There are many causes for dandruff, but most common cause is the overproduction of sebum. The oil of the scalp hardens and builds up in to flakes and scales, and the skin underneath can become red, itchy, and irritated. This is called seborrheic dermatitis.
So, there’s a pretty simple solution to keeping this type of dandruff under control, and it’s a trick that I figured out for Stevie “B” who had been using Head & Shoulders for years.
You can use this “treatment” as often as needed–every day or once a week.
- In the shower, get your scalp and hair nice and wet with mildly warm water.
- Wash your hands well with soap and water and use your fingernails to gently scrape the scalp all over and remove the buildup of sebum. Keep scraping gently until your fingernails come out clean for the most part.
- Pour vinegar (apple cider or distilled white) at full-strength on your scalp. (Keep out of your eyes) It will *sting* your skin but let it sit for 15 seconds, then rinse. The stinging will be temporary; this step helps balance the pH of your scalp and removes the itching.
- Wash and condition as usual.
If you have seborrheic dermatitis on your scalp, it may be beneficial to wash your hair every day and gently scrape away buildup when you wash. Also consider things that may be compounding your issue, like wearing hats (that block in perspiration under the sebum) or styling products that may be leaving residue on your scalp.
Of course, this does not take the place of medical advice and not all dandruff is caused by buildup of sebum. If you have oozing, cracking or bleeding or areas of skin that won’t heal, or other persistent irritation, do visit a doctor.
Stephanie! You are surely very knowledgable on many topics but scratching you scalp is huge no-no! (No matter how “gentle” you think you’re scratching) This only further irritates the scalp. You are much better off massaging your scalp with your fingertips.. Apple cider vinegar at full strength is much too harsh for your skin, although a diluted rinse would be beneficial, maybe add a few drops of essential oil.
If you’re able to break up the buildup through massage, that works too. Gently scraping can cause temporary irritation–in my experience it hasn’t and I’ve found that it really helps in the long term. The irritation is minimal if you’re just using some light scraping to remove buildup. Leaving the buildup on the scalp would be more irritating, as yeast starts to grow under the buildup or the skin isn’t able to slough off properly and starts to get inflamed.
ACV at full strength can be beneficial in killing itch that you might have had from dandruff buildup. Because skin is naturally mildly acidic, it’s fairly tolerant to mild acids like vinegar. Of course, everyone is different. I’ve found that diluted vinegar is great as a hair rinse, but isn’t as effective in killing the itch associated with dandruff buildup. If you find that diluted works, that works as well. I don’t suggest adding essential oils, however, because they’re not truly diluted in a vinegar solution. Vinegar is water-based and essential oils only dissolve in oil. So, when adding essential oils to a diluted vinegar rinse, you’re really just applying them at full-strength to your skin, which can lead to irritation or other problems depending on which oil you’re using.
I’ve been using vinegar for years. It really works.
Today, I went to the beachfront with my children. I found
a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her
ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this
is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!