Dandruff

[thisisnttakenye]

This is rather embarrassing, but lately I have been struggling with a lot of dandruff. I have tried a acv rinse and a bit of baking soda in my shampoo as well as aloe, but those aren't working. I naturally have very dry hair, and I wash it 1-2 times a week. Does anyone have any solutions?

[meteor]

Applying oil to scalp with a gentle head massage the day/night before I wash my hair helps tremendously, especially if your dandruff is just from dry scalp.
My favourite oils for this purpose are: coconut oil, neem oil (very smelly but more effective than anything I've ever tried), diluted tea tree oil (can be drying if you use too much) and castor oil. These oils have anti-bacterial properties and are very good for promoting hair growth.

By the way, baking soda could dry you out. If I were you, I would give it a break while you are trying to balance out your scalp. Instead of putting baking soda in your shampoo, putting a bit of oil or diluted ACV in your shampoo could give you good results. It did for me.

[cranberrymoonz]

It sounds like you don't have "real" dandruff, just a dry flaky scalp. These two things should be treated very differently! For dandruff, anti-dandruff shampoos, harsh clarifying, anti-bacterial oils like tea tree may work, but for you it may just make it worse (because they're drying). Try to be very gentle to your scalp. Use a gentle cleansing method like sulfate-free shampoo or CO. I second thorough scalp massage and oiling your scalp. I like to use jojoba oil for this, because it's close to the natural sebum. Castor oil isn't compatible with a gentle washing regime, in my opinion. You may also benefit from herbal tea rinses. My last advice is to try your new regime for a few weeks before further experimenting. Your scalp may need some time to adjust!

[Firefox7275]

This is rather embarrassing, but lately I have been struggling with a lot of dandruff. I have tried a acv rinse and a bit of baking soda in my shampoo as well as aloe, but those aren't working. I naturally have very dry hair, and I wash it 1-2 times a week. Does anyone have any solutions?

What has your family doctor diagnosed? Self treating based on a self diagnosis can do more harm than good: baking soda is one of the worst things you can do to a damaged skin barrier. Certain natural oils may benefit some forms of dermatitis but worsen others, xerosis (simple dry scalp) is actually fairly unusual. Also avoid shampoos containing sulphate surfactants and alkaline soaps, like baking soda these damage your skin barrier still further.

[Firefox7275]

This is rather embarrassing, but lately I have been struggling with a lot of dandruff. I have tried a acv rinse and a bit of baking soda in my shampoo as well as aloe, but those aren't working. I naturally have very dry hair, and I wash it 1-2 times a week. Does anyone have any solutions?

What has your family doctor diagnosed? Self treating based on a self diagnosis can do more harm than good: baking soda is one of the worst things you can do to a damaged skin barrier. Certain natural oils may benefit some forms of dermatitis but worsen others particularly seborrhoeic dermatitis the most common cause of a flaking scalp, xerosis (simple dry scalp) is actually fairly unusual. Also avoid shampoos containing sulphate surfactants and alkaline soaps, like baking soda these damage your skin barrier still further.

[Marcellaa]

I would suggest trying aloë vera gel, it always works great for me. Just massage it on your scalp in the evening and wash it out in the morning. It's very easy to wash out and works after 2 or 3 times.

[jacqueline101]

I'd try anti flake scalp oil of some kind.

[Konstifik]

I'd also recommend going off the baking soda. It was extremely drying for my scalp and increased the amount of flakes a lot. Neem is great, both in oil and powder form. Powder doesn't smell as bad and can easily be added to almost everything.

Oil massages and anti-dandruff shampoos are good as well.

[HintOfMint]

I hate to be captain obvious here, but I tried everything (LHC recommended anyway) under the sun to control my flakes when I finally caved and used Head and Shoulders. I only had to use it for a little while and then I could go back to a regular shampoo. The effect was near instantaneous.

[McFearless]

Baking soda on top of shampoo doesn't sound like a good idea to me. If possible you should schedule an appointment with a derm to find the root of your issue, and in the mean time use a sulphate free shampoo (rinse very well) and oil your scalp right out of the shower while it is wet. That seems to make a huge difference to me compared to oiling a dry scalp.

[thisisnttakenye]

The Scalp moisturizing techniques have been helping alot and already most of the dry flakes are gone :)

[natural_shine]

I don't know if this is the right topic, but lately I had a similar problem. Maybe some of you know, I really need some advice.

At first I thought it was dandruff or a psoriasis outbreak (I suffer for a very minor kind of psoriasis, but when it happens, it's 2-3 spots the size of half a coin... so this can't be psoriasis)..............to put it shortly, what I've had lately, something like the yellow oily flakes babies have. What's that? Also, it's not on all my head, only behind my ears and a bit above temples (all within hairline). What can I do to get rid of it?

[McFearless]

I don't know if this is the right topic, but lately I had a similar problem. Maybe some of you know, I really need some advice.

At first I thought it was dandruff or a psoriasis outbreak (I suffer for a very minor kind of psoriasis, but when it happens, it's 2-3 spots the size of half a coin... so this can't be psoriasis)..............to put it shortly, what I've had lately, something like the yellow oily flakes babies have. What's that? Also, it's not on all my head, only behind my ears and a bit above temples (all within hairline). What can I do to get rid of it?

Are you rinsing your shampoo/conditioner well behind your ears? Does your body soap/cleanser and face wash get into those hairline areas causing irritation?

Applying warm oil to the scalp the night before washing may loosen the flakes so they can wash away easily.

I wonder, because you said it began recently, that it could be something in or lacking from your diet.

[cranberrymoonz]

My nanny used to apply oil when a baby had those yellow flakes. It loosens them and then you can massage and comb or wash them out. She used to say it is caused by soap. Don't know how that works though..

[Firefox7275]

I don't know if this is the right topic, but lately I had a similar problem. Maybe some of you know, I really need some advice.

At first I thought it was dandruff or a psoriasis outbreak (I suffer for a very minor kind of psoriasis, but when it happens, it's 2-3 spots the size of half a coin... so this can't be psoriasis)..............to put it shortly, what I've had lately, something like the yellow oily flakes babies have. What's that? Also, it's not on all my head, only behind my ears and a bit above temples (all within hairline). What can I do to get rid of it?

Please go get a formal medical diagnosis particularly since you already have psoriasis. Just because it looks to you like cradle cap (seborrhoeic dermatitis) does not mean it is - even a doctor cannot diagnose from a few lines on a forum. Never self treat based on a self diagnosis, appropriate treatments for one dermatological condition can easily worsen another. Any oil rich in oleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid can worsen seborrhoeic dermatitis for example.

[natural_shine]

I went to see my family doctor. She told me it is the kind of thing babies get, and it's a fungus favoured by humidity. Makes sense, since I've been wearing a headband a lot lately, even on wet hair, I think it kept my hair wet longer in the places where the fungus appeared. She told me to remove the flakes with warm olive oil. And the gave me a recipe/solution to pick from the pharmacy, but when I went, they told me it has pe be prepared there, so I'll go tomorrow to take it. Hope it will solve the issue.

...careful with how much your hair stays wet.

thnx for the advices.