Dry Scalp and Dandruff

Our perception towards dandruff and dry scalp being same is actually wrong. Dry scalp is different when compared to dandruff.
The skin on our scalp renews its cells after every 24 days. That is the new skin cells are generated after 24 days while the older skin cells which are dead now, gets off the scalp.

Dry Scalp:
When the skin of our head starts getting dry then it’s very likely that Dry Scalp will happen. There are many reasons that can cause dry scalp. They are, excess of soap application, hard water, product build up, cold weather and strong detergents. It causes itching in our head and also it produces small dry flakes which can come off the skin very easily. Remedies like apple cider vinegar rinses could be used to cure this problem as these rinses help in restoring the pH level of the skin and also remove the harmful build up left by excessive shampooing or by conditioners and other hair care products. Natural oils like jojoba oil and extra virgin olive oil can be used for massaging the scalp to cure this problem. Natural hair masks such as yogurt honey mask could be used to moisturize the scalp and bring the scalp to normal condition.

Dandruff:
Dandruff on the other hand is not caused because of dryness of skin. It is actually caused by too much of oil. This excess oil is known as Sebum. This happens because of over growth of a harmless yeast which feeds on the excessive oil and the dead skin on the scalp which causes frequent shedding of skin cells which results in larger flakes which are not easy to take off from the scalp.

So dandruff is not dry. It’s actually a greasy thing which is almost white in color. Dandruff flakes are larger when compared to the size of dry scalp flakes. Scalp odor is also a result of dandruff.

Internal causes of dandruff are:

 Heredity predisposition
 Excessive consumption of sugar, fat and starch
 Lack of rest
 Poor health
 Improper nutrition
 Allergic hypersensitive
 Hormonal imbalance
 Emotional stress

External causes are:

 Excessive use of hair products is main cause
 Excessive use of hair curlers or curling irons which damages the hairs
 Cold weather( you wash hairs less and hence more greasy hairs)
 Shampooing the hairs infrequently
 Stress can also cause dandruff

Certain diseases like HIV and Parkinson’s also causes the dandruff problem. These diseases cause excess of dandruff.

Scalp psoriasis is one phenomenon which causes the dandruff in which problem of itching and flakes happen. When immune system allows too many skin cells to grow on different parts of the body including the scalp then chances of having dandruff increase.

Solutions:
Dandruff doesn’t have any permanent solution to it. But it can be controlled by following some methods. People think shampooing less frequently can help in removing dandruff but it may actually worsen the dandruff. Because not shampooing allows oil and dead skin cells to accumulate on your scalp and which results in more dandruff. A normal shampoo cannot remove the dandruff and hence dermatologists recommend the shampoos which contain selenium sulfide, ketoconazole or zinc which help in reducing the dandruff. If you don’t use shampoo then conditioner may help in controlling your dandruff problem. Frequent shampoo can help in controlling the dandruff if the amount of dandruff is mild.

Maintaining proper diet can also help in controlling the dandruff problem.

Diets which contains high amount of saturated and Trans fats causes sebaceous glands to produce excess oil and which can increase the problem of dandruff. So it is recommended that you avoid these foods and instead of these foods, the consumption of fruits and vegetables containing zinc and vitamin B need to be incorporated so as to keep the dandruff under control. Probiotics can also help in fighting the yeast which generates the dandruff because these probiotics contain the beneficial bacteria that can be found in yogurt.

Tea tree oil is one of the natural way to balance the pH level of the skin and also keeps the skin cells hair follicles clean which directly doesn’t allow excess of oil formation on the scalp.
Any of these problems if kept unnoticed, you may start facing hair loss. This hair loss can lead you to the baldness and then you will not have any option but hair transplant. India is hub for affordable hair transplant. Some of the cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Ahmedabad are most desirable destinations in India.Hair Transplant in Ahmedabad is the cheapest one among these.

So you are more likely to suffer from Dandruff as your head scalp is oily most of the time. Your hairs always act as a shield to keep the moisture on the surface of the scalp. Hence it is unlikely to have a Dry scalp problem.