Complementary & Alternative Medicine

How to get rid of dandruff

Welcome back!

Dandruff is essentially the flaking of the skin cells in your scalp. They generally occur when the newer skin cells growing underneath are pushing the old skin cells on your scalp to the surface. You might also be interested to know that dandruff is quite normal and mostly everyone has dandruff to a certain degree because we all shed our skin to make way for new sin cells. The main difference is the fact that dandruff sufferers shed their skin at a much faster rate than everyone else. The reason for such an increase in their shedding rate is due a fungus that attacks the scalp and acts as a catalyst, speeding up the entire process. Dandruff is a nuisance, and as a result, people are always asking how to get rid of dandruff.

Getting rid of dandruff generally takes some time because one has to be able to either get the fungus causing the dandruff under control, or they have to completely eliminate the fungus. The second option is much more difficult to do and takes a much longer time. If you want to learn how to get rid of dandruff, you can always visit a dermatologist, but they can be pricey at times. So your best bet would be to use over the counter shampoos that are also quite effective in the treatment of dandruff. So generally speaking, the best shampoo I’ve found for getting rid of the fungus is anything containing either Ketoconazole or zinc. Those two products have been tested and found to be the most effective in killing the fungus.

Another good way to get rid of dandruff without using chemicals in your hair would be to go the natural route and use tea tree oil shampoo. Tea tree oil should be referred to as a super plant because of its ability to treat so many disorders. Tea tree oil does have a fairly strong smell so I wouldn’t recommend putting in your hair if you plan on going out later on that day.

Best Dandruff Shampoo – What to look for

So to start of with, I guess I should probably describe exactly what dandruff is. Well, dandruff is basically when newer skin cells push your old skin cells on your head to the surface, making them visible. So really, everyone has dandruff because everyone does shed his or her skin every couple weeks or so. But what classifies an individual, as having dandruff is the fact that they have a fungus on their head that essentially acts as a catalyst and speeds up the entire process, causing them to shed their skin at a much faster rate. To treat dandruff, only the best dandruff shampoo would suffice.

There are currently several dandruff shampoos on the market, and I’m sure many of you have heard and seen some of the commercials on television. The thing with choosing the best dandruff shampoo is that it has to essentially do one thing, and that is to kill the fungus. Some shampoos out there do not necessarily kill the fungus but rather reduce the visibility of the flakes. One thing you should look for when buying your anti-dandruff shampoo is a product that contains either zinc or Ketoconazole. Why these two? Well, there have been many studies done on the effectiveness of these chemicals in the elimination of the fungus.

Just as a side note, in order for you to have noticeable results from using these shampoos, you need to leave the shampoo in your hair for at least 20 minutes, and not the 5 minutes stated on the packaging. Also, try not to use the same product continuously, but rather alternate between two or three different products to prevent your body from getting used to one particular type. One should also be aware that there are much cheaper natural alternatives that can be made in your own kitchen and are just as effective in killing the fungus.

Dandruff Treatment – Natural ways to eliminate dandruff

For those that aren’t fully aware, dandruff is simply the replacement of old skin cells by new skin cells. So what tends to happen is that when the new skin cells are growing, they push the old ones to the surface, causing the dandruff flakes to appear. So in reality, it would be safe to say that virtually everyone suffers from dandruff, not just you.

But what makes some people have severe or extremely noticeable dandruff is the fact that they have a fungus growing on their scalp. What this fungus does is to essentially act as a catalyst and cause the entire skin shedding process to drastically increase. Dandruff treatment is essential and this article talks of the more natural methods of doing so, without the need for chemicals.

If you are a current dandruff sufferer, it is advisable for you to seek out methods of dandruff treatment. I am aware that the ordinary sufferer has heard of and likely tried some of the shampoos being advertised on the television. The only problem with those products is the amount of chemicals they contain. So if you are comfortable having your family use those products then I hope you are able to stop the problem; for those seeking natural methods, there are many home remedies that will surely help.

An example of a fairly effective dandruff treatment would be the use of vinegar and some warm water. We all know how powerful vinegar is as a disinfectant, but you can now add dandruff treatment to its list. Another simple method would be to use lime juice when you are rinsing your hair.