How to Get Rid of Dandruff

March 6th, 2006 by admin
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1. What is dandruff?

Dandruff is a condition in which flakes and chunks of dead skin are shed from a persons scalp. Contrary to popular belief, it is not always caused by a dry scalp, many people with oily scalps are also afflicted.

2. What causes dandruff?

How to Get Rid of Dandruff

There are many conditions known to cause dandruff. Here we will outline known causes and others that have not yet been substantiated. The suggested remedies are discussed in more detail in the following section.

Known causes of dandruff (Cures are discussed in section 3)

Seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin condition that effects the scalp, face and upper-body. Symptoms include scaly or flaky skin that is itchy and red. It is believed to be caused by the fungus Malassezia furfur that is found naturally on peoples skin. The most common treatments for this condition are ketoconazole creams and shampoos coupled with oral fish oil supplements for Omega-3 fatty acids. There is an ongoing discussion about causes and remedies for this condition here (as well as photos).

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a skin condition that can cause silvery, flaky patches of skin on different areas of the body. It is commonly seen on the scalp, creases of the nose, eyebrows, elbows, knees and arms. There are many treatment options available including topical ointments, baths, light therapy, injections, and prescriptions. See your doctor if you believe you may have this condition.

Dry scalp

The simplest and most easily cured dandruff is the result of a dry scalp. Often caused by overly dry environmental conditions or the overuse of cheap hair care products, this condition can be cured by moisturizing. Massage skin moisturizer or oil into your scalp 1/2 hour before bathing and follow up with a moisturizing conditioner.

Oily scalp

People who have oily scalps can also get dandruff. The exact cause has not yet been proven, but has been speculated to be due to the excessive oil promoting the growth of yeast and fungi that can irritate the scalp. Switch to a shampoo meant for very oily hair for a few weeks to see if that clears it up. If not, see your doctor or try some of the remedies in the next section.

Head lice

Head lice can cause itching and flakes that are often mistaken for dandruff. The flakes are actually nits (lice eggs) and the fecal excretions of the insects. For more information and lice symptoms, see How to get rid of lice.

Other potential causes of dandruff

Following is a list of common things that have been blamed by doctors and former-dandruff sufferers:

  • The use of cheap hair care products that dry or irritate the scalp as well as chemical and mechanical over styling - especially conditioners. Go to a salon and ask for product recommendations.
  • Fish Oil SupplementsPoor nutrition and food allergies have been blamed for dandruff - especially a deficiency in Zinc or Omega 3 fatty acids, which can be supplemented by taking fish oil.
  • Dry environments that lead to dryness of the scalp. Consider humidifying your living space if you have dry skin elsewhere on your body.
  • Stress and lack of sleep have also been blamed, but what aren’t they blamed for?
  • Excessively high or low hair PH.

3. Methods of getting rid of dandruff

Commercial dandruff shampoos

Ahhh, that's betterHere I will list the active ingredients used in the most common anti-dandruff shampoos and explain what they do. Make sure you read the labels when shopping for a particular ingredient since the same brand often produces similar products with different ingredients. Always follow the instructions on the labels.

Zinc pyrithione

(Head & Shoulders classic, Pert Plus dandruff control)

Zinc pyrithione, or Zinc omadine is an anti-fungal and antibacterial agent that is most commonly used to fight the dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. Once you begin using this treatment, stopping will often cause dandruff to return worse than before treatment began.

Ketoconazole

(Nizoral AntiDandruff shampoo)

Ketoconazole is an anti-fungal drug used to treat dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. Dandruff usually returns after treatment is stopped.

Selenium sulfide

(Selsun blue, Head & Shoulders Intensive)

Selenium sulfide is an anti-fungal agent used to treat dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. In the US, 1% solutions can be purchased over-the-counter and 2.5% solutions are available by prescription. Dandruff often returns when treatment is stopped.

Coal tar

(Ionil-T, Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic)

Coal tar is a liquid by-product of the distillation of coal. It is used in shampoos meant to treat head lice and psoriasis. Be warned, coal tar is on the NIOSH carcinogen list as a potential cancer-causing agent.

Salicylic acid

(Ionil)

Salicylic acid based shampoos are used to help the scalp shed excess skin more easily, which in turn helps to keep skin pores from getting clogged.

Home remedies

There are tons of home brew dandruff cures out there, every family likely knows of a different one that they will swear by to cure dandruff. Here I’ll list some of the most commonly recommended concoctions.

