Review: Neutrogena® T/Gel® Therapeutic Shampoo

I think I have finally found what I've been looking for. 2014 certainly did turn out to be a year of great finds.

This AMAZING shampoo is one of a few.

It will probably sound like I am exaggerating but this product has quite literally been the answer to my prayers. I was ready to give up. My Seborrheic dermatitis was making my life hell and making Natural Hair care impossible at times. This shampoo has washed all my troubles away.

So what is it?

Product description

Neutrogena® T/Gel® Therapeutic Shampoo is a fragranced medicated shampoo, which should be used as often as needed or as recommended by your dermatologist or doctor, for the treatment of itchy, flaky scalp disorders such as dandruff, seborrhoeic dermatitis and scalp psoriasis.  Regular use helps control these problems, while leaving your hair shiny and manageable.

It does exactly what it says it will do. Well, everything except that last part about manageability - that's subject to interpretation. I guess your hair IS more manageable in that your scalp isn't dry and itchy and sore, so you can focus on doing what needs to be done, but as it is a normal sulphate shampoo, it can be a little drying. I have to say though, the drying effects aren't even half as bad as what one might experience with a normal shampoo.

How did I find it?

I actually got the recommendation from Twitter. I had been lamenting about the difficulties of managing this skin condition and taking care of my hair. It was making me pretty miserable. I was always self-conscious and physically very uncomfortable. The Nizoral shampoo my doctor/dermatologist recommended was helping manage the situation a little better, but it wasn't the perfect solution. Washing my hair was still a nightmare, and my hair was extremely dry.

The person (God bless them) who recommended tar based shampoos also suffers from Seborrheic dermatitis and mentioned that using these shampoos meant she was less reliant on nizoral and witnessed longer lasting effects. I totally forgot about this great advice until last month. My scalp was on fire, just constantly itching and burning. So tender. I made a quick dash to the local pharmacy after work and asked for any tar-based shampoo. Neutrogena® T/Gel® Therapeutic Shampoo is what I found. And it only cost me £6.99.

How do I use it?

Let me give you a step by step breakdown:

1. I stand under the running water and separate my hair into 4 sections. I use this as an opportunity to do a very quick finger de-tangle session, separating curls and getting rid of knots.
2. I twist 3 of the sections and get to work on the first one, applying small amounts of the shampoo directly on to my scalp, parting the hair and making sure I don't miss any spots.
3. I lather using my fingers to gently massage my scalp in circular motions - NO NAILS - (The shampoo lathers really well which is great.
4. Once a section is done I allow the shampoo to sit on my scalp, twist that hair so that it is out of the way, and move on to the next section.
5. Repeat steps 2,3,4 for the remaining sections of hair.
6. I go back to the first lathered section, take down the twist, and rinse thoroughly, making sure there are no bubbles or foam and that the water runs clear. I do a little more finger de-tangling here too.
7. I add my (deep) conditioner of choice running it through my hair from roots to ends, then I twist up and out of the way.
8. Repeat steps 6,7, for the remaining sections.
9. Cover my conditioned hair with a steam cap and stand in the hot shower for about 10 minutes.
10. Take down each section one by one, using a Denman brush to detangle from tips to roots (from the bottom up) as the water runs through and rinses out the conditioner. I repeat this for each section, then re-twist and get out of the shower. Fini.

It sounds like a long-winded process but as long as my hair isn't super tangled it doesn't take more than about 30-40 minutes on a good day.

I follow up my shampoo and condition routine with any good leave in conditioner and a little Coconut oil on my hair and scalp. I usually then twist my hair into 8 and let them dry over night and the next day (using a turban or putting my hair into a bun for work). The following evening I take down the twists and braid my hair into 6 plaits. I find it gives my hair more stretch without the weird crinkle effect your get from a wet braid out. For the rest of the week I can pretty much do whatever I want. Scalp is clean and flake-free and my hair is relatively easy to manage.

I try to shampoo once a week. Although it has been almost 2 weeks now (don't judge me). That seems to do the trick without drying out my hair.

All in all, my experience with this product has been pretty amazing so far. I feel so much better. My scalp feels better. My hair is easier to manage. I really can't ask for much more than that.

If you also suffer from Seborrheic dermatitis, dandruff or dry itchy scalp, give this shampoo a try! Make sure you're not allergic to any of the ingredients, of course. Please let me know what you think if you do.

Until next time, stay healthy, stay happy, stay blessed!

xxx