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Guys, please help-Best Dandruff Shampoo?

I have dandruff. :( I have been using Head and Shoulders forever, but I still have flakes, so I am thinking that I need to switch to another brand of Dandruff Shampoo. Does anyone have any recommendations? Is Selsen Blue a superior/stronger/more effective dandruff shampoo than Head & Shoulders? I noticed that it is significantly more expensive than H&S, so I was thinking that it might pack more of a punch. If Selsen isn't any good, what should I try? I am really hoping to eradicate these flakes. I would really appreciate some sound advice/guidance. Thanks.
 
Fortunately, I don't have that issue, but I do have generally dry skin/hair. I use the 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner. Maybe this was common knowledge and just recently new to me, but in the shower, first thing, I lather/rinse, then lather again and leave the shampoo in while I do everything else I need to do. The last thing before getting out, rinse off the shampoo. I found this method conditions better, might work the same for the shampoo you're using.
 
I hear ya man and I feel your pain. As I'm sure you have researched to no great satisfaction the terms 'psoriasis' and 'dandruff' these are problems that never really can be cured, rather they can only be managed.
In truth H&S contains a wax that in time itself will flake off resembling the little white flakes that give us SO much grief. Having never tried the Selson Blue I cannot speak to its effectiveness, however I have been down the Nuetrogena T-Gel and Nizoral route. Bothe T-gel and Nizoral are almost prohibitively expensive and from my personal results almost non effective. In researching effective treatments many times main culprits that can exacerbate the problem are; alcohol (namely beer) tobacco (cigarettes) and overall diet. Personally I was a beer guzzling chimney smoking chef (although I am capable of creating exquisite foods my own diet is/was terrible)
I have kicked the crap out of my personal dandruff plight by changing my drinking habits: I have maybe a can or two of beer rather than a 6 pack. I have given up daily smoking of cigarettes for the occasional cigar and am taking a multivitamin along with an omega 3 supplement. The Omega 3 supplement is a BIG boost in the fight against dandruff. Also with my hair type I can wash my hair daily and not have damage. I have given up using the expensive 'dandruff' shampoos which seemed only shills to get you to keep using their product.. One key note is that I now use a clear shampoo (usually cheapo) and read the ingredients label (some research of ingredients to make sure there is no wax in it) My curse is DRASTICALLY improved.
So in short: To 'cure' my dandruff took major diet and lifestyle changes rather than a shampoo product change. I hope you find some relief!
 
It is good to alternate with different products for dandruff. After a while, you'll notice that the key ingredients in a certain product stop working or does not work as well as it used to. To keep that from happening you switch to another product for a while. When that new product stops working as well as it used to, then you can switch back to the first one.

The key ingredients in commercial dandruff shampoos:

Coal Tar

  • · Neutrogena T-Gel or store brand equivalent
  • · Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap – can be used for hair as well. Works pretty well
    • Massage one of these into the scalp and leaving it there for five minutes.
    • Then rinse the hair and scalp thoroughly after use.


Salicylic Acid and Sulfur


  • · Sebex
  • · Sebulex
    • Salicylic acid works to break down the dead skin cells to reveal the new skin underneath. It also aids in the penetration of antifungal agents. Salicylic acid also is a mild antiseptic that may heal any irritation to the scalp from scratching. Sulfur is an antifungal ingredient that gets rid of the yeast (fungus) that causes dandruff in some people.

Ketoconazole


· Nizoral
[FONT=&quot]o [/FONT]a fungicide and is used in shampoos to treat dandruff that develops because of a yeast infection of the scalp.

Selenium Sulfide


  • Selsun Blue
    • works to get rid of the yeast that causes dandruff.


Zinc Pyrithione


  • Head & Shoulders
    • An antifungal ingredient that also works to break down skin cells and treat any fungus that may be the underlying cause of the dandruff

Now, with all that out of the way, I was switching back and forth with Head & Shoulders and when that quit working, I used T-Gel. I've had great success, for years, switching back and forth with these two. I stopped using either of them when I switched over to shampoo bars. Not a bit of dandruff since. :thumbup:
 
Now, with all that out of the way, I was switching back and forth with Head & Shoulders and when that quit working, I used T-Gel. I've had great success, for years, switching back and forth with these two. I stopped using either of them when I switched over to shampoo bars. Not a bit of dandruff since. :thumbup:

+1.

