Dandruff is a common scalp condition in which small particles of dry skin that have accumulated on the scalp flake off. If you have dark hair or are dressed in dark clothing, the flakes may appear in your hair or on your shoulders. Dandruff may cause itching on your scalp. Mild dandruff can be treated with a gentle daily shampoo. If that doesn't work, a medicated shampoo may help
Dandruff problems not only affect the scalp but also ears, eyebrows, nose, beard and in severe cases, hair-bearing part of the chest. Sometimes, it also affects the babies and infants which are known as cradle cap. Your doctor would give you shampoos and conditioners containing selenium sulfide, zinc pyrithione, and coal-tar based ingredients. With repeated usage, the prescription ketoconazole shampoos offer no benefit, and you are required to opt for more severe dandruff products. If your present set of shampoos and lotions are not able to mitigate dandruff problems, you must convey this to him. If left untreated, dandruff problems can cause serious issues including itching, pain, swelling and redness.
1.No, you can't spread or catch dandruff. Also, rest assured that dandruff doesn't reflect poorly on your hygiene. You could be washing your hair every day and be totally well-groomed and still spot flakes from dandruff. Even then, severe cases of dandruff can often be easily cleared up by using an over-the-counter shampoo.
You can use hot oil treatment to keep your scalp from getting dry. Use nourishing oils such as coconut oil or canola oil as a hot oil treatment by applying the oil and then wrap a hot towel over your head to trap in the heat. This will help the oil to penetrate your scalp and moisturize it well. You can also use clarifying shampoo to treat dry scalp or simply mix some baking soda into your regular shampoo to exfoliate and get rid of dry scalp.
Medicated dandruff shampoos work by stripping your hair and scalp of the oil and product buildup. They also have an anti-fungal ingredient that prevents any kind of fungal infection. So by stripping the oil and product buildup, the anti-dandruff shampoo deprives the fungus of its food source. The most common anti-dandruff shampoo ingredient is zinc pyrithione, which keeps the scalp fungus to a minimum. Although they work well on dandruff, the anti-dandruff shampoo can leave your scalp drier.
Dry scalp may also be caused by nutritional deficiency. If you are not getting enough vitamin B, vitamin B6 and B12 in your diet, then this might result in dry and flaky scalp. You can boost your vitamin B intake by including fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain cereals in your diet, also include flax seed oil, zinc, and selenium.
