By the time people reach their 20’s, 50% have had dandruff. Believed to be caused by a fungus, the fungi live on your scalp and feed on skin oils. The following is an answer from mercola.com to this embarrassing condition.
First of all, it?s important to keep in mind that everything you slather on your skin or put on your scalp goes into your bloodstream, and can affect your overall health and internal balance. Virtually all of your regular shampoos and conditioners contain harmful chemicals that can create skin irritation, contributing to dry scalp and excessive dandruff.
I recommend buying organic personal-care products that do not contain parabens, sodium laureth or lauryl sulfate. The latter two are known eye and skin irritants, which could worsen your dandruff.
There are many solutions for this condition, but the typical strategy will be some type of medicated shampoo. However, there are safer and more effective ways of using them that do not require repetitive use.
Two shampoos that work well are Selsun Blue and Head & Shoulders. I?ve used both in the past with good results. Selsun Blue contains a form of selenium sulfide, whereas Head & Shoulders has zinc as the active ingredient. Both are toxic to the fungus.
The most effective way to use them is to lather your scalp with the shampoo at night before you go to bed, and keep it on overnight. Wear a shower cap so you don?t ruin your pillow case. Then wash it off in the morning. If needed you can repeat this treatment once a week, but typically you?ll only need one or two treatments to permanently eliminate the fungus. This seems to be a much safer alternative to using the shampoo daily for many years.
