How Do You Get Dandruff's? What Is The Cause Of Dandruff's?

How Do You Get Dandruff? What Is The Cause Of Dandruff?

Dandruff is caused when a fungus called Malassezia grows on your scalp. This results in shedding of the scalp skin. There are two types of dandruff – one occurs due to the dryness of the scalp, while the other occurs due to the excessive production of oil on the scalp. Some of the known causes of dandruff are:

• Improper and irregular brushing of hair


• Infrequent shampooing


• Improper diet


• Stress and certain illnesses like Parkinson’s disease, eczema, and seborrheic dermatitis (1)

Dandruff can be easily combated with natural home solutions. Here are the top 38 remedies for dandruff:

1. Neem And Olive Oil

Image: Shutterstock

What You Need

• A few dried neem leaves


• 4 tablespoons olive oil

What You Need To Do

1. Crush the neem leaves to a powder.


2. Mix the powder and olive oil in a bowl.


3. Apply the paste to your scalp.


4. Leave it on for about an hour. Then, wash your hair with shampoo and apply conditioner.

Alternate Method

This method requires only neem leaves.

1. Boil neem leaves for about half an hour. Make a paste and apply it to your scalp.


2. Leave it on for 30 minutes and then wash off with water.

When You Need To Do This

You can apply the paste on your scalp in the morning, before having a bath. Or, you could even use it at night, and shampoo your hair in the morning.

Why This Works

Neem leaves (especially their extracts) have excellent antifungal properties that can be used in the treatment of dandruff (2). They also have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties (3).

Caution

Your scalp might itch when you apply the paste. This sensation is normal, and there is no need to worry about it.

2. Coconut And Honey Scalp Scrub

What You Need

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil


• 2 teaspoons olive oil


• 2 teaspoons honey


• 3 teaspoons yogurt

What You Need To Do

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl to get a paste of medium consistency. In case the paste is still runny, you can add a little more of yogurt or honey to thicken it.


2. Apply the paste to your scalp and gently massage it. Rub it from the roots to the tips of your hair.


3. Continue massaging for about 10 minutes.


4. Leave it on for about 30-45 minutes, and then rinse it out using shampoo.


5. Once done, pat your hair dry with a soft towel and apply a few drops of coconut oil to your hair and scalp.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, before bath.

Why This Works

Coconut helps in preserving the hair’s natural proteins and is also known to eliminate dandruff (4). According to an Italian study, honey is a suitable ingredient for treating dandruff, owing to its antimicrobial properties (5).

Caution

Remember not to rinse your hair with shampoo more than twice. Doing it more than twice can strip your scalp of the moisture provided by the mask.

3. Aspirin

Image: Shutterstock

What You Need

2 aspirin tablets

What You Need To Do

1. Crush the aspirin tablets and add the powder to a bowl.


2. Mix a little amount of your regular shampoo with the powder.


3. Shampoo as usual using this mixture. Leave the shampoo on your hair for two minutes, after which you can rinse with water.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, while having a bath.

Why This Works

Aspirin contains salicylates that exfoliate the scalp and help treat dandruff (6).

4. Baking Soda And Lemon

What You Need

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


• 3 tablespoons baking soda


• A bowl of apple cider vinegar

What You Need To Do

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl and apply the paste to your scalp.


2. Leave it as it is for about 10 minutes, or until the scalp starts to itch.


3.  Wash your hair with water.


4. You can use apple cider vinegar as a conditioner.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, before taking a bath.

Why This Works

Baking soda works by reducing the overactive fungi that are responsible for dandruff (7).

5. Listerine Mouthwash

Editorial Credit: Raihana Asral / Shutterstock.com

What You Need

• 1 tablespoon Listerine mouthwash


• 9 tablespoons water

What You Need To Do

1. Mix the mouthwash with water in a bowl.


2. Wash your hair with regular shampoo. Then, rinse your hair with the mouthwash mixture.


3. You can leave the mixture as it is and style your hair as you normally do.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, before taking a bath.

Why This Works

Listerine mouthwash possesses antifungal properties that fight the dandruff-causing yeast and prevent its growth (8).

6. Banana And Apple Cider Vinegar

What You Need

• 1 whole banana


• 2 cups apple cider vinegar

What You Need To Do

1. Peel the banana and put it in a tumbler. To this, add the apple cider vinegar.


2. Stir thoroughly till you get a smooth paste.


3. Apply the mixture to your hair. Massage the mixture into your scalp and ensure it completely covers your hair.


4. Leave it on for about 20 minutes, after which you can rinse your hair completely with water.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, every day for a week. Post that, you can follow this remedy once every week.

Why This Works

Bananas are excellent sources of B vitamins – the nutrients that improve circulation and keep your skin healthy. Apple cider vinegar is a known fungicide and germ killer, and it helps treat dandruff  .

7. Yogurt

Image: Shutterstock

What You Need

1 cup plain yogurt

What You Need To Do

1. Shampoo your hair and rinse.


2. Apply the yogurt to your scalp and leave it on for about 15 minutes.


3. Rinse your hair, and wash again using a small amount of shampoo.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, while taking a bath.

Why This Works

The yeast within our bodies triggers inflammation. This results in the build-up of yeast on the skin. Boosting the friendly bacteria inside our digestive systems can reduce the yeast within our bodies. Yogurt is one of the best sources of friendly bacteria, and it prevents scaling of the scalp. Since it is a good source of probiotics, it could be one of the ideal remedies for dandruff (10).

Alternative Method

You can add two spoons of freshly ground black pepper to the yogurt. Pepper has antifungal properties (11).

Caution

Ensure that you use fresh yogurt and pepper. Otherwise, you might not get the desired results.

8. Fuller’s Earth

What You Need

• 1 cup Fuller’s earth


• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice


• Water

What You Need To Do

1. Mix the Fuller’s earth with enough water till you get a smooth paste. Add the lemon juice.


2. Apply the mixture to your scalp.


3. Leave it on for about 20 minutes, after which you can wash it off with water.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, before you take a bath.

Why This Works

Fuller’s earth absorbs the oil, grease, and dirt – all of which cause dandruff. It also improves blood circulation to the scalp, thereby keeping it clean and dandruff-free.

9. Orange Peel Pack

Image: Shutterstock

What You Need

• A few dry orange peels


• 5-6 tablespoons lemon juice

What You Need To Do

1. Put the orange peels and lemon juice into a food processor. Blend the ingredients till you get a smooth paste.


2. Gently apply the paste to your scalp and leave it on for about 30 minutes.


3. Post that, rinse it off with your usual shampoo.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, while you have a bath. You can follow this remedy twice to thrice every week.

Why This Works

The orange peel has acidic properties that help reduce excess oil and condition the scalp (13). This eventually helps treat dandruff.

10. Lemon Juice And Yogurt

What You Need

• A bowl of curd


• A half-cut lemon

What You Need To Do

1. Squeeze the lemon into the curd and mix well.


2. Apply the mixture to your hair. You can use the lemon peel for this purpose.


3. You can also massage your scalp with the inside of the lemon peel.


4. Leave the mixture on for about 10 minutes. Wash your hair as usual with shampoo.

When You Need To Do This

In the morning, while taking a bath. You can repeat this remedy three to four times a week.

Why This Works

As we know, lemon juice is rich in citric acid, which plays a major role in eliminating dandruff from the roots of the hair. It is also antimicrobial in nature.

Caution

Don’t forget to shampoo your hair after this remedy as curd has a tendency to leave a very undesirable odor.