5 Natural Remedies for Dandruff

The only kind of white flakes I want to see Christmas and snow. Outside of that, we have problems, and that could be dandruff. With one in two people suffering from it, I’d say it’s time we learn what causes it and give you five natural remedies for dandruff. 

Statistics have shown one in two people suffer from dandruff making up a startling 50% of the population. It’s a widespread issue and one that doesn’t get a lot of hype. Except of course outside the famous Head and Shoulders commercials.

Today we’re ending that and bringing to light why you get dandruff and how to stop it. To your surprise, it has nothing to do with dry skin and in fact, quite the opposite.

On the podcast, in the series of Your Most Embarrassing Health Questions Answered you can get the details on why you get dandruff and how to get rid of it for good.

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why you get dandruff

Dandruff isn’t actually what most people believe it is. In fact, it doesn’t have anything to do with dry scalp, although that can cause discomfort just like dandruff. But dandruff is just the opposite. It has to do with the interaction of a type of natural fungus living on your scalp, Malassezia, feeding off the excess oil.

So, in theory, the more yeast, the more dandruff and even more, the oilier the scalp, the more likely you are to experience dandruff as well.

my story

Honestly, I’m not one who has suffered from the issue. Or maybe I have, and the blonde hair makes it blend in a bit more. But regardless there was a time in my life when I did notice more scalp discomfort, hair loss and what I believe is dandruff. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago.

In the last few years, there has been the shampoo less craze. Some call it oil training, where you “train” your hair to look good unwashed. While there is some merit to not washing every day and giving the natural oils the time to do the job it is supposed to, keeping unwashed hair for too long can harm your scalp.

So my story begins with me trying to “oil train” my hair. I was doing well at only washing twice a week. Which was more than most, but the thin, fine, blonde hair required it. Once I got to two washes a week, I was feeling pretty proud and thought I would do the next logical and “crunchy” thing, and that was a coconut oil hair mask.

That was the wrong idea.

Days after that mask, my scalp got inflamed, itchy and my hair started falling out. I didn’t want to believe it {and have no actual scientific proof that coconut oil will make your hair fall out} but it was enough to send my scalp over the edge.

Now, a year later I know, that adding oil to your scalp can aggravate a problem.

I’ve bumped up to three washes a week, not excess oils or products and I’m feeling pretty darn good in this spot.

too much oil or too much yeast

Given we know that dandruff results from two things, too much oil or too much yeast, we can start to work backward on fixing the problem.

Here are five natural ways to get rid of dandruff:

1. change your diet

Yeast overgrowth is found in numerous places on and in your body. From your scalp to your vaginal region, internally and even in your sinuses. The critical point to note about yeast is it often feeds off sugar. The more sugar there is to go around the more the yeast can flourish.

While some yeast is natural and healthy, we want to work to prevent the overgrowth. To kill the yeast you have to get rid of excess sugar in your diet and change what type of fuel your body uses as energy. To convert you from sugar burning to be fat adapted. Some quick tips:

• Switch to intermittent fasting
• Focus on adding healthy fat to every single meal
• Skip snacking

Learn more about becoming fat adapted and beating sugar cravings for good, using this program.

2. fix your hormones

Switching gears from yeast to oil, we can see just like overproduction of yeast comes from sugar, excess oils can often be a sign of a hormonal imbalance.

Your sebaceous glands on your scalp are tiny exocrine glands that secrete an oily or waxy substance. The type of secretions of the sebaceous glands is referred to as sebum. Sebum production is under the control of sex hormones {androgens}. The more active androgens stimulate sebaceous gland cells to produce more sebum.

These changes can be found to correlate with your menstrual cycle and even seasonally. Too much oil or not enough can both be symptoms that something isn’t firing as it should. A simple fix to your hormones, like this 5-Day Hormonal Reset can make all the difference in the health of your sebaceous glands, not only changing your scalp health but reducing acne, dry skin and other skin disorders.

Click here to join the 5-Day Hormonal Reset.

3. Probiotics and Prebiotics

Our gut microbiome influences nearly everything in and on our body. With an imbalance in gut bacteria, we have seen reactions in our skin, increased inflammation and a decreased immune response. To help cure dandruff try adding a probiotic to your daily routine and eat more fermented foods.

In fact, doing so could reduce your dandruff symptoms by 57% as found in one study {1}.

Here are a few probiotics I rotate through.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar Wash

Raw apple cider vinegar has quite a few uses. In fact, it’s one of my go-to beauty products to date. It doesn’t smell the best, but it does seem to work. Studies have found, raw apple cider vinegar is one of the best natural dandruff remedies. It contains malic acid to naturally slough off excess skin cells, plus the acidic pH also helps to close hair cuticles on the scalp. Add that to the acetic acid which attacks the yeast that can cause dandruff and it is one of the best ways to cure dandruff.

To use, make this apple cider wash.

1. Combine 1 part water with 1 part apple cider vinegar and place in a spray bottle.
2. Add roughly ten drops of essential oils per cup of solution for added benefit {optional}.
3. Shake and apply thoroughly to scalp before washing.

Ideally, you would leave this rinse in for 30 minutes to 1 hour or longer. But make sure you never use straight apple cider vinegar on the scalp. Always dilute it as pure vinegar can be too harsh for the sensitive skin.

5. Brush You Hair More Often

The anti-washing trend has also caused an anti-brushing trend. Now I know it might be the look and the cool thing but brushing your hair with a natural bristle brush is really healthy for your scalp. Even for men, who don’t have as much hair.

Not only does brushing stimulate the scalp increasing blood flow, decreasing inflammation but it also helps to move the oils from the scalp down the hair strands. This leads to a healthier scalp and healthier and shinier hair without the need for excess products.

It’s as simple as investing in a gentle brush and committing to brushing well at least once a day. That means from your scalp to the ends of your hair pulling the oils down.

Here are my favorite all natural hair brushes.

• Natural Bamboo Detangling Hair Brush
• Boar Bristle Detangling Hair Brush
• Natural Hair Brush

Make sure you check out the podcast for more details.

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If you have some feedback to share or an exciting shout out on your journey, leave a note in the comments below. I would love to know your reactions to the show and how you’re taking steps in owning your own story.

subscribe to the show

Don’t forget to subscribe to Simple Roots Radio to make sure you are notified as soon as another podcast comes out. Sometimes I can be a little slow to inform you, and this ensures that you get the show right on your phone to listen anytime you want!

If you have some feedback to share or an exciting shout out on your journey, leave a note in the comments below. I would love to know your reactions to the show and how you’re taking steps in owning your own story.

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