Itching halted with omega 3 / 6 > 1 and ketoconazole

Hi all,

I've been reading Immortal Hair for quite some time now, but I just registered to report about my progress, since I think it might be of interest to everyone here. I'd also like to ask some questions.

I'm 29 and IMHO I have (mild) AGA. Two dermatologists have also confirmed this, although I think they tend to over-diagnose. My dad had decent but thin hair till his 60s, when he also experienced prostate problems.

My hair looks totally cool for the moment, though. It's long, full and nice. I have a pretty straight hairline, although it's receded a tiny bit recently. But it's still really nice. Definitely NW 2. In fact, people think I'm much younger, around 20 or 22.

Nevertheless, I shed a lot of hair, and I seem to have less overall density than before. This is only noticeable when it is wet. A small area in the vertex is the only slightly worrying area for the moment.

Furthermore, my hair becomes extremely greasy after 24 hours. Especially in the vertex area, which is literally flooded with sebum. Itching has been continuous for more than 1.5 years now, and my scalp always looks red. In fact, I have developed horrible yellow scaly patches in many areas. And some permanent zits in the vertex. This became even worse when I moved to Copenhagen, where we have some mighty hard water.

I have tried many things, but very few have worked. I will only talk about what has worked to stop itching. Redness and sebum production are still there, but they're less acute:

1. I have implemented a very strict diet. My diet was already very clean (no wheat, sugars or fresh dairy), but itching was still horrible. I almost lost hope. I have increased carbohydrate intake (only from bananas, berries, sweet potatoes and regular ones) and banned all dairy. Besides, and I think this is the key point, I have an extremely strict omega 3 / omega 6 ratio now. I try to make it > 1 on most meals, and I have eliminated most omega 6 sources. I used to supplement, but it didn't work alone.

2. I wash my hair every other day with a very mild Eucerin shampoo, and apply Nizoral cream to my scalp vertex. I also did this before, but it didn't work alone either.

Two questions:

1. What food guidelines have reduced your sebum production?

2. I think topical Ketoconazole is a very safe and useful drug, and I will continue using it unless I find a good alternative. I have tried their shampoo, but it's really harsh due to SLS. Same with many Ciclopirox forumalas. Have you found any good (natural or synthetic) alternatives? I'd like something I can apply to my whole scalp. Cream is quite difficult to apply everywhere.