I'd try the absolutely mildest soap available. Forget shampoo or conditioners or anything else. Just Ivory soap or whatever (not recommending one brand, just something very mild.). And if it's forehead and cheeks, it probably is not the shampoo.

He's not on any medications.

I just found this information:

OILY
SHAMPOOS

Acne caused by oily shampoos, conditioners and styling
products is so common, it has its own name: ‘pomade acne’

PROBLEM: Acne caused by
oily shampoos, conditioners and styling products is so common, it has its own
name: ‘pomade acne’.

Cosmetic dermatologist
Dr Rachael Eckel says: ‘As they are rinsed out in the shower, oily, rich
shampoos and conditioners drip over the forehead, shoulders and back, causing
acne.

‘They can also cause
folliculitis, the itchy, acne-like outbreak of spots, on the upper back.’

Greasy hair-styling
products can do the same as they tend to transfer from the hair to the skin,
especially around the hairline, blocking pores and irritating skin. This is
even more likely if you have a fringe, perhaps cut to cover spots in the first
place.

SOLUTION: Wash and condition your hair at the beginning of your
shower and rinse immediately. Then tie your hair up and wash your face and body
to remove any oil left behind.

‘I encourage
patients who are breaking out in new areas, like the forehead or temples, to
double-check their haircare products for oily and pore-clogging ingredients
like coconut oil, and eliminate them,’ says cosmetic surgeon Dr Sam Bunting.

Avoid hair oils
completely if you are acne-prone.

Are you sure they're pimples? I'm 60 and thought I had a pimple on my cheek a few months ago. It turned out to be actinic keratosis. I can feel another little bump near the first one. Forehead and cheeks are prone to sun damage, so if they don't go away, they might be something else.

I've been using a facial cleanser with glycolic acid in it and it really helps with pimples.

mayflower, no they just go away, they are just pimples.

Annie, do you have a product that you use that you could recommend?

Any chance your husband wears a hat? Sometimes pimples on the forehead can be caused by sweating and the dirty headband of a hat

I cannot use any rich shampoo or conditioner for just that reason. The dermatologist recommendation is spot on and my routine. I use Ivory soap and a select few Suave shampoos (Cherry Blossom, Clarifying and Aloe and waterlily) that don't cause the breakout. I wish I knew which ingredients caused it and I'd be embarrassed to tell you how many bottles I've given away or just thrown out because I couldn't use them.

PKponder, I know what you mean about trying so many products! It reminds me so much of when I was trying to figure out my dog's allergies and trying one food after another until finally hitting on the right one.

PK, did you find that this started happening just all of a sudden? In other words, were you once able to use shampoos but then became sensitive just suddenly. My husband has used the same shampoo for YEARS but we found they changed the formula a while back but it didn't really seem like a big change, just two new ingredients. I'll try some Suave ones you mentioned, it's so cheap and if he can't use it, I can. I did buy him some Ivory too in the chance that it could me his soap.

Elmer, he only years a hat very seldom.

We are chasing the same thing with my DH....but feel like it is a medication having to do with his heart. S.L.O.W. process, for sure. I may check on his shampoo as well and method of hair washing. Thanks.

I get "scalp acne"....never got it till I was in my 50"s...dr. said it was from excess oils and sweat, and to use a clarifying shampoo, or dishsoap, like dawn! Doc was right, it clears right up when I don't use "real" shampoo.

AG, it's been an issue for me for quite some time, but in my earlier years I did use 'better' products. I loved the wonderful scents offered by the herbal essence products.

I am trying to remember when it began. Maybe in my early 30s with the scalp acne that Donna described. It took a while before I narrowed it down to hair products. Sometimes I try a different fragrance, but it usually ends up with a wasted purchase. Thankfully I already have oily hair and skin or I'd be out of luck with dry frizzy hair.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend one...the one I'm using is no longer manufactured. I did get another product, but I haven't started using it yet as I'm still finishing up the old. I get it off of amazon though. There are quite a few available. But it's the ingredient you're looking for.

Pantene conditioner contains a lot of waxes and ingredients that clog pores. I can't use it, as it practically causes boils on my back! My sister as well gets horrible cystic acne if she uses Pantene conditioner. So I would definitely say yes it can happen LOL!

dances in the garden, HEY, that's what he was using, the Pantene 2 in 1! GAH!

Thanks PK!

My neck and back break out when I use certain shampoos. I went to the doctor about it because some of the breakouts were really bad. He told me I am allergic to the Sulphates in the shampoos. So he had me try one without and I haven't broke out since.

