3 Natural and Healthy Dandruff Remedies

Dry skin can not only be itchy and irritating, but it’s appearance can be a blow to your self-esteem. Although most forms of dandruff are harmless, most people rush to save the embarrassment of white debris in their hair by using toxic shampoos and rinses.

Store bought bottles for dandruff control are loaded with harsh chemicals that are not only a health hazard, do little to actually treat the cause of a dry scalp.

Coal tar, a popular ingredient in top selling dandruff shampoos, is banned in both Canada and the European Union for good reasons. The International Agency for Research on Cancer lists crude coal tar as a group 1 carcinogen and contains more than 10,000 chemicals – only 50% of which are even identifiable.

Yet again, the FDA has no problem giving this toxic ingredient their stamp of approval.

Skin treated with coal tar actually develops an increased sensitivity to sunlight, so its effectiveness in dandruff treatment is actually contradictory. The cosmetic industry uses irritants like coal tar in products like shampoos and creams to trick consumers into buying more.

Just like pharmaceuticals, cosmetic brands perpetuate a cycle of infection, thereby standing to make more money. Consumers develop a dependency on a product that only worsens the conditions they’re aiming to treat.

Natural source remedies not only cost less and are health safe, but will actually treat the symptoms of dandruff as opposed to simply masking them.

Here are 3 natural ways to banish dandruff once and for all:

1. Honey

Most think of honey as a sweet additive to use in tea or on toast but raw honey works wonders to save the scalp from dry skin. Vitamins A,C,D,E, B-complex as well as beta-carotene and iron in raw honey helps lock in moisture, both in the hair itself and the follicle at the root.

When diluted with water and applied topically once a day, patients with seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff saw results in just a week. Itchiness and flaked skin was gone after a week, while lesions on severe cases were healed in just two weeks.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Some cases of dandruff are caused by a bacterial fungus that can live on the epidermis at the base of hair strands. This fungus called malassezia can be an indication of a more serious immune deficiency, which we will touch on with our next remedy.

When mixed with water, apple cider vinegar changes the pH of the skin it comes in contact with, and the acid helps kill the fungus bacteria thriving on the scalp. It also contains enzymes that help open clogged hair follicles.

3. Yogurt

As discussed earlier, dandruff can be a symptom of a more serious deficiency in the body. Yeasts like malassezia thrive on an imbalance of pH. Probiotics found in yogurt can boost gut flora to help fight bacterial infections both in the body and on the surface. Patients with severe dandruff found a 70% reduction in infection when they supplemented their diet with probiotics.