Hawiian Tea Tree LeavesTea tree oil

Tea tree oil has an anti-fungal quality and can be mixed into lotions, oils and shampoos. Massage the mixture into the scalp and let it sit for 15 minutes prior to rinsing clean.

Coneflower and red clover extracts

Aveda has a product named “Scalp Remedy” that is growing in popularity. It contains both coneflower and red clover extracts, comes with a dropper and is applied directly to the scalp after you shower.

Oil soaks

Scalp massages with moisturizing oils an hour or so before bathing are said to rejuvenate a dry scalp. Skin lotions will likely work as well.

Vinegar rinses

Some people have reported success after rinsing their hair with white or apple cider vinegar prior to bathing. It may have something to do with correcting your hair’s PH balance.

If you have had experience with any dandruff remedies, please take a moment to share by filling out the the ‘tips’ form below.





 

 
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  1. Anne-Marie Says:

    For dandruff I found some simple remedies.
    -Apply coconut oil to your scalp and leave it for an hour.
    After an hour, apply lemon juice and massage your scalp(this may burn a little).Leave it for another hour, and then shampoo your hair with
    a mild shampoo.This will leave your hair shinny without any dandruff flakes.

    -Take an egg and beat it. Apply to your scalp and leave it for an hour.
    Shampoo your hair and you will find that dandruff flakes have disappeared!

    -If you have mild dandruff,applying coconut oil daily for a few days will get you rid of the condition.

  2. Emily Says:

    My dandruff is not so bad anymore!

    I started using Heads N’ Shoulders about a week ago. It helped a bit. I was complaining to my dad how frustrating having dandruff was…so he said to drink LOTS and LOTS of water everyday. He said I have dandruff because I don’t really drink water. So i started drinking about 10 cups of water a day. (Gotta go pee really bad) BUT, finally I think I got rid of my dandruff…well I have been drinking the water for about a week so, still lots to go. Anyways, the best thing that doesn’t include any special products is, WATER! Also don’t shampoo to much and try to shower in cold water(not to cold, i tried and i cried =P)

    GOOD LUCK! <3

    Emily

  3. jenna Says:

    I have dandruff and it’s not bad enough to when it falls
    Out but if you look through my hair ull see it. It makes me so mad!!! I use head and shoulders and I stopped using it for a week and it got worse. If anyone has any simple home remedies to cure it that would
    Be so helpful

  4. Vinnie Says:

    My Life sucks cuz of dandruff. i look wierd cuz i have very dark hair and i wear lots of black. everytime i comb my hair its like a snowstorm. i tried aloe vera which helped but most of it is still there. i have oily scalp i know that from jeans. is there any help for anyone with an oily scalp?

  5. Hillary Says:

    i been having dandruff forever!!!!!!!!i use to cry so much how embarrasing it was that my scalp litterary look soo white that was so nasty!!!!!!! i then tried head n shoulders and never worked!!!!!!!! Apple vinegar helped a lot, i use it at least once every 6 months and dandruff doesn’t show thank you for whoever came up with that remedy!!!!!!!

  6. rachel hargrove Says:

    im a kid and i have dandruff, these tips helped thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

  7. Jeanne Says:

    Dear Carole anne long:

    I found a salt product called Himalayan Crystal Salt on the Internet. I rub it on my skin and my excema and psoriasis clear up immediately. It has 84 natural minerals, all found in the body. You can drink it (sole)every day and cleanses from the inside out (that’s the best way). Or wet a rock and set it on your skin. There are tons of sites, the best is “saltworks”. It’s pure genuious, balances your PH. It specifically works for skin, hair and nails. Inexpensive too. Good Luck!

  8. Barney Says:

    I had dandruff really bad and I tried dying my hair once and the dandruff went away for months (my hair is dark so I was going blonde and had to leave it in for quite a while, about an hour) after the dye I used Head n shoulder as I alway had with no success. My druff stayed away for a long time, I dyed my hair like ayear later or so. So for a few years I had no druff, then I grew my hair long (btw I’m male 29) and didn’t want to dye it anymore cuz it would look ridiculous, and now it’s back in full force (which is why I was here) so if you don’t mind dying your hair, I woulld give it a shot, just go a lighter colour than you are now and see what happens, if nothing else druff isn’t as noticable in blond hair with a light shirt. p.s I grew a beard and got druff in it once it got about two inches so I kinda wonder about air flow (breathing of the scalp) and light being a factor aswell as washing all of the soap/shampoo out. hope this helps. I’m gonna try the omega supplements and olive oil method before I cut or dye my doo.

