how do i get control of my nine year olds dandruff?

Question

my nine year old has dandruff and right now it is really bad due to her skin is really dry. i do know that it is now head lice and that it is dry scalp. i have tried many products available and nothing seems to work some will make it look better for one day and others do nothing. i do not let her wash her hair everyday as it just makes the dry scalp worse. any suggestions on how to get control of this

Answer 1

Your son/daughter is probably not going to like this treatment but it works and only needs to be done once a week until the scalp has normalized to a point where flakes are not evident. Dandruff is the excessive flaking of the skin of the scalp and maintaining moisture on the scalp is the first thing you have to address which is the dry skin:

Procedure:
Brush the scalp and hair to remove loose flakes and encourage the natural oils in the skin. No need to force anything, just give the head and hair a thorough, gentle brushing.
Wet the hair and scalp with water.
Wash the hair and scalp with just enough Johnson's baby shampoo to get a lather up. (if the hair is short, a tablespoon is plenty)
RINSE EVERY TRACE OF SUDS FROM THE HAIR AND SCALP. ( til the water runs clear.)
towel dry the hair, leaving scalp alone as best you can. (do not blow dry)
take two 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and put in a clean bowl. dip your fingertips only into the oil and work the oil gently into the scalp (do NOT wet the hair or the head, do not work the oil into the hair. If you end up getting the hair greasy you can wash the hair, but avoid the scalp)

Give it a minute or two to work.

Shampoo the HAIR (meaning keep the suds off the scalp as best you can) with the original Johnson's Baby Shampoo if needed. It is the mildest and most chemical free of any shampoo. It will be hard to just wash hair and you won't be able to NOT touch the scalp, the point is, don't work it into the scalp but focus on the getting the hair clean and leave the scalp.

RINSE EVERY TRACE OF shampoo out of the hair and towel dry. Do not blowdry, do not use styling products that will go on the scalp.

If the problem is simply the flakes, start with the oil and follow with a hair shampoo. If the problem is dirty hair, start with the shampoo.

If it's both hair needing washing and scalp needing help, do both in the order that the procedure is written at the beginning of this post.

Good luck. Keeping the hair as short as he/she can tolerate it will help in treating this. It's not a permanent problem and it will resolve itself eventually if you understand that dry skin gets dry because the NATURAL oils are stripped by chemical shampoos and styling products and some natural factors, like too much sun exposure to the scalp.
If your son/daughter wears his hair long enough to require a hair conditioner to keep the hair also from being dry, then use the conditioner ONLY on the hair.

There are other ways to condition the scalp to restore the oil balance, but Olive Oil is readily available and it is easy to wash out if you use too much. No other kitchen oil can be used, so don't even try.

PS If your son's/daughter's dandruff gets worse or seems to be having the OPPOSITE effect, then it's more likely he/she has a skin condition that needs to be seen by a dermatologist. Dandruff is a merely a symptom and the procedure I gave you is to treat the symptom. Other skin conditions like Psoriasis, needs different treatment. Try the oil first and see how it goes. If he/she is dry all over the body, then the oil balance is probably needing to be restored.

for the body, I totally recommend Cocoa Butter or Shea Butter. Cocoa butter can be used anywhere, including the face, regardless of skin conditions...(including acne.)

Answer 2

Here are the dandruff-fighting home treatments our experts suggest.

Buy a good dandruff shampoo. ''A good dandruff-fighting shampoo is important because it reduces the scaling on the scalp and allows medication to penetrate where it is needed,'' says Alvin L. Adler, M.D., a dermatologist and attending physician and clinical instructor in dermatology at the New York Hospital--Cornell Medical Center and Beth Israel Medical Center, both in New York City. To ensure that you are buying an effective product, spend a moment in the drugstore reading some labels. Look for a dandruff shampoo that lists tar or salicylic acid among the ingredients, says Dr. Adler.

***Shampoo often. Your child should start out using the shampoo at least twice a week, says Dr. Adler. Many doctors suggest that if the dandruff doesn't go away, the child should shampoo twice a week with dandruff shampoo and also shampoo frequently with the regular kind. And if the child still has dandruff, use the dandruff shampoo even more frequently than twice a week..

If the dandruff doesn't resolve with shampoo alone, a topical steroid medication may be needed, Dr. Adler says. Check with your pediatrician or a dermatologist.

Keep an eye out for recurring flare-ups. ''Dandruff is easy to control but not to cure,'' says Dr. Adler. After your child's dandruff is under control, you can switch back to regular shampoo, but be alert for signs of itchiness or flaking. ''Count on it--there will be another flare-up,'' Dr. Adler reminds parents. Keep dandruff shampoo in the cabinet and get your child to use it at the first signs that dandruff is back.

Look out for stress. ''No one knows why some people get dandruff and others don't, but stress can provoke it,'' says Dr. Adler. If your child gets frequent dandruff flare-ups, check out the possibility that she may be under too much pressure. You can help her reduce stress by talking about school and everyday problems and allowing more free time without planned activities.


*****Other scalp conditions that resemble dandruff in some ways are cradle cap (usually in infants), ringworm, seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis. These conditions usually aren't serious, but it takes a doctor to diagnose and treat them.

Answer 3

I recomend t-gel for washing, and after washing and daily use of scalpicin
if this does not work, definately go to your doctor.
Also, observe your daughters shampooing habits to make sure she is rinsing the shampoo out completely.

Answer 4

Try head and shoulders for regular washings and neutrogena t-gel every so often. If the otc products don't work, see a dermatologist for something stronger.

Answer 5

go to a pharmacy, they will help u find stuff that works. My kid used to have lice due to kids in her school. And get a lice comb.
plus, wash EVERY cloth material u can find that she has been around, like couch covers, pillows, bedspreads, ect.
its going to be very hard work, but tis going to be worth it once its gone. PS,(DONT INFORM THE SCHOOL) it will just embarras you and ur kid
good luck ♥

Answer 6

Become a Family of Hari Chrishners..............

Answer 7

I would take her to the doc.Sounds like this could only get worse.

Answer 8

ask a doctor

Answer 9

T gel shampoo works!!