what cause dandruff?

Answer 1

Real dandruff isn't actually caused by dry skin, it's a condition called seborrheic dermatitis that actually produces an overabundance of oil (sebum) in the skin, but also creates the flakes, from irritation sloughing. The skin can often be greasy and scaly in addition to flaky. You can also experience it on other parts of your body, like your chest or face (around the nose is somewhat common). Moisturizing can make it worse, but doctors sometimes prescribe a steroid cream and/or an antifungal cream to use for it on your body or face.

Since it can be cause by fungus as well as hormones/no particular reason, doctors usually recommend an antifungal dandruff shampoo like Nizoral (which now has an over-the-counter strength in addition to a prescription strength). If you do buy that one, get the larger bottle (open the box of the smaller one to see how small it is and you'll know why!) If that's too expensive or your dandruff doesn't seem very bad, you might first try an anti-dandruff shampoo with pyrithione zinc, like Head & Shoulders or Pantene Anti-Dandruff. Please don't try to condition it away! Remember, moisturizing can make it worse. I recommend the Pantene Anti-Dandruff if you don't know whether what you have is dry scalp or dandruff.

Answer 2

flakey dry skin