Why does everyone pretend dandruff is treatable?

female future

It's not treatable, right? I tried to do a bit of reading about it once, and I got the impression that people can have dandruff for a load of different reasons. I'm pretty sure mine's genetic. I got it when I turned 14!

I don't really believe that any of the products work. I've used nizorel for a bit. I've noticed that it makes it easier to comb it out... making the dandruff take on a powder-like form. And that's what I do - I comb it out with a fine comb, and I do this about every 10 days. It's possible to get about 70-80 % of it each time.

Cookie_Monster

Stewie: Smells like Head and Shoulders, but you don't have dandruff.
Stu: Exactly!
Stewie: Aah!

Tokyo

Coal tar shampoo used to be very effective at treating dandruff in my opinion, but it was banned in the EU a few years back.

Peregrinus

mike_ie wrote: »

Coal tar shampoo used to be very effective at treating dandruff in my opinion, but it was banned in the EU a few years back.

It's banned in cosmetic preparations because of concerns about its carcinogenic properties, but not banned in medical/therapeutic preparations.

It would be lawful to market a anti-dandruff treatment based on coal tar, but the manufacturers are leery, presumably because they are afraid that they might get sued in years to come by people who develop cancer.

whoopsadoodles

Men mostly get dandruff I think? And men mostly don't use conditioner....I think.

I've suggested this before to someone and they started using conditioner which made a significant difference.

My dad also swears by tea tree oil shampoo.

Ajsoprano

If I go a couple of showers without head and shoulders it starts snowing like fook.

whoopsadoodles

Perhaps the OP doesn't have dandruff.

I have psoriasis on my scalp that no head and shoulders is going to touch. Have you ever gotten it looked at?

mad muffin

I have inherited much from the genetic reject pile. Dandruff is thankfully not one.

duffman13

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

Men mostly get dandruff I think? And men mostly don't use conditioner....I think.

I've suggested this before to someone and they started using conditioner which made a significant difference.

My dad also swears by tea tree oil shampoo.

Conditioner can actually make it worse.

Op try oilatum shampoo, had dandruff and used loads of of different ones, that works for me to this day. I've been using it for 10+ years, it's definitely treatable. I avoid head and shoulders as I find it makes it worse

evolving_doors

Capasal herbal in the green bottle. Use a small enough amount to get a lather.
The cold tar stuff is way too harsh for just dandruff.
H&S will burn the scalp off ya .

andekwarhola

Selsun is a pretty good shampoo. OTC as well.

cbyrd

mike_ie wrote:

Coal tar shampoo used to be very effective at treating dandruff in my opinion, but it was banned in the EU a few years back.

Head and shoulders is muck, hence the disclaimer at the bottom of the tv ad, flakes will disappear, (from 2 feet away) lol who can see a scalp from 2 feet away.
Cold tar is used to treat psoriasis but dandruff, psoriasis eczema are all skin conditions which have to be treated from the inside.
Problem is most of these preparations contain parabens and sls and alcohols which have a really drying effect on skin anyway, but on damaged skin or sensitive skin, they can cause burns and reactions like dandruff.
You need to find out what causes it first otherwise you are literally just putting a bandaid on it.
Coconut oil is amazing for skin conditions.
Eczema wil have different triggers for different people, it's an allergy. You don't treat anaphylaxis with cream, you stay away from whatever causes it.
Psoriasis is a different skin condition but will respond to change in diet and adding high dose vitamin d and c can have really good results.
The chemicals in most shampoos will do more harm than good. Steroids will clear the condition topically until the body builds up a tolerance to them.
Like any disease, you have to treat the cause, the medical profession will really only treat the symptoms. That's where the money is.

Your dandruff is likely a diet too high in yeast and sugar.

I'm a hairdresser over 20 years and I worked closely with a tricologist.

Hector Savage

Two HARD rinses - really scrub the fingers in there - with H+S should clear it.

My mum has psoriasis. When her scalp is really bad she’ll plaster her scalp in olive oil, put a thin towel over her hair and use the hair dryer to warm the scalp up. It isn’t a permanent fix but does offer relief for week.

She used to use polytar shampoo. That stuff was great but my god it stunk.

topper75

Frustrated by many options over the years - some cheap/standard (H&S), some dear and medicated.

I settled on Vichy Dercos and it works a treat for me. €10 to 11ish so not cheap but no more dandruff. I get a few months out of a bottle as I use sparingly, showering every second day.

I think the issue is that everyone is different biochemically so there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Chrongen

Step up your zinc and B6, B12 vitamin intake.

Thephantomsmask

mike_ie wrote: »

Coal tar shampoo used to be very effective at treating dandruff in my opinion, but it was banned in the EU a few years back.

Capasil in the brown bottle is coal tar, it is just kept behind the counter in pharmacies. It is different for everyone. Capasil works great for me every second wash, selsun selenium shampoo is pretty good also. Nizoral does nothing for me as it treats fungal infections yet worked wonders for a friend and he has been flake free since.

OP, if it is dandruff, look to your diet. For treating, Selsun works well, two three washes until clear, then about one in ten will keep it. Also, your regular shampoo may have a harsh chemical

Whispered

I've recently swapped to a shampoo bar. Made in ireland and contains no

parabens, silicon, SLS, perfumes or similar artificial ingredients.

The one I got is nettle, mint and green clay, husband and toddler use an apple cider vinegar one. We're only using it a few days but the two gentlemen are seeing big differences in their scalps. My hair is long and I've been told the texture will change as the toxins come out. At the moment it's dryer than usual but not brittle and it's much more managable. Not flyaway as it usually is, but not greasy or oily as happens when I use shampoo for frizzy hair.

TBH I'm not all about natural treatments for things, but so far so good with this stuff. I'll have to se how it works out money wise as the bars are expensive, but apparently last ages.

Plus, they're packaged in paper, so if reducing waste is your thing then it's good for that too.