How to cure dandruff permanently - MY BLOGS

How to cure dandruff permanently? Some Easy Remedies to Get Rid Of Dandruff; 

‘Dandruff’ - also known as ‘Dermatitis’ or ‘Seborrhoea’ - is actually an extremely common skin condition experienced by most people at some point in their lives, regardless of ethnicity, age, or gender.

Dandruff is a common condition that is not dangerous or contagious meaning it does not spread from person to person.

While dandruff certainly isn’t something to be ashamed of, many people find it socially awkward to see white flakes of visible dandruff on their hair and clothes.

Dandruff is caused by a number of factors and you would be surprised to know that approximately “HALF” of the world’s adult population is affected by dandruff. 

So, you should never feel alone as this is very common problem and affects many people.

Now we will discuss, what is dandruff? the factors that can lead to dandruff? and then we will jump on to the treatment part.

And also discuss two very effective home remedies for treating dandruff?

Dandruff is a skin condition that mainly affects the scalp but it’s not uncommon for people to discover dandruff flakes in their eyebrows, around their ears, and along the sides of their nose.

It tends to affect not just the scalp, but also the eyebrows, the beard, and the hairy part of the chest.

To understand dandruff in a better way, you will have to first understand about a condition in dermatology known as seborrhoeic dermatitis.

 Seborrhoeic dermatitis, also known as seborrhea, is a long-term skin disorder. Symptoms include red, scaly, greasy, itchy, and inflamed skin. Areas of the skin rich in oil-producing glands are often affected like face, chest and scalp.

If you look at the term itself you would understand half of its meaning.

Seborrhea is made up of two words, sebum and rrhoe.

Sebum is the oily secretion of the glands present in your skin and the word rrhoe is derived from the Greek work “rrhoe” meaning flow.

Dermatitis is also made up of two words Derma meaning skin and “itis” meaning inflammation.

So, Seborrhoeic dermatitis basically means an inflammation of the skin in which seborrhea occurs or excessive production of sebum occurs.

SD can affect many areas of the skin like your face, area around your eyebrows, around your ears as well as the scalp.

Basically, any area of the skin that has lot of sebum producing glands named sebaceous glands.

Now what’s the link between Sebborrhoeic Dermatitis and dandruff? Well dandruff is just a milder form of sebborrhoeic dermatitis.

Yes, when sebborrhoeic dermatitis occurs in a mild form without excessive itching, redness and scaling of the scalp it is known in simple terms as “Dandruff”.

One of the most important cause of dandruff is a fungus named Malasezia aka Pityrosporum.

Now this fungus is a normal commensal of our skin, meaning it is a harmless organism and lives in the glands of our skin and normally it doesn’t lead to any problems.

But in people with dandruff, the levels of Malassezia are increased by 1.5 to 2 times its normal level.

The fungus Malassezia, particularly, Malassezia globosa, that metabolizes triglycerides present in sebum by producing and enzyme k/a lipase, resulting in production of oleic acid.

Oleic acid, a key fatty acid, is shown to induce a dandruff-like condition that is ultra-structurally identical to dandruff.

As many of you know our skin cells are continuously shed from the top layers and new ones are added to the bottom ones.

Usually it takes about 40-50 days for the cells from the bottom layer of skin to reach the top most layers but in people with excessive levels of the fungus Malasezia this skin turnover rate is reduced to less than 7 days.

The result is that dead skin cells are shed in large, oily clumps, which appear as white or grayish flakes on the scalp, skin and clothes and this is the basic reason for dandruff.

So, a Dandruff scale is just a large clump of dead skin cells mixed with oily secretions of the sebaceous glands and keratin.

So now you know what dandruff is? and why whitish flakes of dandruff are produced. Now let’s jump over to the treatment part of dandruff, and before we start with the medical treatment let’s have a look at some of the lifestyle changes and tips you should keep in mind if you have dandruff. 

Lifestyle Changes & Tips;

1. Soften and remove scales from your hair, Apply mineral oil or olive oil to your scalp, leave it in for an hour or so, then comb or brush your hair and wash it, the products that I recommend are olive oil from ORS and Herbal Mineral oil from Khadi.
2.  Avoid harsh soaps and use a moisturizer so as to keep your skin hydrated and prevents dryness.
3.  Avoid styling products stop using hair sprays, gels and other styling products while you're treating the condition.
4.  Avoid skin and hair products that contain alcohol these can cause the disease to  flareup. 

Medical treatment of dandruff;

The medical treatment is very simple usually consisting of only medicated shampoos, lotions and creams but the problem with the medical treatment is that most people do not complete the whole duration of the course of the treatment.

Most of the treatment regimens for dandruff have to be consistently followed for at least 2-3 months for the complete eradication and to prevent future recurrences.

With that said let’s look at the first line of treatment that is used for dandruff which is medicated shampoos.

Medicated shampoos

Medicated shampoos which contain anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory drugs are most commonly used to treat dandruff.

Shampoos containing compounds like ketoconazole, zinc pyrithione, piroctone olamine, ciclopirox olamine, selenium sulphide, sodium sulfacetamide, topical terbinafine ans ICHthyiol pale are most effective in treating dandruff.

These compounds have anti-fungal properties and they reduce the number and proliferation of Malasezia fungus on your scalp.

