Let's treat Dandruff like a Pro

Kabhi Kabhi toh samajh nahi aata zyaada dheet kon hai ? Rishtedaar yah dandruff ? Umm...maybe rishtedaar hi, kyuki Dandruff can at least be cured. 

Chalo Let's talk about it, aise bhi winters aa gaya and most of us are gonna face Dandruff now. Half of the population faces dandruff. Dandruff is more common than hair fall. Aise toh dandruff harmful nhi hota, naa hi contagious. But yeah it's very embarrassing and annoying obviously. No one likes scratching their head all the time. Neither do they like those visible flakes. But this is not something to be so worried about, we can treat it. 

We will first see what exactly is Dandruff and how it happens and then we will understand all the possible ways to treat dandruff - Medically ho yah Naturally.

Why Dandruff !?

There are several causes for dandruff including dry scalp, too much oily scalp, skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, or because of Seborrheic Dermatitis. What is Seborrheic Dermatitis? This is a condition caused because of excess secretion of sebum. But what is sebum? Sebum is an oily, wax-like substance produced by your sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands kya hota ? Let's look at the following diagram and understand:

As we can see, our scalp is having these sebaceous glands which are present under each hair strand. This is the gland responsible for the natural oils present in the hair. The glands produce sebum in a normal quantity for healthy hair.

But in cases of Seborrheic Dermatitis, our sebaceous glands start producing more sebum than normal which can't be completely absorbed by the hairs, so it is left on the skin surface. 

Itna door tak toh samjh gye. But kya yahi dandruff hai ? The answer is No. The main cause of Dandruff is a fungus which is called Malassezia Pityrosporum. They live in the sebaceous glands and feed on sebum. Haan, sabke baalo mei rehte hai. So, when our sebaceous glands start producing more sebum than normal, the fungus through the excess sebum reaches our scalp surface and metabolizes Triglycerides present in sebum using lipase and in the process, they release Oleic acid. 

Oleic acid is a fatty acid that usually clogs the pores. Our skin cells go through a life cycle where the Upper skin cells die and the new skin cells from beneath replace them. But because of clogged pores, the shedding of skin cells gets delayed. And because of that, the dead skin cells start to accumulate on the scalp and white flakes are visible. This is the condition we call " Dandruff ".

Best ways to treat dandruff 

Before treating lets self diagnose ourselves first! Pehle check kro ki tumhara kitna dandruff hai? Is it mild? or is it too much?

If you are having too much dandruff there will be visible flakes all over your head and hair and it would be itching most of the time. But if that's not the case, you are having mild dandruff. But how to treat mild dandruff?

Mild dandruff can easily be cured, we don't need any fancy treatments or medical shampoos for that. It can be treated with any gentle shampoo. But yeah we need to start washing our hair daily and properly. 

Dandruff is often caused because of improper shampooing. So properly cleansing our scalp for 2-3 minutes and doing it regularly or every alternate day would solve this issue. Do this for 2-3 weeks and watch dandruff will go.

But agar nhi gya, toh samjh jao ki its not mild anymore. 

So let's see how to treat severe dandruff :

1) Medicated shampoo

These are strong shampoos that contain anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. These shampoos usually contain any of the following compounds :

• Zinc Phrithione
• Ketoconazole
• Ichthyol Pale
• Sodium Sulfacetamide
• Topical Terbinafine
• Ciclopirox Olamine
• Selenium Sulphide
• Piroctone olamine
• Salicylic acid
  

These ingredients have properties that can deep cleanse the scalp and help to strip off the dead skin and the extra sebum which clogs pores and creates dandruff. Find shampoo with any of the mentioned compounds. Using these shampoos as per the given instructions, we can treat dandruff efficiently and can prevent future occurrences of dandruff as well. 

For your ease, I'm mentioning the top medicated shampoos out there in the market :

Nizoral Shampoo 
(It contains Ketozonazole)

               

 

Sebamed Anti Dandruff Shampoo
(Contains Piroctone Olamine)

Cipla 8x Shampoo
(Contains Zinc Phrithione)

Scalp+ 
(It contains Ketoconazole)

Neutrogena T/Sal Shampoo
( contains 3% salicylic acid)

 

Selson suspension anti-dandruff
 shampoo
(contains selenium sulphide)

How to use these shampoos?

➤ Follow the directions as given. Use it Twice weekly for four weeks followed by using it once a week for 1-2 months. It usually takes 2-3 months for the entire Dandruff to disappear. 

