by Maja Tisma
When it comes to treating dandruff, finding a cure instead of a treatment can be next to impossible. The truth of the matter is that millions of people are dealing with dandruff, and almost everyone will experience some form of it at, at some point in their life.
Dandruff is a broad term assigned to a group conditions that causes unsightly flaking that falls from your scalp, and often is accompanied by itchiness and irritation. Without having a clear medical diagnosis from your doctor, treatment can be more hit and miss.
In today’s world, natural treatments are more sought after, but hard to find. The end goal in natural medicine is to help restore the body back to a balanced state. Here are some remedies you can use at home.
1. Tee Tree Oil
Tea Tree oil is one of the most easy to recognize names in natural dandruff treatments.
It has been gaining popularity over the last decade and is featured in many different products.
You can find tee tree oil in both all natural formulas and as an accent to artificially sourced shampoos.
You can also find it available in a pure oil form, which allows you to administer it as you please. One of the simplest ways to use the oil is to add a 2 to 3 droplets into your shampoo portion before applying it to your scalp.
2. Lemon
Lemon is a mild treatment that be done every day or until symptoms improve.
Use a bit of fresh lemon juice as a pre-soak before a shower or as a separate treatment session.
You can massage at least 2 tablespoons into your scalp and rinse with water that has a ratio of 1 teaspoonful to 1 cup of water.
Learn more about the Many Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water
A word of warning though, lemon juice can cause changes to hair color, such as lightening darker tones and bronze blonder shades if there is a lot of sun exposure too soon after using it.
3. Baking Soda
Using a few teaspoons of household baking soda and scrubbing it all over your scalp, after it has been dampened, can help to gently scour away scales. When using it, do not shampoo it out, bust just rinse it out completely. It can also help reduce the population of overactive fungi if that is the cause of the dandruff.
Try substituting baking soda for shampoo. Here’s how.
4. Neem Oil
Neem oil has become as popular as tea tree oil when it comes to adding something helpful for dandruff to shampoos.
As a home remedy you can add a few drops of pure neem oil to your favorite shampoo before using it during your regular grooming routine.
By itself neem oil is too potent to apply directly to your scalp, so always mix it with other oils before using. A popular combination for fighting dandruff is to mix together jojoba, coconut, and neem as a pre-soak before you shampoo.
The sit times can vary, between 5 to 20 minutes, even up to an hour. Though you should be careful to watch for irritation and rinse out immediately if you feel any uncomfortable sensations.
5. Coconut Oil
A few different sources also say that coconut oil can help with dandruff at times. The common recommended treatment is to massage about 3 to 5 tablespoons into your scalp and let it soak it at least an hour before shampooing out.
6. Salt
You can use just about any type of salt, from table to dead sea, to help gently and naturally get rid of the scales before you shampoo. Shake it into onto your head and work the grains all over your scalp. There are even some shampoos that include dead sea salts in particular because the minerals it has is suppose to help fight irritation even more.
7. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is one treatment that can work really well if you have a lot of itching and irritation.
As a gel or even as the goo fresh squeezed from the plant itself, applying it to your scalp can calm the itch and irritation.
Reducing the irritation can also reduce flakes when they are the result of the irritation.
8. Garlic
Garlic is well known for its anti-fungal properties, and given that one of the leading causes of dandruff is when the body has an adverse reaction to a naturally occurring fungi, reducing the amount of the fungi can help stop dandruff.
To apply it, simply crush up fresh garlic and mix it with fresh, natural honey, then rub it into the scalp. Let it sit a few minutes after being worked in thoroughly, and then shampoo it out.
9. Olive Oil
One of the few natural remedies that is suggested as an overnight soak is olive oil. The suggested use is to massage the oil into your scalp, usually about 10 or so drops worth, in and let is soak over night, then wash hair as normal in the morning.
Obviously with this one a shower cap or other type of night cap, should be used to prevent any oil from rubbing off onto the pillow case. You can also lay a thick towel over your pillow to prevent messing up the pillow as well.
10. Stinging Nettle
Stinging nettle is that annoying little plant that gave you rashes when you would play in the field as a child.
It is also a very effective anti-dandruff treatment. Get some dry stinging nettle and let it infuse in warm water until it cools down.
Poor it over some baking soda and use it as shampoo. Wash your hair and carefully rinse it out. It should show some results after the second usage.
Find out which is The Best Shampoo for Dry Scalp
Depending on the exact cause of the dandruff, it may take awhile before finding what works best for you. When it comes to really managing persistent dandruff, it is often a good idea to use more than one treatment and alternate them.
Your body can grow resistant to the same substances being used. At times when there is thick scaling, coal tar may be the only close to natural treatment that works. Regardless of what you try, it takes time to work, especially for more severe cases.
Though, we would like to hear your take on the matter. Have you tried any of the remedies listed here, or have you tried any of the older natural approaches? Please leave a comment or question below. What have you found that works to treat dandruff without using a bunch of harsh chemicals?