I have selected some of the best shampoos among them all which mostly contain zinc pyrithione, ciclopirox olamine and selenium sulphide as these have been proven by several studies to be the most effective compounds in treating Dandruff.

These shampoos have to applied twice weekly for the first 4 weeks and then only once weekly as a maintenance therapy for the next 1-2 months.

While applying these shampoos make sure to leave it for 3-5 minutes in your hair so it can have its maximum antifungal effect.

Lotions

The next category of medication that is used in this treatment is lotions of similar compounds that you apply on your scalp and leave them on.

Also k/a leave-on lotions they usually contain zinc pyrithione, ciclopirox olamine and other antifungal compounds.

These are applied twice daily on the scalp for at least 4-6 weeks.

Almost 75-80% of people with dandruff will experience good response with these antifungal shampoos and lotions alone.

If you have excessive flakes of dandruff and also deposits of white flakes on your scalp that are tough to remove you should consider using shampoos like the Neutrogena T/Sal 3% which contain salicylic acid.

This will help you to get rid of the flakes much easier.

Hair Wash Containing Flvocinolone (STEROID)

If you are not getting relief from the above treatment you can use hair washes that contain a mild steroid like fluocinolone.

This helps to control the inflammation in the scalp that is also an important reason why dandruff occurs.

If all these topical medications don’t work you can also consult your dermatologist for taking oral drugs like antifungal itraconazole.

To control the skin inflammation and turnover rate acutane or isotretinoin is also used but it is a prescription only drug and also has some side-effects.

Effective home remedies for dandruff.

While there are plenty of over-the counter products designed to treat dandruff, natural remedies can be just effective. 

5 Natural Home Remedies For Dandruff;

#1: NEEM OIL.

 Neem is a natural herb that comes from the neem tree.

Neem oil derived from this tree is very potent with antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. 

The anti-fungal properties of Neem oil make it effective against these fungi.

You can also use Neem oil to get relief from inflammation, itchiness, and irritation those results from dandruff.

For those who are prone to dandruff, Neem oil should be  used regularly. It also helps in maintaining  the pH balance of the scalp which further prevents dandruff formation.

To use Neem oil to get rid of dandruff naturally, dilute equal parts of Neem Oil with Almond or Sesame Oil and gently massage the oil directly into the roots of the hair and scalp.

After allowing it to work for 30 minutes, cleanse your hair with a natural cleanser.

#2: TEA TREE OIL.

Tea tree oil is an incredibly useful product for a lot of ailments, and dandruff is definitely one of them.

Tea tree oil has got anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce the severity and symptoms of dandruff.

A 2006 study found that a shampoo with 5 percent tea tree oil was used with positive results.

A current study found that tea tree oil shampoo produced a 78 percent reduction in microbial growth.

It is also very effective in fighting the strains of fungus which cause both dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis.

It is crucial to dilute tea tree oil properly with either water or carrier oil before using, otherwise, it can cause irritation, especially for those of us who happen to have sensitive skin! One way to use Tea Tree Oil for hair is to prepare a hair spray by diluting 5 percent Tea Tree Oil with water or Chamomile Tea.

This will condition the hair and also prevent dandruff. 

#3: APPLE CIDER VINEGAR . 

 Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apple juice.

It helps to remove the dead skin cells and balance the pH of the scalp. 

Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid which is a weak acidic solution and it helps to lower the pH level of the scalp, which reduce dandruff symptoms.

There are many studies that show that it can prevent the growth of many types of fungus.

A 2019 study concluded that undiluted apple cider vinegar has potent antimicrobial activity.  

To use it, combine two to three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with the same amount of water, then put it on your scalp and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing your hair with clear water or washing your hair with shampoo.

You can also add a few drops of Apple Cider Vinegar to your bathtub to restore the pH balance of your body and hair.

#4: ALOE VERA.

Not only is Aloe Vera cooling but also mildly  exfoliates the skin and has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.  

It is best to directly extract some, from the aloe vera plant it is transparent and has a thick consistency.

It can be applied on the  scalp and then washed off with a medicated anti-dandruff or a mild shampoo.  

Aloe Vera could be used in multiple ways on your hair and scalp.

Aloe Vera hair masks prepared at home are also effective as well.  

You can also mix aloe vera with castor oil. Mix 4 tablespoon of castor oil in 3 tablespoon aloe vera gel.

Apply this oil on the hair and scalp and massage for a  few minutes.

Wash the hair in lukewarm water after two hours.

Do this once a week for a month to see good results.  

Aloe vera can also be combined with tea tree oil.

Mix 3 drops of tea tree oil and 4 drops of argan oil into 5 tbsp aloe vera gel.

Apply this mask on the hair strands and on the scalp as well.

Wash using lukewarm water after three hours.

Do this once a week for a month. 

#5: COCUNUT OIL. 

 Coconut oil is considered as a very good skin care product.

Coconut oil has excellent miniaturization properties that can help to treat dandruff and dry skin simultaneously.

Coconut oil has also been traditionally used as a natural antimicrobial product.  

One of the key ingredients of coconut oil is lauric acid which helps to combat Malassezia, the fungi responsible for dandruff. The best way to use coconut oil is to apply it 1-2 hours before you shampoo.

Apply it directly to the and leave it on for a few hours to make sure the oil has a chance to penetrate your hair and skin.

Then rinse it off thoroughly with a mild shampoo.

  

So friends these were 5 effective home remedies

I hope you liked it.