Top 8 Home Remedies for Dandruff

Top 8 Home Remedies for Dandruff. Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com. Image sources – see foot of article.

Dandruff is a common scalp condition wherein the shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp happens in an unusually large amount. Those people with dandruff experience skin cell shedding on the scalp every 2-7 days (skin cells are supposed to mature and be shed around a month). ^[1]

Although it is rarely harmful, dandruff is a nuisance and can be embarrassing. Itchiness may occur too. However, dandruff can be controlled. More than shampooing, a wide array of effective home remedies exist to help you eliminate the dandruff problem:

1. Water And Fluids: One of the most common causes of dandruff is simply a dry skin or scalp. Suchdryness may come, for instance, from winter or an overly warm area. Drink plenty of water and fluids to rehydrate your skin. Fruit juices are noteworthy since they provide not only water for replenishing but also vitamins such as vitamins A and C that promote skin health.

2. Lemon, Orange, Mandarin, And Grapefruit: All of these citrus fruits are effective against dandruffbecause of their antifungal activities. The juice from these citrus fruits can also moisturize the scalp to help prevent further flaking. The essential oils of lemon, orange, mandarin, and grapefruit have been established as well to exert antifungal activities against certain kinds of fungi. ^[2] Slice citrus fruits into slim pieces, squeeze out the juice, and massage the juice on the scalp. Let the juice stay on the scalp for half an hour before washing. Do this once or twice a week. One can also mix some drops of diluted essential oils of lemon, orange, mandarin, and grapefruit with some mild shampoo.

3. Lemongrass: Lemongrass is a perennial grass that doesn’t find difficulty in getting a place in the kitchen or Asian dish, especially in soups and curries. Its subtle citrusy flavor provides a nice touch to tropical cuisines with poultry, fish, beef, or seafood. But lemongrass doesn’t just stay useful in cooking. It is also utilized as a traditional medicine. A 2011 study from Mahidol University, Thailand, found that lemongrass oil may help reduce dandruff: It showed significant antifungal action against Malassezia furfur, which is an opportunistic yeast associated with dandruff formation. Even at 2%, lemongrass oil is regarded as effective against dandruff. ^[3]

4. Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil is largely employed medically for its antibacterial and antifungal therapeutic properties. In a study published in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, tea tree oil was evidenced to inhibit the growth of all clinical fungal isolates evaluated. These included 26 strains of diverse dermatophyte species and 54 yeasts. ^[4] Incorporating tea tree oil inshampoo has been demonstrated to be effective against dandruff. In a randomized, single-blind Australian study that involved 126 patients, 5% tea tree oil alleviated the scaliness, itchiness, and greasiness associated with dandruff per patient’s self-assessments. In addition, 5% tea tree oil was well tolerated and provided no adverse effects. ^[5]

Add tea tree oil to your shampoo. For every eight ounces of the shampoo, add around ten dropsof tea tree oil in the bottle. Shake the shampoo bottle in order to evenly distribute the tea tree oil. Use this shampoo plus tea tree oil mixture during your shower. For better results, allow the tea tree oil shampoo to be on the hair for three to five minutes to let the tea tree oil do its thing on the scalp

5. Black Pepper: Black pepper contains a rich amount of zinc and selenium, two minerals that are known to control dandruff. Black peppers are commonly mixed with some yogurt and are massaged thoroughly on the scalp. The black peppers aid in pulling the loose dandruff, while theyogurt keeps the flakiness in reduced quantity. The black pepper and yogurt mixture is to be kept on the scalp for an hour or more before washing the hair with a mild shampoo.

6. Neem: Neem is a tropical tree widely grown for its medicinal properties. Both the aqueous extract derived from the different parts of neem and neem oil pressed from the fruits and seeds have been studied for their antifungal activities. The leaves of neem can be crushed to form a paste; apply this paste directly on the scalp for half an hour to treat dandruff and then rinse off with water afterwards. Another means to use neem leaves is to mix two handfuls of neem leaves with four or five cups of water. Let the mixture stand overnight, strain the liquid the next morning, and then use the neem liquid to rinse the hair.

7. Aloe Vera: Aloe vera possesses antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties that help prevent and remedy dandruff. The gel that comes from the central core of A. vera leaves has a moisturizing effect on the scalp too, which will reduce the flakiness associated with dandruff. It can also minimize the irritation that sometimes happens with dandruff and help repair the damaged skin.

Cut some A. vera leaves and obtain the gel from the leaves. One can use a spoon to scoop the gel from the leaves. Apply the gel generously on the scalp and let it stay for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, cut the leaves crosswise and directly rub the gel on the scalp.

8. Minimize The Use Of Some Styling Products: Dandruff may arise as an allergic response to some chemicals that few hair gels, sprays, shampoos, and hair oils contain. Furthermore, hair sprays, styling gels, and hair waxes tend to build up and accumulate on the hair and scalp. Theseproducts can thus only make the scalp oilier and the dandruff worse.