Neutrogena T Sal Therapeutic Shampoo By kalar on Nov 30, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Because of eczema, my daughter has had "cradle cap" for most of her life. It is actually eczema, on her scalp, and like the rest of her body, itches persistently and causes a build up of flakes and skin on her scalp.

My daughter's dermatologist recommended Neutrogena T/Sal Shampoo to us as a way to reduce the scaly build up and relieve some of the itching, since heavy creams in the hair are quite messy. Although the shampoo does contain salisylic acid, we decided to try it anyway, in spite of our daughter being quite young at the time.

As the odor of the shampoo implies, it is for serious scalp problems, and not for vanity. The medicinal odor lingered on my daughter's hair, even after vigorous rinsing. We usually used a conditioner to follow the shampoo, but the odor often remained.

After the first week of daily use, there was no improvement in the amount of flakiness on my daughter's scalp, and the itching had greatly intensified. In retrospect, the shampoo probably should have been used every other day, to give her scalp a break, but the severity of the build up seemed to justify using it every day.

This product is not specifically marketed for eczema, but it is marketed to treat a similar condition. Unfortunately, it did not deliver on reducing the flakiness or build up caused by the eczema, and the continuous use of Neutrogena T/Sal Therapeutic Shampoo actually made the itching worse.