Every time you wear a black shirt you look like you ran through a flour factory. You can notice how people’s eyes have started straying to the top of your head every time you talk to someone and you know they’re staring at those white spots. Every time you shake your head or comb your hair you can see more flakes falling out – it’s practically a goddamned snowstorm. The problem is becoming increasingly embarrassing and it just doesn’t seem to want to go away.
Are you doomed to look like you have fungus growing on top of your head? Not at all! Dandruff sucks, but it’s something you can resolve even if the problem is very persistent. There are several things you can try, so we decided to give you a handy little list to help you get it all under control.
Try a gentle scalp scrub
If you’re struggling to get rid of dandruff, it’s likely that there’s a lot of buildups stuck on your scalp. Excess hair products like gel and hairspray, sweat, dirt, bacteria, even fungus. You’ll have to deep cleanse your scalp and give it a chance to breathe and recover, and to do that, you need a scrub. To make a simple scrub, you can mix up brown sugar with conditioner or olive oil and rub it in gently to remove the buildup. Do this after wetting your hair and before shampoo, and repeat the process once a week.
Change your diet
What we eat affect our entire body, including our hair and scalp. Certain foods can exacerbate sebum production or even lead to yeast on your scalp. The biggest culprits are usually refined carbohydrates and dairy, so if you tend to eat a little too much junk food and drink milk regularly, you could try eliminating them from your diet completely for a while. See how it makes you feel and whether it helps clear up your dandruff. Just as a side note, this kind of diet might help your skin clear up as well.
Use a good shampoo
If you’ve already tried regular commercial anti-dandruff shampoos, it might be time to switch to natural ingredients. A good organic anti-dandruff shampoo won’t contain any harmful chemicals, and it won’t exacerbate the problem. Natural products can be very gentle on your scalp while still helping you cleanse it thoroughly, especially if they contain ingredients like aloe vera which can soothe inflammation.
Wash your hair more often
Ever since dry shampoos started becoming so popular, we’ve started washing out hair a little bit less. Now washing your hair less often is generally a good idea in any other case, but not if you’re dealing with chronic dandruff. To heal the infection and remove potential fungus that might be causing it, you have to wash your hair a little more often until it passes. Do it at least several times a week so the healing ingredients of your shampoo can come in contact with the irritated area more often. Make sure that the shampoo you’re using is mild and that it won’t dry out your strands.
Try hot oil treatments
This is particularly good for dry dandruff. It’s possible that your scalp needs more hydration and nourishment, and a hot oil treatment can help. Before washing your hair, heat a mix of argan oil and coconut oil in a microwave for 30 seconds. Use the mixture to massage your hair for about 10-15 minutes at least, and then washing all off.
Coconut oil in this mixture has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and argan oil is incredibly hydrating. Mixing these two can rejuvenate your whole hair.
Try a DIY scalp mask
If you want to make a mask for your scalp specifically, you can mix 7 teaspoons of honey with 6 ground garlic cloves and a little bit of ground ginger. Apply this all over the affected areas and let it sit for about 30 minutes before washing your hair. Garlic and honey both have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and they can treat your infection naturally.
Do NOT scratch
Lastly, do not ever scratch your scalp, no matter how itchy it gets. Scratching will only make the problem ten times worse by irritating your already inflamed and sensitive scalp.
Conclusion
Dandruff won’t be a problem forever. Use these solutions persistently for at least a month and the problem should slowly clear up. Just remember to take care of your hair and scalp gently and you’ll prevent this problem from reappearing in the future.