Almost fifty percent of the total population are troubled by this problem called Dandruff. Dandruff is actually a scalp condition in which you notice the white dusky flakes of material on your scalp and sometimes on your shoulders. If you are wearing dark-colored cloth then you can easily see them on your shoulders. Sometimes this makes us embarrassed in front of others. What does it actually do to us? It creates itchiness on our scalp which many times make us feel embarrassed.
Imagine someone’s talking to us and we are itching our heads. So let’s be fair, we feel ashamed at that moment of time. So, if you have been searching for permanent and fast solutions for this problem then I must say your wait is over. In this blog, you will know what Dandruff is. What causes it? What are the symptoms to know that you are affected by dandruff, how to get rid of dandruff? Which shampoo should you prefer or which treatment you should take? We will tell you each and everything to the best of our ability and I assure you that this blog is going to be really helpful to you. So let’s get started with what it is.
What Is Dandruff?
We all know what dandruff is right? But what you may don’t know is that dandruff is another name for a condition called seborrheic dermatitis. Basically, it’s the white flakes on our scalp skin. The two main bacterial groups which cause dandruff are Propionibacterium and Staphylococcus and then there’s Malassezia globosa. We will talk about these further in causes but for now, I hope you got an idea of its real cause.
Causes Of Dandruff
Malassezia globosa is a fungus that is known as one of the main causes of dandruff. It’s a fungus that lives on our scalp and skin. Malassezia fungus feeds off the oil which creates dryness. Some other causes of dandruff are as follows:
- Irritated and oily skin
- Not maintaining proper hygiene
- Not shampooing enough
- Hormonal issues
- Sensitivity to hair products
- Dry skin
Dandruff Symptoms
Let’s see some symptoms of dandruff
- White flakes – White flakes on our shoulder, sculpt and skin is the biggest symptom of dandruff. If you are wearing dark cloth or you have dark hair then you can see white flakes clearly.
- Itching – Itching is another big symptom of dandruff. When you are suffering from dandruff then the top layer of skin sheds too quickly and this produces an itchy scalp.
- Redness and scaly skin- Dandruff causes itching and that causes redness on our skin. Shedding too quickly also produces scaly skin (flaky skin) or dry skin.
How To Get Rid Of Dandruff?
So till now, we have seen what it is? What are the causes? And it’s symptoms of how we know that we have been affected by dandruff. Now it’s time to see how we are getting rid of dandruff. Dandruff is a harmless disease but it produces itching and that becomes embarrassing for us sometimes. So it’s important for us to find a cure for it. Here are some suggestions for getting rid of dandruff.
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Change Your Diet
If you want to get rid of dandruff then it’s important to control your diet. Try eating foods that are rich in probiotics like Kanji, Idli, Cottage Cheese, Buttermilk, Homemade Pickles, Homemade curd, etc. Add fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, and peanut butter to your diet. Foods and fruits rich in vitamin B (biotin) are a really good inclusion in your diet. Omega-3 fatty acids as well as it keeps your scalp hydrated.
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Washing Your Hair
Start washing your hair more often as a fungus called yeast is found on our scalp during dandruff. Yeast feeds off oil and dead cells of your scalp as it causes shedding faster and that causes dandruff. So it is suggested to wash your hair more often so that yeast couldn’t feed dead cells.
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Exfoliating Your Scalp
So, this is important to exfoliate your scalp. Many experts say that it’s important to exfoliate your scalp physically or chemically to remove excess cells and oil from your scalp and it also helps your hair to grow healthier and shinier from the roots of your hair. Exfoliating your hair can be really helpful in getting rid of dandruff.
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Wash Your Scalp Only With A Special Shampoo
This is the thing. You should use a special shampoo for your hair for getting rid of dandruff. There are a lot of shampoos like Nizoral A-D Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, Dove DermaCare Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, etc. And also make you only wash your head with these shampoos, not your hair because these shampoos are mainly fabricated to fight the bacteria on your scalp. So take care of that and you should massage your scalp with this shampoo for at least 5 mins minimum or otherwise that shampoo will not work at its best.
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Don’t Scratch
Just don’t scratch your scalp. You have to control your instance of scratching as it can exacerbate inflammation and irritation. It is itchy but you have to control it.
We get dandruff commonly in winter as our skin and scalp become dry in winter. So, how to get rid of dandruff in winter? Coconut oils are best for getting rid of dandruff in winters as it hydrates your skin. So it will prevent your skin from drying out. We will see more about coconut oil below in “how to get rid of dandruff with home remedies”.
Dandruff Shampoos
There are a lot of anti-dandruff shampoos in the market which is particularly fabricated to remove dandruff. Head and shoulder anti-dandruff shampoo is rated as the best shampoo for dandruff treatment. Then there are others like Nizoral A-D Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, Dove DermaCare Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, L’Oreal Paris EverFresh(sulfate-free), etc. Shampooing your hair regularly is a really important task for getting rid of dandruff as we have already seen above in “how to get rid of dandruff?”.
