How to deal with dandruff

Why dandruff?
Dandruff is not always about the dirtiness of the scalp — it is a situation where dead skin cells from the scalp are shed faster than normal. Disorders like psoriasis, dermatitis, or a fungal infection, might cause irritation while producing these massive amounts of white flakes. According to scientists, dandruff occurs when the fungus malassezia multiplies dramatically on your scalp. The malassezia is a tiny fungus, which cannot be seen with the naked eyes. It is normally present on the scalp of a healthy human being too. It feeds on the fatty oils that are secreted by the hair follicles in our scalp. But often, due to reasons yet unknown, these fungi grow out of bounds, thereby causing irritation which hastens dead cell generation on the scalp. Therefore, the normal dead cell generation process, which takes usually a month, would take not more than two weeks when malassezia goes haywire on your scalp. Due to the shedding of so many dead cells at a, these cells when mixed with oil from the hair follicles, form rounds of oily dead cells taken together which are clearly visible. The clumps usually get stuck in the hair and also fall on your shoulders.

How to get rid of it?
Here are some basic instructions which need to be followed to get rid of dandruff:

1. You should never scratch your head. While scratching the scalp helps you feel better from the itchiness, at the same time it injures your scalp and makes the situation worse.
2. Use medicated shampoos. Every shampoo for dandruff that is available in the market targets only one cause of dandruff: These shampoos contain zinc pyrithione which have antibacterial and antifungal effects. Therefore, they are suitable for fungal infections only. On the other hand, those shampoos which use tar are best suited for dandruff due to contact dermatitis or psoriasis. Therefore, if one shampoo does not suit you, move to another. You never know which one is suited for your problem. It is always advisable to use medicated shampoos. It can be used every day till the dandruff lessens; then it can be used once or twice a week for maintaining a clear scalp. While shampooing, form lather on your hair twice. While the first wash clears away the flakes; the second penetrates within your scalp and treats it.
3. Do not use hair styling products like spray, gel, mousse. They tend to accumulate on your scalp over. The products themselves often take the shape of flakes thereby looking like dandruff. They might trap oil on the scalp as well, and deteriorate the condition.
4. You must moisturize your scalp. Dry skin gives rise to dandruff. Therefore, using oil treatments and continued moisturizing may help better your condition. Heat up any oil — whether coconut oil or olive oil — and apply it to your scalp. After the oil massage, wrap a hot towel around the head and leave it like that for half an hour to let the oil soak in before shampooing it away. Tea tree oil, which is a natural antiseptic and an antifungal agent, also helps clear away dandruff. Again you need to soak your scalp with it and let it remain like that for 15 minutes before you rinse it away. You can also add a bit of tea tree oil to your shampoo every day. Daily conditioning with the oil will help negate the adverse effects of the dandruff shampoos.

Remedies that work

1. You can rinse your hair with vinegar. Apple cider vinegar helps clear up flaky heads and makes handling dandruff easier. Equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water are to be mixed and then applied onto your hair. Leave it on again for 10 to 15 minutes and wrap the hair in a towel before rinsing it out. Remove the towel and wash the hair normally. Use this treatment once or twice a week.
2. Lemon juice massage – Take one lemon and squeeze it. While on shower, apply the fresh lemon juice on your hair and massage into scalp applying soft circular movements with your fingers. Once done, rinse your hair with warm water. To obtain better results, first wash your hair with shampoo, and then apply the lemon juice. This remedy is suitable for greasy hair as well.
3. Biotin is a water-soluble Vitamin B complex. It helps to decompose carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is a nutrient which helps to strengthen your hair tremendously. It is a solution to dandruff and flaky skin of your head. You can take it as a supplement orally or add it in your daily food routine. It is available in foods like organic egg yolk, royal jelly, brewer`s yeast, Organic Raw Certified milk and organic liver. Biotin is also produced naturally by bacteria within our intestines.
4. You should take care to adjust the temperature of the water that you apply on your head. Something as basic and simple as the temperature of the water that you use has a noticeable effect on the dandruff that your scalp produces. Use water which is a shade cooler than normal, while you wash or rinse your hair, it can lessen dandruff.