What causes dandruff, and how do you get rid of it?

Answer 1

You get dandruff by not
washing your hair for a
very long time.You can
get rid of it by washing
your hair very good with
shampoo and conditioner.

Answer 2

Dandruff is due to dry itchy scalp, it is dead skin flaking off. Something I've found to help is Garnie Fructise Anti-dandruff shampoo. I used it just a couple times and I can tell a huge difference. Spend the extra few bucks and try it....it works better than any other dandruff shampoo out there.

Answer 3

The best way to treat dandruff is to use T-Gel shampoo and use it EVERY DAY for 4 days straight. Then to keep it from coming back, use 3 times a week. It works. Forget the Fruit Loop shampoos!! They're a joke!

Answer 4

Dandruff is due to the excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. As it is normal for skin cells to die and flake off, a small amount of flaking is normal and in fact quite common. Some people, however, either chronically or as a result of certain triggers, experience an unusually large amount of flaking, which can also be accompanied by redness and irritation. Most cases of dandruff can be easily treated with specialized shampoos. Dandruff is not an organism like lice; it is just dead skin that accumulates in the scalp. Excessive flaking can also be a symptom of seborrhoeic dermatitis, psoriasis, fungal infection

As the epidermal layer continually replaces itself, cells are pushed outward where they eventually die and flake off. In most people, these flakes of skin are too small to be visible. However, certain conditions cause cell turnover to be unusually rapid, especially in the scalp. For people with dandruff, skin cells may mature and be shed in 2 - 7 days, as opposed to around a month in people without dandruff. The result is that dead skin cells are shed in large, oily clumps, which appear as white or grayish patches on the scalp and clothes.

Dandruff has been shown to be the result of three required factors:(1)

-Skin oil commonly referred to as sebum or sebaceous secretions
-The metabolic by-products of skin micro-organisms (most specifically Malassezia yeasts)
-Individual susceptibility


As a pharmacist, I have worked with different treatments and I have found NIZORAL to be the most efficient. You need to use it properly (at least 2 times a week, and you have to leave it on for 10 minutes!). SELSUN BLUE works well for some patients. HEAD and SHOULDERS can also help, but it's my least favorite out of these 3. Regular shampooing with any product also helps because it removes the excess flakes.

Some people talk about using some sort of vinegar treatment (also mentionned in wikipedia), but I'm not convinced and I haven't read any studies concerning this homemade recipe...

Nizoral is your best bet. imho.

Answer 5

You can prevent dandruff using many cheap and effective home remedies. Warm coconut oil, lemon juice, apple cidar vinegar are other home remedies at http://www.wellnesstalk.org/dandruff.html will prevent further problems.