Dandruff Hair Care: Effective Tips & Home Remedies
Many people suffer from persistent or recurring dandruff, also known as seborrheic dermatitis. Hair is the crowning glory of the body, and at the same time it is an indicator of the body’s overall health. Shiny, lustrous hair that are strong at the roots means that the person is healthy; while discolored, dull hair with split or weak ends indicate an internal disorder with the body. Hair itself is made of a protein called as keratin. It grows from pockets within the scalp of the head, known as follicles.
Try one of these natural ways to cure dandruff and prevent your hair from damages. Dandruff is the enemy of the hair. It weakens the roots. The main symptom of dandruff is the presence of flaky skin region present in and around the scalp area. The scales can vary in size from small dust-like particles to large, greasy, yellow flakes.
A person’s entire body surface continuously sheds dead skin cells. Dandruff, the shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp at an excessive rate, due to dehydration of your scalp skin, is the result of the normal growing process of the skin cells of the scalp. Dandruff is a bothersome problem that almost every one of us has.
Pityriasis Capitis
It is the simple kind consisting of white dry flakes falling from the scalp. The result is due the rate at which the scalp sheds its dry skin cells, which in turn depends on the health and diet of the individual stress, too seems to be related.
Seborrhea Dermatitis
If the scalp is very greasy, an individual might end up with this type of dandruff, which is thick, oily, scaly, crusted and weeping.
- This condition almost always needs medical care and attention, but if it is mild you can treat it at home by either using an anti – dandruff shampoo or trying home remedies. The best remedy however is to wash hair regularly with a shampoo containing selenium compound or cool tar extracts. Consult a dermatologist if the problem is severe or persists.
Household Remedy Tips For Dandruff
Besides the anti – dandruff creams, lotions, oils and shampoos available in the market, there are many simple household remedies to fight dandruff described below.
- Hot oil therapy is one method to cure dandruff. Massage hot oil into the scalp at bedtime. Next morning an hour before bath, rub lemon juice mixed with cosmetic vinegar (mix 1:2 ratio) into the scalp. Give the hair a good wash with egg shampoo.
- Give your hair a hot steam bath. Massage hot oil with a hot damp towel and leave it on the head like a turban so that the steam can fight dandruff. You may use two towels for this purpose. This will improve the moisture of your scalp skin to fight against forming dandruff.
- After giving your hair a good wash, boil five teaspoons of dried and used tealeaves in limewater, use it as a last rinse after shampoo, to give your scalp skin, the factors of anti-dandruff formation. This gives your hair… a lustrous shine and provides nourishment too.
- Instead of shampooing, massage handfuls of baking soda into the hair and scalp to absorb oil and to loosen dead skin on scalp. Rinse thoroughly and use no other shampoos. While initially the hair may seem dry, after several weeks, dandruff will go off and hair will be smooth and shiny.
More Remedies for Dandruff
Massage It In
When shampooing, gently massage your scalp with your fingertips to help loosen scales and flakes. But do not scratch your scalp that can lead to sores that are worse than the dandruff.
Lather Twice
Always lather twice with a dandruff shampoo. Work up the first lather as soon as you step into the shower so the shampoo has sufficient time to work. Leave it on until you are just about finished with your shower. Then rinse your hair very carefully. Follow that with a quick second lather and rinse. The second rinse will leave just a bit of the medication on your scalp so it can work until your next shampoo.
Don’t Be Too Harsh To Your Soft Hair
If tar-based shampoos, or any other dandruff preparations are too harsh for everyday use, alternate them with your regular shampoo.
Let The Sunshine
A little sun exposure is good for dandruff. That’s because direct ultraviolet light has an anti-inflammatory effect on scaly skin conditions. And it may explain why dandruff tends to be less severe in summer. Don’t sunbathe; just spend a little time outdoors. Limit sun exposure to 30 minutes or less per day. And wear your normal sunscreen on exposed skin. You have to balance the sun’s benefit to your scalp against its harmful effect on your skin in general.