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View Full Version : How to get rid of dandruff



Wolfn
April 24th, 2010, 09:28 PM
I'm currently trying to grow my hair long and my hair is currently 5 inches long. However, I noticed that I'm starting to develop dandruff. Last year, I used to shave my head and every day I would wash with Head-And-Shoulders. Now that my hair is longer, I try to wash once every two weeks in fear that repeatedly using chemicals on my hair will damage it.

What are some good ways to get rid of dandruff without damaging my hair?

Flynn
April 24th, 2010, 09:31 PM
First question: is it genuine dandruff, or just skin irritation? If it's white, otherwise healthy-looking skin flakes, it's probably environmental irritation, not true dandruff. If that's the case, you might be over-drying your scalp with the shampoo you're currently using, and you might like to give a different one a shot.

If it's true dandruff, well, it's time to break out the medicated shampoo for a little while, methinks.

adiapalic
April 24th, 2010, 09:44 PM
Seconding Flynn about the shampoo--may be too drying for your skin if dandruff is ruled out. Are you using any kind of conditioner on your scalp after you shampoo?

celelu
April 24th, 2010, 10:49 PM
Seconding Flynn about the shampoo--may be too drying for your skin if dandruff is ruled out. Are you using any kind of conditioner on your scalp after you shampoo?

Ok, so here's an ignorant's question: are we supposed to use a conditioner of any kind after we shampoo? 'cause I've had the worst dandruff ever for a few months, no matter what SLS/no SLS/natural/chemical shampoo I use, and I just realized that it's the same time I've been CWCing. I missed a step somewhere? :confused:

Wolfn
April 24th, 2010, 11:49 PM
Seconding Flynn about the shampoo--may be too drying for your skin if dandruff is ruled out. Are you using any kind of conditioner on your scalp after you shampoo?

Once every two weeks, I use Head and Shoulders on my hair when I shower. I massage it into my scalp and let it soak for about 5 minutes while I wash the rest of my body. I then wash it out of my hair.

My dandruff is white flakes. It started on the sides of my head, but now it's all over my scalp. I don't use any gel or anything in my hair, so I don't know what's causing it.

Heidi_234
April 25th, 2010, 04:04 AM
Ok, so here's an ignorant's question: are we supposed to use a conditioner of any kind after we shampoo? 'cause I've had the worst dandruff ever for a few months, no matter what SLS/no SLS/natural/chemical shampoo I use, and I just realized that it's the same time I've been CWCing. I missed a step somewhere? :confused:
You are not supposed to do anything. Different people do it differently. Some don't use shampoo, some use conditioner instead of shampoo, some have horrible reactions when putting conditioner on scalp. It's very individual, and there's no 'supposed to', especially not in these boards. :) I personally avoid putting conditioner on my scalp, and basically WO the scalp and CO the length.

Flynn
April 25th, 2010, 06:28 PM
Once every two weeks, I use Head and Shoulders on my hair when I shower. I massage it into my scalp and let it soak for about 5 minutes while I wash the rest of my body. I then wash it out of my hair.

My dandruff is white flakes. It started on the sides of my head, but now it's all over my scalp. I don't use any gel or anything in my hair, so I don't know what's causing it.

Okay. H&S is great for curing dandruff, but tends to over-dry a healthy scalp, resulting in flaking. Which is commonly mistaken for dandruff, so you use H&S to cure it, which dries out a healthy scalp, which... and so on. I know they say it's moisturising and all that, but I'm a little suspicious about the actual effectiveness of all that.

This may or may not be the case for you, but if you're already using H&S, and letting it sit and soak, I suspect it is. You shouldn't have dandruff if you're using H&S like that. I'd suggest, for starters, whatever shampoo you use, not to leave it sitting on your scalp. Whack it on, lather up, rinse it out. You might like to give a milder shampoo a shot. Many, if not most normal supermarket brands are milder than H&S, so you shouldn't need to look to hard! Hahahaha. Sodium laureth/lauryl sulfate are probably the most drying shampoo detergents, but are fine for most people. If the main detergent in a shampoo is something-or-other sulfosuccinate, acetate, or sulfoacetate, it is milder than usual, and less likely to dry your skin. Some people, however, do find that these very mild shampoos do not clean their hair well enough.

