Source: creativestuf.blogspot

Dandruff is a common scalp condition, which is chronic but not contagious unless caused by infection. Formation of dry, white flakes of dead skin on scalp and hair is dandruff and by itching and burning sensation can accompany it. Those with oily skin are more prone to this problem as it is usually a mild form of seborrheic dermatitis.

What is Dandruff?

Your scalp is like a dark, warm forest, which has high moisture content. With such conditions, it becomes a home ground for microorganisms as sweat and dead skin provide food for their growth. This is how dandruff affects your scalp in the first place. Another reason may be due to injury caused by friction or brushing or excessive styling with hot styling equipments.

What are the causes for dandruff?

• Cold, dry weather steals moisture from scalp leaving it dehydrated and prone to dandruff.
• Another primary reason behind the problem of dandruff is hygiene issues. Infrequent shampooing leaves the hair and scalp dirty, thereby making it easy for fungal infections.
• Sometimes sensitivity to chemical hair products may cause dandruff too. Therefore, it is important that you use organic products for your hair care and stay away from chemical products.

• It is important to take care of the cleanliness factor. Negligence can lead to overgrowth of yeast-like fungus and conditions like eczema on your scalp. So regularly wash your hair with mild shampoo and conditioner.
• In addition, psoriasis causes dandruff too. Psoriasis is a skin condition marked by red, itchy, scaly patches.

How to keep dandruff at arm’s length

• Choose your antidandruff treatment carefully. This is the most important step towards controlling dandruff. With the first glimpse of dandruff on your shoulder head straight to the anti-dandruff treatment aisle in supermarkets, do a little research and choose any organic anti-dandruff treatment kit for yourself. Any hair treatment kit typically comes with a hair oil, shampoo and conditioner. Religiously follow the regimen until you notice clear results.

• There are products available in the kitchen that can help you to avoid dandruff. Use these ingredients regularly to keep the leash in your hand. Neem can be a like a pixie dust to treat dandruff, choose products that contains neem or simply make a homemade pack using neem to see better results. You can also use methi or fenugreek to reduce dandruff, as it has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

• Use anti-dandruff shampoo, which is effective with active ingredients like tea tree oil or lemon oil. These two organic ingredients provide relief from dandruff and dry, itchy scalp. Prolong use of these products can help in preventing dandruff.

• Set your priorities upon organic products. Do not jump from cosmetic formulations to organic and then back to cosmetic. This will reduce the effectiveness of any product you use. This even can aggravate your dandruff problems.

• Regularly wash your hair. It is important to maintain hygiene. Dirt, sweat and oil accumulate on scalp and clogs pore. This can lead to formation of dandruff on your scalp. So rinse your hair regularly with mild organic shampoo. Do not forget to condition. However, keep in mind not to apply conditioner on scalp, this can increase dandruff. Apply conditioner at the tips of your hair.

• Do not settle for popular anti-dandruff products. Understand and analyze what are the needs of your scalp and hair. Only after doing a little research head for buying the products. Do not buy products off the shelf. Remember we have different types of hair and scalp, one may be dry and other may be oily. Therefore, the keyword is first analyzing your need, then research and then buy. For example, you may have an oily scalp but dry hair, so use a mild shampoo, which will cleanse your scalp and retain moisture in your dry hair.

• Invest on long term products. If you have a persistent problem of dandruff then invests upon any long time treatment product like anti-dandruff serums. These products can prove to be your best friend as they provide long-time protection from dandruff.