NOTE - There are anti-dandruff shampoos available in the market containing a higher concentration of salicylic acid and even shampoos containing Steroids. AVOID using them on your own. In case dandruff persists even after using the above shampoos, it's better to visit a dermatologist.

2) Leave on Lotions

Along with Medicated shampoos, we can include leave on lotions in our routine to treat Dandruff. These anti-dandruff lotions moisturize the scalp especially for dandruff due to dry scalp, reduce itching and also reduce the oiliness on our scalp.

They usually contain the following compounds :

• Zinc Phyrithione
• Ciclopirox Olamine
• Other anti-fungal compounds

How to use - Twice daily for 4-6 weeks for proper dandruff removal.

The best anti-dandruff lotions available in the Indian Market :

Anaboom Lotion

Perrigo Selenium Sulfide Lotion

Ketostar anti-dandruff lotion

3) Essential oils

This is my personal favorite! I'm using this method for the past 3 years and it works the best for me. I never felt the need to use a medicated shampoo ever.

Essential oils are extracted from plants using methods like distillation or evaporation. Certain essential oils which are very powerful in treating Dandruff because of their anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Tea tree essential oil is the best in treating dandruff. It cleanses the extra sebum and makes the scalp clean and thereby treating and preventing future occurrences of dandruff. Other essential oils like Lemongrass essential oil, Lavender oil, and Lemon essential oil can also treat dandruff effectively.

And the best part of using essential oils for dandruff is that it cleanses the scalp gently and treats dandruff but medicated shampoos are very strong and they strip off the moisture from the hairs as well while cleansing.

How to use - Apply 3-4 drops of essential oil along with coconut oil and massage it on your scalp. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wash it off with a mild shampoo. We can also add essential oils to your shampoo for the best results. Thrice a week for 4-6 weeks. 

Personal recommendation - If you face Dandruff very frequently, keep using essential oils mixed with shampoo once a week, it would deep cleanse your scalp and will keep Dandruff at bay.

4) Home remedies

Nature has given us every cure for all our issues. We just need to have knowledge about them and use it to gain benefits from them. 

Incorporating it into our daily routine can prevent Dandruff permanently. But we need to use it properly and have patience.

Let's see kya kya hai :

⮚ Coconut Oil with Lemon

Lemon is a powerful antioxidant and it contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties which can deep cleanse the scalp and remove excess sebum. Lemon also contains vitamin C which boosts collagen production and helps in maintaining healthy hair. 

Coconut oil moisturizes the scalp which prevents dandruff due to a dry scalp and also contains lauric acid which is anti-fungal and can effectively treat Dandruff due to Malassezia.

How to use - Mix several drops of lemon juice along with coconut oil and massage it on your scalp. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then wash it thoroughly with a mild shampoo. Doing this Twice a week for 4 weeks can treat dandruff very effectively.

⮚ Curd

Curd is anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory and also contains moisturizing properties which can treat dandruff due to dry as well as oily scalp.

How to use - Apply curd directly on your scalp and let it sit for 1 hour and then wash it thoroughly with a mild shampoo. Twice a week for 6 months will completely treat dandruff.

⮚ Fenugreek (Methi) Seeds

Methi contains nicotinic acid which is very effective against dandruff. Methi contains powerful compounds which have strong anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties.

How to use - Soak Methi seeds overnight and grind them using the soaked water until it becomes a fine paste, and apply it on the scalp and the hair. Keep it for 30 minutes and then wash it off with a mild shampoo. Using it 3-4 times will clean dandruff.

⮚ Neem leaves

Ab neem ke baare mei kon nhi jaanta. Isse strong antifungal property kisi herb mei nhi. This makes it one of the best remedies for dandruff. 

How to use - Add a few neem leaves into water and boil it. Wait until it cools down, and then rinse your hair with that water. Massage it on your scalp for a few minutes. Let it sit on the scalp for 1 hour or overnight and then wash it thoroughly with a mild shampoo. First use se hi dandruff kamm hona chalu ho jaayega.

Conclusion

Usually,  dandruff is not a harmful issue, but zyaada hone pe it can trigger hair loss and haan embarrassment. But treat krna is possible, we just saw. We need to have patience and a positive attitude. Ek din mei results nhi milega! we gotta wait and use the methods consistently.

But if dandruff persists even after being consistent for 2 months, immediately visit a doctor. This can be because of any other reason or it may be a symptom of any other disease.