Natural Cures for Dandruff

I have read on your site on the Teds dandruff remedy or what not section, after mixing the 1 part acv, 1 part hydrogen peroxide, 10 parts water treatment< I soaked my hair ( after washing my hair first) then applied this to my hair. It seemed to have worked at first usage, I went to repeat three days later and my scalp has now become extremely itchy, and tingly thoughout the day, and night sometimes evena burning sensation and my dandruff has become much worse< I trusted this site because it seems to be authentic. I dont have any other skin problems at all just dandruff. Please help me fix this

I will try the coconut oil for the flakes. Also, the iodine deficiency theory is interesting, as I avoid iodine because it was a trigger for my acne. Hmmmm. Flakes or pimples? Just kidding. I need to find a balance. Thank you both for the input.

Dandruff can be a symptom of iodine deficiency.

Continue using your ACV treatments until all the itching is gone, at least do weekly,,in between take a pea size amount of virgin cocunut oil and rub in your hand to melt it and rub in your hair, or you can put a lot in and put a shower cap on head and leave it it for several hours, then shower and dry naturally,,,that will moisturise and should help stop flaking.

Merryanne in Central FL

Ted's remedy helped with the itching, however, I still have the flakes. Any ideas?

dandruff

1 part of pure essential oil of oregano
5 parts of coconut oil
mix it and use as an ointment for a few days

My husband has had a bad case of dandruff or psoriasis or something like that for a long time. We tried a lot of cures like rubbing oil on his scalp before going to the sauna, rinsing with ACV, a milder shampoo and the only thing that seemed to help was toasted sesame oil which I can't find easily here in France. Still, we have discovered that although everything seems to work the first day after that his hair would be covered in dandruff again. Now we use mustard oil before the sauna, wash with the mild shampoo and rub a bit of coconut oil every morning and evening. He also washes his hair less often and so far so good! The coconut oil seems to keep his scalp moist and therefore free of dandruff!

Dandruff: ACV-H202 mix worked!!

After using a baby shampoo I noticed my scalp flaking and itching. So I went and got a coal tar shampoo and things got worse. After a hair cut I could see the red scaly areas and my bald forehead was very red. I was so worried that I tried a little of everything, ACV, alcohol, milk of Magnesia, colloidal silver, it got better then it came back again a day or two later. Thinking that it was the coal tar that was working but it came back, knowing something worked I had to go through and try again, this time with Ted's 1/p ACV 1/p H202, 10/p water and things are clearing up fast at 40 hours later.

I washed w/ ACV solution let it sit for 5 min then rinsed. Then applied Aloe Vera gel and let that set for the night next morn cold shower wash w/ ACV solution then shampooed w/ my old stand by natural citrus from TJ's. I decided to stay away from SLS which is the main ingredient in the baby shampoo, coal tar, and many other so called psoriasis shampoos.

Day 4 update. I could not be happier. My hair looks great, my scalp does not itch, few (and I mean few) flakes and I can wear dark shirts again! I so hope this works forever. I strongly recommend searching out a shampoo/conditioner without any detergents or fragrance.

Thank You!!!!!

While I know I still need to address the cause,( not drinking enough water and eating too much processed foods)I have found much relief to my very, very bad dandruff problem thanks to this site. I read through all the posts and did the following;

Raw, unfiltered, organic AC vinegar and tap water 1:1 ratio in spray bottle. Adjust to stream and seperated sections of hair to soak scalp. I just let it dry overnight, next morning I brushed it out and things looked better. I went to whole foods and picked up the tea tree oil.

When I got home, I added @25 drops of tea tree oil to spray bottle that had 1/2 cup ACV and 1/2 cup water. Same method of application and again, left it over night. I washed hair with my new DE shampoo and conditioner. WOW!! 90% better!! My hair has not been this shiny in ages. My scalp does not hurt. Minor,random itch.I can pull my hair back and am not worried. I have great hope that this is my answer.

Dandruff shampoos never really worked for me and this last batch seemed to make it worse. My hair looked awful. Keeping my fingers crossed and will post again after giving this method some time.

Thanks to all who posted information.

Hi Kinsley, I'm very intrigued after reading your posting. What exactly is your routine? Are you doing this in the bath or shower? Is the salt a brine solution? Do you put salt on first and then soap after?

Hello- I have had dandruff for some time now, and I recently used salt on my head and other parts of my body to reduce odor and cure my dandruff. Don't know why, but it works. I guess the salt kills any bacteria that grows on your skin.

I am 27 years old and have had severe dandruff for since I was 13 years old. When I say severe, I would have flakes the size of a pencil eraser, daily, with the itching scalp.

I was always told that topical treatments were the only way, so I used shampoos. I also used apple cider vinager as a scalp wash externally. This worked, but I knew an external treatment was not the real cure to dandruff, dandruff came from the inside out, so it must be treated from the inside out.

The REAL CURE FOR DANDRUFF is a vitamin deficency, in particular B-complex vitamin's. These vitamins are destroy in todays food because heating foods and pasturization.

