When it comes to the best seborrheic dermatitis shampoo, the first thing someone should consider is how severe their dandruff is.  This will greatly influence the type of shampoo you will want to purchase.  Many types of dandruff shampoo are more effective at curing dandruff, but while they increase their intensity in that regard, they usually are far less attractive when it comes to their smell and how they affect the hair.  The active ingredients in these shampoos also tend to greatly influence how effective they can be for the dandruff sufferer.

The first tier of seborrheic dermatitis shampoos is those that use salicylic acid, pyrithione zinc, and selenium sulfide as their main ingredients.  These chemicals generally share most of their effective traits.  They should be used in conjunction with regular shampoo in most cases and should be used a maximum of 2 to 3 times a week.  When the dandruff is worst, one can use the dandruff shampoo every day at first but once the condition is under control the use should be reduced otherwise it will be less effective.  The pyrithione zinc shampoo that is most commonly used is head and shoulders; the most common selenium sulfide shampoo is selsun blue; while the most common salicylic acid dandruff shampoo is probably Neutrogena T/Sal.  The only problem with the salicylic acid shampoos are that they tend to break down the flakes that come as a result of the dandruff but these shampoos are less likely to cure the root cause than the oher varieties.  As with many medications, it is possible for your body to build a tolerance to them in which case, the user will want to switch shampoos if it stops being effective.  Similarly, if the user experiences problems with their skin as a result of using the shampoo then that person should also switch to a different type.

The best shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis when it comes to effectiveness is always the tar based shampoo.  These tar-based seborrheic dermatitis shampoos have been used to treat dandruff for over 200 years and remain the most effective means of handling the most severe cases of seborrheic dermatitis.  The only problem is that the smell of most of these products has hardly improved over the last 200 years as well.  Although not in every case, some have also complained that the tar based shampoos hurt their hair while helping their scalp, which is another issue.

The best shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis depends on how bad your dandruff is.  For many, the first tier of shampoos will be more than effective at keeping their condition well under control.   Others will find a tar-based shampoo to be the best seborrheic dermatitis shampoo as they will require the increased intensity due to the severity of their problem.