Dandruff

[Bess3714]

I have dandruff, and I have questions.
Is dandruff dry skin, or oily skin? Because I've heard it both ways. I've also read that it can be caused by fungus(!) Some people say oiling your scalp helps, while others say you need to keep it washed regularly to dry it out. Which is it? Plus, there's Seborrheic Dermatitis, which seems to be dandruff's more evil cousin, and I'm not really sure what the difference is. Lastly, there's the scratching/no scratching camps. Some says scratching makes it worse, but I've also heard that you should scratch it when you wash it to loosen flakes. I'm squarely in the scratching when I wash camp, but I try not to the rest of the time.
Any opinions? The information I've read on the internet doesn't seem to be very consistent, and I probably wouldn't believe it even if it was. I'm slowly reading through the scalp care thread, but I thought it would be easier if I could see all of your advice and experience in one place.
Thanks!

[Zesty]

You're right, flakes can have a lot of different causes and "dandruff" is often used as a catch-all term for any flakes.

Is your scalp oily or dry in general? Are the flakes small, large? Do they stick to your scalp? What have you tried, and what were the results?

My own experience hinges on an oily scalp. I've never been officially diagnosed with anything but might have a touch of SD. Oiling was a disaster. What works for me is to wash twice with sulfates (most of the time I Suave clarifying first, then T-Gel) and use a shampoo brush/massager to loosen any dead skin before and during a wash. With that routine I can stretch my washes pretty far with no flakes (though if I stretch too far consistently I get an itchy or even burning scalp). But obviously if your flakes are caused by dry skin then my routine would be a disaster!

[ExpectoPatronum]

Like hair, I think dandruff is personal. For one person it could be due to an oily scalp while another it can be due to dry scalp. For some washing more often helps (it helps mine) but others might benefit from washing less. It takes a little experimenting, but eventually you'll find something that works.

I'm actually not sure if what I have is SD or just dandruff. I used to wash twice a week with shampoo bars and my scalp was terrible. I tried incorporating Head and Shoulders into my routine but that didn't help at all - even after letting it sit for a few minutes. Oiling my scalp didn't help either. So far, the only thing that seems to be helping is washing more often (3x a week instead of twice) and really making sure to scrub my scalp well. I still use shampoo bars, but my flakes have been steadily declining since washing my hair more often.

[MusicalSpoons]

I have an oily scalp with a tendency towards dry flakes. For me it's not the 'doesn't produce enough oil' type of dry (the true meaning of 'dry skin') but it is the dehydrated kind of 'dry'. Oiling didn't help, and conditioning only helped with a particular cheap, thin tea tree and mint conditioner (that's since been discontinued :wail:).

Long term, finding a shampoo that my scalp likes has solved the problem, and it seems to have been an issue not just of mildness but possibly also pH; my shampoo uses aloe juice instead of water (? I think) as well as having very mild cleansers. The one sulphate product that worked for a few months was a feminine wash with a relatively low pH, though over time my scalp did rebel against the SLES in it.

True dandruff is generally caused by fungal overgrowth which is why it's more common on oily scalps - malassezia yeast feeds on certain chemical components in sebum and release fatty acids that cause irritation, according to this page https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X15526584
It seems that true dandruff is kind of 'SD-lite', in that it has the flaking and irritation but SD has inflammation as well. Interesting that one factor is individual susceptibility - that would be why some people can oil their scalps whereas for others it's the worst possible thing to do! Edit: also malassezia is apparently a normal part of our skin flora, it seems it's only if we're susceptible to irritation from it and/or overgrowth that it becomes a problem.

[S&S]

oiling my scalp before washes has helped tremendously with my dandruff.

[Bess3714]

It's more powder than flakes, and when I scratch my head it gets gunked under my nails, so I would say oily. It's strange, though, because my face is always very dry. I've also noticed that when I brush with a boar bristle brush before bed, I can go longer before I have to wash my scalp again. I washed on Sunday, and I didn't use the BBB at all, mostly because I was too tired, and my scalp was almost unbearably itchy today. Normally I can make it to Thursday with very little itch, but like I said, it was bad today. It was also hot, and I spent several hours working outside. My head gets sweaty easily, and that only makes it worse.
I use Head and Shoulders shampoo, and whatever conditioner we have on hand. I have a shampoo brush that I scrub my scalp with. I think it helps get my head cleaner when I wash, so that's good.

[The Lizard Wife]

If your face is always very dry, it might be dry skin rather than true dandruff that needs a medicated shampoo? That's what I discovered for myself--I've always had a very flakey scalp, and we called it dandruff growing up, but a dandruff shampoo like Head and Shoulders only slightly reduced the amount of flakes. My face and all the rest of my skin has always been extremely dry and prone to flaking...well, it's the same with my scalp. Switching to sulfate-free and stretching my washes has helped my scalp tremendously. My scalp is at its itchiest and flakiest directly after I shower, and feels progressively better in the following days; it seems that I hear the people with true dandruff or SD mentioning that their scalps get progressively itchier and flakier and upset the longer they go without washing. Sometimes my scalp is still itchy--I just realized I'm sitting here scratching at it right now, lol--but only in the same way the rest of my dry skin gets randomly itchy; when I've just washed with something harsh, it's more like tight skin and itchy to the point of a burning feeling. I can still pull up a scattering flakes if I scratch at my scalp, but I no longer have a constant snow of lose flakes dusting my hair and clothes simply because I'm alive.

[Cg]

Many factors probably are at work. Skin is dry, normal, or oily along a continuum and if it's dry on your (clean) face it's also dry on your (clean) scalp. But there are a number of medical conditions that affect the scalp, so a blanket statement is likely incomplete.

I have very dry skin but no relevant medical conditions, so I not only condition all the way from the roots but frequently when using hand cream apply some also to the scalp, especially along the hair line. Oftener as time after washing and conditioning progresses. For me any flakes are a result of dry skin, not a fungal or other medical condition.

[longhairdreamee]

Have you used any type of clarifying shampoo or ACV? I used to scratch my head and get it under my finger nails, but since adding ACV as my final rinse this is no longer an issue (some sort of build up, I am assuming).