I am currently in my first year of schooling to becoming a Homeopath. My nutrition teacher has been preaching about B-Complex vitamins.

The type of vitamin you buy is VERY IMPROTANT, you can not buy cheap vitamins. I have no ties with any companies, but what I used and trust is _____. They are a whole food vitamin and totally organic. The majority of B-Complex vitamins you can not take on an empty stomach, because they will cause nausea. These whole food B-vitamins are one of the few that can be taken on an empty stomach with no side effects. Anyways, this is the first complete month of my life being dandruff free, curing the problem from the inside out, addressing the root cause, not treating the symptom. I hope this will help others with there Dandruff. Good luck

I have found excellent results eliminating dandruff and improving health of hair by oiling my hair regularly using hair oil products from my Indian grocery store. Mostly this is coconut oil, with ayurvedic herbs such as amla and the like added. I have a particular brand I happen to like, but there are many different kinds - you have to see what's available where you are. There are some that are sesame or almond oil based, but I don't care for those as much. I guess you could use regular old coconut oil, but I think there is a huge benefit in the added herbs in the Indian products.

I oil my hair with a few Tbsp, leave it in a few hours and then wash out. Done regularly it really helps. I do it about once a week.

Dandruff

Wow! As quickly as it came on it is now gone! Yesterday I noticed a scalp itch and of course, scratched it, and thought nothing of it again. That is until I looked in to the mirror, FLAKES...EVERY WERE!! Tried the ACV and H202 water (9parts water 1part ACV & H2O2), placed mixture into a spray bottle sprayed scalp to saturate, left in for approx. 3min. I then washed hair as usual. Today, all flakes are gone, no itch and as a bonus I am having a good hair day:)

Stats: 30 yr old male; Short hair (might make a difference for some of you)

Symptoms:
Started getting noticeable dandruff this last winter. My skin dries out really easily and winters in Chicago can definitely dry me out. Was noticing it most on the pillow when I woke up but, the more I tried to "treat" it with different conditioners and shampoos, the worse it seemed to get.

Finally, I found the best and least stinky way: Red Wine Vinegar.

Solution:
Tried a couple of variations using Trader Joes products(Tea Tree Shampoo and Tea Tree Conditioner). Tried Shampoo first and then followed up with the solution. Nope. For a while, I also tried the solution and then followed up with the Conditioner. It was ok(the tea tree/peppermint was nice and cooling), but I still noticed flakes.

The best solution I've come up with is no shampoo and no conditioner. I simply use the following solution once every couple of days:

I just use:

-1/2 Red Wine Vinegar
-1/2 Water
-Mix and put into a spray bottle.
-Wet hair, spray, let soak for 30 seconds-ish and then rinse twice.

It's actually pretty amazing. I was worried my hair would get too greasy or that my scalp would freak out, but I simply use that solution every other day(or so. on off days I just rinse with water), but the solution de-greases my hair while still leaving it conditioned and my scalp is very happy. It also passes the girlfriend test for smell. If I'm feeling paranoid or I run out of Red Wine Vinegar and have to switch to Apple Cider, I simply spritz some essential oil or cologne on my hand and run it through my hair.

Good luck!

YEA for biotin (hair loss)
YEA for iodine & borax (dandruff)

After the birth of my son 15 years ago, I had more hair loss every time I brushed or washed my hair than I had ever had before. I always had long, almost waist-length, thick hair. After the birth, I became so distressed over the thinning, dryness, & split ends that I cut my hair to chin-length. I kept trying to grow it long but every few years "chopped" it again due to split ends. My hair is medium-coarse and never seemed thin to people who cut my hair but I could tell the difference.

About a year ago I started taking biotin. I take 5mg per day, and I get a bottle of 300 capsules (10 months' supply) for $12, so this is a very affordable, no fuss remedy! It took a month or two to notice a real difference, but my hair loss became minimal. My hair is now so thick, and has grown past my shoulder blades for the first time in 15 years! Also, there are very few split ends--even though this doesn't make much sense, as only the new growth would be affected by the biotin, but it's true (a few months ago I bought some very sharp scissors and trimmed my split ends, but they haven't come back). And my hair is growing a little faster; it used to grow no more than 1/2 inch per month (I color my hair 3-4 times per year, and occasionally measure) and now it is growing almost 1 inch per month.
med my split ends, but they haven't come back). And my hair is growing a little faster; it used to grow no more than 1/2 inch per month (I color my hair 3-4 times per year, and occasionally measure) and now it is growing almost 1 inch per month.

Another hair problem I had for about 20 years was dandruff. This started when I was 16. I tried many, many supplements, diet changes and topical remedies over the years with no results (except for a liquid zinc treatment for excema--this helped but didn't cure). I eventually tried a dandruff shampoo, which would give me relief for no more than 24 hours. I really didn't want to do this, but if I didn't I would actually get scabs in addition to incessant itching & painful inflammation.

A few weeks ago I bought a "liquid kelp" iodine supplement, took a dropperful twice a day in water and within 48 HOURS I had ZERO FLAKES! This is after 20 years of discomfort, self-consciousness, and not being able to wear black or use nicer shampoos! I recently found another supplement that has 150mcg iodine per drop, and I take 2-3 drops per day.

