When it comes to scalp dandruff issue, there are lots of misconceptions floating around. One of the biggest urban fiction about scalp dandruff issue is that it is primarily caused by dirty or unhealthy hair.
This misconception offers a simple remedy for the issue. Just wash and oil your hair regularly and the problem is solved. As you’d read later, scalp dandruff issue is more than just washing and having a healthy looking hair.
Only those who have this problem know how it can affect your social standing among friends and colleagues.
Recently, while reading one of Stephen King’s classic short story, I was made aware of how difficult coming to terms with the problem can be for some people. And how varied are the coping mechanisms for different people.
For the character in the story, he had to stop wearing his favorite dark-coloured clothes when the problem started because the flakes falling on his shirts were a dead giveaway that he had scalp dandruff issue.
When I had the problem, my number one solution was to scrape my scalp raw with a comb until all the white flakes stopped falling while scraping with the comb.
It was hard work but I had to do it because, come on, the problem really affected my swag. Back then, my daily grooming before hitting the road involved at least thirty minutes of running that comb through my scalp.
This piece would shed more light on scalp dandruff issue. Hopefully it would help a brother or two understand what it is and how to deal with the problem.
What is Scalp dandruff issue
Dandruff doesn’t affect only the head. That is why this piece is specifically about dandruff that affects the scalp. The problem can affect any part of the body with skin, which is practically all parts of the body.
Dandruff, medically known as seborrhea, is a form of skin eczema that affects parts of the body that produce an usually high amount of oil. That is why people with oily skin are more prone to the problem.
The actual cause of the problem is not really known, though it is thought that certain yeasts on the skin might be the main cause of the problem.
Another cause of scalp dandruff issue known to most people is dry skin. Which is why the problem tends to manifest more during dry weather periods.
Other causative factors include inadequate shampooing of the hair, some skin problems like psoriasis, some neurological illnesses like Parkinson’s disease, heart attacks and stroke victims.
Others are bad diets with insufficient vitamins, mental stress and adverse reactions to some skin and hair products.
To be clear though, poor hygiene is never the cause of dandruff of any sort. That is why no matter how many times you wash your hair and oil it with very expensive creams, the problem might still persist.
Dandruff falls into that category of skin problems that has no known cure. It comes, it goes. All we can do is manage it.
However, it is known that it affects more men than women. And the older you get, the lesser the severity of the problem.
Symptoms of Scalp dandruff issue
The most obvious symptom of scalp dandruff issue are the white flakes that appear on the hair anytime the hair is combed. In extreme cases, the flakes might make one look like a person with grey hair at best and at worst, it would look like the hair had not being washed for a long time.
For some people, apart from the flakes, they experience constantly itching scalp. This is unfortunate because scratching the itch can only produce more flakes.
Treatment of scalp dandruff issue
When treating the problem, the point to be noted is that managing it to reduce the severity is the key here.
Two factors to be taken into consideration: the age of the victim and how severe the problem is.
For instance, the treatment recommended for adults would be very harmful to kids whose skins are very tender.
So parents should be aware of that fact.
Also a mild case of the problem does not require the same extreme measures for treating serious dandruff.
The normal treatment for serious scalp dandruff issue is to use the right cleaning agent for your scalp. We are talking about soaps here. More specifically, shampoos.
Before using the right shampoo though, you might want to see if you can reduce the amount of flakes on the scalp by removing them manually.
Using a comb to scrape off some of the flakes is a very good idea.
For shampoos though, you might need advice from people who know about this stuff if you are ignorant about them like me.
This is one time when dating women who know these things can be a very serious advantage. They are the kind of girls who spend a lot on personal grooming so they are likely to know what works and what doesn’t.
Make sure the shampoos you finally buy contain at least some of these ingredients
1. Very good antifungal/anti-yeast agents like ketoconazole, coal tar, and zinc pyrithione
2. An effective anti-oil agent like selenium sulfide to reduce the production of oils in the scalp
3. Substances like salicylic acid that would aid the scalp in getting rid of unwanted skin cells. Salicylic acid though does not work for some people as it may cause too much dryness and increase the production of flakes.
4. Another effective substance that is now in vogue is tea-tree oil. Extracted from a tree predominantly found in Australia, it is known to have anti-fungal, antibiotic and antiseptic properties.
So when choosing a good shampoo, ensures it has at least one of the above ingredients.
Make sure to leave the shampoo for at least five minutes on the hair before washing off so that the ingredients would have time to do their work.
If this doesn’t help adequately, you next option should be a visit to a dermatologist. They are doctors who specialize in all kinds of skin problems.
In the next piece on dandruff, we would look at the various home remedies that are effective in the treatment of this problem. Meanwhile, if you have this problem, tell us how you have been coping with it.
And please remember to share this on Facebook with your friends and on Twitter with your followers if you found it helpful.
Cheers.