These shampoos may seem a little more expensive than your daily used shampoos but believe me, they are essential if you really want to remove dandruff. Johnson’s Ultra-Hydrating Hypoallergenic Kids’ Shampoo is the best suggested anti-dandruff shampoo for kids. There are other shampoos for getting rid of dandruff as well like Sulfur8 Kids Medicated Anti Dandruff Shampoo, Dr. Eddie’s Happy Cappy Medicated Shampoo, Honeydew Anti Dandruff Shampoo for Kids, etc. Again these products are expensive but also helpful to fight bacteria.
How To Get Rid Of Dandruff Home Remedies?
“How to get rid of dandruff at home?”.We are Indian and we all tend to believe in homemade remedies and will try them first rather than going to a doctor or hospital for these minor diseases. Like how to get rid of dandruff naturally? From ancient times, we gave more importance to our homemade remedies and nature over chemical products or tablets. Actually, there are many homemade remedies for dandruff like Apple cider vinegar, baking soda, argan oil, etc but I’m gonna tell you 5 important home remedies for dandruff: aloe vera, lemon, tea tree oil, coconut oil and a very important one is minimizing your stress level.
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Use Aloe Vera
Using Aloe vera on your scalp can be helpful as aloe vera contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It will also be soothing to your scalp from inflammation and irritation. Aloe vera is mainly known for its coolness so if you apply aloe vera directly to your scalp then it will provide you coolness on your sculpt and then wash your hair with anti-dandruff shampoo. This dandruff remedy is very common.
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Squeezing Lemon On Your Scalp
Lemon contains vitamin C and is acidic in nature. So lemon can be helpful in balancing the pH level of your dry scalp. Lemon can reduce oiliness from your skin. Lemon also helps in exfoliating dead cells from your scalp if you mix lemon with oil to make home scrubs which helps in exfoliating dead cells and again you have to wash your hair with anti-dandruff shampoo.
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Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is an instant solution for itchiness on your scalp. Tea tree oil must be diluted first otherwise it can be harmful to you. Tea tree oil contains anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties which help us with dandruff. Then go wash your hair with anti-dandruff shampoo.
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Use Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is excessively used for hydration. Using coconut oil on your scalp can hydrate your scalp and prevent it from dryness. Some research says coconut oil also contains some properties of antimicrobial which can help in getting rid of dandruff. Coconut oil is used in skincare products because of its hydrating nature and it is said in some research that coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil in taking care of skin. After complete penetration of oil, you can wash your hair with anti-dandruff shampoo.
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Minimizing Stress Level
Usually, people don’t give any importance to mental health. If you don’t have any cuts or scratches then you are fine but it’s not always like that. Mental health is as important as our physical health and we should take care of that too. Stress is something that can pull you to your death bed through depression. But here is a different topic. My point of telling you all this was simple: don’t take your mental health lightly. So if you get stressed then it may produce dryness and itchiness and that can cause dandruff. So it’s important to minimize your stress level.
How To Get Rid Of Dandruff In One Wash?
I would like to suggest to you that there’s no mantra that you will snap your finger and your work is done. Everything needs time and we need to give it. Like you cannot expect your dandruff to be gone overnight. But yes, if you ask me how to get rid of dandruff fast then I would tell you to be disciplined with your methods, cure, or remedies whatever it is. Just be disciplined such as it should not be like you are using your oils or aloe vera on your hair and then washing it with anti-dandruff shampoo only once in two-three days for getting rid of dandruff.
So let me tell you this is not gonna work. You have to do it regularly. You have to control your diet strictly like you can’t eat fried foods or fatty foods and also foods rich in sugar(chocolates) should be avoided until you have dandruff. You have to wash your hair more often. And remaining will be the same: use lemons, aloe vera, tea tree oil, use neem, etc. Neem is also one of the best dandruff treatments for removing dandruff from your scalp.
How To Get Rid Of Dandruff And Hair Fall?
In very rare cases, hair fall occurs in dandruff. It’s simply because of itchiness we constantly engage with our hair which causes injuring your hair follicles which cause hair fall. But you don’t have to worry about that as it doesn’t turn into complete baldness. Just don’t scratch your scalp much but if your hair is falling in big amounts then you should quickly see a doctor.
Don’t Worry, It’s Common!
Dandruff is very common among teens and adults. So there is nothing to worry about. Just use these remedies and I assure you, you will see results. These are the simplest ways for getting rid of dandruff. There’s a question that comes to mind and I’m sure you all might also be thinking about “how to get rid of dandruff permanently?”. All solutions if done on a regular basis will remove your dandruff permanently. There can be some rare cases but not many. So here, this blog comes to its end. Hope you love this blog on getting rid of dandruff.