About 2-3 weeks after starting the iodine, I had a VERY slight return of the dandruff. But now I am not using dandruff shampoo at all. I shampoo, douse my scalp with a borax solution (1-2 tablespoons in 2 cups of water), let that sit for a couple of minutes, then condition. My scalp is super clean, I can go several days without shampooing (when I had the dandruff I had to shampoo every other day), and my hair seems softer & less frizzy.

This remedy does indeed work! I tried this and after two treatments, I was dandruff free! The only thing I tried differently was to add a few drops of tea tree oil to the hydrogen peroxide, ACV mixture. Thanks again Earthclinic!

I've suffered with dandruff since childhood (i'm 37). I've spent thousands of dollars on various otc dandruff shampoos and treatments. About 2 yrs ago the scaling got so bad I had no choice but to turn to a dermatologist, I was prescribed a shampoo and foam, which worked, at first but then the more I used them less effective they seemed to be. And then when I stopped using them completely the scaling came back with a VENGENCE! Two weeks ago I did a search looking for a natural cure for dandruff, and came across this site. I made a rinse of 4 tbsps acv, 4 tbsps hydrogen peroxide, and 8 tbsps water, i put the mixture in a clean sqeeze bottle, and gently massaged the mixture into my scalp with towel draped over my neck. I then put a plastic shower cap over my head and let it penetrate 2 hours. I rinsed and shampooed with my usual shampoo made for relaxed hair, and blow dried/ styled my hair, and my flakes were 99% gone. I was amazed! I kept checking every inch of my scalp every day just to make sure..and yes I pretty much dandruff free. 4 days after the treatment i did see a tiny bit of flaking by my forehead, but it was barely noticeable. Usually with other shampoos my entire scalp would be comepletely scaly again by day 3. Day 7 I did another treatment, except this time I used coconut vinegar (available in asian grocery stores) as is does not smell nearly as strong as acv, also I made hot oil treatment using ___ ___ coconut oil (available in asian, west indian, and all "wf" stores...Now I can say I am 100% dandruff free. My hair/scalp is so soft, and healthy looking, and to think it cost me less than 5 dollars! I cant thank you enough for this natural remedy!!

Nizoral, Skin cream, Shampooing much less often, and Zinc Pyrithione

I used to have the worst dandruff back in the Head and Shoulders days.I would create a snowstorm every time I swept my hair back. I have brought it completely under control now. Here's how I did it.

First of all on the advice of a dermatologist I used Nizoral, maybe 2 times a week and shampooed with some neutral shampoo other days. It's a standard dandruff product and it works great in the beginning. Trouble is that like most dandruff cures eventually you get tolerant to it and the problem comes back. When it started coming back I cut back on the Nizoral. In fact I eventually phased it out. Instead I was putting skin cream on my scalp after shampooing. Makes the hair a little greasy but it beats dandruff for sure. That worked great too, for almost a year. I was pretty much dandruff free. Eventually the problem returned but I had a good year :)

It occurred to me I was probably shampooing too often and that there is an ingredient in most shampoos that causes dandruff called sodium lauryl sulphate (it's in toothpaste too. I eliminated mouth ulcers by getting special toothpaste). So I decided I was going to try to do without shampoo altogether, like the hippies :). Well it was pretty horrible going 3 weeks without shampoo. I used an earthclinic tip - the apple cider vinegar directly on the scalp to keep my dandruff under control whilst not shampooing. I got though the period to the point when your glands stop over producing oils and my scalp calmed down. The itching stopped, but I'm afraid to tell you ACV doesn't work for ever. After some time I got resistant and the problem came back.

I went to a dermatologist and she gave me some Zinc Pyrithione shampoo called ____. I don't think the brand matters much. In any case, wonderful stuff. Since that day I shampoo my hair only once a fortnight with the ___, and do not use anything else on my hair in the between periods. After about 14 days I start to get a little itchy so I have another blast of it. I resist the temptation to use it more often because once you go down that road it will stop working. If I feel more irritable than usual I apply vinegar before using the ____ shampoo, and might apply some skin cream afterwards, but only once - not every day.

Well that's it folks. I've been under control for at least a year. Unlike most of the testimonials here I posted mine after a long period of testing :)

I think the secret for me is 2 fold. First the zinc pyrithione works for me, but secondly I needed to be shampoo free for several weeks before using it so I could minimize the usage. I am pretty sure if I was using it a couple times a week I would become tolerant and would already be looking for a new cure by now.

I suffered with severe dandruff for many years. I also tried all types of shampoos, until I found in a natural medicine book a remedy for my problem. It said to put 3 or 4 tablespoons of borax in a bottle, fill the bottle with rubbing alcohol and add fresh rosemary, cover the bottle and leave for 14 days. After the 14 days, soak a cotton ball in the mixture getting some of the borax and rub on the scalp. Leave on for at least 30 minutes or more, then wash with head and shoulders. I did this and I have been dandruff free ever since.