Flynn
April 25th, 2010, 06:31 PM
Ok, so here's an ignorant's question: are we supposed to use a conditioner of any kind after we shampoo? 'cause I've had the worst dandruff ever for a few months, no matter what SLS/no SLS/natural/chemical shampoo I use, and I just realized that it's the same time I've been CWCing. I missed a step somewhere? :confused:

I get awful scalp irritation if I let conditioner anywhere near my scalp. I use it in my length only. I also have to use extremely mild, unscented shampoo, or I get awful itching and lots of flaking.

As Heidi says, there's no "supposed to", just what works for you.

ravensinger13
April 26th, 2010, 01:24 PM
I used to have horrible flaking, and since switching to CO and scritching really well with a comb in the shower, flakes are gone and I can easily go 3-4 days between washes with no flakes and I used to have "snow" after only 1 day.

EtherealOde
April 26th, 2010, 02:12 PM
I remember reading somewhere about true dandruff being caused by a fungus...So I wonder if the monistat treatment could help? I do know when I used Monistat that my scalp was in excellent condition without a hint of flakiness. It made my scalp look like I had exfoliated it.

Marjolein
April 27th, 2010, 07:35 AM
Perhaps the reason is that you only wash your hair every two weeks. If I do not wash my hair every few days I get terrible itches and eventually flakes. Did you have any flakes when you used to wash you hair more often? If you didn't I suggest you start washing your hair more often again, but with a milder shampoo than H&S.

Katze
April 27th, 2010, 07:49 AM
Perhaps the reason is that you only wash your hair every two weeks. If I do not wash my hair every few days I get terrible itches and eventually flakes. Did you have any flakes when you used to wash you hair more often? If you didn't I suggest you start washing your hair more often again, but with a milder shampoo than H&S.

Seconding this. Also, you might want to try vinegar rinses, SMTs (honey is antibacterial), and even WO washes between your normal washes.

I struggle with flakes and itchy crusty buildup and find that washing more often in fact helps. I alternate sulfate shampoo washes with WO washing, and do SMTs when my hair feels dry or my scalp particularly bad.

You should also look at your diet. If you eat a lot of sugar, it can throw your body out of balance in terms of 'good' organisms and eventually lead to fungal infections. I find when I am eating poorly my skin and scalp react quite quickly.

hth!

Wolfn
April 27th, 2010, 08:58 PM
What about that Aloe Vera plant? Is shampoo from this plant good (since it's natural)?

Marjolein
April 28th, 2010, 02:02 AM
What about that Aloe Vera plant? Is shampoo from this plant good (since it's natural)?

Well, I guess that depends on the other ingrediënts. I have a Aloe Vera shampoo without SL(E)S and stuff, that I'm pretty happy with. But I thought that rosemary was especially good for dealing with the flakes. So, perhaps you could try a rosemary shampoo with few harsh additives (or a rosemary tea rinse)?

Flynn
April 28th, 2010, 02:08 AM
What about that Aloe Vera plant? Is shampoo from this plant good (since it's natural)?


First up, natural does not automatically equal good, and synthetic does not automatically equal bad. Synthetic doesn't imply harsh. Natural doesn't imply gentle.

Aloe vera is indeed good, though, because it does make a highly moisturising gel. However, it will probably be a very minor ingredient in any commercial shampoo -- there more for marketing than practical reasons. You need to look at the other ingredients of the shampoo as well.

Aditi
April 28th, 2010, 02:08 AM
My friend had dandruff problem from very long time and once by the advice of her aunt she applied rubbed lemon on her scalp and washed it off after sometime and the next day when i met her i noticed she had no dandruff at all :)