I had the worst dandruff ever. I have pretty bad seborrhea on my face and at the external ear canals, too. I tried every shampoo out there, including prescription shampoos.

What ALMOST cured my dandruff was Mystic Water Soaps shampoo bar. I think my scalp has a bad reaction to SLS. The shampoo bar also has some oils in it that help keep the scalp healthy.

I say ALMOST because I still get a little flaking every once in a while. I have begun to massage a couple of drops of jojoba oil into my scalp in the morning when I wake up. It stays on there for maybe 5 minutes or so while my water is heating up, etc., and I am preparing for my morning shower. Then I "shampoo" with the shampoo bar instead of liquid shampoo. This combination is working well.

In short, of the dandruff shampoos on the market, I think Nizoral and Selsun Blue are the best, but for me the Mystic Water Soap shampoo bar worked much better than either one of them, and the price is better, too.:thumbup1: If I were you I would definitely give the shampoo bar a try.
 
I think you should try to find the cause of your dandruff. Many times dandruff is caused by fungus which thrive on oily scalp. Do you have oily scalp/hair?
In my case a tea tree based shampoo does a very good job fighting dandruff.
 
Try Nizoral as per the instructions with Head and Shoulders in between.
I get nasty dandruff if I don't use head and shoulders every day.
When I do get a particularily nasty bout of it, I use the Nizoral and it seems to go away.

Also make sure you are using a condtioner. I use the Head and Shoulders conditioner too.
 
Thanks for the info. guys. I appreciate it. Hopefully some more guys will weigh in.

Maxman, I actually don't use a conditioner. Maybe that is part of my problem? I get a "buzz cut" so I have very little hair. I always assumed I didn't need a conditioner. Will using one help me with my dandruff?
 
I also keep my hair pretty short. I was using the Chagrin Valley shampoo bars for about a year and they did a pretty good job. Last summer I went on vacation for a week and used the hotel stuff. The flaking and dandruff came back far worse than before. Since running out of shampoo bars I've tried several shampoos. Regular H&S and Selsum Blue Naturals didn't help, but the H&S "Ocean Lift" seems to be controlling it better than the others. I've got to order more shampoo bars. I really liked using the Chagrin Valley Mud & Clay bar once or twice a week and the Coconut Milk the rest of the time. I hate conditioner, so I sometimes use a solution of a little apple cider vinegar in a cup of water as a rinse.
 
ok iam going to tell u what REALLY worked for me, its kinda gross but i've never had dandruff since. The only shampoo that worked for me was suave. i tried head and shoulders, tried the prescription stuff and nizorol, but all that worked was suave. Give it a try its cheap

What really made a difference tho was when i shaved my head... I had such bad dandruff that when i had my head shaved it came off in layers it was gross as hell, but iam really really really glad i did because i havent had dandruff now for almost 8-10 yrs!!! give urself a headshave!!!! and use suave on it till all the hair comes back.
 
if you have a buzz (I do) try just using your body soap.. then maybe a touch of conditional (body lotion for your head). also get yourself some orig listerine and maybe once every 2 week work some into your head before showering. all that h&s on a buzz is just drying your skin out.
 

The Count of Merkur Cristo

B&B's Emperor of Emojis
I have dandruff. :( I have been using Head and Shoulders forever, but I still have flakes, so I am thinking that I need to switch to another brand of Dandruff Shampoo. Does anyone have any recommendations? Is Selsen Blue a superior/stronger/more effective dandruff shampoo than Head & Shoulders? I noticed that it is significantly more expensive than H&S, so I was thinking that it might pack more of a punch. If Selsen isn't any good, what should I try? I am really hoping to eradicate these flakes. I would really appreciate some sound advice/guidance. Thanks.
Torretta:
Although I keep my hair very, very short (high & tight...from my Army days), I use Selsun® Extra Strength 2.5% Dandruff Shampoo with very good results.

"For moderate to severe dandruff, seborrhea, and tinea versicolor. Selsun® 2.5% contains a higher concentration of Selenium Sulfide to aggressively treat problem dandruff. Selsun®, treatment for dandruff, seborrhea and tinea versicolor".

