Dandruff fighter?

[denver]

I'm using JASON natural jojoba oil conditioner after shampoo. I do not have dandruff but I do get itchy scalp, especially in the colder months. I've just started to use it and I like it a lot. I got a 16 oz. bottle at Whole Foods for $9

I've heard cade oil is really good for dry scalps/ dandruff.

I've used the Dandruff control shampoo from Jason and it is really great. I would recommend it and you can get it at Whole Foods.

 

[ze_marcas]

Are you sure you have a dry scalp? Maybe your dandruff is caused by seborrhea. Anyhow, if you are really sure that's it is caused by dry scalp, you should try a shampoo containing moisturizing ingredients like jojoba oil and shea butter.

Here are my suggestions:

Everyday Shea, Moisturizing Shampoo, Lavender

or Shampoo Bars from Chagrin Valley:

Coconut Milk
Extra Honey Beer
Olive Babassu

With any of these products, your scalp will become moisturized and healthy.

I second Lusitano's opinion.

I'm using a minoxidil product (hair growth for androgenic alopecia) which dries my scalp quite a lot. I thought I had dandruff but dandruff products only made it worse.

To combat a dry scalp you should use a chemical free natural shampoo and finish off with a chemical free moisturizer. The key is having a very good moisturizer. Don't skip on it, if you have a dry scalp you MUST use one after washing your hair.

I only use a shampoo. For moisturizing I use cold pressed jojoba oil. After washing the hair I use one drop (ONLY one) to massage my scalp while it's wet. Don't rinse it, let it sit for 5m and then dry your hair. Works wonders for me, but if it's too oily for you, let it sit for 5m and then rinse.

It will also help washing your hair only every 2 or 3 days. It might take a couple of weeks for your hair to adapt, but trust me it will adapt.

Mind you, the jojoba oil is an excellent after shave by itself. You can also use it for dry skin, either in the hands or face. Less **** to carry around when you have only one product with multiple uses!

BTW it's easy to see the difference between dandruff and a dry scalp. The former has larger, more yellowish flakes, the latter smaller and white.

 

[Dewaine]

Get some Clubman Portugal hair tonic, and use it as directed. The stuff is great.

 

[DustMite]

...neutragena T-Gel (with pine tar) for itching & flakes

Not Pine tar...the bottle of T-Gel I use says Coal tar, much better, IMO.

The cider vinegar does work, but you'll smell like pickles, even after using a strong scented conditioner. A few days of the cider vinegar treatment will last for about 3-6 weeks before needing to reapply.

Now, here is a list of the active ingredients used in the most common anti-dandruff shampoos and an explanation of what they do.

1. Zinc pyrithione (Head & Shoulders classic, Pert Plus dandruff control)

Zinc pyrithione (or Zinc omadine) is an anti-fungal and antibacterial agent that is most commonly used to fight the dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. Once you begin using this treatment, stopping will often cause dandruff to return worse than before treatment began.
​

2. Ketoconazole (Nizoral)

Ketoconazole is an anti-fungal drug used to treat dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. Dandruff usually returns after treatment is stopped.
​

3. Selenium sulfide(Selsun blue, Head & Shoulders Intensive)

Selenium sulfide is an anti-fungal agent used to treat dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. In the US, 1% solutions can be purchased over-the-counter and 2.5% solutions are available by prescription. Dandruff often returns when treatment is stopped.
​

4. Coal tar(Ionil-T, Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic)

Coal tar is a liquid by-product of the distillation of coal. It is used in shampoos meant to treat head lice and psoriasis. Coal tar is on the NIOSH (a government run nanny) list as a potential cancer-causing agent.
​

5. Salicylic acid(Ionil)

Salicylic acid based shampoos are used to help the scalp shed excess skin more easily, which in turn helps to keep skin pores from getting clogged.

​

What does this all mean? Sometimes you use a product for a period of time, then all of a sudden you realize it's not working anymore. The scalp can build up a resistance to the active ingredients in a certain product. The solution is to switch to a product that has a different active ingredient. If and/or when your scalp decides to resist the new product you can switch back to the first product. It's an endless cycle of rotation.

I have dealt with dandruff for years and this is what I have gathered from all the doctors I have seen about it. The general consensus is to switch when one product stops working, then switch back when the new product stops working. Just look for the key active ingredients which are right on the label and choose the new product with different key active ingredients.

There are also alternative remedies involving tea tree oil, listerine, baby shampoo, and even baby shampoo mixed with baby oil. A simple search using your chosen search engine for "dandruff" will reveal more info than you may know what to do with. It will also list many alternative remedies where you can read up and see how they work and how effective they are.

Hope this jumble of information helps and I hope it makes any sense at all.

 

[StillShaving]

Not Pine tar...the bottle of T-Gel I use says Coal tar, much better, IMO.

The cider vinegar does work, but you'll smell like pickles, even after using a strong scented conditioner. A few days of the cider vinegar treatment will last for about 3-6 weeks before needing to reapply.

Now, here is a list of the active ingredients used in the most common anti-dandruff shampoos and an explanation of what they do.

