Dandruff is shiny, healthy hair’s biggest enemy. We have all experienced the itchy scalp and having those ugly white flakes landing on the shoulders or back of our clothes.
The medical term for dandruff is Seborrhea. Although you may think that it is extreme dryness that causes dandruff, it is actually the opposite. Excess oil is actually the culprit.
Skin sheds faster
It is quite normal for skin cells to flake off in order to produce new ones, but certain skin diseases such as psoriasis, seborrhoeic dermatitis and fungal infection cause excess flaking.
People with dandruff shed skin every 5 to 7 days. The normal time frame for skin to shed is about month.
Therefore, those who experience accelerated shedding are more susceptible to having dead skin cells clumped with oil that is very visible on the scalp and clothes.
What causes dandruff
The top reasons you get flakes are:
- oil produced by the body
- by-products of our body’s micro-organisms from blow drying and chemical treatments
- individual vulnerability due to the skin diseases
- being unhygenic
- not eating the right food
You know you have dandruff when your scalp feels dry and itchy, irritated and sometimes even red and inflamed.
Needed ingredients in medicated shampoos
Although getting rid of dandruff can be done by using a medicated shampoo, look for a product with these ingredients: vitamin E, amino acids, sunflower oil and zinc vitanol.
An effective anti-dandruff shampoo should not only remove dandruff, but also nourish your scalp, and prevent itching as well.
Have a fashion or beauty question for Erica? Drop her a line at ericaparedes1@yahoo.com
Erica Paredes has been working in the publishing industry for almost a decade as a fashion and beauty editor, newspaper columnist, stylist and make-up artist. Nowadays she juggles her time between food and fashion, beauty and travel plus mommy duties to her 8 year old daughter.
Note from Yahoo! SHE editors: Yahoo! Philippines SHE encourages responsible comments that add dimension to the discussion. No bashing or hate speech, please. You can express your opinion without slamming others or making derogatory remarks.