And to control itching, I use CVS Scalp® (with 3% salicylic acid), Relief liquid (much cheaper than Scalpicin).

If any the above doesn't work, then I would advise see your local dermatologist for professional advice / medical care.

Christopher
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"Laughter is the best medicine". Unknown
 
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While this is still an active thread I was wondering....

Does anyone on here experience dandruff flakes developing on their face??
I've had this recurring problem going on 8 years, its off and on (mostly on) and I find that most medications and dandruff shampoos really don't effectively control the flaking and redness. I have used a prescription foam cream called luxiq, it works, it's just really expensive and it feels like using bayrum on skin freshly shaven with a piece of glass. Any recommendations for this?? I have searched for a thread about this and didn't find it, so I am sorry if there is one, I just thought I would get this out there and see if anyone else knows what's up on it.
 
Try Nizoral, as mentioned above.

Does anyone on here experience dandruff flakes developing on their face??

It may be seborrheic dermatitis. You may want to see a dermatologist.

I second the recommendation above for fish oil (omega-3) supplements. I found that they helped my skin.
 
I second the recommendation above for fish oil (omega-3) supplements. I found that they helped my skin.

Fish oil is not the best source of animal omega-3 supplements. Fish oil is highly perishable, and oxidizes very quickly when exposed to light and oxygen. Also most of the large fishes are contaminated with heavy metals, and so is the oil.

The best source of animal omega-3 is from krill, krill oil. Krill oil has a natural powerful anti-oxidant and is much better absorbed by the body.

You have to consume vegetal omega-3 fats because you need animal(EPA+DHA)+vegetal(ALA) omega-3. Flax seed, hemp seed or chia seeds are very good sources of vegetal omega-3.
 
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I've been having very good results with Provence Sante shaving soap, and a good DE blade. If that's too extreme for you I'll defer to the wisdom of people with hair ;)
 
Now for the more serious answer, because yes indeed I have had dandruf for years even since I started shaving my head, but since I started DE shaving, and shaving more regularly I've found it's gone away. I attribute this to better conditioning of the skin from regular use of good shaving soaps and aftershave, so even though my routine probably won't work for you, conditioning your scalp better might, so I'd say try shampoos and conditioners for dry skin, and if you currently shampoo every couple days, try doing it more frequently, but with products that are designed to condition dry skin.
 
In some health-food circles, there seems to be a conspiracy theory that the chain drug-store shampoos (i.e., Head & Shoulders, Selsun Blue, etc.) actually contribute to the dandruff problem. In Balch & Balch's "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," they recommend a pre-soak involving a mixture of 8 tbsp. peanut oil and the juice of half a lemon. Tea-tree oil shampoo, suggested by a member already, is often advised as being good for dandruff problems. Also, how many times you wash your hair a week can be an issue, as shampooing too often can dry out your scalp. From this, the starting recommendation is to only wash (and wet) your hair twice a week, so as to let the oils of your scalp do the rest of the work. Beyond this, the pH of the scalp may also be the culprit; so after washing with, say, the tea-tree oil shampoo, Balch & Balch recommend a final rinse with a solution of 1/4 cup white vinegar to one quart water, in order to raise the acidity level (smells like a tossed salad at first, but the smell disappears as the hair dries). This too has already been recommended by a member.

Anyway, I have never tried the peanut oil and lemon juice pre-soak, but the the other steps have at least helped me to minimize my dandruff. Nature's Gate is the mark of tea-tree oil shampoo that's generally available in these parts.

Hope this helps,

Alan
 
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Try Nizoral, as mentioned above.



It may be seborrheic dermatitis. You may want to see a dermatologist.

I second the recommendation above for fish oil (omega-3) supplements. I found that they helped my skin.



It is seborrheic dermatitis. The shampoos, ingredients and products recommended to treat the symptoms just haven't been working. Now with that said, I don't have flakes on my scalp anymore. I used to, but selson blue cleared that up, and now I only use it occasionally as needed. But the scaling on my face on both sides of my nose has kinda gotten out of control. It used to not be much of a problem but now people are asking me who punched me in the face because of the red marks. Aggravating, to say the least.
 
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