Dandruff is one of those niggling problems that is just embarrassing enough that although many people suffer from it, few are willing to seek help. Instead shoulders everywhere are sprinkled with white flakes and self-conscious individuals. Dandruff shampoos are often harsh and leave scalps dry and itchy. But there is help, and creative help at that. Following are
a few ideas to help those with flake challenged scalps:
- Mouthwash: First wash hair with regular shampoo and then rinse with an alcohol based mouthwash. Follow up with your regular conditioner.
- Lemon juice: Massage 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice into scalp and rinse. Follow up with an additional rinse of 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed into a cup of warm water. Continue this daily regime until dandruff symptoms subside.
- Salt: Give your scalp a daily scrub down with a salt massage before you wash your hair. The scrubbing action should relieve the dandruff problem after several applications.
- Aspirin: Crush a couple of tablets into your regular shampoo. Leave the mixture in hair for a couple of minutes before rinsing. Follow up with a regular shampoo wash.
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
Most people who have dandruff probably need some dietary changes. It can vary person-to-person, but trying to avoid wheat, sugar, or both for a while can fix a scalp.
ReplyI think a lot of the particular solutions this Reader's Digest article offered are old home remedies that may or may not work all that well. Most are exfoliants. Some are so irritating that I think they'll make people's scalps worse rather than better.
The aspirin is also an exfoliant, but I think the idea of it is to put salicylic acid on the scalp, which is gentler than something that physically abrades the scalp (like a salt scrub). When I had scalp problems -- totally related to the food sensitivities I mentioned -- shampoos with salicylic acid were the only kind that actually helped. When they flare up every couple of years, I know what I have to stop eating for a few months. And then I'm fine for another few years.