Let us clear the biggest misconception first: dandruff is not caused by dirty hair. If anything, over-washing with a harsh shampoo belongs on the list of things that keep it going. Understanding what causes dandruff makes the rest of the advice fall into place.
The mechanism
Your scalp sheds cells constantly and invisibly. Dandruff appears when that turnover speeds up sharply and cells come away in clumps rather than singly.
The organism usually involved is Malassezia, a yeast that lives on almost everyone's skin and feeds on sebum. Trouble starts when it multiplies beyond what the skin tolerates, or when the skin reacts to its by-products with inflammation.
That explains why the trigger list looks the way it does:
- An oily scalp, which supplies the food
- Stress and poor sleep
- Cold weather, hats, and dry indoor heating
- Washing too rarely, so oil and flakes accumulate
- Washing too often with a stripping shampoo, which damages the barrier
- Styling product and conditioner left sitting at the roots
Dandruff vs dry scalp
These get confused constantly and need opposite treatment.
Dandruff: larger flakes, often slightly greasy or yellowish, scalp tends to be oily, itching common, roots go greasy fast.
Dry scalp: small, fine, powdery flakes, a tight feeling, often dry skin elsewhere on the body, itching worst right after washing.
If your flakes are the small dry kind, an anti-dandruff shampoo will make things worse. You cannot dry out a problem caused by dryness.
How to get rid of dandruff
- Buy for the active, not the claim. Zinc pyrithione, climbazole, ketoconazole, salicylic acid and selenium sulphide have a mechanism behind them.
- Leave it on for three to five minutes. This is the single biggest reason people say their dandruff shampoo is not working — rinsing straight away gives the active no contact time.
- Wash two or three times a week while you are getting it under control.
- Keep conditioner off the scalp, on the lengths only.
- Switch to maintenance after three or four weeks — the medicated shampoo once weekly, a mild one the rest of the time.
Things that do not help
Vinegar rinses, salt scrubs, and drying the scalp with alcohol-based lotions all irritate skin and typically increase flaking. Skipping washes does not help either.
When it stops being a cosmetic problem
If a month of consistent care changes nothing, or if you have intense itching, red patches, crusting, hair loss, or flaking spreading to the face and eyebrows, stop experimenting and see a doctor or trichologist. Seborrhoeic dermatitis and psoriasis both hide behind the word "dandruff" and need actual treatment.
Faberlic carries anti-dandruff and mild everyday shampoos across several ranges, including the plant-based Botanica line — see the current catalogue on faberlic.com. For fitting them into a routine, see the haircare guide.