1. Zinc pyrithione (Head & Shoulders classic, Pert Plus dandruff control)

Zinc pyrithione (or Zinc omadine) is an anti-fungal and antibacterial agent that is most commonly used to fight the dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. Once you begin using this treatment, stopping will often cause dandruff to return worse than before treatment began.
​

2. Ketoconazole (Nizoral)

Ketoconazole is an anti-fungal drug used to treat dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. Dandruff usually returns after treatment is stopped.
​

3. Selenium sulfide(Selsun blue, Head & Shoulders Intensive)

Selenium sulfide is an anti-fungal agent used to treat dandruff caused by yeasts and fungi. In the US, 1% solutions can be purchased over-the-counter and 2.5% solutions are available by prescription. Dandruff often returns when treatment is stopped.
​

4. Coal tar(Ionil-T, Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic)

Coal tar is a liquid by-product of the distillation of coal. It is used in shampoos meant to treat head lice and psoriasis. Coal tar is on the NIOSH (a government run nanny) list as a potential cancer-causing agent.
​

5. Salicylic acid(Ionil)

Salicylic acid based shampoos are used to help the scalp shed excess skin more easily, which in turn helps to keep skin pores from getting clogged.

​

What does this all mean? Sometimes you use a product for a period of time, then all of a sudden you realize it's not working anymore. The scalp can build up a resistance to the active ingredients in a certain product. The solution is to switch to a product that has a different active ingredient. If and/or when your scalp decides to resist the new product you can switch back to the first product. It's an endless cycle of rotation.

I have dealt with dandruff for years and this is what I have gathered from all the doctors I have seen about it. The general consensus is to switch when one product stops working, then switch back when the new product stops working. Just look for the key active ingredients which are right on the label and choose the new product with different key active ingredients.

There are also alternative remedies involving tea tree oil, listerine, baby shampoo, and even baby shampoo mixed with baby oil. A simple search using your chosen search engine for "dandruff" will reveal more info than you may know what to do with. It will also list many alternative remedies where you can read up and see how they work and how effective they are.

Hope this jumble of information helps and I hope it makes any sense at all.

Good post. I posted this comment earlier but I want to double stress that Listerine mouthwash should be added to the list. I cycled through most of the over-the-counter items listed above for years and got relief but the dandruff would always come back. Once I tried Listerine I got immediate results and it has practically eliminated any dandruff problems since.

The first time I ever used Listerine I dumped some on my scalp as best I could at the start of showering, then washed my hair normally as the last step. After noticing an immediate improvement, I tried to get more serious about it and put some in a spray bottle to better soak my scalp at the start of taking a shower. Applied it first thing so it had a few minutes to fight plaque buildup on my hair.

Everyone's chemistry is different, but after a few weeks mine was practically gone. I occasionally retreated for a long while afterwards, but it got to the point where dandruff was no longer an issue and is a thing of the past for me. Listerine worked like nothing else did.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Good post. I posted this comment earlier but I want to double stress that Listerine mouthwash should be added to the list. I cycled through most of the over-the-counter items listed above for years and got relief but the dandruff would always come back. Once I tried Listerine I got immediate results and it has practically eliminated any dandruff problems since.

The first time I ever used Listerine I dumped some on my scalp as best I could at the start of showering, then washed my hair normally as the last step. After noticing an immediate improvement, I tried to get more serious about it and put some in a spray bottle to better soak my scalp at the start of taking a shower. Applied it first thing so it had a few minutes to fight plaque buildup on my hair.

Everyone's chemistry is different, but after a few weeks mine was practically gone. I occasionally retreated for a long while afterwards, but it got to the point where dandruff was no longer an issue and is a thing of the past for me. Listerine worked like nothing else did.

StillShaving:
I can 2nd your motion (and B & B members please don't laugh ), in stressing that Listerine really does work. I've also have tried all the above plus prescriptions from my dermatologist, but Listerine really does work

Try it...you won't be sorry. And did you know that "back in the early 1900s, the makers of Listerine actually advertised that their product could fight dandruff"?

http://www.ehow.com/how_2075261_treat-dandruff-listerine.html

Christopher

 

[bvance554]

I have always had the same problem, and it always seemed to be worse in the winter. My scalp also itched alot. i was pretty certain it was dryness. I tried every dandruff, pine tar, and tea tree shampoo out there with no relief. Then I tried a shampoo that contained no sodium lauryl sulphate. The relief was instant. No itch and no flakes. It is a known skin irritant for many.

 

[soloflex]

Diet has an impact on dandruff
fried foods in oils not suitable for frying has an impact, an unhealthy diet plays a roll.
i buy bags of stir fry vegs and fry em in coconut oil. it as a high heat tolerence versus olive oil which should be used on low heat or raw on salads

 

[kingfisher]

I have always had the same problem, and it always seemed to be worse in the winter. My scalp also itched alot. i was pretty certain it was dryness. I tried every dandruff, pine tar, and tea tree shampoo out there with no relief. Then I tried a shampoo that contained no sodium lauryl sulphate. The relief was instant. No itch and no flakes. It is a known skin irritant for many.

Bingo.

Before resorting to Listerine and an endless rotation of anti-dandruff shampoos, the OP should find out whether SLS is really the root of the problem.

For me, finding an SLS-free shampoo was really hard, because most of the shampoos that state they are SLS-free contain chemical substitutes that are also harsh on my scalp.

Therefore, for ME the solution was a shampoo BAR. A bar of SOAP specially formulated for use on hair and scalp.

Try it. If it fails, then get some Listerine.

 

[W_B_K]

I too had a problem and used all the different shampoos/bars etc. Listerine worked better than any of them, but I'd still get itchy now and then.

I tried Clubman hair tonic (without oil) and haven't had a problem since! I use both Clubman and Jeris (without oil as well) and both work equally well. I apply it all over my head after a shower and massage it into the scalp. You would think that something with alcohol would have the opposite effect but it has done wonders for me!