I never had a problem with them until I got older. I would use anything that promised silky, shiny, full body or any other gimmick they offered lol.

My DH began having skin reactions to products he'd used 'forever'. A dermatologist said that as we age, our immune systems begin to decline. We no longer tolerate some additives, nor the preservatives required by liquids like shampoo, body wash, conditioner.

DH's problems ended when he started using glycerin bar soap and Neutrogena T-Sal shampoo. (Bar soaps don't need preservatives.) He discontinued using foam shaving cream, too.

Nobody 'needs' foaming agents, dyes, or scents. Look at the ingredients and avoid preservatives. One of the preservatives is the same formaldehyde that gagged you while you dissected that frog in HS biology!

Could it be something else, like sun screen? Its summer now and I have discovered that I react to certain sun screens. I get a rash or little pimples, probably clogged pores. Also, a crusty layer on my skin forms in my sideburns. The effect may be compounded by one or more of my diabetic type 2 and cardiovascular meds.

jemdandy, we've been eliminating foods and drinks and everything we can think of to get to the bottom of this. He wouldn't believe it could be the shampoo/conditioner because he'd been using the same thing for many years...like forever. So believe me, we(I) are trying to think of anything it could be.

Ah, but neither your DH nor the products have stayed the same.

The 'guru' dermatologist my DH saw had gone through the aisles of drug stores, checking ingredients on hundreds of soaps, shampoos, etc. There were only a handful that did NOT have the preservatives to which my DH tested sensitive.

The expert we saw is Dr. Andrew Scheman in Northbrook, IL. DH's usual dermatologist referred us when he couldn't help.

(In addition, I prompted my DH to more regularly clean his brush, comb and razor.)

What laundry detergent do you use? I don't add 'softeners'. I put 1/4 cup of white vinegar in that compartment to be sure all the soap rinses out.

My husband isn't one to take to change very well...HA! He hates the smell of the Neutrogena T/Gel, he refuses to use it. It smells like Grandpa's Pine Tar soap. I got some clarifying shampoo and he said it makes his hair feel like straw but he's willing to see if it helps.

I use whatever laundry detergent that's on sale but I always buy the free and clear variety which I do for myself because I break out in a rash if I use the scented. I stopped using any fabric softener sheets mostly, only on a rare occasion and they are unscented.

I just bought some OGX conditioner for myself and even though my hair loves it, I'm noticing it's causing scalp sores.

DH uses T-Sal, not T-Gel -- if that makes a difference.

The 2 shampoos that work well for me are "Head and Shoulders" and Herbal Essences" Both come in several forms and I've had no trouble with any of those; Its a matter of personal preference. Plain original or the formulation for dandruff of Head and Shouders are ok; The main difference in the various Herbal Essences is the scent - Just pick one you like. Bees are attracted to the fruity flavors of Herbal Essences.

OH OK Chisue! I was looking at the T/Gel. I'll have to see where I can find the T/Sal because I did not see that one. It is fragrance free I see. Maybe they have it at Walgreen or CVS?

Anyone have any updates on how the new shampoos are helping? I was thinking about the no-poo thread while reading this.

This has been an intesrting topic as my teenage daughter has had a terrible acne outbreak. I got on the internet today to try and figure out what was causing it. The dermatologist we see put her on new flaky scalp shampoo and it seems her acne got way worse! Which was curious because we were also seeing her for acne. I grabbed the bottle and started reading the ingredients and it has coconut fatty acid in it. I know coconut oil can clog pores? Could this be it? Not to mention her other shampoo and conditioner are Pantene. I am getting her off those products and getting either H&S tea tree or a suave product. I'm curious to see if any of those changes make a difference.

Lily S, I will tell you, when my son did the baking soda method for his hair (no poo), his acne cleared up. Shampoo can absolutely have an effect and if it's not fractionated coconut oil, yes, it could really be causing her problems. I hope it all works out for you.

Thanks rob. I was considering no poo for me just haven't tried it. I will talk to my daughter about it tho and see if she will consider it.

you know, I forgot I did consider it for her and then forgot about until I read this thread. i think I was reading too many reviews - pro and con and it got me all jammed up :)

If the new shampoo is causing the acne I will be very frustrated. Why would a derm prescribe a shampoo for a teen that could cause acne when we were there for acne too? That doesn't make sense to me at all. This discussion definitely has me thinking of different things I didn't think of before.

