Cure Hair Loss

Causes of Dandruff

 

Dandruff, also known as scruff, is due to excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. It is quite normal for the skin cells of the scalp to die and flake off. A normal quantity of skin flaking is quite natural, but when the flaking becomes excessive due to some irritation or some skin allergy then it needs attention. There is no convincing reason yet whether some foods like sugar or yeast or excessive perspiration can cause or increase dandruff. If you have some fungal infection, that can cause dandruff or flaking of the skin. Another cause of dandruff could be cold weather, cold weather makes the skin dry and causes it to flake and shed which in turn causes dandruff. Some kind of food allergy can also be a cause of dandruff. Even nutritional deficiency can be one of the major causes of dandruff. Deficiency of B-complex vitamins or omega 3 fatty acids and other such vitamins can also cause flaking of the skin. Excessive use of hair gels, hair sprays or other chemicals such as hair coloring chemicals can also cause roughness of the scalp and cause it to shed skin.

 

Dandruff Cure

 

How to get rid of dandruff? There are a lot of ways to treat dandruff. It can be controlled and prevented from increasing. Dandruff cure could be categorized as follows:

External dandruff treatment: External treatment includes using anti-dandruff shampoos or using anti-fungal shampoos. Even massaging the scalp with certain specific oils can help reduce the flaking of the scalp.

Nutritional dandruff treatment: Nutritional treatment includes eating good nutritious food. An intake of lot of liquids to keep your skin supple helps. Eating a lot of fruits and juices and eating a balanced diet helps in avoiding the occurrence of dandruff. Take a proper sleep of 7-8 hours. All the above methods help in treating dandruff to some extent. Having food rich in B-complex would also help. Avoiding excess of salt, sugar and alcohol also helps.

Relaxation dandruff treatment: Treatments like meditation and yoga help the body and mind to relax which in turn leads to reduction of stress. By reducing stress also we could control the skin from flaking.

Allopathic dandruff treatment: Then there are certain allopathic treatments for the cure of dandruff. By consulting a skin specialist or a physician you could take certain oral medicines and drugs which could help treat dandruff.

Naturopathy dandruff treatments: Various home made natural treatments are available for curing dandruff. These can be easily done at home and help keep dandruff at bay when done at regular intervals. Some recipes are provided in the following section.

 

Home Remedies for Dandruff

 

The following are recipes for some simple dandruff treatments that you can do at home. All ingredients are readily available in any common household.

1. Take some curd (enough to cover the scalp and length of your hair). Add the juice of half or one lemon (again based on the length of your hair). Put this mixture evenly on the scalp and hair. Keep for about half an hour and then wash with mild shampoo. Do this treatment every time you face the problem of dandruff. Over a period of time you will notice that you need to do it less frequently. The occurrence of dandruff will reduce drastically. Curd will also improve the texture and softness of your hair. This recipe should be avoided by people who have a tendency to catch frequent colds and coughs. Curd causes a cooling effect on the head and this may worsen a cold situation.

2. Apply poppy seeds ground with milk on the scalp. Later wash with plain water or water mixed with herbs such as shikakai.

3. Boil dry tea leaves in water. Strain and then let the water cool. Add the juice of half a lemon. Apply this on the scalp and hair and leave for an hour. Wash as usual. This gives a shine to the hair and is a good dandruff cure.

4. Soak 2 tsp of fenugreek flour overnight in water. Apply this paste on the scalp in the morning and leave for half an hour. Rinse it out with warm water. This helps in reducing dandruff as well as hair loss.

5. Mix the white of one egg with the juice of one medium-sized lemon. Apply on the scalp and keep for an hour. Wash off as usual and use a mixture of cider vinegar in water as a last rinse. This is a very good dandruff treatment.

6. Rub half a lemon on the scalp before taking a shower. Do this only occasionally and not before every shower.

7. Before shampooing, massage the scalp with salt for some time and then wash off. When done over a period of time, this helps in completely getting rid of dandruff.

8. Take about 2 big spoons of nettle leaves in a large bowl. Pour half a liter of hot boiling water over it. Let it cool, then strain. Add a table spoon of cider vinegar to the water. Apply a little in the morning and evening on the scalp. Do not wash off. This helps solve chronic cases of dandruff.

9. Apply grated carrots to the scalp and leave for some time to prevent dandruff. Wash off as usual.

10. Mix one tablespoon each of witch-hazel, lemon juice and cider vinegar. Apply this on your scalp and hair. Keep for half an hour and then wash off with a mild shampoo. This helps relieve the problem and is a good dandruff cure.

11. Put about 1 cup of olive oil in a transparent jar. Add one big spoon of rosemary leaves to it. Put the lid on and keep it where its sunny for 2 days. After 2 days strain out the leaves and keep the oil. Apply this once a week to your scalp and hair. Do the hot towel treatment for some time. Shampoo as usual. This would give better results if the application and hot towel treatment were done at night and you wash it the following morning.

12. Mix 3 parts of olive oil with 1 part honey. Apply this well on your scalp and hair. Wrap a hot towel over it. Shampoo it off after some time. This is a good dandruff remedy.

13. Gently massage scalp with brandy and then wash off. This helps in relieving the problem of dandruff.

14. Take some warm coconut oil in a bowl (enough to cover your scalp). Add about half volume (as compared to the oil) of lemon juice to it. The warm oil makes it easier for the two to mix, Please note, they will not completely dissolve in each other. Apply this on your scalp and leave overnight. Shampoo it off in the morning. This will not only help relieve you of your dandruff problem but also reduce hair loss.

15. Apply the juice of onions to the scalp to cure the problem of dandruff. Leave on for about a half hour and then shampoo as usual. This is a very effective dandruff treatment.

 

Dandruff Prevention

 

It is difficult to find a 100% dandruff cure. But we can definitely prevent dandruff. It is basically a natural process of skin drying and flaking but when it gets excessive it becomes a cause of concern. Eat healthy nutritious food. Avoid oily and fried food items. These increase the problem of dandruff. Do not expose your skin to too much sun because its rays could harm the skin and the hair texture. Also, too much cold is not good for the skin as it has the chance of drying up and in turn causing dandruff. Extreme climatic conditions should be avoided. Wash your hair at least twice a week. Always keep your scalp clean. Use a fine toothed comb. A balanced diet in food and proper intake of liquids keeps the skin and hair healthy hence avoiding drying and dandruff. Then even relaxing techniques such as meditation reduces stress and therefore helps as a dandruff treatment. Using proper shampoos and not exposing hair to too many chemicals will help hair and scalp to remain in a natural state. So by taking a little care of health and skin we can definitely help prevent dandruff.