Dandruff is one of the most common hair woes that affect almost everyone at some point in their life. It is a scalp condition that can happen to anyone, regardless of their hair or scalp type. While dandruff isn’t potentially a harmful scalp condition, it certainly can be pretty annoying, considering these white flakes keep appearing on hair, clothes, pillows, and pretty much everything.
Eliminating dandruff from your scalp permanently isn’t really that difficult, by dedicating some time and effort to fix this problem, you surely can get rid of dandruff once and for all. While making some lifestyle changes and building a proper hair care routine are two of the most important things to put an end to this issue, it’s also important to know what’s causing dandruff in the first place so that you can find a suitable treatment for that. To save you from all the trouble of scrutinizing the internet, we have jotted down a list of some lesser-known reasons for dandruff along with some effective treatments.
Excessively dry skin
If you have extremely dry skin, chances are you are also dealing with dandruff, and it is normal. Dandruff is pretty common in people with excessively dry skin. Skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis could also result in dandruff. Conditions like these not only affect your body, but they also make your scalp pretty dry and flaky, this extreme dryness could easily result in dandruff. This condition can aggravate during winter and gets a bit better during summer.
Dirty scalp
Believe it or not, your scalp’s health plays a huge part in the development of dandruff. While it’s good to keep some gap between your washes, you shouldn’t overdo it as a dirty scalp could easily lead to dandruff. Elements like dirt, pollution, sweat, and other impurities tend to get settled on your scalp, which further gets flakey and results in dandruff. Therefore, you should wash your hair more often with a sulfate-free shampoo to keep dandruff at bay.
Over-washing your hair
You should know where to draw a line when it comes to washing your hair. While washing your hair less results in a dirty scalp, leading to dandruff, over-washing your hair could also result in the same. Most shampoos are formulated with chemicals, and even the water contains certain minerals that can rob your hair of its natural oils, leaving your mane dry and flaky. Both under-washing and over-washing can lead to dandruff; therefore, you should keep a balance between the two. Ideally, you should wash your hair twice or thrice a week to keep your hair and scalp clean and healthy.
Hair care ingredients
The choice of ingredients in your hair care routine could easily affect your scalp’s health. When it comes to purchasing hair care products for yourself, you should always read their labels first to check if they contain any ingredient that could prompt dandruff. Several skincare products are formulated with ingredients like SLS, alcohol, and silicone that can leave your scalp dry and flaky. Additionally, some people have a sensitive scalp, and an allergic reaction to a certain ingredient can also lead to dandruff. Therefore, you should always read the labels first before making any purchase.
Unhealthy diet
Your diet can easily influence the way your skin and hair appear. Depending on which food items you consume on a daily basis, your hair can act and appear accordingly. While eating unhealthy and oily food every once in a while is still fine, consuming such food items on a daily basis results in excess sebum production, leading to dandruff. Therefore, you should consume a healthy, nutritious, and balanced diet not only to keep dandruff at bay but also to achieve beautiful and healthy hair.
