Don’t Fight Dandruff With Chemicals

No one likes to have dandruff, and there are plenty of shampoos and products on the market to help with unsightly white cloud. It’s tempting to just reach for the nearest bottle of antidandruff shampoo, but if you take a few moments to read the ingredients you might want to think again as they often contain harmful chemical substances such as coal tar that can have damaging effects on your health as it particularly it has been linked with kidney or liver problems. There are some much simpler, pleasanter and more natural methods of dealing with dandruff by using herbs, essential oils, vitamins and minerals.

You certainly know when you have dandruff, as the visible signs are obvious to you and everyone else. Do you know why you get it? It happens when the fine cells of the outer layer of skin on the scalp are shed at a faster rate than normal, causing flakes to fall and this is caused by a disorder of the sebaceous glands. If too little sebum is secreted, the hair is dry and dandruff appears as white flakes; if too much sebum is produced, the hair is greasy and the dandruff is a waxy yellow. If your scalp is inflamed and itchy then it’s likely you have seborrheic dermatitis, a severe form of dandruff, and eczema, allergies to hair products and psoriasis may also cause it. Also, if you have a shortage of the minerals zinc and selenium, and vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin B complex in your diet than that can also contribute to your getting dandruff.

To tackle it yourself, an old herbal remedy is to rub rosemary-infused oil into the scalp before washing. Rinse greasy hair with rosemary vinegar or add a few drops of rosemary essential oil into rinsing water. Herbs that improve the condition of the scalp include burdock, kelp and heartsease.

Aromatherapy solutions for dandruff are cedarwood, tea tree or patchouli – all of which can be massaged into the scalp by blending a few drops of your chosen essential oil with a carrier oil, such as jojoba. You can also massage the scalp with a few drops of lavender oil and almond oil to eliminate dandruff.

Another tried and trusted remedy is to use tissue salts and these usually needs to be taken over a fairly long period of time. Tissue Salt No. 5 is Kali. Mur. And this is the one to take if you have white, flaky dandruff but be aware that sometimes the dandruff may get worse at the beginning. You can also add Kali. Mur. to your diet by increasing foods such as green beans, carrots, beetroot, fresh corn, kale, asparagus, pineapples, lemons and plums.

One of the most useful tissue salts for sticky, waxy dandruff; with flaky, dry patches on the scalp as well as alopecia (hair loss) is Tissue Salt No. 6 – Kali. Sulph. Increase the amount of parsley, linseed, mustard, watercress, and the herb lemon balm.

One of the most useful salts is No. 12 – Silica for both treating dandruff, improving the condition of dull and lacklustre and keeping the scalp healthy. Herbs and foods rich in silica are stinging nettle, dandelion, comfrey, wheat, maize, barley, oats, apples, guavas, spinach, chicory and celery.