PDA

View Full Version : Exceptionally bad dandruff



MagicAndMayhem
July 5th, 2012, 01:01 AM
I have a bad case of dandruff like lots of people. But I feel like I have it exceptionally bad. If I move my head the slightest way, flakes start to fall. I fix my hair, a pile of flakes appear on my shoulders. Massive flakes, like the size of a pencil eraser in diameter.

Currently, I use cone-free shampoo (Garnier Triple Nutrition (old cone-free formula) and occasionally V05 brand). I do use shampoo that contains SLS (Herbal Essence and Pantene Ice Shine). I don't know if SLS is causing my problem. I used to do CO but it didn't clean my hair or alleviate the dandruff. My hair gets very oily easy.

I sometimes do ACV rinses and it seems to help but not significantly. I don't really want to use head and shoulders since it burns and it's not good for you anyway. I don't know if what I have is seborrheic dermatitis but it doesn't seem to be. I had a cousin who also had dandruff quite badly and it turned out to be a fungal infection D:

Does anyone else have dandruff this bad? Any suggestions how to rid this? I've searched through other threads and don't know where to start or haven't had success with different treatments. Help!

GrowingGlory
July 5th, 2012, 01:21 AM
Desert Essence Lemon Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner might help you. The conditioner seems to help your hair by keeping it dry all day. It was too drying for me but may be just right for you. Lemon Tea Tree oil (leptospermum petersonii) may help fight dandruff/fungus/yeast overgrowth on your scalp. I recommend purchasing it from their website to be sure that its ingredients are certified organic and that it is not a cheap imitation.

plurabelle
July 5th, 2012, 04:08 AM
You should probably visit a dermatologist. I'm not sure what I had - dry scalp or dandruff or a fungal infection - but it was really bad in some climates towards the end of high school. I started getting worried when it encroached over my hairline onto my forehead, and people started commenting on it.

I remember when I used to wash daily - the Pantene anti-dandruff shampoo was the only thing that worked. But it would only work for one day, and the next day it would be just as bad! I wanted a total cure that worked forever.

The only thing that ever calmed my scalp down was my recent adoption of NW/SO routine with daily scritching, massaging and preening. I can't tell you it will work for you, because different routines work for different people. If there is one piece of advice I would give everyone, it is to try cutting down on products rather than trying new ones.

The thing is, most products are exactly the same. Shampoos for example - they're like 90% SLS, 9.5% fragrance and maybe like 0.5% extract of tea tree oil (I'm exaggerating/estimating). And the only difference between them is they change up the herbal extract and pretend it's a completely different product. Conditioners, same story.

Go and visit a dermatologist - see what they say. Don't just load up on products that people recommend, because 1) they're mostly the same and 2) work differently for everyone and 3) even when they do work for people, it's usually a subjective opinion / placebo effect. At least a doctor can tell you somewhat objectively what the problem is.

Henrietta
July 5th, 2012, 04:20 AM
I have just white dots with one case of big flakes falling down a couple of weeks ago, so it's not the same case, but... have you tried any anti-dandruff shampoo from a drugstore? I mean the one with medicine stuff,not beauty products?
(Btw, I use Head&Shoulders and despite the fact that it doesn't remove the white dots as well as it should, it's great. The only shampoo that leaves my hair silky and shiny.)

SilverDoe
July 5th, 2012, 04:21 AM
Visit a dermatologist fist.
Tea tree oil, ACV rinses & aloe vera gel/powder/juice almost completely reduced my boyfriend's dandruff,
but we only experimented like that as he refused to seek help for it before I've had a go at treating it.

Cassia is also known for it's dandruff reducing properties. I would try a mild SLS free/perfume free shampoo if you suspect your current SLS shampoos increases the problem.

Raging Wolf
July 5th, 2012, 08:38 AM
Try this site for natural way to treat your dandruff, MagicandMayhem. It gives pretty detail instruction on how to mix the oils and the properties of each one.

http://www.surviving-hairloss.com/Essential_Oils.html

auburntressed
July 5th, 2012, 08:48 AM
I have this issue, and Head and Shoulders and all other anti-dandruff shampoos I have ever tried never helped at all. The ONLY thing that has fixed my problem has been roots only applications of henna every few weeks. I can stretch longer between treatments with scalp oiling and ACV rinses, but it catches up with me eventually.

The coloring may bother you. I've tried growing out virgin before, and the most I got to was 2" before I was clawing at my head in agony. Luckily, I like the enhancement to my reds enough that I'd rather just keep to henna at this point. If I hated the color, I'd give cassia a try and see how well it worked. I've lately been considering giving it a try anyways for my between times, because I'd rather the henna color not build up too badly.

Thinthondiel
July 5th, 2012, 08:56 AM
I used to have what I thought was dandruff for many years, but it turned out it was simply my scalp being dried out from using SLS. I tried several different anti-dandruff shampoos, but none of them worked, of course, since they all contained SLS. My scalp stopped flaking when I started doing WO, and it still doesn't flake now that I use a sulphate free shampoo. If I for some reason have to use sulphate shampoo several washes in a row now (like if I'm on vacation and run out of shampoo and can't find any SLS free shampoo), my scalp starts flaking again.

Anje
July 5th, 2012, 09:04 AM
I'd agree that you should consider seeing a dermatologist. It might be something other than standard dandruff.

Another thing to look at are those ketoconazole shampoos. (They've got the added side effect of making hair grow faster for many folks.)

lapushka
July 5th, 2012, 09:19 AM
I'd agree that you should consider seeing a dermatologist. It might be something other than standard dandruff.

Another thing to look at are those ketoconazole shampoos. (They've got the added side effect of making hair grow faster for many folks.)

Totally agree. If it is SD, for which please see a dermatologist, a shampoo like Nizoral should help. It helped me tremendously when I had a slight bout of it.

XcaliburGirl
July 5th, 2012, 09:27 AM
What works for me (YMMV):

- Don't use anything with silicone
- Don't apply conditioner directly to scalp (I kind of glaze the top of my head with it to condition crown hair)
- Sulfate-free shampoo (SLS gives me dry scalp flakes instead of the build-up or fungal flakes)
- Wash daily massaging my scalp with the pads of my fingers
- Nizoral every few days at first, but now only use once every 3 weeks or so. Nizoral is not too harsh if I use it rarely and only on my scalp.


'cones, sulfates, stretching washes, and CO all exacerbate the issue for me. I know others have had the exact opposite experience with CO and stretching washes.

Avoid the urge to try various things in short succession. That will just confuse you. Any remedy will take at least a week and maybe longer to start showing results.

hinkypunki
July 5th, 2012, 10:14 AM
I have a similar problem (my dandruff isn't quite as big, but there sure is a lot of it).
I went to a dermatologist when I shaved my head back in 2008 because my scalp had giant red spots all over. He told me that this was some dandruff version of eczema. It doesn't thrive on skin that has good airflow and sun exposure, so it went away during that summer, but as my hair grew longer it came back.
The anti-dandruff shampoos I tried never worked, but he recommended some cream that I could use.
I never bought it (partly because I forgot about it when the dandruff temporarily went away, and partly because I'm blonde, so this doesn't bother me all that much), but it was definitely worth it to go to the dermatologist.