  9. alan Says:

    nizoral is good in getting rid of dandruff, but…few days after, here they are again.

  10. Komal Says:

    Use head and shoulders and Selsen blue because when I stopped using for a day it was gone but came back after only a week.

  11. Becka Says:

    I had dandruff, I was so embarrased. but head and shoulders works!

  12. sumer Says:

    well the thing thats works like magic is simply olive oil and lemon juice
    i had really bad dandruff and this remedy did wonders!
    the dandruff doesnt come back for like about 2 months for me

  13. robert Says:

    i had like realy fkn bad dandruff for about 4 years even when my hair was like an inch long i had tryed head and shoulders for about 3 months i didnt see any results so i just gave up but then about 1 week ago i was at wal mart and a dandruff shampoo caught my eye its called selsun blue at first i was like whatever its not gonna work but i bought it anyway and after the second day of using the shampoo my dandruff was copletely gone i was amazed i was even searching thruogh my hair to see if i could find any flakes but i couldnt so go and get some selson blue

  14. carole anne long Says:

    apple cider vinegar is good for bladder infections
    if you take a tsp every 4 hours per day you
    will have no bacteria in yur bladder.
    i have crohn’s disease, and

    i have no immunity, i am having trouble with
    getting dermitis on my hands from handling
    fruit (fungus) i get bumps on my hand,
    have to wear gloves.

    had dermititis on my whole arm from picking
    fruit outside on the ranch.

    please give me a tip on what i can put on my
    hand to keep from dermititis spreading from
    my hand.

    carole anne long

  15. SP Says:

    Selsun Blue works and T-Gel, too, but if you have an oily scalp you can also use a mixture of red cider vinegar and water each time you shampoo and that will control it, too. Another thing: my sister went to cosmetology school in like teh 70’s and at that time they charged custoers big bucks to do a scalp treatment for dandruff. The treatment consisted of parting the hair in small increments, then using a cotton ball soaked in Sea Breeze all ove the scalp, leaving it on for a short time (maybe an hour?) then washing it out. I tried this and it did not cure the dandruff permanently but it helped a lot, it did stop the itching completely within maybe 5 minutes. This is a goood temp. solution for the severe itch when one has had surgery AND CANNOT TAKE A SHOWER OR WASH THEIR HAIR- I was miserable until I tried this. I do not believe there is a way to cure it once and for all, only to control it. I ma 44 and tried lots of things. The quickest and simplest is to just use Selsun (or one of those) as instructed for the rest of your days.

  16. cello Says:

    Avoid too much using of anti dandruff shampoo because it might be more prone for dandruff to appear. dont get stress all the time and just think optimistic especially if lot things to do. eat green leafty vegetables and have a good personal hygiene all the time. enough rest. simple tips hope it can be a great help. good day!

  17. crystal Says:

    Well I’ve used head nd shoulders nd its helped my dandruff go away but then I stopped using it nd the dandruff came back nd I hate it I wish we never had dandruff I’ve heard that dandruff is dried skin or dried shampoo that stays in ur scalp I think that’s true but if u think about it its not going 2 go away completely its just going 2 get better but ur still going 2 have dandruff well wat I do is use head nd shoulders as my conditioner nd then my shampoo is JASON organic shampoo that my mom bought me cuz its all natural nd it makes ur hair healthy well yea u shampoo ur hair really good like massage ur scalp don’t scratch it damages ur scalp so yea wash it really good nd then rinse it really good nd in a week ur going 2 notice that u have healthy nd dandruff free hair well it works 4 me idk if it will work 4 every1 cuz every1 has different hair well yea so I hope it works 4 u like it helped me

  18. therealsolution Says:

    buy selson blue ( it has to say medicated on the lable) with 2 times that you use it trust me it will go away. the shampoo will simply get rid of it but more likely then not it will coem back so some reaserch on the causes of dandruff and try to avoid doing what ever is causing dandruff but not to worry everytime you get it just get selson blue =]

  19. CornFlakes Says:

    Hey guys I once had really horrible dandruff and it later turned to psoriasis..my barber told me to use TGel..its an awesome product and i saw remarkable changes in less than 2 weeks…..i recommend the product…i bought it at shoppers drug mart…and also avoid using conditioner for your top hair to prevent your scalp from becoming more oily……anyways try the product….it really works…

  20. chirris Says:

    apply a little cakita, it is the best

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