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Flakes. Big, mean, ugly flakes.
Everyone’s scalp loses dead skin cells about every 30 days. For a significant portion of the population, however, scalp problems go much deeper than an occasional flake here and there. People who suffer from severe cases of dandruff have large white flakes, and their scalps never seem to run out of skin.
Dandruff is caused by an inflammation of the glands beneath the skin that open onto hair follicles. The inflammation causes the glands to secrete excess oil, which in turn creates crusting and flaking.
Contrary to folk tales and popular belief, dandruff means your scalp is too oily, not too dry. So start on the road to recovery today by tossing out all those creams and hand core moisturizers you’ve been using for “dry” flakey scalp.
Find These Ingredients
Different dandruff shampoos have different ingredients, which in turn create different results. Look for shampoos that contains selenium sulfide, zinc pyrithione, sulfur, salicyclic acid, or any combination of these ingredients. Before choosing a shampoo, read the directions. Some dandruff products are not good for blonde or grey hair, because it can darken the color.
Once you have a shampoo, use it oftern – every day if possible. The more you use it, the more medication your scalp gets. No dandruff shampoo is effective if you rinse it out immediately. Gently massage the shampoo into your scalp, then let the shampoo sit in your hair for five to 30 minuts before rinsing. Then shampoo and rinse one more time before you leave the shower. This gives your scalp an extra shot of medication. Because of the harshness of dandruff shampoos, you might want to use a conditioner to prevent you hair from drying out.
For the Really Tough Cases
For Particularly bad cases, turn to coal tar based shampoos. This sounds awful – coal tar! On a human head! Gak! But don’t worry, this is a time-tested and age-old remedy that truly works, and is good for your scalp. Leave them on your head for five or 10 minutes before rinsing. And don’t worry about a bad odor --- many tar products on the market today have been greatly improved since your grandmother’s day.
Some common coal tar shampoos are: Neutragena T/Gel, Sebutone, MG217 – and where you find them, you’ll find others on the shelf.
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