Eating For The Rest of Your Life

Just Say No To Year-Round Snow: 3 Tips For Battling Dandruff

by Jon Weaver

Dandruff can be a frustrating dermatological condition because it is unsightly and can cause your scalp to itch chronically. By understanding the typical cause of dandruff you can develop a scalp care regimen to destroy flakes.

Minimize Use Of Scalp Oils

Since your scalp is flaky, you may erroneously believe your scalp is dry. Although dry scalp can co-occur with dandruff, the underlying cause of dandruff is often fungal growth associated with oil production. Scalp oils or grease can be soothing for a moment and minimize the appearance of flakes, but they can often make dandruff worse over time. If you must add a product to your scalp, try scalp treatments specifically formulated to reduce itchiness. These products often come in a small squeeze bottle and can be dispensed directly to the area. In some cases, scalp oil or grease may work if you use one with anti-fungal properties, such as tea tree oil.

Try Different Shampoos

To minimize or eliminate dandruff, you will need specialty shampoo. These shampoos have different anti-dandruff ingredients, such as tar, zinc, and/or anti-fungal medications. You should try different active ingredients for a few weeks to determine if there is any improvement before moving on to the next formulation. If you notice your anti-dandruff shampoo is drying to your hair, simply follow-up with a leave-in conditioner to add moisture back to your hair. As an alternative, you might try alternating between anti-dandruff shampoo and your usual brand with each wash. Some people find they may need to change their anti-dandruff shampoo every few months to avoid building a tolerance to the active ingredient.

Incorporate Probiotics

Adding dandruff probiotics to your diet may improve dandruff. Your goal is to eliminate the fungus that may be growing on your scalp and adding healthy bacteria to your body can add balance. Since probiotics work systemically, you will need to experiment with the amount you take to avoid gastrointestinal problems. If you can find chewable probiotics, it is easier to take a smaller dose than recommended because you can usually break or cut the wafers into smaller pieces. Start with less than the bottle recommends and gauge how you feel before increasing your dose. You may also need to try different probiotic brands and types of active bacteria before you find the right one for your needs.

Being diligent in your fight against dandruff can help you minimize or eliminate flakes and itchiness. A combination of good scalp care and systemic treatments is the easiest method of gaining control over dandruff.  

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