Remember the last time you washed your hair with that costly anti dandruff shampoo, and felt relaxed, only to be disappointed when the dandruff returned a week later with all its vengeance? This happens to most of us, and at times it can really drain all your confidence.
Dandruff is not a life threatening condition as such, but the effect it has on bringing down your confidence levels are dramatic, that it sometimes becomes a reason for failure in life, emotionally, socially and even professionally.
Here I am going to offer you some advice on certain home remedies that I've found to be quite useful for dandruff, and these do work in the long run, in controlling dandruff, and the sweetest part is, these methods are the least expensive of all the dandruff treatment methods out there.
So why not try them? So what is meant by a home remedy? A home remedy is a treatment method using things available in almost every home, for example, vinegar, lemon, olive oil, etc.
These are stuff that are present in almost all homes, so that when you are in need of them, you need to run only till the kitchen cabinet.
Are they as effective as commercial products? That's a hard question to answer, but the truth is home remedies are evolved over time, by trial and error by people like you and me, and the good ones tend to stand out, as more and more people come to know of them, try them and find them useful.
Commercial products do have an immediate effect in most cases, but in the long run, they tend to be too expensive to use continuously, and their effects do sometimes degrade over time.
Especially for a condition like dandruff, for which there is no CURE as such, and the treatment tends to span over months or years probably, home remedies have found their own footing in the treatment arena.
I would suggest that if you are unsuccessful with commercial products, you definitely should try some home remedies, because they have been time tested and also found to be useful for many other people, and it just might work for you.
So what are the best home remedies for dandruff? I can list out plenty of them, but I will stick to just three home remedies here, and these I will say are the best ones that have had an impact for me, as well as many of the people I know.
So here they go: 1.
Olive oil and ginger.
Yes, olive oil has been used for treatment of all sorts of skin conditions for centuries now, and is regarded as one of the finest natural medicines available to humanity.
Ginger is also a plant product with immense medicinal properties, described well in the ancient medical texts of Ayurveda.
A combination of these two items have a proven effect on curbing dandruff for good.
Preparation: I would suggest you crush 2 lobes of ginger and mix it well with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Now strain this in to a small bowl.
Application: You can apply the above mixture on to your scalp with your fingertips.
Make sure that the mixture reaches your scalp, and not just your hair.
In dandruff treatment, it's all about the scalp.
Once you have covered the entire scalp area, smear the rest of it behind your ears (a place where dandruff seems to attack in its advanced stages).
Leave it on for about half an hour, and then wash off with plenty of water and also you can use your daily use shampoo to get the oil completely out of your hair to avoid that greasy look.
2.
Lemon juice and coconut oil.
Yet another oil based treatment.
This one is part of the hot oil treatment methods for dandruff, and is regarded as highly effective.
The only issue with the method is that if you are having inflammations or broken skin on your scalp, it is going to hurt a little, because the citric acid in the lemon will sting a little.
For most people, it will be just a little tingling sensation.
Preparation: Warm a little coconut oil over the flame.
I would suggest you take 2 -3 tablespoons of it.
Now juice a half of a lime and add to it.
Mix thoroughly and maintain the warmth.
Application: Apply this concoction at a temperature that you can withstand, by this I mean a temperature that doesn't burn you.
It should be sufficiently warm for this to work.
Apply with your fingertips to your entire scalp and leave it for 3 to 5 minutes only.
Wash off with plenty of water and you may also use an egg based shampoo.
Again, depending on the condition of your scalp, this might sting or may be not.
3.
Apple cider vinegar and water.
This is a much talked about home remedy, but I do have to mention it here, because it works.
The only drawback is that is stinks.
Apple cider vinegar has a nasty smell as many of you must already know, but good thing come with a bad look or smell normally.
Preparation: Mix 2 parts of apple cider vinegar in 6 parts of clean water, I'd ask you to use drinking water for this.
That's it.
Application: You can either apply this using your hands, or a gentle brush.
Alternately, you can fill the mixture in a small spray bottle and spray over your scalp.
In either case, make sure that the mix reaches your scalp and not just your hair.
You can leave this on for some time, may be half an hour before washing off with plenty of water and maybe a good smelling shampoo to avoid carrying the smell of apple cider vinegar with you wherever you go.
Here they are! The 3 best home remedies for dandruff that I'd recommend to anybody who is suffering from dandruff.
Do note that dandruff being a bodily function, rather than a disease, it is difficult to say what works better, for what works for one might not work for another.
It is better to try out different methods and find the one that works best for you.
You have to try each one at least for couple of weeks before you make the switch.