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Below is a list of medicated shampoos and conditioners for troubled scalps, sorted by product type and active ingredients. If you have dry scalp - see the end of this post for ideas (scroll to the end). Many of these shampoos have herbal ingredients which can either soothe, irritate (or do absolutely nothing). Proteins may soothe a dry scalp, but can also be irritating for some people. Essential oils like tea tree, rosemary, thyme, sage, ( neem oil is going in small letters because it's so stinky)  can be antifungal if used in adequate concentrations. But they can also cause sensitivity reactions or allergic reactions. Sometimes detergents in dandruff shampoos can irritate already-irritated skin, however, there are some detergent-free options in this post and there are medicated conditioners at the bottom of the page for people whose skin or hair does not tolerate detergents. You can wash your hair and scalp with medicated conditioners. Not everybody with itching will have flakes...

Two of my new favorite shampoo-free or gentle-shampoo-only itchy scalp treatments and one more tentative idea. If you have itchy scalp, itchy or sore little bumps on your scalp or hairline or dandruff, some of these might work for you. I prefer shampoo-free treatments because most dandruff shampoos are very irritating to skin that is already quite irritated and can be drying -which just causes more problems. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 - Sulfur:  1/4 teaspoon colloidal sulfur (liquid) mixed into 1 tablespoon water or whatever liquid you choose yields a  2% solution - approximately. (1.25 grams in 14 grams). If this is too strong, use half the amount of sulfur. Apply to dry scalp with an eye dropper, or a bottle with a dropper-type opening (like an eyedrop bottle) leave on for about 5 minutes, then cleanse scalp and hair.  Do not leave this on, it needs to be washed off.  Lately I mix this into a pre-made plain gel base instead of water and dip my fingers in it to apply...