Gentle shampoo for dandruff?

[anitacs9101]

I've had pretty bad dandruff (my hairdresser thought it was psoriasis but I was never diagnosed or anything) my whole life that pretty much disappeared when I switched to drugstore dandruff shampoo.

I started reading about sulfate shampoos and about how terrible they are so I tried to switch to a sulfate-free shampoo with lots of scrubbing to try to remove the flakes and my hair got 100x worse o.O I was losing tons of hair, when normally I would lose maybe 1 or 2 hairs when I washed and none throughout the day and now I lose a big hairball in the shower and I find hairs everywhere I go. And the dandruff got SOO insane. There is still tons of dandruff left even directly after I wash.

Then once I switched back to my old shampoo (head and shoulders), the hair loss ceased and the dandruff let down some. o.O

Am I just using the wrong shampoo? Or could it be expired cuz my mom bought it a while ago?... It's Abba moisture scentsation shampoo. What kind of hair-friendly shampoos are there that are good for dandruff?

Thanks :)

[ladyfey]

I LOVE Max Green Alchemy scalp rescue shampoo. I get it online, couldn't be happier with it!

[PetuniaBlossom]

I had dandruff from seborrheic dermatitis years ago. Yikes!
I went to a dermatologist, who said the huge amounts of coffee and chocolate I was ingesting were making it worse. Apparently the caffeine was over-stimulating the glands in the scalp. Who knew? So I switched to decaf and cut down on the chocolate. (sigh)
He said to use a dandruff shampoo containing salicylic acid.
I did exactly as he said and the dandruff disappeared, never returned.
I think the shampoo was by Neutrogena, can't remember now. But if you check the list of ingredients and it has salicylic acid, it'd be worth a try.
Good luck.

[starlamelissa]

The shampoo petunia blossom is referring to is neutrogena t-sal. its a fragrance free sulphate free shampoo. My husband has dandruff and sebhorratic dermatitis and it didnt help at all! A gentle shampoo that doesnt help is just not worth it.

He really likes suave scalp solutions shampoo. The ocean one smells very nice and it comes in mint and coconut too. I think the coconut variety has a matching condish. Very nice product. It has sulphates and cones and I think thats just fine for the results- non itchy scalp/soft good smelling hair.

Btw- lots of longhaired people love head and shoulders. No reason to switch!

[Kelikea]

Yes, T-sal is a nice shampoo, it is strong enough that you can make it last longer by diluting it. I like Desert Essence Organics Lemon Tea Tree oil shampoo, but don't use it every time I wash because it can become slightly drying. But, you could probably dilute it as well. It sudses a lot! Just make sure you follow either one with a nice conditioner, but don't let the conditioner sit on your scalp. A vinegar rinse is also helpful.

[anitacs9101]

The shampoo petunia blossom is referring to is neutrogena t-sal. its a fragrance free sulphate free shampoo. My husband has dandruff and sebhorratic dermatitis and it didnt help at all! A gentle shampoo that doesnt help is just not worth it.

He really likes suave scalp solutions shampoo. The ocean one smells very nice and it comes in mint and coconut too. I think the coconut variety has a matching condish. Very nice product. It has sulphates and cones and I think thats just fine for the results- non itchy scalp/soft good smelling hair.

Btw- lots of longhaired people love head and shoulders. No reason to switch!

Hmm. I've used T-Gel but not T-Sal. T-Gel has sulfates...and I know, I love the results from the shampoo, but it has SLS and cones which are supposedly no-no :( But the only sulfate-free shampoo I've tried caused many more problems and my hair was in no better condition.

[melusine963]

A gentle shampoo that doesnt help is just not worth it.

Btw- lots of longhaired people love head and shoulders. No reason to switch!

I agree with this. If you're worried about sulphates, there are other things you can do to your hair to compensate (oiling, gentle handling, etc.). If you've found a shampoo that works for you, I'd stick with it. I don't use 'cones or sulphates myself, but they work very well for a lot of people.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Chop up a double handful of fresh lemon leaves, steep them in boiling water, allow to cool, remove the leaves from the water, and then use the water to rinse off your scalp and hair - excellent for dandruff!

[Miss Catrina]

If your old sulfatey shampoo worked fine, there's no reason to stop using it! Healthy scalp = healthy hair.

[Jorja]

I always used head and shoulders, then a couple of months ago I thought maybe it might be producing and fixing the problem so I bought some sls free aussie tea tree oil shampoo. And I switch that with another sls free shampoo. I tried the CO which wasn't too bad, but I worried the flakes might return so I'm CWC every other day using sls free shampoo and no flakes so far!

I have done a couple of ACV rinses very diluted making sure I get my scalp (I use an empty sports cap water bottle). It is working, but If it stopped, I would be back on the Head & Shoulders.

You could maybe alternate between the H & S and an sulphate free shampoo to see how your head likes it?

[DinaAG]

had that problem for years till i used:
sulfate free shampoo
vinegar rinse 50/50 water
oil my scalp with a mix of tea tree oil + rosemary oil + peppermint oil
scalp leave-in aloe gel mixed with some drops of coconut oil
hope that will help you like it helped me

[misspurdy06]

Shampoo for dandruff? That's cute.

[anitacs9101]

Chop up a double handful of fresh lemon leaves, steep them in boiling water, allow to cool, remove the leaves from the water, and then use the water to rinse off your scalp and hair - excellent for dandruff!

Thanks, I'll have to try this!


I had dandruff from seborrheic dermatitis years ago. Yikes!
I went to a dermatologist, who said the huge amounts of coffee and chocolate I was ingesting were making it worse. Apparently the caffeine was over-stimulating the glands in the scalp. Who knew? So I switched to decaf and cut down on the chocolate. (sigh)
He said to use a dandruff shampoo containing salicylic acid.
I did exactly as he said and the dandruff disappeared, never returned.
I think the shampoo was by Neutrogena, can't remember now. But if you check the list of ingredients and it has salicylic acid, it'd be worth a try.
Good luck.

I'm going to the store today to pick this up, I hope I have the same results as you :D I don't think I drink or eat anything with caffeine in it though, so hopefully the shampoo was the main reason for your success :p

[PetuniaBlossom]

Yes, I never realized that chocolate contains caffeine. And I was a choco-holic, so I was getting tons more caffeine every day than I imagined. There was caffeine in the soda pop I drank, too.