Feelin' Flaky... Dandruff Help Please?

[PrincessofSong]

Mmmmm... this is a gross thing to talk about. shudder:

I was wondering if anyone could help me diagnose my dandruff problem. It only started about a month or so ago. From what I've read, dandruff is much more common in winter for "most people" but I've never had problems with dandruff in the winter (or ever, now that I think about it).

I wash my hair once every five days with a sulfate-free nature-loving shampoo at my scalp (upside-down...which oddly makes me feel like I rinse it out better) and then condition the length of my hair. I tried a dandruff shampoo for one or two washes, and it didn't help. Then I tried rinsing it with vinegar, which seemed to work, until I brushed my hair just now and my head was, again covered with flakes. My diet is, if anything, healthier lately. I just can't figure out what's up with my head...

Any advice/links to helpful sources are appreciated. I was just hoping some of the nice people at LHC may know. :o

Thanks so much!

[CorinaS]

Is your hair greasy or dry? Because any one of these issues could be causing the dandruff. If you have oily scalp, then you should use an anti-dandruff shampoo, which is usually very drying. If you already have a dry scalp then try to hydrate it with an oil, something not too greasy though. Personally, I use a mix of grape-seed oil, argan oil with rosemary and mint essential oils. But this is the combination that works for me, your scalp could be a lot different.

[NoRush]

Maybe you should be on the lookout for something other than dandruff, maybe a dermatitis of some sort. Does your scalp itch? Is it sore? do you feel any sort of bumps of flakes? If you sratch it, does it feel like you're opening a shallow sore? (I know it's kinda gross but tbear with me for a sec ;) ) I'm thinking that since the onset of the problem has come with the warm season it might be a dermatitis, which are usually worsened by sun/sweat/heat.

You can try a cassia treatment, or castor oil and rosemary infusion rinses (I love those, I have seb. dermatits btw) if all else fails go see a dermatologist, once you get a diagnosis you won't have to blind guess treatments and you can focus on a specific course of action.

Also if you feel comfortable with it, you might want to increase wash frequency and blowdrying on cool, I find my own scalp does not appreciate either being left with buildup oils too long nor being wet for hours at the time.

Hope it helps!

[jacqueline101]

I'd go to the doctor.

[Firefox7275]

Mmmmm... this is a gross thing to talk about. shudder:

I was wondering if anyone could help me diagnose my dandruff problem. It only started about a month or so ago. From what I've read, dandruff is much more common in winter for "most people" but I've never had problems with dandruff in the winter (or ever, now that I think about it).

I wash my hair once every five days with a sulfate-free nature-loving shampoo at my scalp (upside-down...which oddly makes me feel like I rinse it out better) and then condition the length of my hair. I tried a dandruff shampoo for one or two washes, and it didn't help. Then I tried rinsing it with vinegar, which seemed to work, until I brushed my hair just now and my head was, again covered with flakes. My diet is, if anything, healthier lately. I just can't figure out what's up with my head...

Any advice/links to helpful sources are appreciated. I was just hoping some of the nice people at LHC may know. :o

Thanks so much!

Welcome! We can't diagnose anything, most of us are not medically qualified and we cannot examine your scalp nor see your medical notes even if we were. Please see your family doctor or a dermatologist, you can easily do more harm than good self treating based on a self diagnosis. I do have healthcare background (pharmacy, lifestyle healthcare) and I cringe at many of the home remedies/ recommendations for dermatological problems I see on forums.

If you have standard greasy dandruff (seborrhoeic dermatitis) you should be cleansing your scalp more frequently than every five days. If you have another form of dermatitis (atopic eczema, allergic contact dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis) or xerosis a dandruff shampoo will either do nothing or worsen the problem. Some dermatological disorders tend to worsen in the winter, others do not. Certain oils worsen SD but may improve xerosis; pH of your products is highly relevant.

What do you mean by eating healthier, are you specifically eating anti inflammatory nutrient dense wholefood diet? I rarely see a nutrition client meeting or exceeding ALL our (UK) minimum/ maximum recommendations for healthy living and even if they are their diet is still often pro inflammatory. Many people's idea of healthy eating is cutting out food groups without replacing the lost nutrients, it's no more balanced than their previous diet.

[PetuniaBlossom]

Get it checked out by a dermatologist. Why would you want to try a bunch of different 'remedies' if you don't know what the diagnosis is?