment for her? Wash her hair and then cover her head and hair with olive oil, leaving it on overnight if possible, wrap her hair in a turban to protect furniture and then wash the next day. This will help get her PH sorted on her scalp. If you can only leave it in for the duration of the shower that is okay, you may have to do it a couple times to help though. It doesn't take much, don't want her to feel like a tossed salad 😉

Then I would find a natural baby shampoo to replace her current product.

Please let us know what works for you, we all learn from one another.

Thank you and good luck!

People have good suggestions...you might want to check in with Aveda products that are unscented (they used to make a shampoo where you would PICK what scent/oil you wanted added, and I have bought it without ANY). I don't know if they still have that. You could try a google search as well and see what comes up. I don't know if the Clinique line offers one.

Someone mentioned drying/towels, and there is one called Aquis which is lightweight and is sort of a microfiber, made for hair drying. I've used it for years; it's superabsorbent so requires less drying time or blowing...

You may want to skip the shampoo entirely and gently rinse her hair only. If you find a product that works, use it no more than once a week.

I can't use anything with scents or color any more. I like Aveeno. I've even had to go to scent-free and dye-free laundry products. Thorough rinsing is also important, as others have mentioned. Also think about the towel you are drying her with. Use a gentle, patting motion, not vigorously rubbing. Oh, we get such delicate skin as we age, don't we? Bless you for taking such good care of your LO. Incidentally, some people are very sensitive to tea tree oil - on me it burns like fire! If this happens, buttermilk seems to neutralize it. Good luck!

Id try a baby shampoo or sulfate free shampoo first. You can try wetting her hair but not washing it as frequently. At that age shes hardly producing scalp oils. If that doesnt work its hard water problems.
I get horrible itching from hypothyroidism (you dont have a lot of bodys natural oils) and my horrible hard water.
I had to get a shower filter from Amazon. They are easy to install. You need the filter/shower head model. There are a lot of salts/calcium/chlorine in the water. The itching is terrible in winter. It can break your hair off, besides making you scratch like crazy. Slathering on moisturizer doesn't really help. You can tell if its your water, because you will have build up on your faucets, and sometimes in the toilet/tub. You cant just rinse a glass in water. It will dry opaque. It leaves a horrible film on your skin. Ive had no problems after using a shower filter. I can even tell when its time to change out the filter. My hair and skin feel really dry.
I also take a tablespoon of coconut oil or fish oil pill to help internally with the dry skin. Id start with a teaspoon of coconut oil. Its also good for constipation lol. And good in coffee too. Dont know if she can have it. Fish oil are great but pills are really big.

I use T-Gel on my dad's hair.

Apple vinegar and water spray on scalp helps to restore PH balance.
(4 T. + 1 cup water in spray bottle)

Baby shampoo for both hair and body. Stopped lots of the itching problems for my mom.

Although the itching could be from her shampoo, also look at every side effect of any medication she is on. Some make one feel as if one's skin is crawling or itching.

I think the shampoo is an allergy to the sodium things that help make suds. I looked it up one day and that seems to be what was thought.

So i wash my hair every other day and its better.

I will look for sulfate free now so thanks knightsbridge.

For the skin cream i dont know since ive used jergens lotion for probably 65 years and about 15?years st ives but store didnt have it the last time i went in.

Tea tree oil shampoo is the best

We used Oil of Olay for sensitive skin for my 90 year old mother in law.

My dad has the same issue, try using a shampoo with no sulfate. Just google ‘sulfate free shampoo’ and you will find products. Vichy has one but they are currently out of stock.

Funny you should mention having to switch her body cream, too...

Like CW, I wondered if perhaps she was having trouble rinsing properly; but if other products are causing problems as well then this does sound as if the itching might have an underlying cause - perhaps more systemic than limited to local irritation of her scalp or her skin. Are all of her other systems ticking over nicely, is she regularly monitored for things like kidney function, hydration?

Most modern shampoos and shower/bath toiletries are sooooooo carefully checked for allergens and dodgy chemicals that I'd be surprised if the shampoo is the real villain.

Having said that - I do tend to stick to pure vegetable oil soaps more than I used to bother to, finding that they don't dry and irritate my hands. Maybe have a look at the labels and see if there's anything you want to avoid.

Aveeno is supposed to be a good brand for sensitive types.
E45 is hypoallergenic and prescribed for people with skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and uraemia.
If you look at continence care and disability care websites, you will also find good ranges of products purpose-designed for elderly people and vulnerable patients.

Also, first things last - ! - someone has had a good look and made sure grandmother hasn't picked up any "little visitors" from somewhere, have they? Nits, mites, bedbugs and the rest of the gang aren't fussy about who they pick on.

Some shampoos make my head itch, too. Something in them is giving her an allergic reaction. I agree with the baby shampoo but you make just need to try various samples until you find one that works.