I'm using shampoo bar soap after trying no-poo for a week. I didn't like how greasy my hair was without shampooing and didn't want to go back to commercial shampoos. I've been very happy with the shampoo bar soap and wrote a thread about it a few days ago in Home Decorating Conversations. But what really surprised me is that apple cider vinegar makes a wonderful conditioner. Bragg's organic ACV with the "mother" is the one most often recommended. I only use a teaspoon in 4-6 oz. of water and squirt it on my hair after shampooing. I can then comb through my hair without any tangles and I have no static electricity despite running the heat like crazy this record cold winter. My hair has more body. It's been over a month since I've used conditioner.

DH is allergic to lanolin and its derivatives in shampoo/conditioner. It manifest itself as pimples. Stops the products and they go away. If a person picks on them, can develop into bacterial infection from dirty nails, etc so then no longer an allergy but a nasty infection.

To update, he did switch to the shampoo t/sal since this thread started and it didn't have any effect on the pimples, he has been using it all this time. He's using a hand made bar soap too for his face and body and again, not any effect. It's weird, it clears up then breaks back out. I am thinking that it's more likely something that he is eating that's causing it and narrowing that down is going to be hard. He's hardheaded to say the least and is getting really tired of trying this and trying that. HA! He has tried to eliminate a whole bunch of foods and what's frustrating is that each time he does, it seems like it is working and then all of a sudden it breaks out again. There are a few more things that he hasn't yet tried...I'm almost afraid to bring it up.

I have considered taking milk out of her diet as I hear that is the worst for skin issues. My DH has an autoimmune disease, so I talked him into cutting out gluten for 5 days and he acted like he would die. It's really hard to get other people to experiment with diet, products etc. very very hard.

Did you try ivory soap as someone suggested or the no poo method? I discussed the no poo with my daughter and she nearly gagged at the idea of using "food" in her hair. I knew she would resist.

My brother swears by Paul Mitchel tea tree oil shampo for his scalp, and since tea tree is also good for acne I'm gonna give it a try. I have bought so many bottles of shampoo..

I remember chocolate and fried food being the "culprit" foods when I was growing up. As I recall, my family just has the gene for horrible acne. And we outgrow it. Such is life! Acne=bane

I gave him about a half dozen bar soaps to use and none of them made an improvement. Ivory was one of them. He has settled on using an expensive hand made cold process bar soap this local guy makes. It doesn't help but he likes it a lot. HA! I'm pretty much convinced it's something in his diet though and like your husband (Lily's), he doesn't want to do it. He's been cutting things but nothing is helping so he's getting tired of it.

Ditch the conditioner and just use some vinegar and water.(about 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water) My hair is so much shinier now and easy to comb through.

JoAnn, do you use Bragg's?

Try pure castile soap, I find it in either the clothes detergent aisle (next to the Zote and Fels-Nalphta barred soaps) or the health foods aisle.

No, just the store brand. White or ACV is fine.

Kirks bar soap found in Walmart supercenters is a great bath and shampoo bar, its a castile soap, However if you decide to try any bars you need a rinse afterwards in order to restore PH, apple cider vinegar works great for the rinse.

My twenty year old daughter only uses Kirks bars with the vinegar rinse and it has completely solved her pimple issues she had on her forehead.

Decades ago they made a bottled shampoo that was castile soap. My Grandmother used it and beautiful hair and skin.

Yes, Kirks is one of the bar soaps he tried. I've been using that one for myself now. I need to use fragrance free one though so I have to buy it at the health food store.

If it is only showing up on his forehead and cheeks, it could be the shampoo. Try to find a shampoo without Sodium Laurel Sulfate. Difficult to find but they are out there. Does he wash his face with any other products? Something mild like Aveeno might be worth a try. I'd have a dermatologist check for rosacea, which is also accompanied by small broken blood vessels. Any product he is using could make rosacea worse.

Even toothpaste has it and I realized recently that some of the other added ingredients in toothpaste was affecting my gums and the inside of my cheeks like a sloughing off of skin. I switched to a more 'regular' toothpaste without all the whiteners, etc and it stopped. Weird and creepy but that's what it was I think.

Just a thought. Has he started wearing glasses with plastic frames?

Costco sells a Kirkland brand of shampoo and conditioner
that is Sodium Laurel Sulfate free. I found I was sensitive to it when I started
having tooth pain from hot or cold drinks. As soon as I stopped using tooth
paste with Sodium Laurel the issue stopped. Every once in a while I use regular
tooth paste and it starts back up after a few days so now I just use baking
soda.